Sports
When Running Takes a Backseat, with Pietra Palma
Pietra Palma reflects on shifting routines, performance pressure, and finding new ways to stay active.
In a conversation on Girls Who Run, Pietra Palma revisits her running journey, from early inspiration to the injuries that forced her to slow down. The episode explores performance pressure, moving beyond online niches, and finding balance through yoga and strength training.
On the Girls Who Run podcast, hosted by Mariana Real and Marcela Fontes, influencer and journalist Pietra Palma reflects on the lessons learned when running stepped out of the spotlight. Navigating personal life changes and embracing new workouts, the conversation charts a path toward making movement feel light and sustainable again.
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Running journey, half marathon, and early injuries
Pietra took up running with encouragement from her father, starting on the treadmill before progressing quickly under coaching guidance. After tackling 5K and 10K races, she took on the Rio Half Marathon—a training cycle marked by a foot injury. Attempting to compensate caused hip and glute imbalances, forcing her to pause high-volume training.
Sharing the beginner process online
By documenting her run-walk intervals and beginner hurdles, Pietra built a strong connection with her audience. Unlike feeds focused solely on fast paces and high mileage, her authentic routine resonated with followers, though it also brought challenges when her pace of progress slowed down.
The pressure of the athletic bubble and social impact
The conversation dives into how an obsessive focus on training plans, paces, and race goals can isolate amateur athletes from friends outside the sport. Pietra and the hosts unpack the danger of turning running into one's sole identity, emphasizing the need to keep the sport from becoming a source of burnout and self-imposed pressure.
The phases of running and watching her husband train
Pietra's evolving perspective is evident in her Christmas run tradition with her father: shifting from frustrating pressure in 2023 to the ease of jogging and walking without a watch in subsequent years. She also contrasts her self-criticism with the relaxed approach of her husband, Estê, who trained for a half marathon without the burden of rigid metrics.
Body rediscovery through strength training and yoga
As road running took a back seat, Pietra turned to morning yoga for presence, breathwork, and mental grounding, free from performance metrics. Strength training took on new meaning as well, evolving from a chore done strictly for injury prevention into an enjoyable practice of physical self-care.
Marriage, routine changes, and social media aesthetic pressure
Adjusting to married life and relocating away from parks required practical tweaks to her routine. The trio also tackles the harmful resurgence of quick-fix weight loss and extreme diet culture on social media, highlighting daily journaling as a grounding tool for emotional balance.
Creating content beyond running and honoring personal limits
Wrapping up, Pietra touches on the challenge of broadening her content to encompass books, wellness, and travel without feeling boxed into a single niche. The core takeaway was learning to honestly honor the body's need for rest before injuries force an involuntary stop.
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