If you’ve ever felt like your body is working against you, this episode is for you. We’re joined by Caitlyn Germain, a former standout runner and mom who battled mysterious lower-leg pain before discovering she had popliteal artery entrapment syndrome.

Caitlyn shares her journey from being sidelined from running to finishing the Boston Marathon, and how self-advocacy, patience, and trusting your body helped her move forward. This conversation is a powerful reminder for runners and moms to listen to their bodies, protect their health, and keep going.

In this episode, we discuss:

🌀Caitlyn’s running journey and mysterious lower-leg pain

🌀Her diagnosis of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome

🌀Returning to running, Boston Marathon, and lessons in self-advocacy

Caitlyn’s insights on meeting yourself where you are and the power of persistence—is sure to move you.

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RESOURCES:

caitlyngermain.com

IG: @caitlyn_keeps_tri.ing

TIMESTAMPS

0:01 — Caitlyn is introduced as a standout runner with elite speed, setting up her identity as a competitive athlete.

0:06 — She talks about how running shaped her identity, showing how deeply tied she was to the sport and performance.

0:31 — She’s still trying to return to running, which highlights the long road of recovery, resilience, and getting back to the sport.

0:51 — She begins telling her origin story as a runner, which is useful for runners interested in how an athlete builds a training base and competitive mindset.

1:17 — She describes reaching the NCAAs while dealing with pain, showing the tension between competition, endurance, and hidden injury.

2:01 — This is where she starts to suspect something is wrong, an important runner moment around early injury signals and listening to your body.

2:20 — She admits, “I thought it was me,” which reflects common runner self-talk around self-blame, mental toughness, and ignoring symptoms.

2:53 — She describes legs throbbing after hard efforts, a relatable runner keyword moment around training load, recovery, and unusual pain patterns.

4:36 — She remembers being told that pain meant she worked hard, which shows how runners can normalize discomfort, effort, and overtraining signals.

6:45 — She talks about the pain becoming more frequent, marking the shift from manageable discomfort to a real injury pattern, declining performance, and a need for answers.

Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.

www.themotherrunners.com
Instagram: @themotherrunners
YouTube: The Mother Runners
whitney@themotherrunners.com

self-awareness