Runner Spotlights #42

How's everyone's weekend going? Mine is fabulous! We saw the movie Monsters University yesterday...it was soooo cute!!! I'm also running my first long run (remember that 5 miles is long in the summertime here on the Gulf Coast) in 3 weeks this morning! I can't wait!

Now it's time for another runner spotlight! If you are interested in being spotlighted on my blog please email me at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com. I would love to feature you! You don't have to have a blog to be spotlighted...you just have to be a runner! :-)

Today I am spotlighting Karen from Losing the Glass Slippers! Do you think she is a Disney fan? Yes she is! She is a beginner runner who has her sights set on the Disney Princess Half Marathon! Keep reading to learn more about her! 

Name:  Karen Orozco

State: Missouri

When and why did you start running?

I dreaded gym glass in school and  I was overweight as a kid, not morbidly, but enough that as I got older, I became an overweight adult.  I struggled with it for years, never really able to lose weight.  Having three children only packed on the pounds and I found myself very busy mothering and not paying much attention to myself. (and well into the 200s)

About a year after my daughter was born, something clicked and I started taking better care of myself.  I ran across a program called Couch to 5K and started running.  It was a huge challenge, I was so out of shape!  The JOY the day I ran 20 minutes straight!  But, when my knees started hurting, I decided I had runners knee and just STOPPED.  It took years to get back to it but when I did in 2011, I was ready to push myself...and maybe too much.  I injured myself (plantar fasciitis) and ended up sidelined for most of 2012.  2013 is my year though!  I was able to resume running in the fall of 2012 and have been running since, injury free!  I am currently training for my first half marathon...The Princess 1/2!

What is your favorite race and race distance?

LOL...well, my favorite race and distance is the 5K, but that's because it's the only official race I have done so far.  I'm running a 10K on June 1st, I'm excited for that.  5K is a very "comfortable" distance for me, I'm ready to push myself and do things I'm not as confident about! 

EDIT: Karen completed her 10K at the beginning of this month and did awesome! Pics below!

What is your race day routine?

I am an early riser, so I wake at least an hour or two before needed.  I drink my coffee and eat my normal breakfast (greek yogurt & fruit) before heading out.

What is your most favorite piece of running gear?

Right now that would be my Runningskirts.com compression socks!  I love them.  They help my calf pain that I've had while transitioning to more minimalist shoes and they are cute as well!  I love the hearts on the sides! 

Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement your running?

I used to follow all KINDS of diets, I was even a raw vegan for 5 years.  Now I am determined to find balance in my eating.  I do watch my calories because I have been working to lose some weight since last July (40 pounds so far!)  and I'm a vegetarian, but I'm working on balance and not depriving myself.  If it fits in my calories for the day, I have it! Oh and I take Vitamin D and Magnisuim because I have a Vitamin D deficiency and the Mag seems to help with my achiness.

What do you wish you’d known when you first started running?

When I first started running, I wish I knew I could push through some soreness and pain.  The second time I started up, I wish I had known NOT to push through so much!  LOL!  I guess I would have loved to know the difference between soreness and injury.  It's a balance for me (yep, I like that word!) 

What is your fondest running memory?

I have quite a few, but I will never forget that day I ran 20 minutes straight for the first time.  I cried and was in awe.  I never thought I could be a runner and there I was doing it!  This has happened nearly every time I realize that I can do more and go even farther. I cry a bit and I am overwhelmed with how much running has changed how I feel about myself and how I look at myself and the world.

What is one thing that most people do not know about you?

Hmmm, I'm a very "open book" kind of person, most people know nearly everything about me since I'm quite the blabbermouth! I used to be able to play the Maple Leaf Rag on the piano, by memory...no sheet music! 

Make sure to check out Karen's blog: http://losingtheglassslippers.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for sharing with us Karen!!!

QOTD: What movies have you seen recently?

Fitness Friday...VBS Week!

This has been a busy week! I've been teaching at Vacation Bible School every night and boy am I tired! But I LOVE it! I look forward to this week every summer...and so do my boys! This was my third year teaching with my friend Paige! We have been teaching the same group of kids since they were in kindergarten! Both her son and my son Hayden are in our class. It has been so awesome to see these kids grow in their relationship with God each year! Wednesday night was the most important night of the week...it was the night when we talk about accepting Christ. We had 5 children in our class that became saved that night! And I had the blessing and privilege to pray the sinner's prayer with one of the boys in my class. It was AMAZING and an experience I will never forget! How awesome to see these children accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior! And then to see their excitement over their decision...WOW!

It has been an awesome week! So much fun! And I will be singing these songs for a long time! Colossal Cooooooaaaaster Wooorrrld! You'll understand if you've done this theme in VBS! ;-)

Me and Paige...and yes we like to dress silly...we have on Bondi Bands and crazy knee high socks!

Me and my sweet Hayden!

Just look how many children! Awesome!

It's time for another Fitness Friday! I'm ready to tell you how my runs went this week!

• Saturday- 1 mile run in 9:07

• Sunday- #plankaday- 1:03, 1 mile run in 8:44

• Monday- #plankaday- 1:00, 1 mile run in 8:49

• Tuesday- #plankaday- 1:10, 3.11 mile run in 30:08 average pace 9:42

• Wednesday- #plankaday- 1:02, 1 mile run in 8:57

• Thursday- #plankaday- 1:31, 3.11 mile run in 30:06 average pace 9:41

• Friday- #plankaday- 1:00, 1 mile run

It felt great getting back into the routine this week! I am thankful for running on vacation last week but I missed running more than 1 mile. I'm glad I got in two 5K's this week...despite being worn out from VBS! I made myself wake up early and run...and I didn't regret it! This weekend I plan on running a 5 miler at some point! We are also going to see Monsters University on Saturday! I can't wait after seeing so many things at Disney about it!!! :-)

QOTD: What was your best run or workout this week?

Summer Vacation: Disney's Magic Kingdom!

Get ready for tons of pictures! As I mentioned yesterday, the first day in Disney we decided to head to Magic Kingdom! This park is my absolute favorite! There is just something about it...it really feels magical! Since we weren't staying on Disney property we had to drive each day to the parks. It wasn't a huge deal...it only took a few minutes to get there. But $15 parking fees each day added up to be almost as much as a park ticket! Holy moly!

Parking was the only inconvenience we had at Disney. It is just a pain to park and then trek all the way through the parking lot in the hot sun to get to the main gate. When you stay on property they drop you off close to the main gate. What's more walking though right? ;-)

In Magic Kingdom you can't just park and walk to the main gate. Instead you park at the Ticket and Transportation center. Then you choose to ride the ferry boat across Seven Seas Lagoon or the monorail. We always like riding these two...the boys think it's just another ride! This trip we chose to ride the ferry boat! If you have younger kids with strollers...the ferry is great because you don't have to fold up your stroller (which you sometimes have to do on the monorail if it's crowded).

Riding the ferry boat also gives you great views of Cinderella's castle and Space Mountain!

Once you get off the ferry you head to the main gate where you have to get your bag checked and then enter with your ticket. Then you head to Main Street, U.S.A. for that must have picture in front of Cinderella's castle!

Sawyer also got his beloved Mickey balloon from Grandma! When we came to Disney two years ago he wanted a balloon so bad! We never ended up getting him one and he was so devastated. So Grandma made sure to get him his balloon first thing! He was a happy camper!

Next, we headed to Tomorrowland so we could grab fast passes for Space Mountain. We grabbed the passes and then hopped on the ride because the wait was only 10 minutes! It was Hayden's first time on Space Mountain and he LOVED it!

Stephanie doesn't like the roller coasters but I LOVE them! And so does my hubby! So I promised Stephanie I would take her little girl Sydney on all the roller coasters while we were at Disney because Sydney loves them too. We actually ended up kid swapping a ton this trip! My two boys and Stephanie's two girls had to pick one adult to ride with for almost each ride. They picked from me, my hubby Andy, Andy's mom, and Andy's dad. Stephanie rode the rides with her son Mason. And when we rode rides that the younger kids couldn't ride Stephanie stayed with them while we rode...because usually it was a ride she didn't want to ride anyway. It worked out great!

We were able to ride Space Mountain back to back because our fast pass time wasn't long after we got them. It was awesome!

Then we headed to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin! This is a favorite for all my boys! We ended up riding it that morning and then again later that afternoon!

I can't ever get a good picture of Buzz in the line for this ride! His face always looks like a glowing blob!

Zoë and I rode Buzz's ride together! I tried to get a picture of the picture they took of us during the ride but it didn't show up very well.

We then headed towards Fantasyland! First we stopped so everyone could ride Mad Tea Party...except me. I don't like the spinning within spinning rides. But I spotted Alice and got in line to see her...until she left to go get "water." Yep...I was the next one in line to see her and she left! :-( Everyone was finished riding so I left...without seeing Alice.

We made it to Storybook Circus (where Mickey's Toontown Fair used to be) and got in line for Dumbo the  Flying Elephant! I was happy to see that there was an air conditioned waiting area here as well as two of the rides instead of the former one. Our wait time...about 5 minutes! :-)

And you can't leave Storybook Circus without riding the junior roller coaster...The Barnstormer! Everyone enjoyed this one...even Stephanie! :-)

We then ventured to Frontierland to grab fast passes for Splash Mountain. Then we headed to find some lunch because everyone was starving! We ended up going back to Fantasyland and eating at Pinocchio Village Haus. I wish I had taken a picture of my lunch. I got the Chicken Caesar Salad and it was soo good! After lunch we went right next door to ride "it's a small world!" The wait time was only about 10 minutes!

Short little video of us all riding "it's a small world!"  Sorry it's so dark...I forgot to turn the flash on for the video! I love the way Andy was swaying back and forth to the music at the beginning of the video. We were just happy to be in some air conditioning!!! 

Next was Liberty Square to ride the Haunted Mansion! Wait time was only 10 minutes! Sawyer had been wanting to ride this one since we got there. But once we got inside and he heard the spooky voice talking he got a tiny bit scared!

Then we headed to Adventureland for Pirates of the Caribbean! Again the wait time was only 10 minutes!

Next we crossed over to Frontierland to get in line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. While we were waiting (the wait time was around 20 minutes) it started pouring down rain! We crossed our fingers they wouldn't shut down the ride before we got to ride it. We got lucky! We got to ride...in the rain! It made a very different experience riding a roller coaster with rain pouring down on you! But it was a blast!!!

After that we got in line for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room! Hayden and Sydney were super excited about this one because they learned the song in music at school. And believe it or not...I had never done this one! We all loved the singing birds and singing flowers! So cool! And we sang the song for the rest of the week lol!

All the kids loved the misting tikis after the ride!

It was time for our fast pass for Splash Mountain...but they shut down on the outside rides because of the thunderstorm. We had some very disappointed children! And me too! ;-)

It was raining but we kept walking through the park. We were all soaked already anyway! We headed to the new Fantasyland area called the Enchanted Forest!

The Beast's Castle! This is also where the new Be Our Guest restaurant is...which I hope to try next time!

And here's Ariel's World!!!

We got in line (about 20 minutes wait time) for Under the Sea- Journey of The Little Mermaid. I was super excited about this one because it is brand new! As always...Disney outdid themselves with the directions! The waiting area and ride was decorated to the tee as if you were underwater! We loved it!

For the ride you sat in shell seats! I took a ton of pictures during the ride because Sawyer kept telling me, "Momma, take a picture of that!" :-)

After Ariel's ride we checked to see if Splash Mountain had reopened but no luck. The kids wanted to ride the Prince Charming Regal Carousel so we did! I snapped a picture of Cinderella's castle while we waited in the 5 minute line.

We headed back to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin again. And then we did the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Show...which is hilarious if you've never seen it! After that we decided to call it a night. The thunderstorms weren't letting up and they weren't reopening the outside rides so we headed out to grab some dinner.

But first we stopped and took a few last pictures!

If you made it this far through this post...congratulations! And thanks for reading about our day in Magic Kingdom! We really had a magical day!

Stay tuned for our day at Epcot!

QOTD: What's your favorite ride, restaurant, etc. in Magic Kingdom?