By 
Editor’s note: Aliphine Tuliamuk finished as the top American woman at the 2022 New York City Marathon. She finished seventh in 2:26:56.
Aliphine Tuliamuk won the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta in February 2020. But when it came time for the 26.2-mile race in Tokyo more than a year later—the Olympics got rescheduled to August 2021, because of the pandemic—she had to drop out around 20K due to hip pain.
Just six months before heading to Japan, Tuliamuk gave birth to her daughter, Zoe. So instead of getting down about how the day went, she tells Runner’s World she found solace in being a new mom. “I didn’t have to think about running and I didn’t have to think about the fact that I was going to miss a marathon again because of an injury,” Tuliamuk says. She just focused on recovery, spending time with her family, and caring for her newborn.
More From Runner's World
When it came time to get back to the running, though, in 2022, Tuliamuk says she carefully mapped out her race schedule, focusing on the half marathon this summer and building up to a full 26.2 this fall.
She admits she would have loved to make her marathon comeback at this year’s Boston Marathon, but “I just didn’t feel like I had enough time to train, and I also didn’t want to rush,” she says.
Instead, Tuliamuk is returning to marathon racing this weekend in New York City, her third time running through the five boroughs. “I have always had something for New York,” she says. In fact, she cites her first New York City Marathon, in 2017, as the first time she felt like a real marathoner. “It’s also the last marathon I ran before the Olympic trials and it gave me a lot of hope, so it was actually pretty easy to choose New York,” she says.
This isn’t Tuliamuk’s first time making a big return to running. In June 2019, she was diagnosed with a femoral stress fracture, forcing her to sit out for weeks. At that time, she turned to crocheting to occupy her headspace. Five months later, she returned for her second New York City Marathon, and just three months after that, she earned the top podium spot in Atlanta.
So, whether you’re a first-time parent like Tuliamuk, getting back to the sport you love after pregnancy, or returning from an injury, this pro marathoner offers tips for making your own comeback. While it can take a careful balance between work, training, and parenting, Tuliamuk says a plan and flexible expectations can help you successfully prepare to race again.
Take rest days when you need them
In retrospect, Tuliamuk says she’s unsure if being postpartum influenced the injury that took her out of the Olympics. But she believes running at a high level on unstable joints, while also breastfeeding, could have contributed to the problem. That’s why she wishes she had been less aggressive in getting back to running post-birth and pre-Olympics.
After Tokyo, Tuliamuk took six months to fully recover. Instead of running, she spent time with family and friends, and even had the opportunity to visit loved ones living in Kenya. “The fact that my daughter was growing and we were having a good time made it easy,” she says of stepping back from the sport.
In January 2022, Tuliamuk says she was able to slowly start running again, this time taking it easier than her last return. “I think it was definitely tough because I was super out of shape,” she says. “But one thing that helped me was I didn’t put races on my schedule because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself.”
She also started strength training more to support her training, focusing on muscles that supported her hips and legs. By February this year, her body was fully recovered and she began building back up to her typical training volume.
Be flexible with your training
Being a professional runner and a parent is a balancing act and Tuliamuk says she’s had some restless nights. But for the most part, she’s able to map out her training accordingly—and most importantly, she’s kind to herself when she can’t fit everything into her day.
“It definitely has not been easy, especially now that I’m training for a marathon. But even when I do have big workouts, I still try to remember that I have to take care of myself in order to take care of my daughter,” she says.
On hard training days when her husband is not home, Tuliamuk wakes up a bit earlier to drop her daughter off at daycare, and then trains. But if there’s a day when she feels like she’s not up to it, she gives herself that day off from running.
Going into training with a mindset of flexibility can be really helpful for new parents and those coming back from injury. Plus, Tuliamuk says the main goal is to prioritize quality over quantity. For example, if you’re not feeling good and just pushing through tough miles that aren’t serving your fitness or mental stamina, then that’s not great for your training. It’s probably better to skip a run so you have a better one the next day. “If you can’t get [a run] in, it’s okay. It’s okay to not be able to get everything done all the time,” she says.
Get the family involved
When caring for a little one, some days can get out of your control and be unpredictable. But with a bit of planning, you can adjust your schedule in a way that works best for the both of you.
For Tuliamuk, that means dedicating a separate time for her and her daughter, Zoe, to jog together—no pressure, just fun, but no stroller either. “Every morning I put on my shoes, and she puts on her shoes because she wants to go out for a run with me,” says Tuliamuk, who might not bring Zoe along for her training runs, but still makes time for them to enjoy the sport together. “She likes to run beside me—if I leave her behind she gives up.”
Pay attention to how you feel postworkout
How does your body react during and after each run? How do you feel each week as you’re racking up miles? Ask yourself these questions each day to get more in tune with your body and how it feels getting back into running.
“If you were running marathons before you became a mom, don’t compare yourself now as a mom to when you were not a mom,” Tuliamuk says. Post-birth or post-injury, it takes time to build your fitness back up. And listening to your body is key to making that journey successful.
It’s better to cut a run short than to push your body beyond its limits too soon. If you’re always feeling run down after clocking miles, that might signal you need to pull back a little and go easier or shorter.
Find what drives you
When races go well, Tuliamuk says, “it’s easy for me to think about my daughter and be so proud. But then when I’m hurting [during a race], I find that doing that only stresses me more.”
During those down periods of a run, Tuliamuk instead focuses on gratitude. “It’s a privilege to be able to go out there and run as fast and as far as you can,” she says.
Another one of Tuliamuk’s mental tricks: She switches the way she thinks about the pain that comes with running a marathon, saying it’s a positive feeling and one you can’t experience outside of those 26.2 miles. That keeps her present and allows her to embrace it. “I am going to be able to hurt and still know that I can continue to go,” she says.
Focus on your mental game
When it comes down to the last few weeks of training for a race, your mental approach to the miles can make or break your performance. Tuliamuk says in the weeks leading up to NYC, she’s been focusing on her mental toughness. “I can’t really control the amount of training or the amount of time that I have now, but I can control the mental attitude going in. And I think, with the New York City Marathon being such a tough course, I am just going to work really, really hard on staying positive,” she says.
Looking back on when she ran NYC in 2019, after a short training block, she says her approach to turning inward and focusing on gratitude paid off. So she hopes it will this year, too, especially as she’s in a better place now, compared to three years ago.
Plus, running as a parent has made the miles even more special. “Being able to push myself as a parent. It’s you time—that’s how I think of it, as ‘it’s me time,’” she says. “It’s the one time that I get to showcase just how strong and how amazing I am when I’m out there running.”
Monique LeBrun joined the editorial staff in October 2021 as the associate health and fitness editor. She has a master’s degree in journalism and has previously worked for ABC news and Scholastic. She is an avid runner who loves spending time outside.
