Postpartum Training Cycle

I made some huge mistakes coming back from having my twins, and the purpose of this blog is to help you or someone you know NOT to do what I did at first, but to learn from my mistakes, and do what I did after a layoff to get to healthy and run some faster times again. 

People have asked to see what I did to come back so first I will show you what not to do. 

postpartum (PP) week 1- short walks

PP week 2- walks

PP week 3- weekly total-12 miles

PP week 4-  weekly total-19 miles

PP week 4- here is where I start to make big mistakes-weekly total 30 miles with 1 workout- 6x1 minute hard/1 min easy

PP week 5- 1 workout- 7 miles with 1 mile@6:15, and 6x400@6:00 pace, 34 miles total.

PP week 6- 1 workout-6x800@2:45-2:55, total 27 miles.

PP week 7- 1 workout 3x(800, 600, 400) between 5:24 and 5:45 pace, 39 miles total.

PP week 8- 2 workouts- 2400@ jog/stride, 2x1600, 1x800, and 10 with 4 miles@6:35 pace, total miles 50.5

PP week 9- 2 workouts-12x400 @76-88 (faster as I went), and 9 miles with 4@6:30, long run 12 (total-47)

PP week 10- 2 workouts- 2x(1200, 1000, 600), 1200@ 5:40 pace, and 10 miles with 5@6:45, total 37 miles. 

PP week 10-  1 workout-1 mile@5:55, 2x400@83, and 4x200@38, and a race 16 total-1/2 marathon 1:24:27, total 41.5 miles.

Akron 1/2 Marathon 10 weeks PP

PP week 11- 2 workouts- 2x(4x400m, 2x800m), and 10 miles with 6@6:15-6:45, long run-12 (total-49)

PP week 12- 2 workouts- 2x (1k, 2k, 1k), and, 11 with 8@6:38 pace. long run 14 with cutdown under 7 for last 4 (total-55)

PP week 13- 15- 55-60 miles a week with a track session and tempo- by week 16 I was in PAIN!

So I had to start over! Here is what I should have done in the first place.

6 weeks of walking and doing postpartum core routine given to me after a functional movement screening.-- see blog here

SO MUCH CORE- 45 mins 4-5 days a week.

week 7- walk/run 3 days, 3 mins run/2 mins walk- 4x pp core

week 8 walk/run 4 days, 4 mins run/1 min walk- 4x pp core

week 9 walk/run 5 days, 5 mins run/1 min walk- 4x pp core

week 10 - 5 days 2 miles easy- 4x pp core

week 11- 5 days  3-4 miles easy- 5x pp core

week 12- 5 days of 4 miles easy, 1 long run 6 miles 4x pp core

week 13- added in speed starting with 4x400 increase long run to 8 miles. 30 miles total 4x pp core

week 14- 6x400 and 10 miles long run 35 miles total 4x pp core

week 15- added in an additional mile of speed and a light tempo of 3 miles, long run 12,  40 miles total 4x pp core. 

week 16- resumed training similar to prior to injury.  Gave myself an 85% rule.  I would not go beyond what felt like 85% of my max.  So I head back.  I increased my mileage by 2-5 miles a week until I was back to 80 miles a week and in marathon training.  I increased my long run 2 miles for 2 weeks, then one week down, (example- long run 12, long run 14, long run 10, long run 14, long run 16, long run 10). 

Grandma's Marathon 2:47- 11 months PP

Coming off of Grandmas I had a lot of work to do to find the 5 minutes I would need to hit the 2:43 Olympic Trials Standard at Columbus  4 months later.  I continued with my 4x core work weekly. Added in drills before every run, and this is how the training cycle went. 

Last week of June was all easy runs between 4-8 miles.

July- 55-75 miles a week- long runs 15, 16, 17, 17.  Tempos- 4-8 miles.  Speed- 5 miles once a week of speed intervals. 

August- 75-85 miles a week- long runs 16, 18, 18, 20.  Tempos- 6-10 miles. Speed- 5-6 miles of speed once a week. 

September- 70-85 miles a week- long run 22, 20, 18, 18 with speed.  Tempos- 10-15 miles.  Speed- 5-6 miles of speed once a week. 

October- taper from 70 miles the last week of Sept to 60 and 55 for the last 2 weeks. Last long run was 15 miles, and a couple speed workouts one with 5 miles of work and another with 3 miles of work. 

Columbus Marathon 2:44:44- Olympic Trials Qualifier after the standard was adjusted to 2:45.