Sports
Pietra Palma: When Running Takes a New Place in Life
The creator shares lessons on injuries, social media pressure, and rediscovering running purely for well-being.
In an open conversation on Girls Who Run, Pietra Palma reflects on shifting from goal-driven running to a pressure-free relationship with the sport. The dialogue explores the risks of tying identity to performance, navigating injuries, and honoring personal phases in life.
Starting out in running often brings an overwhelming surge of excitement. Between hitting early milestones, gradually building up distance, and the daily dose of endorphins, it is easy to make training the gravitational center of everyday life. Over time, however, our bodies and routines inevitably evolve. In a candid conversation on Girls Who Run with Mariana Real and Marcela Fontes, Pietra Palma opened up about her journey—starting out by sharing her beginner steps online, completing a half marathon, and ultimately learning to ease off the gas to foster a healthier, more mature relationship with running.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
From First Jogs to 21K: The Early Days and Social Media Boom
Pietra's running journey began with her father's inspiration and took off on her apartment building's treadmill. By alternating between walking and jogging to complete 3 km in roughly 40 minutes, she tapped into a newfound sense of well-being. She decided to document the process from scratch on social media, covering everything from initial struggles to structured training under professional coaching. That transparency resonated with a growing community that felt alienated by accounts focused solely on blazing paces and extreme distances.
Progression followed naturally: reaching 5 km and 10 km paved the way for training for the Rio Half Marathon. The training cycle was solid, but the final stretch took its toll with a foot injury. She pushed through to cross the finish line, yet that effort triggered a cascade of biomechanical compensations across her hips and glutes, underscoring the body's limits when mileage ramps up too quickly.
The Danger of Comparison and the Identity Trap
As her following expanded and running became intertwined with content creation, taking time off posed a major emotional challenge. Stepping away from workouts sparked anxiety over lost engagement or drifting from her niche. Looking back, Pietra admits she often rushed her return before fully healing just to film new videos or attend events.
The conversation sparked an essential debate on the culture of overtraining in amateur sports. A relentless pursuit of packed race calendars combined with social-media-driven comparison fosters fertile ground for athletic burnout. When running becomes a person's sole identity, any mandatory break feels like a setback, pulling athletes away from their social lives and the pure joy that drew them to the sport in the first place.
The Christmas Timeline and Pace Maturity
To illustrate how her mindset evolved, Pietra shared her annual tradition of running on Christmas morning with her father. In 2022, running without a watch or metrics, it was pure joy. In 2023, already weighed down by performance expectations, tackling a hilly route in sweltering heat led to unnecessary frustration due to a lack of maturity in accepting the moment.
A clear shift occurred in the following years. By 2024 and 2025, the run had returned to being a heartfelt moment of connection without speed targets, alternating between running and walking whenever heart rates demanded it. Running was no longer a benchmark for validation, but once again a space for ease and connection.
Rediscovering Movement Beyond the Training Plan
After facing further forced pauses—including a rib injury and the busy schedule of wedding planning—Pietra found balance by diversifying her fitness routine. Strength training ceased to be merely a chore for injury prevention, while practices like yoga regained a meaningful role in her daily wellness.
Today, running remains a part of her life through treadmill intervals or casual jogs whenever she feels like burning off pent-up energy. The takeaway is straightforward: sports should enhance your routine and support physical and mental health, free from external performance standards when your season of life calls for a different pace.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
