37 Weeks Pregnant and Running Again!

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Thanks to a little weight gain and arriving at my "safe date" (the baby is now considered full term), I got the OK from my midwife to run again as long as I "take it easy." Now that my pre-baby to-do list is complete, I'll be taking it easy in other aspects of my life, making running easier and less taxing. With permission granted I headed out for a run yesterday afternoon in the rain. It was lovely: fresh, green, quiet--perfect conditions for a little "me time."

I was reminded last week, while at the gym, why I LOVE running outside. When I'm at the gym it's so easy for me to ask: "What's the point?" especially when I'm on the elliptical. WhenI were training for a specific goal, I can set my mind to run on a treadmill. But when there's no specific goal in mind its easy to get discouraged and wonder: Why on earth am I on this thing going nowhere staring at a TV? I love the feeling of being out in the weather, no matter what it is: snow, rain, heat, humidity. It's real. When you run outside you have to work through it and embrace it. I love getting out there and tackling the road ahead. It never gets old.

I felt the totally alive yesterday when I headed out for my run. It was slow, but it was great! I had to stop a few times to stretch my hips and inner thigh, I've been feeling a tightening/cramping in what I think is either my adductor muscles or my sartorius muscle. It usually warms up and decreases in about five minutes of running but, those first five minutes can be punctuated by twinges of tightness. I'm pretty sure that the cause has something to do with my "pregnant hips."

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Towards the end of the run I did feel some aching in my knee, which makes me think it is the sartorius, because that muscle stretches from the hip to the knee. This is all on my left side, which leads me to believe that there's some sort of imbalance going on.

I'm contemplating a trip to a chiropractor or to my massage therapist. I feel like things need to loosen up and be released. I've never been to a chiropractor, but my midwife gave me a card of a local couple who she highly recommends. I think it might be a good idea especially before labor and delivery.

Have you been to a chiropractor? What do you like about them?

--Sarah