Hey there! This week’s newsletter is all about returning to running after pregnancy. I took about a 10 year hiatus from racing after competing in college and into my early adulthood. Running was still part of my life, but getting back into racing felt hard as I navigated pregnancy after pregnancy. Running often felt really uncomfortable during pregnancy, and then once I finally felt ready to train and race again, I also felt ready to have another baby.

It was a beautiful cycle, but it meant racing took a back seat for a long time.

Now I’ve got just a few more days until I continue my newly rediscovered love for running races at Disneyland with their half marathon. Here’s a little peek at my outfit and nails for the race.

I also shared on our podcast this week all about my marathon, with a half marathon appetizer, at Disney World earlier this month. I talked through how I prepared for the race (not much), how it went, and why it ended up being such a fun experience (along with videos and pictures from the race).

​

Our entire team is already planning our next Disney race. Mandatory work trip, obviously. That was a big reason I couldn’t just cancel my marathon earlier this month even though Roxanne was due any moment (and I sadly missed her beautiful birth, but super thankful it was smooth and uneventful for her). It also doubled as a work vacation for our hard working employees and their families, who we may have very enthusiastically encouraged to run the 10K. They loved it and are already volunteering for another race work trip.

What really hit me was this realization. I haven’t been racing much over the past decade because my body was in seasons of pregnancy, recovery, and preparation for the next pregnancy. Now it feels really cool to focus on my own athletic performance again, and I’m excited to share this next stage of fitness with you.

Pelvic Mechanics for Pros Workshop: SoCal

Speaking of Disneyland, if you’re in SoCal or the Los Angeles area, there’s still time to join me for our Pelvic Mechanics Workshop for birth workers and movement professionals in Brea, CA.​

The workshop is Sunday, February 1st from 10am to about 4 or 5pm. I’ll be breaking down our approach to movement in pregnancy to support comfort and birth preparation, plus how to use movement in labor to support an easier birth.

We’ve had so much positive feedback from this workshop, and you can currently earn 5.5 ICEA continuing education credits and nursing credits. There are only 4 spots left for this workshop!!

$349.00 Pelvic Mechanics for Birth Workers & Movement Pros: February 1, 2026Brea, CA 📍2841 Saturn St Unit C, Brea, CA 92821 (Orange County)​ 📅 Sunday February 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM​ 🎟️ $349 per ticket ... Read more Register for February 1st

​

If you can't make it in-person to a workshop (scroll to the bottom of this email for our full schedule), you can always dive deeper with us online in our pelvic mechanics online course where you can earn 9 nursing credits!​

How do we actually get back to running after birth?

So, let’s talk about our approach to returning to running after birth.

Last week, I shared about the general timeline for returning to exercise after birth. You can watch the YouTube video or read the blog where I break it all down. Once you begin returning to workouts, the key is rebuilding a strong foundation before adding running back in.

For me, that meant focusing heavily on single leg stabilization, overall lower body strengthening, and giving myself time to truly be ready for the impact of running. Research generally suggests waiting until around 12 to 16 weeks postpartum before initiating running, assuming symptoms are well managed and strength has been rebuilt.

​

When you do return to running, it is not immediately five miles.

Starting with walk and run intervals allows your body to gradually adapt to impact, which is exactly how we approach it in our return to running program. Plyometrics can also be a helpful tool, introducing impact in a more controlled and manageable way before sustained running.

As you build volume, you may notice little imbalances showing up, like one knee feeling different than the other with repetition. That is common. This is why pelvic and lower body balance work matters so much. Our pelvic balancing workout includes many of my favorite exercises for addressing these asymmetries, and this approach has worked well for hundreds of our clients.

One thing I also like to normalize is that returning to running with kids can be more equipment heavy. A jogging stroller can be incredibly helpful. I’ve really liked my single jogging stroller from Guava and my double from Thule. I use my single more often now that my older kids are in preschool.

​

A treadmill has also been a huge help for me, whether that means running while my youngest is contained in a pack and play or scheduling runs during childcare, which is not always accessible. Flexibility matters, and sometimes the setup makes the run possible.

New workouts on YouTube: Running Mobility

In addition to sharing about my marathon, I also shared my pre-run warm up routine on YouTube.

​

A few other pre race and pre run tips that help me feel more prepared:

If your race offers a gear check bag, use it. If not, stage a bag with someone for after the race. In my post run bag, I packed:

• Sandals (nothing feels better than taking off your sneakers after a race)
• A hand towel to dry off
• A change of clothes
• My handheld breast pump

For pre-race:

• Hypothermia blanket (you can also do throwaway clothes)
• Snack
• Water bottle with some LMNT

I also pump before the race. Now that I’m nearing 18 months postpartum, I can go longer between nursing and pumping sessions. When I ran my marathon last June at 9 months postpartum, I definitely needed to pump right before and immediately after the race.

One thing I’m adding this time is a simple grocery bag tucked into my running waist pack. After the finish line, they handed me so much stuff that I felt a little overwhelmed, so having a bag to throw everything into would have been helpful.

Later this week, I’ll be sharing my post run cool down mobility routine and some recovery tips after races.

My recovery routine includes:

• ​Leg compression with CINCOM; this was a game changer for me after the Army Ten Miler race and was really helpful for the Disney marathon. I’ll be bringing it with me to my half marathon this weekend.
• ​Theragun Massager​
• Epsom salt baths
• Plenty of mobility

For this upcoming race, I’m also going to try leg compression recovery leggings and see if they make a difference. I’ll report back.

It feels really motivating to be able to start putting real effort into racing again. For years, my fitness goals were about maintaining strength and preparing my body for pregnancy and birth. Now I’m at a place where I can push myself physically and compete again in running, and that realization has been really exciting.

This year I’ve already got a few races lined up, including a trail 25K, a few half and full marathons, and some 5Ks with my kids mixed in too.

If you have a really fun race I should do, or a fast and flat marathon course you love, let me know!

Talk soon!

Gina

Stay Strong in Pregnancy and Motherhood!

MamasteFit is one of the only fitness training facilities in the country that exclusively works with in-person prenatal and postnatal fitness clients—and also provides hands-on birth support. Our prenatal and postpartum fitness programs aren’t random “safe” modifications pulled from the internet; they’re designed specifically for this stage of life, tested and refined with our in-person clients, and approved by our in-house pelvic floor physical therapists.

Our prenatal programs were created to keep you strong and pain-free throughout pregnancy with specialty exercises to help you prepare for birth with pelvic opening, pelvic floor, and birth prep movements.

Our postpartum programs were carefully designed with our in-person fitness clients and pelvic floor PTs to ensure there is a smooth transition from rehab and recovery to fitness. Many PTs recommend our programs for both pregnancy and postpartum because of how seamless they integrate with someone's 1-1 PT!