TGIF

I had planned on waking up and going to the gym this morning but when my alarm went off I debated for a minute, then decided to go back to sleep. Next week starts training and I told myself I was going to take it easy so I'm happy that I did just that.

Of course tomorrow and Sunday I plan on running outside.

I finally purchased my Garmin today!! I decided on the Forerunner 205, mainly because it was the cheaper one but you know, I don't need anything high tech and fancy. I'm just starting out and really just need something to track mileage, pace, etc. accurately. If and when I run more marathons then we can think about getting something more expensive but as of now this will be just fine. Plus baby needs fall clothes so I gotta go with what my budget can handle ya know?

This bad boy is what I will soon be wearing, so excited!!

Now I just need to register for the race. I get little butterflies in my stomach when I think of it!!

Ready for the weekend, it's been a long week. First week of school just adds extra stress of making sure I'm out of the house in time to get Sophie to daycare and me to work, without sitting in a whole bunch of traffic.

Sunday I'm meeting a friend at the beach for a few hours. I hope to do a short run on the beach and then layout and catch up. Then at some point this weekend I need to clean!!

Today's Workout: 3.51 Miles with Hills

This morning's run consisted of a 3.5 mile hill run (on the treadmill) with a short arm and leg workout.

Time 28:12, avg pace 8:01

Splits:

SPLITS

MILE	TIME	AVG.PACE
1	7:55	7'55"/mi
2	16:00	8'05"/mi
3	24:02	8'02"/mi

I wonder what the .5 was, Nike+ does not tell me that.

It's all good, tomorrow I will be purchasing my Garmin! I'm torn between the Forerunner 205 and 305. Really the only difference is the 305 has a hear rate monitor, which I don't really care one way or the other. I will probably only use the Nike+ for the treadmill runs and Garmin for when I run outside and obviously on my long runs.

Ricky has purchased a bike so we are all set to start next week. I will be registering for the race next Wednesday after I get paid. And then it's for real!!

I had about 30 minutes after my run so I decided to do a short arm and leg circuit which consisted of:

Walking lunges (3 sets)
Bicep curls with dumbbells (2 sets of 15)
Triceps extensions (1 set)
Squats (1 set)
More bicep curls with Troy Bar (18 lbs)
Triceps dips (1 set)
Elevated lunges (1 set)
Shoulder sequence (8 exercises, 8-10 reps with no rest - killer burn!)

I was going to do abs but honestly I drank so much water that it started to slosh around, so I did the elliptical for my remaining 10 minutes.

Then it was home to hurry and get ready for work.

On the home front, Sophie sat on the potty last night, the big potty! She didn't do anything but the fact that she asked to and was interested in it is a big step!

Rest Day

I was supposed to get up and go run this morning but when I shut off my alarm I apparently fell right back asleep. Next time I looked at the clock it was 5:30 so I was out cold.

See normally I can roll right out of bed when my alarm goes off. Sometimes I hit snooze and then I lay there, wide awake, so I know it's time to get moving. When I have a hard time waking up I know that that's a sign that I need to sleep.

So I will run tomorrow and probably Friday and I'm ok with not going this morning. I used to get upset with myself when I would sleep in and not go to the gym but like I said, when I instantly fall back asleep I know that means I was really tired. And I felt really tired yesterday all day.

I decided that I was taking it easy this week due to training officially starting next week so I am cutting myself some slack.

In other news, it's the third day in her new classroom and she's doing pretty well. Still gets upset in the morning  when I drop her off but the teachers say she does great throughout the day. She even tried sitting on the potty twice yesterday!!

Today's Workout: 4.35 miles with weights

Dragged myself out of bed at 4:06 a.m. to go to the gym. All I have to say is thank goodness for 5 hour energy. It gets me through some tough mornings of not wanting to be awake. Now that school is back in session I have to make sure I get to the gym by 4:30 and home between 5:45 and 6:00 so I have enough time to get ready, leave for work, and sit in traffic.

Treadmill run: 4.35 miles avg. pace 7:55 according to my Nike +. After my run I did a few weights, just some chest, back and legs (moderate weight and lots of reps). Feeling pretty good overall despite being up at the butt crack of dawn.

Splits:

MILE	TIME	AVG.PACE
1	7:53	7'53"/mi
2	15:55	8'02"/mi
3	23:48	7'53"/mi
4	31:43	7'55"/mi

Mexican Pork

I love Mexican food so I came up with a quick and easy version of pork tacos. It's a pork tenderloin in the slow cooker and it turns out so tender and full of flavor. It's a quick and easy dinner solution (we like quick and easy!)

Pork Tenderloin

1 can of Rotel chilies and tomatoes

1 can diced green chilies

half onion, quartered

In the slow cooker, season the pork tenderloin with salt, pepper, and some garlic powder. 

Pour the above ingredients over the pork.

I don't drain the liquids and I don't add any additional water to the slow cooker and it typically turns out very juicy.

Cook on low  for about 8-10 hours.

I like to set up a taco bar and service this with the following:

black beans

rice

avocado

cheese

sour cream

salsa

tomatoes

cilantro

New Beginings

The decision to change my blog came last week when I realized that I blog more about running now a days, since it's become a major part of my life. I still love to share what the Bell Family is up to, but once I begin my marathon training, I plan on blogging about my experience to help others who may be be able to relate to a full time working mom who's training for her first marathon. It will also help hold me accountable with what I am trying to accomplish....cross the finish line in one piece.

So lately I've been taking it easy running so I don't burn out before I start training. My parents came down for a visit this past weekend so we went to the beach on Saturday for a couple of hours. Weather was still hot but not too terrible. We've had some nasty thunderstorms but the rain is much needed!! 

Still not running outside a whole lot. It's just way to hot and humid. I tried to get out the door Saturday morning but the air was so thick, I just wasn't feeling it. 

So yesterday I managed 7.06 miles on the treadmill, avg pace 8:37 . To be honest I'm getting tired of the treadmill! So it really needs to start cooling down so I can get outside. I plan on doing all my long runs outside, weather permitting. During the week they will mostly be in the wee hours of the morning on the treadmill, or when I get home from work (and that almost never happens due to sitting in traffic and mommy duties when we get home).

Today was a day off since Monday's will be a rest day. Also it's the first day of school in the county where I live which means....traffic!!!!! So I needed to get up and out of the house so I could get Sophie to daycare at a decent time since she was starting in her new classroom. She was not happy with the change but I know in a week or so she'll be running in there with a smile. She's like her momma, hate change!

In this new classroom she'll start potty training! Not looking forward to this new stage in life but it must be done. I got a little teary eyed because she's growing up so fast. 

So tomorrow I hope to drag myself out of bed and run 3 or 4 miles plus do some weights. Tomorrow is the true test of getting out of the house in time because Charleston county school starts and I pass three different schools to get to work and the traffic is horrible. Apparently nobody rides the school bus anymore. I wonder if my sanity can handle another school year. 

Three Weeks!

In three weeks I will begin the first week of my marathon training plan. No, I still haven't registered for the race yet, I have until September before the entry fee goes up. I have it on my list for when we get paid next so it's going to be a done deal very soon!!

I'm more on the excited side instead of nervous lately but still wondering why on earth I am going to do this. I know why, because it's the ultimate goal. I want to cross the finish line. Even if I never run again, I want to be able to say "I did this."

I hate that I only posted once last month and I'm going to really try to do better. I have no excuse other than I'm busy with work, kid...life!

This weekend is supposed to be a girls weekend at Folly Beach. The hotel reservations are made and we are ready to leave the kids with their daddy's for the weekend!

However, there's this pesky Tropical Storm Emily that is threatening to turn our way. I won't have it! Well even if she does decide to come towards our cost I think it'll more likely be end of the weekend. Hopefully.

As of August 15th, Sophie will become a Busy Bee at daycare. Yep, she's changing classrooms and this is where the potty training will take place! Yikes! I'm not ready for poop and pee all over the place!! But excited to not have to buy as many diapers. This is the one stage of life I'm not really looking forward too but it must be done! I just can't believe how much she's grown over the last year.

I hope to have some pictures to post from the weekend. Also thinking about taking next week off from running to give myself a little break before I start training. Not sure if I will be able to do that, so maybe just a few days off.