From Bump to Finish Line: How One Pregnant Mom Defied the Odds and Completed a Half Marathon at 38 Weeks!

You know how sometimes you read about people doing big things and you’re like “oh, well that’s just them. It’s rare.” As I meet more moms through life, I realize there is an inner hero hidden inside all of us. Just like my running friend Sara. She faced tons of obstacles but never gave up on her dreams. Even when things got tough, she kept pushing and now she's getting ready for her biggest challenge yet - race day. It's crazy inspiring to see how hard she's worked to get here and how she's proved that anything is possible.

So you know how some runners love destination races? There is something fun about being at your favorite theme park or scenic site and running. Sara was busy searching for new races to train for and really wanted to do a themed race. But guess what? The race is scheduled to happen when she's 38 weeks pregnant! Can you imagine?

She’s wasn’t entirely sure if she would be able to run that far into her pregnancy, but she's decided to sign up for the race anyway! I don’t know if I could commit to a race that late in pregnancy. She’s really brave. She was really excited about it because it would be a great way to stay motivated and healthy for her and her baby. I think it's pretty awesome that she took on this challenge.

Despite having some doubts creep in on if she should have signed up or not she started training. She talked to her running friends about being unsure of running while being 38 weeks pregnant. Her friends listened to her worries and reassured her that she can do this.

Still unsure, she decided to double check with her OB at her next appointment. Her OB simply repeated her original advice to listen to her body. In this case, her OB felt confident giving her the advice to try since it was a big race with a lot of medical support throughout the event in case she would start to go into labor or something.

Sara decided to keep training and run the race. She realized she will need to run slower than normal and not worry about her pace. She knows there will not be any PRs for pace, it is a PR to just run that far while being 38 weeks pregnant.

Sara is so thankful for her running friends. They are a tight-knit group who shared a passion for running and supports each other every step of the way.

Long runs were always on Saturdays with her run group. Together, trained for months together. They laughed about their week and pushed each other to keep going even when the miles felt tough. They reminded her of her strength and encourage her to push through any obstacles that come her way.

Training for races was not something new to Sara. She has run many marathons through the years and is an experienced runner. She runs for sanity and for the fun race medals.

What was new to Sara was when she started having back pain on one side of her back after a run. She noticed that her glute muscles were feeling tight, and she started to worry about the impact that running might have on her pregnancy.

She decided to make a mental note of it and if it continued to linger she might have to ask her doctor about it. She had running aches before that she often ignored, she hated being told to stop running.

About a week later, this glute pain changed and now Sara noticed a tingling sensation down the back of her leg. It stopped above her knee though. It was confusing because all of the information about sciatic nerve pain said it would go down the entire back of the leg. She started noticing this tingling with getting out of bed in the morning and driving her kids to school.

Sara started debating if she was making things worse by continuing to run or if this was going to keep her from the race. She had put in so much time, so many weekends of long runs, and effort to train. The last thing she wanted was to be told not to run.

On a run one day she decided to ask me about it. She knows I have worked with runners for my whole career and was trying to figure out if this is something to be worried about. After a few questions, I was able to tell it sounded more like piriformis syndrome. I was happy to help show her some flexibility exercises that may help.

Sara was relieved that this was something that can be improved. Relieved that with a few exercises, she would feel better. Thank goodness this wasn’t going to ruin her race.

She found out that a belly band wasn’t something she needed. She didn’t need a ton of pillows in the bed with her to try and sleep at night. All she needed was some flexibility as her body was changing during her 3rd trimester.

Sara loved knowing self-care could be the answer to what she needed. It wasn’t just warm baths or a weekly prenatal massage. It was all from improving the flexibility of her muscles.

Over the next two weeks, Sara worked diligently on her plan, focusing on stretches and exercises that targeted the areas where she needed improvement. Gradually, she began to see results. Her symptoms began to fade away, and her body felt stronger and more capable than ever before.

On race day, Sara was ready to go. She wasn't worried about breaking any personal records - she was simply happy to be there, at the starting line, ready to run. As she set out on the course, she felt a sense of confidence and determination coursing through her veins.

With each step she took, she proved to herself that she was unstoppable, and that she could overcome any obstacle that came her way. And as she crossed the finish line, she knew that she had achieved something truly special. She had not only completed the race, but she had also proven to herself that she could do anything she set her mind to.

Sara now knows that no matter what, she can do hard things. She knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, she had the strength and determination to overcome them. And that, more than anything, was the greatest victory of all.

Consider checking out Sleep Soundly: 3 Day Prenatal Challenge to start having restful nights so you can wake up energized.