Here I am, once again attempting to resurrect this newsletter after a months-long hiatus. When I wrote the last one in September, I was finally out of the newborn haze, but then I went back to work and my baby went to daycare and I crumbled from all the transitions. My brain turned to mush! It’s still mushy but it’s a new year so let’s do this.
I’m almost 7 months postpartum and my running is in a pretty good place. I’ve run two races so far—a four mile race in November and a 10k last week—and I was pleasantly surprised with my times. I’m close but not at my pre-pregnancy fitness, partly because I’m still breastfeeding and am carrying extra weight. My body’s caloric priorities right now are 1) feeding my baby, 2) fueling my running, 3) losing my pregnancy weight. #1 and #2 mean I kind of eat without abandon, so #3 is a slow process. I’m not sure when I’ll stop breastfeeding but I imagine my speed and weight will change when I do.
I feel lucky to have returned to a solid level of fitness relatively quickly. The key, I think, has been consistency and a gradual build. I basically started working on “my return” the day I came home from the hospital, when I began breathing exercises to “connect with my inner core,” a phrase I feel the need to put in quotes because it sounds very fitness influencer-y. I downloaded an app called Expecting and Empowered and followed its postpartum program to strengthen my pelvic floor and abs (or lack thereof). When I started running around five weeks postpartum, it was minimal, and I didn’t run three continuous miles for another three weeks. I run five days a week now and and my longest run has been 13 miles.
My weekly mileage is still pretty low, but it’s what works with my life. It often feels impossible to take care of a baby, go to work, make dinner, do chores, sleep AND go for a run. There aren’t enough hours in a day! At the start of every week, I wonder if I’ll get in all my planned runs. Will my baby sleep well this week? Will she get sick? Most weeks, my training isn’t ideal—I run at inopportune hours and don’t have time to stretch or do my little mobility routine—but I remind myself that I showed up and did what I could. And in the end, that has to be enough.
That’s enough navel-gazing for today. Now for some fun stuff:
Baked Good of the Month
POP TARTS! I usually eat toast with butter and jam for my first breakfast, but I always keep a box of pop tarts in the cabinet if I don’t have time to make toast or if I’m running later in the day. Pop tarts are both delicious and gross, but most importantly, they’re fast fuel. I also find that eating one is good motivation to go on a run: once I eat a pop tart, my run HAS to happen. I buy them but I do want to try this recipe from Featherstone Nutrition.
Running Shoe of the Month
Why not start hawking some gear on this thing?! I keep three running shoes in rotation under the guise of preventing injury but mostly because I like to buy new shoes. I REALLY like the On Cloudmonsters for easy runs, long runs, and the occasional speed workout. They have the super-cushioned feel and maximalist look of Hokas but aren’t as heavy. I also don’t feel totally gauche when I wear them with sweatpants for #leisure.
Run of the Month
The best run I went on in the last month was a scenic route through the Cap d’Antibes in the south of France during my family Eurotrip holiday. I really wanted to see the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, where Sofia Richie had her TikTok-famous wedding and where my boss’s boss’s boss’s boss’s boss David Zaslav threw a controversial “lavish soirée” in May. It was closed for the season (wah wah) but I got a sad selfie in front of the gates.
And with that, I say adieu and until next time!
Elaheh
Great article! It's inspiring how your running has worked it's way back into your everyday routine even with work, baby, family. You're a champ! 💕
Love the pics!