Episode 31: Katie Grossman on Working Through A Pregnancy/Postpartum Pelvic Injury & Advocating for Women’s Heath
by Nikki Parnell — November 6, 2020
This week we talk with someone who many of you are probably very familiar with, Katie Grossman. She is a veteran ultra runner, writer, advertising copywriter, a mom to two year old Lindy (who joins us for some of the episode – definitely the cutest guest we’ve had on the show) and she has another baby on the way too! She is a well-known, well-loved woman and voice in our sport and shares with us all about life in the mountains, her Hardrock 100 miler story, her experience with pregnancy and the resulting pelvic injury journey she’s been on since. She shares incredible resources for any other mamas that might be facing injuries or pelvic floor imbalances or for women who want to prevent issues from occurring in the future.
We catch a glimpse of her passion for and dedication to ultra running when she reminisces about her Hardrock experience back in 2017. Starting with how she took a couple months off work, lived out of her truck and trained full time. She toed the line at Hardrock in the best shape of her life; the race was magical.
Soon after that race, she got pregnant. And like we all dream about, Katie hoped to have a perfectly athletic pregnancy doing the ultimate badass running and racing all while growing a human. But the ship didn’t sail quite that smoothly when a snap in her hip and a hard-to-diagnose pelvic injury made running extremely painful. It set her on a trajectory of postpartum physical therapy appointments, nightmare health care hoops to jump through, and an overall huge energy, time and financial commitment just to try to get back to “normal” after having a baby. Luckily Katie and her family could make this undertaking a priority but we realize just how difficult the system is set up for new moms and it’s just not right! It shouldn’t be this hard to fight for proper care because we had a baby and want to keep running, let alone just function on a routine level without pain.
Fortunately, Katie made some great progress working with her pelvic floor PT between her pregnancies, though sadly her injury is rearing it’s ugly head again with this second pregnancy. But this time around, Katie will be able to attack postpartum rehab much quicker and she is way more equipped with knowledge about her body that will serve her for the rest of her life. Katie is a huge believer that we must be advocates for ourselves and other women. It’s important to share this side of things even if it’s not the most shiny and sparkling picture. We need to be sharing resources with one another and reminding each other that we’re not alone. Not every mom is going to be racing and nursing at UTMB three months postpartum. And you know what? That’s okay. We’re all on our own unique path.
If you’re facing injury or a less than ideal pregnancy or recovery, Katie tells us: 1) whether you think you have a problem or not, get a pelvic floor assessment so you can be strong and healthy in the long run (that’s for any woman pre or post babies), 2) focus on strength work, 3) don’t put a time limit on your recovery even though it’s hard not to, 4) it’s not your fault that you’re going through this – it’s not because you’re not strong enough or did something wrong; injury can just creep up even when we feel our best, 5) you’re not a lesser athlete because you’re having issues, 6) you’re not lazy, and 7) you’re definitely not alone. Please, please, please check out some links Katie shares in the show notes below for more information and tools relating to all things women’s health! Like I mentioned before, Katie’s experiences have also lead her to being an advocate for ALL women. She just did a “Race for Birth Justice” which supports Every Mother Counts and has been spreading awareness of the maternal mortality crisis that is happening in our country TODAY.
One last thing I must mention that I loved about our conversation with Katie was that she gives us permission to feel all our feelings in this complex world of motherhood. We can be sad by how great of a sacrifice pregnancy is on our bodies AND be thrilled that we’re pregnant. We can love being a mom AND still be eager to pursue our career. You can be patient, knowing the rehab of an injury will take time AND spiral into sadness and comparison with others because this sh*t isn’t easy. It is inspiring and empowering to hear Katie’s story and we can’t wait for you all to listen to this one! Click the link below or search “Run Hard Mom Hard” on all podcast platforms to hear this conversation. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this with others who need to hear this message! Thank you!
A huge thank you to this week’s sponsor, Branwyn! Branwyn makes performance innerwear from merino wool that has a triple threat of characteristics including comfort, performance and sustainability. These garments are odor-resistant, moisture wicking, thermoregulating and are soft to the touch! They are made to empower all of us women starting with our most basic layers so we can go out into the world and live confidently and courageously. We love their mission and the care they put into being such an ethical brand. Go to branwyn.com to shop around and use code RHMH10 for $10.00 off your purchase!
Show Notes:
Katie’s Pelvic DPT: @theladypartspt and her practice: @feminapt
Pelvic DPT with tons of resources + at-home web program subscription to work on pelvic floor: @drsarahduvall
Running friend, Paige, who is a pelvic/postpartum specialist: @pelvicunderground
Podcast on all things woman’s body: @underthehood_podcast
Click HERE for A bunch of Katie’s articles on Trail Sisters
Katie’s article on Racing for Birth Justice and the maternal mortality crisis
Learn more about Every Mother Counts
Favorite Race: Hardrock
Favorite Meal: Take out sushi or Crissy Teigen’s – Carrot Coconut Soup from book “Cravings: Hungry for More”
Katie’s instagram
Katie’s Sponsors:
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