I Had My First Baby 11 Months Ago, and — Sigh — I Still Pee on Myself While Running

The first time I peed on myself while running, I was somewhere around eight weeks postpartum. Jogging in my neighborhood — slowly and unsure of each step — I wasn't the least bit surprised when just a few minutes into my workout, my thighs felt warm and wet. I didn't need to look down to investigate the root cause — there wasn't a chance in the world that sweat was the cause. I just shook my head and kept plodding along, assuming, of course, that it was a temporary thing, that I'd simply need to spend time rehabilitating my pelvic floor.

I'd delivered a big baby — 8 pounds, 9 ounces, and nearly 23 inches long — so I couldn't imagine a situation in which someone wouldn't be destroyed after that. Pee was no reason to stop working out. I'd just focus on rehabbing.

I bridged, I squatted, I kegeled. There wasn't a rug or wall in the house that wasn't being used for strengthening exercises. But the months continued, and the trickling kept, well, trickling. When Summer heat arrived and I had to wear shorts on my runs, things went from funny to uncomfortable. Running in wet shorts created chafing and rashes.

Some people told me to try running with a pad on. "That just makes the problem worse," I'd say. Running with a soggy pad in between my legs sounded like something I would have done as a preteen out of sheer embarrassment. Pass.

It's been 11 months, and I think I've made some big strides. There are some runs on which, for whatever reason, I have complete control of my bladder, and nothing happens. Other times, though, I'm not that lucky, and I still pee all over myself.

There has been a long laundry list of athletic injuries that have slowed me down in my life, so I add this one to the pile. I feel lucky that I am healthy and can work out, and I'd choose fitness over bladder control any day. Plus, I save a ton of money on toilet paper.