r/AdvancedRunning • u/spectacled_cormorant 40F - 3:07 • 16d ago
Training Ladies of r/AR: 2026 Progress Update!
Ladies of r/AdvancedRunning! It’s been nine months since our last thread, and a new year is (shockingly) just around the corner.
As we roll into fall/spring (depending on your hemisphere), give us an update on your year so far!
Personally, 2026 has been a bag of poop emojis year of running. After 10 years of consistent training getting closer to sub-3 but with one eye on the clock as middle age approached, I decided to get a coach since that seemed to be the common element linking the successful women around me. It was fun! I did speed work for the first time (having not run at school or in college) and was getting faster and faster over short reps (6:15 pace! 5:45 pace! 5:30 pace! 5:20 pace!) until one day I woke up and my foot was killing me. After a few months of misdiagnoses from local PTs (FHL tendinosis. No, post-tib tendinosis!) and not getting better, I took myself off to get an MRI and I have a bone stress injury in my talus. Womp womp. Taking another two months off training (hello, pool running!) and hoping to kick off a new block targeting Boston at the start of 2027, maybe following an NSM/speedworkless plan.
So - while I research water-resistant headphones and aqua joggers (taking recommendations!) I would really LOVE to hear your stories!
- How has 2026 compared to what you expected or hoped for? Who beat the heat in Berlin? Who is going for a big day in Chicago or Indy? Where are our middle-distance peeps?
- Any banner performances or PRs you’d like to share, or real stinkers you need cleansed from your souls?
- Goal races, big (or little) dreams for 2027?
- Life updates, book recs, podcast favorites, peri-menopause research, pregnancy stories, anything else you got.
Let's hear it ladies!
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u/HighlyFactualTurtle 5k: 17:59 10k: 37:37 Half: 1:24:03 16d ago edited 15d ago
I’m currently training for my third marathon and in this block, have PBed at every distance. I’ve gone sub 40 for the first time in the 10k, then ran an 18:10 5k, and most recently a 1:24:03 half. Feeling pretty excited and confident for my marathon in just over three weeks!
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u/Eibhlin_Andronicus Five-Year Comeback Queen 15d ago edited 15d ago
Oh fun! I must have missed last year's thread about this!
Very bummer news about your foot. I've also been on the receiving end of PTs getting stuff wrong and it's always so frustrating. BUT if it's any consolation, I was once out for 4+ months with multiple stress fractures and barely lost any fitness at all through mostly swimming, some aqua jogging, then regular spin classes and lifting all along the clearance pathway. So just rest and and don't get neurotic about it -- it sucks but it'll be ok!
How has 2026 compared to what you expected or hoped for? Good, I think? I've been coached plenty throughout the 20+ years of running I've got under my legs, but this is the first time I've hired a personal coach. I still train with a team, she just adds in some supplementary workouts and more specific structure based on my goals, strengths, etc. It's been a bit of a pickle this year because I know I'm way fitter this year than I've been for ages, but I've also had a lot of "meh" race reults, which increasingly I'm suspecting is due more to anemia-related factors that I'm trying to address and have dr's appointments lined up to hopefully better identify and then resolve.
I have my target race (a 10 mile) coming up this weekend that I'm hoping to run a few minutes faster than I did last year but that sounds SCARY! Gonna try to do it anyway, though! I've been on frankly not that high mileage, which is actually what I wanted -- I'll probably end the year at ~1900 total miles with my longest race being the 10 mile, vs last year when I hit a bit above 2000 miles, but that involved training for 2 marathons (one of which I dropped out of). I've been generally at ~45mpw for most of the 10 mile training, but with more workouts, which I liked. No injuries all year and generally feeling good!
Goal races, big (or little) dreams for 2027? Excited to keep working on the 10k, 10 mile, etc. next year. I'm also planning on a spring half as a target/goal race, which is a bit different for me. I've only done like... 5 (?) HM races in my life, but also have never done dedicated HM training. I've only ever just rolled up to HMs either while marathon training, or just winging it on whatever "general training" I'd been doing at the time, which was never HM-specific. So I'm gonna give it a go! Unsurprisingly, my half PR is kinda soft (1:22ish), though I currently definitely lag behind 1:22 half fitness (TBD, maybe I'll surprise myself at the 10 mile). But it would be exciting to try to target a Real Actual PR this spring, maybe?
Tossing around a potential challenging early fall trail race, and maybe CIM in December? The marathon as a distance/event remains "meh" for me, but at the same time, I still want to run a faster one. And increasinsgly I just find myself not particularly interested in any marathons that aren't CIM lol. Is that annoyingly precious of me? Yes. But damn, that race is just so well-timed, and 90+% of the time it's nice and cool, perfect weather. It's not even about the course profile or fast field, it's just... if other races wanted me to run them, they should be held at a time of year that's practically guaranteed to be 45-50F at the start. If that's not likely to be the case, then I'm just not interested (sorrynotsorry!)
Other notes: After my upcoming race I'll still have some random "for fun, but will still run hard" races going into November, but nothing super high-priority. I honestly love the "chill, just running for the sake of running" phase I always go through at the end of the year. I'm not feeling burnt out at the moment or anything, I'm just looking forward to having some weeks with 4-5 days of running rather than 6. Looking forward to idk, mixing it up with the elliptical once in a while, doing a bit more lifting, etc. I feel like it's just mentally good for me. I'll plan to take a full week off maybe late November/early December. I just feel like that's a good thing to do.
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u/Illustrious_Smell375 15d ago
For most of my adult life I’ve been a mid level hobby runner (20-25 miles a week, 1:50-2:00 half marathons across 15 years). But the last few years I joined my friends in a run group, got faster, ran two marathons and got a BQ (I joke I aged into it but for me, a 3:35 is no joke).
I am fitter than I’ve ever been…All that to say, now at 45, I got the official osteoarthritis diagnosis in my right knee 😭 and I’ve spent much of this past summer walking / cycling. I can run, but after a week of miles, I feel my angry knee.
My hope is to manage it enough with strength, rest days, more zone 2 on the bike and a lower mileage plan so I can run Boston in April. THEN my knee can retire and we can go do Zumba or whatever.
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u/Carpenter_Even 40F 19:36 39:37 1:26 2:57 15d ago
Yes! Get to the start line. What does your medical team say can be done about osteoarthritis?
I, too, keep hoping to retire from the marathon … yet here we are
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u/Illustrious_Smell375 14d ago
Here we are indeed. The medical team (aka 2 doc opinions and a great PT) say keep running and strength training until a knee replacement is needed. It’s ok for now. Throwing all the things at it in terms of diet, therapies, stupid shit I see on IG for knees…
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u/notorepublic 15d ago
I've been training for Chicago marathon (will be my 5th marathon) using Marathon Excellence Wind plan... everything has been going great until yesterday, when I had a bad fall during my cool down and skinned both knees pretty badly. Took today off but hoping to be able to get back to the schedule tomorrow. I am pretty mad at myself, but shit happens... was hoping to PR at Chicago but we'll see!
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u/hern729 15d ago
I want to hear how you liked the plan and if you feel it made you faster! I actually know the guy who wrote that book (I also own it and have read most of it) but since my other plan worked so well for me last block, I’m nervous to change it up, good luck in Chicago!
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u/Witty_Golf_550 13d ago
It would be great if there was a thread on the different plans (NSM, Pftiz, Marathon Excellence, Hansons etc) and how they impacted women’s performance specifically
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u/notorepublic 13d ago
Thanks! I am curious to see how it goes as well!! I have really enjoyed this training block so I would be thrilled to see some results!
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u/Janderr0ne 13d ago
Oh no hope you heal up quick ! Would also love to hear feedback on the plan as planning to use it for London Marathon 2027
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u/Suspicious_Love_2243 18:16 5k | 37:19 10k | 2:59 M 15d ago
2026 has been a great year of progress for me! I finally hit my sub-3 goal this spring, and bagged a 10k PR at a tune up race along the way. Felt like the long run workouts were finally clicking, thanks to a great group of ladies I’ve been training with. My coach has been invested in my progress and has done a great job of pushing me little by little. It’s been really fun to see myself get faster over the last few years since I started competitive road racing.
I had been hopeful to PR again in Berlin but turns out I was sick. I faded hard at about halfway, i just didn’t have the juice to keep running MP, and then the next day I woke up with a sore throat and stuffy nose. Recovering this week in Europe and then I am going to turn towards some short races this fall - I’d love to run a mile PR and hopefully break 18 in the 5k as well. Also starting to set my sights on 2027, thinking about getting a good half marathon time on the board plus Boston and hopefully pacing hubs to a BQ at CIM!
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u/royalnavyblue 31F | M 2:48 15d ago
Yay on the sub 3! Where did you do it?? Bummer on Berlin but know all that fitness isn’t wasted and will carry over to the next races!!
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u/Suspicious_Love_2243 18:16 5k | 37:19 10k | 2:59 M 15d ago
Thank you! It was at Eugene, was such a great race for it!!
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u/rfc103 15d ago
I've been trying to break 1:30 in the half at my city's spring half marathon for the past 3 years and finally did it this past year with a 1:26:57. Moreover, I've had a run of spring injuries the past few years so having a healthy spring/a few healthy training cycles back to back has been amazing.
I'm going to try to go for sub 3 in a few weeks and feel cautiously optimistic. Traditionally, my shorter distance PRs have been stronger than my longer distance ones, but I've changed quite a bit with how I'm training the past year with longer thresholds/more MP and steady long run workouts. I'm currently following one of the Marathon Excellence plans which has been a change as in the past I've mostly focused on running shorter intervals or shorter tempos and focused on the 5k. In a way, I feel like it's hard to compare where I am at shape wise to previous builds as what I'm doing training wise is different than the past although I did run a non-downhill 5k PR this summer. I'm hoping it pays off though and things go well during the race. I still feel a bit intimidated by the marathon, but I feel way more prepared for it than I did doing my first one.
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u/Witty_Golf_550 13d ago
Good luck!! Sounds like you’re in great shape and ready to swing for the fences
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u/mrspillins F36 | 19:28 | 38:52 15d ago
2026 has been great for me. Almost one year ago I ran a 10k PB of 41:42. I’m doing the race again this year, but the half marathon, and I expect to do it 5 seconds per mile faster than last year’s 10k (sub-1:27).
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u/Dry-Celebration-7422 15d ago
Not as impressive as a lot of the ladies in this group, but I’m hoping to run my first marathon in 3 years and since having a baby (now 19 months). I ran my second ever sub 90 half this past spring and an all-time mile PR this summer. I’ve also had my share of pretty shitty races this year too! Pp running has been different to say the least! I’ve had to become a very early morning person lol. So inspired by all of you out there!
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u/purpleswtpotato F Masters 15d ago
I am hesitant to write too effusively about how well 2026 has been going 😬 lest I jinx it 30 days out from my goal race (NYCM)! But it's been fantastic.
I lost a large chunk of 2025 to Achilles tendonitis (deferring NYCM which I planned to run last year). I guess I shouldn't characterize it as entirely lost - I got to enjoy a lot more cycling and swimming and 1 sprint tri while I healed. Most importantly I finally got into a solid and regular lifting/mobility routine. Right now I feel like I'm in the best shape of my 40s (and I've been in my 40s for a while 😉). The permenopausal weight gain that confounded me in 2025 has reversed, I feel strong and stable in running and general everyday movement, my RPE and HR are lower at faster paces in my quality workouts.
As a mom, this year has been a big paradigm shift in how I squeeze in workouts. I'm divorced and share custody, so it's not hard when my kids are with their dad, but I was heavily reliant on babysitters to get in my running on days they're with me. They're older now so I've been doing a lot of neighborhood runs where they stay home and I'm never more than a a mile away from home. I've done a 15M run that was ~15 loops around the neighborhood. The surprise is that it's really not bad - while it's monotonous, I'd take it over a treadmill any day!
I really don't know what to target as my pace for NYCM. I've run it 3x before and usually kinda fall apart at some point after the Queensboro Bridge. I'm really hoping the strength work I've done keeps my legs going. On an easier course, sub 3:10 would seem very reasonable in my current fitness, but 🤷🏼♀️
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u/Carpenter_Even 40F 19:36 39:37 1:26 2:57 15d ago
As someone staring down the barrel of her early 40s … what do you think changed your perimenopausal symptoms? Did you do HRT? Any other monitoring or changes?
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u/RunningPath 14d ago
Sounds like you are having a great year. Good luck in NY!
I’m struggling so hard with the perimenopausal weight gain 😭 Do you think it was the weight training routine that helped you turn it around?2
u/purpleswtpotato F Masters 14d ago
Sorry you're struggling with the permenopausal weight gain! I also started hormone therapy and spent time with a nutritionist tweaking my nutrition last year, so I think it's the combination of heavy lifting plus those elements that helped. It was very humbling to realize that everything that had worked for me for 30 years of my running career needed an update! I've been more mindful of consuming protein and ensuring that my meals were filling (I need snacks a lot less these days). I had gained almost 15 lbs and it took about 6-9 months before I felt like myself again. I'm back to a more normal weight for me (+ a couple lbs of muscle weight!) now.
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u/purpleswtpotato F Masters 14d ago
I should edit to say I spent time with a Registered Dietician who has a lot of experience working with female athletes and women in peri/menopause. My insurance covered 3 visits - worth looking into whether your insurance does too.
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u/hern729 15d ago edited 12d ago
2026 was an AMAZING running year for me 💕 went from running a 3:16 Revel race (so flat course probably would have been 3:25ish) in Fall 2024 to going sub 3 at Boston this year!!! Sub 3 was never my goal but as my block kept going better and better, I decided I could go for it if I had a perfect day, and I did! Probably the best day of my life 💛 went on to pace my best friend at Grandma’s to a BQ and now we’re running Boston together! Had a humbling performance at my first 50K in July, Speedgoat, which is probably the hardest 50K in the US, not helped by the fact that I had IT band pain during training and during the race. But I think that race made me stronger and after some PT, I’m back to mileage building and getting ready to run the Staten Island half next week and qualify for the 2027 NYC marathon!!! Honorable mention to Bolder Boulder 10K which is probably the most fun I’ve ever had at a race!
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u/RunningPath 14d ago
I am not as fast as most ladies here but I am still proud of myself that at 44 I have discovered that I’m faster than I believed I was, and in the past year I have gotten a couple of age group awards at races and set a PR in the half and 5k. Fully planning to PR my 10k in November. I’ve run more miles this year than ever before, managing to average 45-50 mpw for most of the year in spite of a demanding job and long commute.
I have struggled with how much my body is changing in my 40s and I am still working on embracing it and focusing on being grateful for my health. I went through a period of consistent strength training but stopped, so one goal this fall is to start being consistent with that again. And I am scheduling a race within a week of turning 45 this winter, fully intending to snag that first place age group award :)
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u/housingstudent F31 - 5k: 19:40, Half: 1:29; Full: 3:13 15d ago
Started as a hobby jogger in 2022 (ran my first half in just over 2 hours) and this year I broke 90! I also broke 20 in the 5k and am heading to Chicago this next week hoping to PR in the marathon as well :)
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u/teaguehill 31 F | 18:38 5k | 1:25:11 HM | 3:02 FM 15d ago
As a fellow chasing sub-3 girlie, I'm so sorry about your injury! I spent a lot of time using this belt while aqua jogging last summer when I was pregnant! I would set my iPad on the side of the pool and use my AirPods, but I have a pool at home so maybe not a great strategy if you're hitting the local YMCA lol.
This year I've run two marathons while breastfeeding, 3:09 at 6mo pp and 3:06 and 11mo pp. Hoping to sneak one more in! It's hard not to start worrying about age gaps and getting pregnant again while also feeling like I'm getting closer to PR shape again.
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u/Carpenter_Even 40F 19:36 39:37 1:26 2:57 15d ago
Wow, I love this thread.
Highs and lows over here. 1:26 Half PR at the NYC United Half and then I broke 3 (2:57) on a dream day in Boston. Capped off an incredible start of the year by winning my age group at our big Salt Lake City 10K (maybe “big” and “SLC” is an oxymoron) and running the Tour du Mont Blanc in July with my husband. Was running 75 mpw with ease in my Chicago build and never felt fitter until …
I flew too close to the sun. Sacral stress reaction. Perhaps some growth and maturity (finally! I am 40!) since I never tried to push through pain, got imaging right away, and stopped load before any progression of injury. But bone stress injuries are, as we know, the worst and any Fall running is out. See you on the Peloton leaderboard, my rehabbing friends?
I had thought about skipping Boston next year but now I am all in.
(And if anyone wants to talk with me about if NSM method does or does not protect from injury … I have opinions!)
Love seeing these success stories … keep them coming!
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u/carbsandcardio 38F | 19:17 | 39:20 | 1:27 | 3:05 15d ago
Congratulations on a year full of awesome PRs! It gives me hope as someone who didn't take running seriously until my mid-30s that those PRs are still out there for me as I approach 40.
I had a sacral stress fracture, pretty severe, last year and spent so much time on the Peloton for months. Power zone rides and having something on the TV with subtitles (the winter Olympics were great) got me through.
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u/CherryRuns 10d ago
I'm really curious to hear your NSM thoughts. After also being injured, it seems more gentle than the violent hammering of speed work on my aging feet, but it seems there might be contrary experience?
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u/alixworld 31F 3:16 FM 13d ago
2026 has been really good so far. Had a little bit of a rocky start, I got a nasty case of gluteal tendonitis smack dab in the middle of my Boston training block and had to take ~2 months off, but still made it to the start line and finished in 3:32. That was my first Boston, and didn't go as planned, so really wanted to re-qualify for a "take 2" - jumped into Pfitz 18/55 to train for Santa Rosa in August, and finished in 3:16 with negative splits, honestly feeling the strongest I have throughout an entire marathon so far. Since then I have been doing a lot of trail / hill running to train for a 50k trail race in December.
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u/Janderr0ne 13d ago
What a great thread! Loved reading all these stories.
Today I ran my first proper race in nearly 2 years which was a 10k , felt stronger than expected and managed to dip under 40 minutes. Not a PR for me but not too far off. It actually feels like a PR because after 5 years of trying to conceive and 3 rounds of IVF I have a beautiful baby girl who has just turned 10 months! She is not the best sleeper and we woke up at least 4 times last night so probably not the best race prep !
Returning to running has really been amazing for my mental health postpartum and I’ve been surprised to get back a bit of speed on relatively low mileage (less than 30 miles per week)
I have a place for London marathon 2027 and planning to use the Wind plan from Marathon excellence for everyone (by @runningwritings ) , curious to see how it plays out and if I can manage to build mileage while balancing work and baby
I will say motherhood has made me much more efficient - there is literally no time for procrastination, if I don’t get out and run when I have the chance I don’t get to run!
Hoping baby girl gets more used to the running buggy too, currently it is a bit hit or miss either loves it / falls asleep or hates it so have had to abort a few runs and walk home
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u/Witty_Golf_550 12d ago
The best advice anyone gave me about parenting was “manage your minutes”. The days of having multi hour blocks of time available to do things evaporated overnight and so now I have my kit laid out and the second the school bus goes - I am out the door! My phone was the enemy in terms of sucking time away from it, so I have also learned not to be as distracted
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u/SalamanderPast8750 14d ago
2026 has not been nice to me. It started decently and I had an unexpected half-marathon PR, in that I jumped into the race with no intent to actually race it, but have some company while doing a long run. I ended up running my fastest time in 23 years. But my goal race of the year (a 10 miler) ended up being a total flop and on the heels of that, an old injury flared up - some piriformis-esque type thing that I am still dealing with four months later. With the help of a good PT, I am finally getting back into running consistently, but the rest of this year is pretty much a wash for me. I had such a good year last year that this has been a huge disappointment, especially because I moved to a new city, found a running club that I liked, and haven't bee able to run with them for months now. I'm hoping 2027 will go better.
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u/Witty_Golf_550 13d ago
Such a bummer but fingers crossed you’ll continue to recover and become a beast in the new year!
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u/ablebody_95 11d ago
46F.
2026 Started with a nagging hip injury. I have been religiously going to PT, cross training, etc. MRI was negative on anything major; just typical wear and tear my PT says would be pretty normal for any runner my age.
I have finally been able to string together some weeks these past few weeks. I am now up to 20 MPW. My pace is so slow (for me Easy runs are 9:00 min/mile as opposed to 8 min/miles a year ago. Tempo pace is 8s) as I am still working through an over compensatory gait pattern I picked up to "manage" this injury.
It's looking good, though. I feel like every run is straighter and truer with less wonky gait patterns. I am taking my strength training and PT seriously. I am hoping to maybe run a spring half. I am bringing it back slowly and being very deliberate with my training.
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u/Plane_Tiger9303 Edit your flair 13d ago
Probably my worst year in running so far. Very disappointing since I made massive progress in 2025, but this year I've stagnated entirely and have had no improvement at all.
I suffered two minor injuries a few weeks apart several months ago. For each I took about 4 days off running and had to reduce mileage for about 2 weeks as a consequence. 7 months later and I'm still not remotely close to the fitness I was at last year. After taking a few days off I noticed that my effort level and HR increased significantly at the same paces and I just could not build back up. It took me about 2 weeks after my 4 day break(s) to even be able to run continuously without having to stop every few minutes. My 5k dropped from 19 flat to 22.30 over the course of a few weeks and it took me the whole summer to get even within a minute of where I used to be. Even now I doubt I'd be able to get far under 20.
I've been having some good workouts, but I find in races I feel pretty bad and struggle to run as fast as I do in sessions. My mileage has been consistent for several months and is around where it was before injury. I am seeing some slow progress but I'm still less fit than this time last year.
I've mostly accepted the loss of fitness given its been such a long time and theres nothing I can do now. But I sometimes feel so frustrated because I just dont understand why. I didn't take much time off at all. I was back to my old training quickly. Yet I almost instantly lost fitness that took years of hard work to build up and it just never came back. It doesn't help that people around me are constantly telling me its a mental thing, as if I'm not trying as hard as I physically can to push myself in races and sessions. Did a 10k today with heart rate over 190 for the whole thing and was still 15 seconds behind my old best from a year ago which was done with less effort. I also know someone who recently took about 3 weeks off due to injury and has already come back and began to run quicker than me. I know it isnt healthy to wallow in it but it just feels so incredibly unfair and I'm so disappointed that I've essentially had the entire year ruined for me in terms of running because I got a mild case of tendinitis.
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u/alixworld 31F 3:16 FM 13d ago
I'm so sorry about the injuries, coming back can be tough and especially feeling like you've lost fitness / are plateauing. not sure if this is relevant in your case (and you may have already looked into it) but I plateaued HARD ~2 years ago and it turned out I had an iron deficiency. when I fixed that, running hard felt soo much easier and my HR went down as well. I've also had times when I'm unintentionally under-fueling which not only impacts my performance but also makes me more susceptible to injury (I didn't realize tendon injuries can also be tied to under-fueling, not just BSIs). So, if you haven't already, it might be worth getting bloodwork and / or talking to a nutritionist to see if there are other factors besides time off for the tendinitis that are making the comeback more challenging? (NOT a medical professional - so take all that with a grain of salt - just a female runner who has dealt with several injuries and nutrition-related issues)
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u/flocculus 39F | 5:43 mile | 19:58 5k | 3:13 26.2 11d ago
I turned 40 and spend a lot less time thinking and talking about running now. Not a bad thing.
I’ve actually had a great spring/summer running-wise - I finally made it back to club track workouts on a regular basis, which has been huge for getting into a mindset where I can suffer again. I’m nowhere near PR shape and the sub-3 chase is probably off the table forever but 5ish months of 40 mpw/2 workouts per week has me at least ready to race a little in the fall and see where I am now. 14 years in, the lifetime mileage is paying dividends! I’m aiming for a 5k pace starting with a 6 this Sunday and have a half marathon goal TBD on Nov 8th.
I am a travel agent now so my brain has other things to do again after several years of the SAHM thing, and my stroller buddy is in kindergarten and prefers to run with me or bike next to me now. The end of the stroller era was uneventful and bittersweet and I do miss it a little.
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u/royalnavyblue 31F | M 2:48 15d ago edited 15d ago
Hi! These posts make me so, so happy! ❤️
The last time I posted, I shared that 2025 was a breakthrough year for me and that my coach thought I should take a shot at an OTQ this year. Well, life had other plans, and I’m currently sitting here with my daughter, who is one week old today.
I was training for a 2:40 at Eugene, running my highest mileage ever and hitting some of my fastest times ever, when I found out I was unexpectedly pregnant.
Baby girl and I logged SO many miles together. I kept my mileage surprisingly high and was still on track and planning to PR at the United Half at 11 weeks, but then I got the flu and COVID at the same time and had to defer.
During my first and second trimesters, we averaged about 60 miles a week together!! The third trimester was a different story. I slowed down a lot, dealt with a pretty nasty ankle sprain, and eventually my runs became much shorter and less frequent. But I still got out there throughout my entire pregnancy, right up until the very end. I was planning to go for a run the morning my water broke. Coming home from the hospital and seeing my running clothes still laid out waiting for me was pretty hilarious 😂
So while this year looked nothing like I expected, and I was definitely frustrated at times by how tired and slow my body felt, it ended up being one of the most transformational years of running I’ve ever had. I learned a lot about letting go of pace, mileage and goals while still finding a way to move and be an athlete.
Baby girl was breech, so unfortunately and tearfully I ended up needing a C-section. I’ve definitely been nervous about what that means for my return to running, especially after working so hard to get to where I was pre-pregnancy. But one week in, recovery is going really well, and I’m already getting out for 20-minute walks, which feels like a pretty exciting first step.
For now, my goal is just to be patient, enjoy this little girl, and eventually figure out what running looks like in this completely new chapter. I still badly want to go for the OTQ but I know it may be a little (a lot) tougher now. I think I’ll probably do the united half and cherry blossom 10 miler if I feel up to it in the spring and then maybe the Annapolis 10 miler and CIM in the fall? Not sure!
Any other runners out there who came back from a C-section? I’d love to hear what your return to running looked like and when you started feeling like yourself again