24 weeks aka 6 months!

This week marks the 6 months exactly!  The baby is approximately 1.25 lbs and 12.5 inches long.  This kid is a SUPER kicker.  He or she goes nuts right before I get up for any race and in the evening after dinner.  This Friday I'm going to be going for my glucose test in the morning, so I'm hoping everything will turn out well for that.

There was a little "confusion" with my Lovenox shots last week.  I called in a renewal of my prescription on Monday, but the Publix pharmacy (which has been AH-MAZING!) said that my insurance has to authorize a re-fill because I'm only allowed to have the prescription every 67 days.  Even though the prescription clearly states that it's a 30-day supply and to take one shot a day.  Sigh.  Insurance companies make things so complicated sometimes!

So, I had to wait for my doctor's office to call the insurance company to get the authorization to send to Publix.  As you can probably imagine, that did not occur quickly.  I actually went about 3 days without the shots.  However, Monday morning, my doctor's office called and said that my insurance approved the refill and I could check with Publix for my prescription pick up.

Honestly, I was not super excited about the approval.  But, I know it's in the best interest of my health and the baby's health to continue the shots.  Luckily (or unluckily for me), Ben was able to pick up the prescription for me without any issues and we are back in business again!

This past weekend was another busy one!  On Saturday, I went with Tracey and her family to Tampa Bay History Center.  It's been several years since I've been and was excited to check it out again.  I was a little disappointed that some of the displays were exactly the same as several years ago, but it was still interesting.  The best part of the day was lunch at the Columbia Cafe.  The weather was perfect to sit outside and enjoy the amazing 1905 salad, Cuban bread and Cuban.  Not to mention that the people watching on the Tampa Riverwalk is always entertaining.

On Sunday, Ben, Tracey, Dougie, and myself ran the Frankenfooter Half Marathon in Port Richey/New Port Richey.  There was a Labor Day special for the half and it was only $32.50!  Two years ago, Ben, Tracey, and I did the Living Dead Challenge, which is a 5k on Saturday evening and the half marathon on Sunday morning (Dougie did the Living Dead Challenge this year).  I was not feeling quite that adventurous this year, but really wanted to run a half marathon before I take a little hiatus from racing.

I checked out the map for the half marathon before the race and realized that the course would be running right by my parents house in Port Richey.  However, it was the map from last year and the course was reversed.  So the point that we ran by my parents house was way earlier than I told my mom that we would be there.

Tracey and I decided that we were going to run together and the main goal was to run/jog the entire time and hopefully finish with anything under 2:30.  We had our plan for fueling and water stops and decided to break every 4 miles to fuel up.  The weather was really perfect, about 57 degrees (many thanks to our personal Sherpa, Ashley, for carrying around all of our jackets from the starting line!)

The nice thing about this race is that I was super familiar with the course/area so I knew exactly where we were at all times.  The route was a little boring at times without much to look at.  The turnaround point at about 8.5 miles had a DJ that was pretty entertaining.  The only issue that I had is that I felt like I had to pee basically the entire time we were running.  Here is a photo right before the finish line:

My official time was 2:19, but my watch says 2:18:50 (or 10:29 pace).  Needless to say, I was extremely happy that I was able to reach all my goals for the half marathon.  As Tracey and I were nearing the finish line I couldn't believe that we were going to do exactly what we had set out to do that morning.  Here is one of my favorite photos of Dougie, Tracey, myself, and Ben post race

It just so happens that an article was published in the New York Times Sunday about pregnant marathoners.  Link to the full article here.  The comments are fascinating and I would highly recommend giving it a quick read.  Clearly these women are a different caliber of athlete, but I liked how one woman compared giving birth to training for an athletic event.

This weekend coming up, Ben is taking on the XTERRA Wildhorse half marathon.  Jim from Tampa Races has a great program where I can volunteer and Ben can run for free.  Temperatures should be good for his race on Sunday as well.  That is all the excitement for this week - more to come soon!

23 weeks, Rattlesnake Run, Run with the Quistas

The baby is officially 23 weeks now and approximately 11.5 inches long, 1.1 pounds and is estimated to be the size of a large mango (yum!).  As of today, there are 114 more days until the baby arrives (give or take).  That is BANANAS!!  We had a pretty crazy weekend of running races, celebrating birthdays, and trying to get things done around the house.

On Saturday, Ben and I ran the Ratttlesnake Run.  I was really a last minute decision on this race because it's pretty hilly (214 feet of elevation gain), off road, and a bigger-sized race.  Last year, I ran my best time ever of a 42:24.  This year, my goal was to maintain my normal 10 minute average and just keep running the whole time. I was able to pull off a 47:59 (9:38 average), but because the race was so crowded/off road, I took a small tumble in the first mile.  

I was so upset with myself for putting myself and the baby in a situation that could have been potentially dangerous.  Several people around me helped me and really it was not a bad fall, but I made the decision at that moment not to sign up for any other races for the rest of my pregnancy.  I'm certainly still planning to stay active and continue to run for as long as I can, but the whole racing environment has too many uncontrollable variables to risk.

Ben ran a 41:19 (8:16 average) and got 3rd place in his age group!  Those long legs of his really give him such an unfair advantage!  I was really upset about the fall after the race and we unfortunately did not stick around for the age group awards.  We decided to go to Olga's Bakery instead.  If you've ever been to Dade City, you know about Olga's - it's the best.  I did not indulge in one of their amazing donuts, but Ben did!

After breakfast, we went over to Ben's parent's house to celebrate his mom's birthday.  We were commenting about how this is going to be our last birthday celebration without a baby, which is a little crazy to think about.  We had a really nice visit with lunch and one of my favorite Raposa family traditions - homemade birthday cake of your choice!  Ben's mom picked a pineapple cake, and his dad baked it (with some help) perfectly!

On Sunday morning, we headed over to PHSC for the annual 5k/Run with the Quistas to support the Women's Cross Country team.  When I worked on the New Port Richey campus, I was the advisor for the XC team, so this race is one that we do every year and I absolutely LOVE this race.  The course is nice and flat and super familiar.  Here is a shot of the faculty/staff team before the race:

The race went really well.  My goal was again to just run the whole time and maintain my 10 minute average.  I finished in a time of 29:06 (9:21 average), which was good enough for 2nd place in my age group!  I felt really well throughout the whole race and just tried to keep my heart rate low and "run all the tangents" like Coach Winterling taught me.

Here's a photo of Ben's steal of a second place age group award from Tim:

Tim (1st overall faculty/staff), Ben (2nd age group), and me (2nd age group):

The best part about running with the faculty/staff team is the breakfast afterwards!  About 10 of us went out afterwards to discuss upcoming races, talk about our performances, and refuel.  After we got home, I went on a super exciting laundry bender and feverishly tried to set up my fantasy football line up before all the 1:00 games.  This is either the third or fourth year that I've played in a fantasy football league, and I believe that Baby Raposa is bringing me an incredible streak of good luck!

Today, I spent some time reading Alysia Montano's blog.  You may remember from this past summer that she famously raced her signature 800 meter race while 8 months pregnant.  She wrote about having a goal to run until she was 30 weeks pregnant and even included some of her weekly pregnancy workouts.

I realize that she is a Olympian and a high caliber athlete, but I feel like her outlook on exercise during pregnancy is something I really want to emulate.  I'm not sure how much longer I will be able to run, but 30 weeks seems like a good goal to work towards for now.  This weekend coming up is the Frankenfooter half marathon and it's safe to say that this will be the only half marathon that I'll be running any time soon.  That is all for now - until next week!

22 weeks, doctor's visit, races

This week baby Raposa is officially (at least) one pound and about 11 inches long.  My baby app says that is about the size of a spaghetti squash.  We had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday of this past week and the doctor said that everything is going well.  The baby's heartbeat was 155, my blood pressure was good, and I've gained 3 pounds since our doctor's appointment last month.

I did develop a large bruise on my stomach from the Lovenox shots.  It actually is my own fault.  There was one night when I grabbed Ben's hand not even thinking that it was the same hand administering the shot.  The doctor didn't seem concerned about it and said bruising was normal and it would probably not heal quickly.  I told him that I didn't plan on entering any bikini contests any time soon, so it should be all good. (He did not seem too amused by my joke, sheesh!)

The doctor seemed pleased with the weight gain and how everything is progressing.  I've really been trying very hard to eat as healthy as possible since he told me to slow down a little with the weight gain at our last appointment.  I've gotten quite a few comments (especially at work) in regards to how healthy I eat for a pregnant woman.  What is that supposed to mean, really?  I understand that there are certain cravings that can't be ignored, but this baby is eating everything that I'm eating so I'm trying to make the best decisions possible.

Whatever the case, we are scheduled to go back to the doctor on Tuesday, November 11th.  I got the paperwork for my glucose test, which I scheduled for first thing Halloween morning.  It's going to be hard not to eat or drink anything until 8:30, but hopefully it won't take too long.  The doctor said that it shouldn't be too much of a draw anyway.

It dawned on me this week that I really only have 18 weeks left until the baby arrives (hopefully!).  In the past, that is how long I would typically train for a marathon.  Which got me to thinking about all the races that baby Raposa has already completed!  He or she is already quite the accomplished athlete!  Here is the complete rundown:

1. June 7th - Beach to Bayou 5k 24:49 (3rd place age group win! - did not actually know I was pregnant at this point)
2. June 13th - Picnic Island Adventure Run (3.4 mile offroad) 35:50 (16th female overall - cool campfire mug!)
3. June 14th - Rap River Run 5k -25:45 (3rd place age group win!)
4. July 3rd - Kiwanis Midnight Runs 1 mile, 5k, and 10k (9:56, 32:16, 1:07:09) - probably the most fun I've ever had in a race
5. July 18th -- Picnic Island Adventure Run #3 (3.4 miles offroad) - 40:41 (20th female overall and 2nd female in the entire series!)
6. August 23rd - Zoo Run Run 5k - 29:38 (hot as HADES!)
7. October 4th - Dusty Rail Rally 5k - 28:50 (2nd place age group win!)
8. October 12 - Treasure Chest 5k - 27:43 (pregnancy PR!)

The photo above is from the finish line at the Treasure Chest 5k.  My goal was to finish under 30 minutes and keep my heart rate in check.  I was in the 3rd wave, so it was nice to be able to pass quite a few people in the previous waves.  Towards the end of the race I saw the Bucs cheerleaders who I later found out started in the first wave.  I really wanted to finish in front of them (there were so many!), but didn't end up too far in front of them (as you can see).

Overall, the race was really fun with lots of bands and a really good loop course around the stadium.  One of the nice things about the race was that you also got a ticket to attend the Bucs game later in the day.  I will NOT mention how terrible the Bucs played in that game.  But our little fox baby has already attended two NFL games (both losses - womp womp).  That is all for now, until next week!

Week #21 aka What does the fox say?

This week/weekend was a busy one in the Raposa household.  The baby is officially the size of a medium banana (10.5 inches) and should be weighing in at approximately 12.7 ounces.  However, I have a feeling that Baby R may be weighing in a bit more than that.  I have still been feeling good and the baby really likes moving around.  Last night (Sunday), Ben was finally able to feel the baby kick.  It was cool to watch his face as our son or daughter was up WAY past their bedtime playing around.

So you all remember this awesome video from last year, right?

Our last name, "Raposa" is Portuguese and also means fox.  Since we are not going to know the gender of the baby, we felt like a fox pup would be pretty gender neutral.  We were searching around online and found the Circo Woodland Trails collection that features this adorable little fox.  We have a security blanket, regular blanket, and towel.

Hopefully our little pup will appreciate how well the orange fox compliments any blue clothing as well. ;)

This past weekend was Ben's first go at playing race director.  I have to confess that I called this race his mistress, and I honestly could not WAIT to have my husband back full time.  I couldn't be more proud of the way he handled every detail and was able to put on a successful event. Final results are posted here

Several of my co-workers (and members of the PHSC Faculty/Staff Running team) made it all the way out to Trilby/Dade City for the race.  Here is a job shot of us after the race.

I ran the race with my father-in-law (white shirt below) and Chris Williams (orange shirt below).  The course was amazing, there were horses along the route and lots of turns to make the loop go by quickly.  I told Chris in the beginning of the race that I had two goals - to run the entire time and finish under 30:00.  Other than that, I was not going to be "racing".  I haven't ran with Chris in a long time as I was catching up with him about his recent 70.3 in Canada.  Here we all are at the finish line:

My final time was 28:46 by my Garmin.  I was super excited.  Each mile was pretty consistent, although I did go out a little too fast in the beginning (SHOCKING, I know!).  The average was 9:12 per mile, which is way faster than I've been running recently.  Much to my surprise, I also got 2nd place in my age group!  Check out my awesome age group award:

Since Frankenfooter is looming right around the corner, Ben, Tracey, and I headed to Flatwoods to run 12 miles on Sunday morning.  The weather was perfect!  It was 57 degrees.  Ben ran ahead towards the end, but final average for 12 miles was a 10:07 pace.  It's amazing what a little cooler weather can do.  

I was wearing my "Running for Two" shirt (pictured below and can be purchased here) and a woman came up to us at a water stop and said that she had the same shirt.  And then quickly added that she hopes to never wear it again!  How is one supposed to respond to that?  And then she proceeded to tell us how she ran a 27 minute 5k when her son was 10 days old - against doctor's orders.  Yikes!  Some people really will just lay it all out there.

Side note - I got this shirt from my parents for my birthday (mine is orange/mango) and I L-O-V-E it!  I wear it at least once a week and it's super comfortable.

The task for this upcoming week is to start on our baby registry.  There are so many things that we have no idea about.  It may take some time, but we are certainly working on it.  If there is any one baby item that you think that we can absolutely not live without, please let me know!  Until next week!