When Can I Run After Having a Baby? A Coach’s Guide to Postpartum Return to Running

The short answer to the question “When can I run after having a baby?” is “it depends.” The longer, more helpful answer is in the post below. I will cover what that time line might look like overall, how to know you are ready to run, and how to build back your running intentionally when you are. 

My Postpartum Running Story

After having my first, I was so anxious to get back to running. My identity was so wrapped up in “being a runner.” It was my stress relief, my me time, the source of most of my friendships, my main mode of physical fitness… 

… and in my mind, my ticket back to the “old me.” 

I started about 7 weeks postpartum and went out for a slow couple of miles. To be honest, I peed my pants A LOT. I accepted it as my new postpartum normal and just kept running. 

Side note: many women can get back into running without this particular issue. I was not one of those women. I also believe that if I followed the steps in the Postpartum Run Ready Foundations Course first, my chances of having this particular issue would be a lot smaller. I’ve now followed these foundations for two more postpartum returns to running without issue.

I kept running, added in some non-specific strength training, and by many accounts “bounced back” relatively quickly - on the outside. I was running local races and seriously competing in my age bracket, finishing Spartan races with successfully completing all obstacles and coaching other strong mamas to do the same.

...buuuutttt....

I was still occasionally peeing while running, jumping, and sneezing - and just living with it.

I had terrible back pain if I wasn’t regularly seeing a chiropractor - the chiropractor helped the symptoms but didn’t fix the problem.

My shoulders and neck were constantly tense - massages barely helped.

It took me 6 years before I finally admitted I had a problem and sought to fix it!… all shaping what I do now as a coach.

What I’ve realized is this: pelvic floor dysfunction, low back pain, and chronic tension are not isolated symptoms. They’re all part of how we manage impact, force, and load in our bodies—especially during running. This education is just as essential for new moms as it is for every woman athlete.

So, When Can I Run After Having a Baby?

Let’s get to the question: When can I run after having a baby?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. While recent guidelines suggest waiting at least 12 weeks postpartum before returning to running (starting with run-walk intervals), the timeline should be driven less by the number of weeks and more by whether your body is ready for impact.

After my first child, I returned at 7 weeks— as you read above, it did not go well. After my second and third, I returned at around 10 weeks with a foundation of strength and movement. The difference was significant!

By the way, this does not mean wait 12 weeks while doing nothing, then start running! Instead follow my START formula!

A Realistic Return-to-Running Timeline

Let’s break down the general timeline I use in my Postpartum Run Ready Road Map that supports your body’s recovery and rebuilds a foundation for strong, efficient running. In the blog post Return to Running Plan: Build the Strength You Need for a Strong Comeback I go through these steps in more detail with some specific exercises.

Weeks 0–2: Rest and Breathe

• Prioritize rest, hydration, nutrition, and support. Learn to ask for help.
• Gentle breathing exercises can begin in just the first few days post-birth. These are designed to rebuild brain-to-muscle connection and start restoring your core from the inside out.
  
  

Weeks 2–4: Reconnect with Your Body

• Continue breathing practices and start re-establishing brain-to-muscle connection, especially with your core and pelvic floor.
• This stage is every bit mental as it is physical—just getting your brain talking to your body again.
• Consider making an appointment with a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist. They can offer feedback and personalized strategies that no mirror or general coach can.

Weeks 4–6: Start Practicing Foundations

• You may not be “cleared for exercise,” but it’s okay to start low-load foundational movements.
• Introduce squat and hinge drills, and layer in more intentional core work.

Weeks 6–12: Strength, Impact Prep, and Possibly Run-Walk

• This phase varies widely depending on your recovery and your body.
• You can begin more structured strength training and light impact preparation.
• Some may begin a graded return to run plan around the 10–12 week mark depending on readiness (see the Return to Run Checklist below), starting with run-walk intervals.
  

Rethinking the Six-Week Clearance

You may have noticed that there is a lot that happens in the above timeline before that typical six-week checkup. 

The six-week postpartum visit is primarily about internal healing, not readiness for high-impact activity. There's nothing magical that happens at six weeks. Six weeks is simultaneously too soon to start some exercise (like running, especially if you did nothing until this point!) and unnecessarily late to start doing others (the breathing and foundational movements). 

A gradual, intentional build back to sport postpartum can start as early as days after giving birth - the breathing exercise suggested for those first few weeks in my Postpartum Run Ready Road Map are no harder on your body than standing up from the couch, never mind a cough or a sneeze (by the way, early postpartum hugging pillow and/or sitting on one to put gentle pressure on your core and pelvic floor will be helpful at first for either of these). They are about rebuilding a connection so that you can lay that foundation. These exercises will also help you feel good, addressing a lot of common postpartum areas of tension.

What "Listen to Your Body" Actually Means

If you’ve been told “just go slow” or “listen to your body,” but weren’t sure how—that’s not your fault. Years of running and an athlete brain conditioned us to ignore and push through these signals, not listen for them. Learning to tune back in takes practice.

The above timeline focuses on what you listening to your body really means:

• Focus first on realigning and reconnecting with your core and pelvic floor.
• Restore proper movement mechanics, especially ones affected by pregnancy.
• Rebuild balanced strength on that foundation.
• Begin running again gradually with intentional volume build-up using run-walk intervals.

How to Know You’re Ready to Run Postpartum - The Run Ready Checklist

So you understand the general timeline—rest, rebuild, and progressively return—but how do you actually know when you're ready to run after having a baby?

Running is a high-impact, single-leg plyometric activity. That means your body needs to be ready to absorb and manage force through every part of your kinetic chain—from your feet to your pelvic floor and everything in between.

Postural changes from pregnancy require taking some time to rebuild connection, coordination, and strength across the whole chain.

The Postpartum Run Ready Checklist—included in my Postpartum Run Ready Roadmap, walks you through the signs and milestones that indicate your body is strong, stable, and connected enough to run safely and confidently.

Here’s a snapshot of what’s on the checklist:

1. Are You at Least 12 Weeks Postpartum?

This isn’t a hard rule, but if you’re earlier than 12 weeks, you’ll want to make double sure you meet every other item on the list before moving forward.

2. Can You Fully Contract and Relax Your Pelvic Floor?

This is foundational. If you’re unsure or can’t tell, that’s a sign you may benefit from working through the Run Ready Fundamentals course and/or seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist. While I used to recommend every single person see a PT before running, I now understand that accessibility and availability are real barriers. If you can see one, do. If not, education and guided rehab can still move you forward safely.

3. How’s Your Recovery Capacity?

This includes:

• Nutrition and hydration
• Sleep (yes, a hard one postpartum)
• Stress levels

If these are all out of balance, it doesn’t mean “no,” but it does mean “go thoughtfully.” You may need to progress more slowly, take extra recovery time, and scale your expectations. 

4. How’s Your Strength and Coordination?

Before your first run, you should be able to complete 20 reps with good form of the following exercises (no breaks, no symptoms):

• Single leg calf raises
• Single leg glute bridges
• Single leg squat to sit and stand
• Adductor tap downs
• Step up to reverse lunge (with balance)
• Single leg running man hinge
  
  

And then, complete at least 1 minute of each, with no breaks in form, pain, or pelvic floor symptoms:

• Jog in place
• Single leg hop in place
  
  

Your First Runs: A Graded Return

If you can complete the checklist, then you can begin a graded return to running.  I recommend beginning with run walk intervals, on non-consecutive days while monitoring for any signs of your body not tolerating running well. These can show up during or after a run, sometimes even 24–48 hours later.

Watch for:

• Incontinence or urgency
• Pelvic heaviness, pressure, or bulging (a feeling like a tampon is falling out)
• Pain during or after sex
• Constipation or difficulty having a bowel movement
• Sharp or lasting pelvic, low back, or hip pain. Any pain beyond muscle soreness you might expect from returning to running after some time off. Check your ego.

For example, my own signal I was doing too much doesn’t happen during the run but after? Pelvic girdle pain when standing on one leg in the shower to shave—after a run was how I knew I’d done too much, even if my run itself felt fine. This is why I recommend running on non-consecutive days at first—to give your body time to show you how it’s responding.

For the build itself, think something like a couch to 5k plan. Beginning with a time based run walk interval progressing to distance. This milestone progression I used is fully mapped out in the Postpartum Run Ready Roadmap with tips on how to modify it based on your symptoms, strength, and schedule.

You might need to progress through these milestones more slowly OR you may be able to progress through them more quickly. It will depend on your base strength, how many days you can devote to running per week (remember not to over commit), your overall stress level, how much you are sleeping, how well you are fueling your body. Give yourself grace.

Go Slower Than You Want—It Pays Off Later

Here’s the truth: impatience is the number one predictor of injury in postpartum runners. It’s tempting to rush back, to “prove” you're back to normal, to keep up with others. But quick gains almost always come with setbacks.

Instead, slow, patient progress:

• Keeps you injury-free
• Builds true foundational strength
• Rebuilds confidence and body awareness
• Helps you become a stronger runner than before
  
  

This season of rebuilding is a gift—an opportunity to connect with your body in a way you may have never taken the time to before. You can become more efficient, more powerful, and more resilient.

To that end, let's rethink what success looks like…

Along with all the majorly impressive postpartum PRs and performances, what if we celebrated choosing not to run and supporting our bodies in other (sometimes very much still athletic) ways just as hard?

What if we praised intentionally reducing volume and slowly building it back?

What if we truly let the time of pregnancy and postpartum become the opportunity to tune back into our bodies instead of just another hurdle to get over and get back on track as fast as possible?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m the first to like everyone’s running posts and I too thrive on pushing my own limits to see what my body can do.

Sometimes though we need to look at the bigger picture. Do you want to run forever, or just right now? Sometimes not running, running less, going slower, replacing miles with intentional strength training are exactly what we need.

And CHOOSING it is something we should be proud of!

Taking it one purposeful step at a time and learning to tune back into the needs of YOUR body will get you back to 100 (or better) the fastest even if it feels slow in the beginning!

Don’t let your ego and comparing your journey to others get in the way!

Resources to Help You Get There

Everything I’ve outlined here is part of the free Postpartum Run Ready Roadmap—a guide to the five steps in my START formula. You can begin implementing this roadmap in the early days and weeks postpartum.

For those ready for more structure, the Postpartum Run Ready Fundamentals Course is a comprehensive, 7-week program with:

• Full workout plans
• Step-by-step progression
• Educational modules tailored for runners, each building on the previous, helping you to understand the needs of your body and put what you learn in practice in the workouts
• Exercises that move you from rehab to run-specific strength week after week.

This course was designed by a runner for runners. It goes beyond core and pelvic floor rehab—it prepares you for the demands of running. Whether you’re a first-time mom or a seasoned athlete, this plan gives you the structure and support to rebuild your strength, confidence, and performance—on your terms.

**I have another version of both these resources created specifically for going through this postpartum season after pregnancy or infant loss. The workouts and main content are essentially the same between the two. However, after experiencing the loss of our daughter it became abundantly clear that each needs to be taught in its own context and with respect to what life looks and feels like right now. Click here to access all the resources mentioned above specific to pregnancy or infant loss.

You’ve Got This—And I’ve Got You

I got into this work because I struggled. I know how hard it can be to navigate the return to running after having a baby, and how overwhelming the information (or lack thereof) can be. That’s why I created these resources—to take the guesswork out, to offer clarity, and to help you build a strong foundation that lasts.

So when you ask “when can I run after having a baby?”—the real answer is: when your body is ready. And I’m here to help you figure out exactly what that means.

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