When Your Pelvic Floor Says “No” to Running (But “Yes” to Everything Else)
You know that feeling when your body says yes to literally everything… except running?
That’s where Maya found herself.
She could hike, bike, boulder, strength train, chase her kids, kick a soccer ball—no problem. But running? It just never felt quite right.
And if you’ve ever been in that spot—where it seems like you’re doing everything right but still can’t move forward—you know how maddening that is.
Maya first reached out after hearing about my return-to-run program. She wasn’t quite sure if she was a fit, but her story caught my attention right away. We started chatting in DMs, and what started off casual quickly turned into a full clinical breakdown (you know I can’t help myself).
Here’s a little background:
Maya is a mom of two—her oldest was 6, and her youngest was 4. After her first, she was diagnosed with a grade 2 rectocele and grade 1 cystocele (think both anterior and posterior vaginal wall prolapses) After her second, she did all the “right” things—rehabbed, did pelvic PT, strength trained 3–4 times a week, and eased into movement.
But running still felt like a brick wall.
When she tried to start again, the prolapse symptoms kicked up. Pressure, heaviness, bulging—especially with impact. She backed off. The feelings went away. But when she tried again? Same story.
It wasn’t a strength issue. She was strong. She could do high-level lifts, hiking, and daily functional movement without blinking…or having pelvic symptoms.
Maybe the problem wasn’t her body—was the fear?
And honestly, that’s something I see all the time.
Here’s where our conversation turned into real progress.
Maya had the strength. What she needed was guidance.
She wasn’t struggling because she was weak or uncommitted—she was stuck because she didn’t know where the line was. When is it okay to push through? When do symptoms mean stop vs. slow down vs. reassess?
She told me she was scared to run—not because she couldn’t—but because she didn’t want to undo all the work she’d done or make her symptoms worse. Can you blame her?
And that is where a running-informed PFPT makes all the difference.
I reassured her:
✅ This wasn’t just her “quitting running” for no reason.
✅ This was an injury. We needed to taper back up intentionally.
✅ We weren’t going to wait until she was 100% symptom-free to begin.
We framed it like any other return from injury. Because honestly? That’s what it was.
And I laid out the exact progressive walk/run protocol I use with my 1:1 clients. Built-in rest days, clear benchmarks, symptom guidelines (we use a 1–2/10 symptom guardrail rule), and checkpoints for advancing.
We talked about surfaces (uphill or flat), pacing (conversational only), and most importantly—her headspace. We had to calm the system down first—not just her pelvic floor, but her nervous system, too.
The best part? We did all of this virtually.
No hands-on eval. No in-person sessions. (She’d already done all that!) Just deep listening, smart problem-solving, and intentional critical thinking from someone who gets running, prolapse, and the postpartum journey back.
Maya’s not an outlier. She’s one of many moms who’ve felt dismissed, unsure, or stuck in a holding pattern because no one gave them a real plan—or explained what the plan should look like.
The truth is, your story might not fit inside a protocol.
But with the right eyes (and ears), we can figure out what’s actually holding you back—and get you moving forward again.
Have you been in Maya’s shoes?
Feeling strong in everything else, but running just feels… wrong?
Join the conversation on Instagram or send me a message directly. Let’s unpack it together. You don’t have to figure this out alone.
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