It's been several weeks since my last email - thank you all who have checked in!
Our baby girl, Audrey, was born one week ago and we have been home recovering ever since. Here's a photo of us before going on our first postpartum walk (a verrrry slow .25 mile).
As many of my coaching athletes know, by the end of pregnancy, I was eagerly waiting to be "on the other side" of recovery. These past few months didn't look anything like I had hoped they would.
As a running physical therapist and coach, I had envisioned running throughout pregnancy and sticking to a consistent strength-training routine. Honestly? I was completely humbled.
I stopped running in June, and by the third trimester, I felt so miserable that I gave up on strength training, too. Getting through the day with an active toddler felt like more than enough.
"Run the season you're in" is one of my favorite things to tell my Return to Run and Run Coaching clients. But as much as I believe in that advice, I found it hard at times to follow it myself.
I share this because I know there's often a fear among runners that if we stop, slow down, or let go of a goal, it will somehow become less attainable. We worry that taking a step back means losing progress, or that if we aren't constantly pushing forward, we'll never get where we want to go.
There's a particular pressure in a hard season to keep our foot on the gas pedal as though forcing ourselves to train through difficult circumstances is somehow better than acknowledging what we need and giving ourselves permission to adjust.
But sometimes, the healthiest thing we can do for our running is to stop trying to force it.
Right now, I'm coaching athletes navigating the loss of a parent, changes in medications, perimenopause, and the long road back from injury. Each of these circumstances brings its own challenges, and each requires us to meet ourselves where we are rather than where we think we should be.
And as I prepare to coach myself back to running, I'm reminding myself of that same lesson. I'll be starting from the ground up, building gradually and learning what my body can do in this new season of life.
Over the next few months, here and there I hope to share bits and pieces of that journey with you. Not just the exciting milestones, but the slower, less glamorous parts of recovery, too. The walks that feel harder than expected. The days when progress seems almost imperceptible. The moments when you have to remind yourself that starting small is still starting.
But you don't have to wait until you've reached your goal to celebrate your progress.
Celebrate the first pain-free walk after an injury. The week you consistently fit in two strength sessions. The courage it takes to start running again after a difficult season. The decision to take a rest day when your body needs one. The ability to adapt your expectations without abandoning the things that matter to you.
It's easy to focus so intently on the finish line that we forget to acknowledge all the little wins that get us there. And when we're always measuring ourselves against the runner we used to be, or the person we thought we'd be by now, we miss the opportunity to appreciate the work we're doing today.
So wherever you find yourself right now, I hope you'll give yourself permission to celebrate the season you're in. You don't have to make up for lost time or prove that you're still the runner you were before. You just have to keep meeting yourself where you are, taking the next step you can, and trusting that small steps still move you forward.
Your next win doesn't have to be a personal record. Sometimes, it's simply showing up for yourself in the season you're in and celebrating a quarter mile walk :)
Oh, yeah, and if you have any ultramarathon recommendations for Fall 2027, send them my way! :)
—
Dr. Erin Kennedy Dalisay, PT, DPT, OCS
Doctor of Physical Therapy & Run Coach
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