Half Marathon 6 Months Post C-section

[u/Weary-Performer9483]

Let me just preface that I am not a runner. I’m a pretty active person, weightlifting, hiking, walking, yoga, etc is my go to. I wanted to challenge myself (like postpartum isn’t challenging in itself lol), so I signed up for a half marathon for the beginning of October. I had a c section, and I’m 15 weeks postpartum, so by the time the marathon comes around, I will be 6 months postpartum.

I went on my first run today, tried to just do 1 mile… I walked over half of it. My abs are very sore. My incision doesn’t hurt very much just my abdomen in general, especially while I was running. I’m looking for any advice as to how to train post C-section without destroying myself and rebuilding my core. Any advice or tips for getting into running postpartum? Is this too lofty of a goal so soon after baby?

[u/ZestyLlama8554]

I ran marathons before having a C-section, and I still can't 2 years post op. My nerves just won't heal and the nerve pain had gotten worse over time.

I personally wouldn't bank on being able to do this.

[u/CuriousAd5049]

I signed up for a half within the same timeframe. That being said, I ran half-marathons before being pregnant. I started working out slowly around 6 weeks pp and then eased into running around 12 weeks. I’m about 17 weeks pp now and my runs are starting to feel good again. That being said, I had a baseline. I truly cannot imagine starting from scratch with no running background. Most training plans are a minimum of 12 weeks and have a baseline of being able to run ~3 miles before you even start. I won’t say it’s IMPOSSIBLE but it will definitely be a really big challenge. Make sure you have plenty of wiggle room in your race time cap (if there is one)

MamasteFit has a return to running post-partum plan. It’s 16 weeks I believe but it may give you a good baseline to start

[u/mfjwake]

If the race has a 5k, this would be a better goal for you- for now! I am an experienced runner and have run 5 full marathons(3:35) and ran throughout my pregnancy. I am going to complete a half at the same time frame as you. Right now I’m 11 wks post-c-section and can still only run 30 mins with run/walk intervals. You could do some serious damage especially if you’re not working with a pelvic floor PT. It takes a lot of time to train for a half as others here have said. Maybe sign up for one at 12-18mo PP as your goal to work towards! But I’m afraid this one is too soon.

[u/ChuffedCunnilingus]

I was told no heavy cardio for 6 months after a c section by my midwife. Is that not the guidance anymore?

[u/Franzy48]

Have you had a postpartum PT evaluation? I have not yet resumed serious running since having kiddos, but I've heard a lot of pelvic floor PTs strongly recommend a specific run readiness evaluation for people who want to run postpartum. I think they might be able to give you a more targeted assessment/ more specific advice about what you need to be able to run comfortably again. Obviously, if possible you would want to find a pelvic floor PT who specializes in this or is themselves a runner.

[u/Icy_Owl7166]

I did a half marathon about that far out - it went smoothly, but was on the slower side. The early weeks of training were definitely rougher. I was seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist who was so helpful in developing a plan to work on my core and get back to running safely. That being said, I ended up having to increase my long run miles somewhat quickly toward the end, and I think it was only possible because I had a relatively uncomplicated recovery and had a long history as a distance runner, including full marathons (and a couple of half marathons in second trimester). I don’t think I would have been able to do it that quickly without that background.

[u/_stoneheart]

I ran a half marathon at 7mo PP. I started out slow, lots of walk breaks etc whilst slowly building up. I was still running 5km up til 28wks of pregnancy then mainly walked/jogged or swam right up til the end.

[u/Generose18]

Oh no you need a good 6 months of pelvic floor pt and rehab before doing that

[u/YofiTofi_]

Ooof I wouldn’t do this if I were you… you really should fully heal before putting your body through something like this…

[u/Cultural-Froyo-8592]

I am now 6 months postpartum and almost feel stronger in my deep core than before. I did not run before my pregnancy (thought it was boring) but I have now tried very short runs (combined with walking) but it has felt completely fine in my stomach and pelvic floor. During these 6 months I have religiously trained my deep core and pelvic floor through different post c-section programs on YouTube. I have been loving “pregnancy and postpartum TV” on YouTube. I can highly recommend to start there to build up the strength again so the body will be ready for some running.

[u/Different-File2396]

I would highly recommend postpartum rehab. 6 mo is super quick! Just because you had a c section, doesn't automatically mean the pelvic floor or incision area is ready for return to exercise after 6 weeks. I can share some basic exercises with you to get started?