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.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July from the Bell Family! We are getting ready to head over to our good friend's house for a pool party and cookout. Sophie is taking an early nap so just waiting for her to wake up....hopefully in a good mood!

Last week I was on vacation. A much needed vacation. The first part of the week was spent taking little bit to the beach and doing some shopping. Then Thursday we packed up kid and dogs and headed to Edisto Beach, SC. We found a small rental on the third row that had nightly rates, that weren't too shabby. It was nice to get away, if only for a few days. Yes money has been tight this past year but Ricky and I both work really hard and darn it, we earn a break too right?

A few pictures from the weekend:

Ready for the beach!





Our porch, great view of the road and a slight view of the ocean

Wylie people watching

Mommy and Sophie

Attempt at a family picture with the timer. Not too bad.

Me after a very hot morning run. No breeze but ran past a ton of pretty houses.



Daddy and his girl.

So tomorrow it'll be back to reality. Work and daycare but I think she'll actually enjoy being back with all her friends. Mommy and Daddy can only be so fun. She'll definitely need a sibling.

Last week I officially wrote out my Marathon Training Plan. It's Hal Higdon's novice 2. I chose this one because it coincides perfectly with the two half marathons that I have registered for in the fall. I have a few weeks at the end of December that will be sort of "open" so I might do another 20 miler or 22 miles but not sure. I'm planning on registering the end of July.

Hope everyone has a happy 4th. Eat and drink lots!

Happy Birthday Sophie!

Yesterday my baby turned two years old. This is very bittersweet because my baby is not a baby anymore, yet she will always be my baby. We are officially head first in the toddler world. Lord help me!

Saturday we went to the beach and met up with three other couples with kids. The day was perfect weather wise, hot and sunny but not scorching (until we got back to the car). Sophie had a blast as did Ricky and I. She even took a little 1.5 hour nap, which she never does, so we got some down time. 

I stole these from my friend's Facebook album. I haven't yet downloaded my pictures!

I like to take random pics of myself with someone else's camera. I'm a dork.

Sophie about ready to pass out. Yes, she still has her paci. We're working on it.

Sophie and her friends

Since we had such a fun and tiring day, we decided Sunday would be low-key and just the three of us since we'd already had her party the weekend before. We filled up the little inflatable pool and had it ready for when Sophie woke up from her nap. Little did I know she'd take almost a 3 hour nap! Played in the pool for about an hour and then I started dinner. Pork tenderloin with some mashed potatoes, salad, broccoli and birthday cake yum! Of course Sophie wanted nothing to do with dinner....she's starting her "I don't want to eat" thing again. I think it might be those pesky 2 year molars coming in but honestly I'm done trying to figure out why kids do some of the things they do. She sure did eat the heck out of her piece of cake though!

WARNING: I'm about to gush about my child. I just love that little girl. Sure she's going through her awful temper tantrum phase: screaming, crying, hitting (both herself and me), but she can be the most lovable and sweetest little girl. I love watching her play with other kids. She rarely takes toys away and shares....about 90% of the time. She gives us hugs and kisses and says "I wove you mama." Melts me! She is such a cute cross between me and Ricky with her beautiful brown eyes (me) and her fine blond "crazy" hair (Ricky). I am just so excited to see how much she's going to change in this next year. Maybe she'll mellow out some...I'm hoping. She's quite the drama queen. But all in all she's mine and I love her! Happy Birthday Sophie!

I'm seriously not meaning for this blog to turn into a running blog...maybe I'll start another one....but then that's two blogs I'd have to keep up with...a third if I decide to re-start my art blog....but I wanted to say that I'm now about 95% sure I'm going to do the Charleston Marathon in January.

See, the main issue I was having was training on my own - can't seem to find anyone to train with me..which is fine because I really do like to run alone most days...but I was starting to get worried about doing those really long runs by myself and being out there alone...you never know what could happen. Who or what is lurking in the woods....what if there's an emergency and I pass out on the side of the road...no one will know where I am. Yes, I'm a tad paranoid in my older age but I feel these are legit concerns.

So to solve this problem I came up and with a really good idea...just need my hubby on board (and no, he's NOT going to run with me). He's going to bike ride!! Eureka! See, Ricky does not like to run long distances. He's done 1 10k and I don't think he ever wants to do another one. So I proposed that we get him a bike and he can ride while I do my long runs. That way I won't be alone, he won't have to run, I will get to train, and he'll get exercise out of the deal. Everybody wins! Even thinking about getting one of those bike attachments that Sophie can ride in as long as we aren't in an area with a ton of traffic. Other days she might have to go to Gigi's house. 

But still! I think it's a great plan and now I'm eager to put together my training plan to start sometime around September. I've been reading and gathering information but I'm still not 100% sure what I should be doing what plan is going to work for me. Also tried GU for the first time yesterday and.....YUCK!!!!!!!!! How in the world do people choke that down when they're running marathons? I wanted to vomit at the first taste. I had to squirt it in my mouth and chug water. Then after I ran I felt really yucky. I had to lay down and take a nap! So I'm thinking GU may not be for me. I have a power bar gel I'm going to try and then I'll look into the jelly beans or shot bloks. I had a few shot bloks before I ran my half marathon in April and I honestly don't know if they helped. I didn't eat any during the race, but I cramped up really bad after I crossed the finish line (all those darn hills) so maybe I will need something to help me along the way. I ran 4 days in a row and I think my legs are telling me to take a break so tomorrow I will attempt to sleep in. And by sleep in I mean 6:00 :)

Happy Monday!