The seasons that do not fit a training plan

Circle One · Opening first

Returning to Run: Postpartum

For women rebuilding after birth, at any stage, whether that was ten weeks ago or four years ago. Pelvic floor, load, leaking, identity, and the strange gap between being cleared to run and feeling ready to.

How soon can I start running after birth?

There is no single date. The common guide is a pelvic health physio assessment around six weeks, then a graded return, with most women running again somewhere between twelve weeks and six months. What matters more than the calendar is capacity: can you walk 30 minutes comfortably, hop on one leg, and manage load without leaking or heaviness. Start with walk-run, not running.

I leak when I run. Is that just how it is now?

It is common, and it is not something you have to accept. Leaking is a signal that your pelvic floor is being asked for more than it can currently give. See a pelvic health physio. In the meantime, shorten the intervals, slow the pace, and build strength before you build distance.

My body feels like a stranger. Is that a running problem?

No, and naming it is part of the work. Matrescence changes identity, not just tissue. Most women return to running well before they return to feeling like themselves. Expect those two things to run on different timelines.

Circle Two · Opening second

Injury and Recovery

For women in the middle of it: the diagnosis, the rehab, the cross training, the fear of it coming back. A place to be reassured and to have a plan.

How do I know whether to run through it or stop?

A working rule: pain that sits at or below about 3 out of 10, does not get worse as you run, and settles within 24 hours is usually tolerable. Pain that climbs during the run, changes how you move, or is worse the next morning is telling you to stop and get it assessed.

I have lost all my fitness. How far back have I gone?

Less far than it feels. Aerobic fitness declines slowly over the first two to three weeks, and a lot of what feels like lost fitness in those first runs back is neuromuscular rather than cardiovascular. It comes back faster the second time.

How do I stop being afraid it will happen again?

Fear usually outlives the tissue. The way through is graded exposure and evidence: small, repeatable loads that prove to your nervous system that the body holds. Rushing skips the evidence step, which is exactly why rushing so often re-injures.

Circle Three · Opening third

Her Peri

For women training through perimenopause. Sleep, recovery, heat, strength, mood, and the disorienting sense that the body has changed the rules without telling you.

Why has my training suddenly stopped working?

Fluctuating and falling oestrogen changes recovery, heat tolerance, sleep and how you respond to load. The program that worked at 35 can feel unmanageable at 45, and that is physiology, not weakness. The fix is usually more recovery, more strength and more fuel, not more volume.

How do I train with my cycle when my cycle is unpredictable?

Once cycles become erratic, symptom-led training beats calendar-led training. Train to how you are sleeping and feeling rather than to a phase you can no longer forecast.

Is strength really that important now?

Yes. Declining oestrogen affects bone density, muscle mass and tendon health, which moves strength work from optional to protective. Two sessions a week does most of the job.

General information, not medical advice. Please speak with your GP or a practitioner experienced in perimenopause about symptoms and treatment.

Circle Four · Opening fourth

Off Season

For women who have just finished something big, or who are deliberately standing still. Rest, restlessness, and working out what comes next without rushing it.

How long should an off season actually be?

Usually two to four weeks of genuinely reduced load after a big race, then a few weeks of easy, unstructured running. Shorter than most people fear, and less optional than most people accept.

Will I lose everything if I stop?

No. Two to four weeks down costs you very little, and it buys back the freshness and the appetite that carry an entire next build.

I feel flat and a bit lost without a goal. Is that normal?

Very. Post-race flatness is well documented and it is not a character flaw. The off season is for the things a training block crowds out, and for letting the want come back on its own rather than manufacturing it.