The Weekly Chase #78!

It's the start of another week! It seems like our summer is flying by! :-( I can't believe tomorrow is the first day of July already!

We had a great weekend! It was a bittersweet one though as I said goodbye to one of my sweet running friends who is moving to Auburn. The good thing...she's moving to Auburn and we can visit her during football season!!! And she's already looking for us a race to do there soon! :-) I ran her last group long run with her on Saturday morning. Then Sunday morning several of us wore our Sole2Soul Sisters shirts to church and sat with her. Very bittersweet! I'm going to miss her so much!

Now it's time for another Weekly Chase! I'm ready to tell you all about my goals for this week! I hope you will link up your own goals with me too! And feel free to use the badge below in your post too! You can grab the badge HERE! :-)

Here are my goals from last week!

• Goal #1: Run every day! Yes! I can't believe the #RWRunStreak is over on Friday! That's 40 consecutive days of running for me! I'm loving it so much I'm thinking about continuing the streak! :-)
• Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. 75%. I missed a few days of rolling.
• Goal #3: Log and stay under all my calories this week. Yes! 
• Goal #4: Finish unpacking. Finally! I'm so glad I got the suitcase emptied and put away!
• Goal #5: Have fun with my boys this week! Yes! We didn't have a chance to swim any due to all the thunderstorms (EVERY DAY) and Vacation Bible School. But we did go to one of the Summer Kids Series Movies and the boys enjoyed that!

Here are the goals I'm chasing this week!

Goal #1: Run every day! The #RWRunStreak officially ends on Friday but I'm planning on continuing my streak a little longer. I'm not ready for it to end!!!

Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. I need this to become a daily habit again!

Goal #3: Log and stay under all my calories this week. I feel like the weight loss is slowing down now that I am so close to my goal weight. I went into My Fitness Pal and let it readjust my calorie goals. It took away 130 calories each day. :-( But I know it's what I need to do to keep losing. 

Goal #4: Drink 64 ounces of water every day. I've been slacking on my water lately. I believe drinking enough water each day helps keep you healthy as well as it helps with the weight loss.

Goal #5: Clean out my closet! It's been about 5 years since I've really cleaned out my closet. I'm going to get rid of any clothes that are too big or that I haven't worn at least once in the past year. And I need some organization in there!!!

So that's my plan this week! I'm also excited about spending the 4th of July with my family and my best friend Rhonda and her family! Good luck with your goals this week...and Happy 4th of July!

QOTD: What are your goals this week? Any plans for July 4th?

Runner Spotlights #92

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! We've been busy! It seems like when you're busy it makes the weekend fly by!

It's time for another runner spotlight...my favorite time of the week! I love reading other runners' stories about their running journey! If you are interested in being spotlighted on my blog please email me at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com! I'd love to spotlight you! You don't have to have a blog to be spotlighted...you just have to be a runner! ;-) And I'm running low on spotlights so now's your time to shine!!!

Today I'm spotlighting Gelcys from Runner Unleashed! She has an amazing running story! She was told she would never be able to run because of Scoliosis. Keep reading to learn more about her! 

Name: Gelcys Castaneda, better known as cheetah g
State: FL

When and why did you start running? 
I've always been a runner but it came to an abrupt end when I was diagnosed with Scoliosis and needed immediate corrective surgery. 4 surgeries in total later, problem barely fixed, I decided to run again after being told I wouldn't be able to handle it. I went from only “handling” 200 meters to handling my first full marathon.

What is your favorite race and race distance? 
My favorite race was my first full marathon as it was my most painful, memorable race I've ever done. I had my Alpha by my side and never let me down. I couldn't believe I was a marathoner. 
My favorite distance to run is a half marathon distance. It is fun and not too demanding as a full marathon.

What is your race day routine? 
I hydrate the day prior to a race and eat as much protein and carbs needed to keep me energized during the race. On race day, I use my foam roller, masssage stick, and end it with some KT Tape to keep me together.

What is your most favorite piece of running gear? 
My favorite piece, corrections pieceS of running gear would have to be my A Girl and Her Band hair band. It keeps my hair out of my face, and doesn't slip. My other MUST have is KT Tape!! That stuff keeps me pain free. Since my Scoliosis chronic pain does flare up on long runs, taping up my back keeps it from being unbearable. And lastly, because I can’t narrow it down to one, is my KIAVA running bra!!! Oh, its heaven! Doesn't pinch my higher shoulder, doesn't irritate my “hump” and stays in place!

Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement your running? 
I do not follow any strict diets, but stay towards foods that help with muscle repairs and helps with inflammation like cherries and almonds.

What do you wish you’d known when you first started running? 
What I wish I’d known when I first starting running? It’s still a question. I wonder why so many people hate it so much and give up so quickly.

What is your fondest running memory? 
Crossing the finish line to my first half marathon. I actually broke down in tears which is a first. I was running for an animal charity (animals are VERY dear to my heart). I struggled half way through where I ended up on the floor with severe pains but I pushed through and made it to the finish. 

What is one thing that most people do not know about you? 
What most people do not known about me is that I enjoy fixing cars! I grew up with 3 older brothers always helping them fix their cars and it kind of stayed that way. 

Is there anything else you would like to share with us? 
I have shared my private struggle with others because I felt left out in the running community. I would follow blogs and pages or people who never get injuries, always place in races and are super fast. I knew I wasn't the only one struggling with chronic pains. I opened up about my Scoliosis and found there are thousands of others just like me.

One thing about me many of you know, I NEVER GIVE UP. I am not the fastest, I am not the best, I run with pain but that doesn't stop me. My goal is to run the NYC Marathon one day and I won’t stop until I get there!

Here are all the different ways you can connect with Gelcys! 

Blog: http://runnerunleashed.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunnerUnleashed
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RunnerUnleashed
Instagram: http://instagram.com/cheetah_runner

Thank you so much for sharing with us Cheetah G!

QOTD: What did you do this weekend? 

Fitness Friday...June 27th Edition!

Happy Friday everyone! This week was busy for us! I had TWO continuing education classes for work that I attended. And the boys had Vacation Bible School each night! They had a blast!

I also had a meeting with my preschool director this week. Say hello to the newest Pre-K 4 teacher!!!! That's right! I'm moving from 3 year olds to 4 year olds this next school year and I'm so excited!!! :-)

The boys and I also went to our first Summer Kids Series movie this week! I love the summer movies because they are only $4 and that includes popcorn and a drink! They play old movies but they are always good ones! This week we saw "Despicable Me" which is one of our favorites!

It's time for Fitness Friday! I have been streaking all week long! I can't believe that I only have a week left of the run streak. Who knows? Maybe I will streak a little longer. I'm usually tired of streaking by now but I haven't reached that feeling yet! So here's how my week of runs went!

• Friday- #plankaday 1:11, 1.25 mile run in 11:04 average pace 8:50

• Saturday- 6.2 mile run in 1:04 average pace 10:26

• Sunday- 1.25 mile run in 10:55 average pace 8:44

• Monday- #plankaday 1:07, 3.11 mile run in 32:08 average pace 10:20

• Tuesday- #plankaday 1:30, 1.5 mile run in 12:50 average pace 8:33

• Wednesday- #plankaday 1:05, 1.51 mile run in 13:18 average pace 8:50

• Thursday- #plankaday 1:15, 3.11 mile run in 28:26 average pace 9:08...And a NEW PR!!!!

Weight loss this week: 0.4 lbs.

Weight loss total: 21 lbs.

Running was great this week! I think I'm acclimated to the heat and humidity again...as much as you can be acclimated to those conditions lol! I also got to run with 2 of my friends this week and that was so fun! 

The weight loss wasn't as good this week though. I was in my calorie range all week. But I didn't drink my water as well this week. I've got to get back on track with that! I also rearranged my calorie goal in the My Fitness Pal app. Since I've lost 21 pounds I assumed my goal needed to adjust to that. And yes...it took away 130 calories each day! :-( But really that's ok because I was struggling to eat close to my allotted calories anyway. So hopefully the readjustment will kick start the weight loss again. I have about 9 more pounds that I want to lose. 

Tomorrow I'm running 6 miles with my Sole2Soul Sisters! I'm looking forward to it! Hope you all have a great weekend!

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

California Jelly Belly Factory Tour!

With 5 kids between the two of us, my friend Stephanie and I wanted to find some fun things to do with them all while we were in California. Luckily one of my friends on Facebook used to live there and recommended we visit the Jelly Belly Factory! The best part...it was FREE!!! Jelly beans and kids...seemed like the perfect outing for us! So off we went! We had to drive about an hour to get there but the scenery was worth it! So beautiful!

Before we knew it we had arrived in Fairview, California where the Jelly Belly Factory was located.

The kids oohed and awed over the cars with jelly bellies all over them!

We walked inside and loved what we saw! There were jelly beans everywhere!!! They had them displayed from the ceiling!

And Mr. Jelly Belly himself greeted us from up high too!

They also had tons of art made out of jelly beans!!! It was so neat!

Of course Mickey and Minnie were my favorite!!!

After looking around some we got in line for the factory tour. We didn't have to wait very long.

We were given hats to wear (that were required for the tour...but were also super fun)!

Then we were whisked upstairs. The tour started out with a sampling of a free watermelon jelly bean! Yum! Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed in the factory so I couldn't take pictures. But the tour was awesome! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and also funny! Seeing all the jelly beans and their colors was awesome! And the smell made you crave jelly beans! At the end of the tour they gave you a bag full of assorted flavored jelly bellies! Yum!

After the tour everyone was hungry so we headed to the Jelly Belly Cafe! They had food shaped like jelly beans! The kids thought this was awesome! I got a delicious salad and both my boys got jelly bean shaped pizza!

After eating we headed to the Sample Bar where we could sample the different flavors of Jelly Belly jelly beans! They had so many flavors to choose from!

And the kids thought the yucky flavors were pretty funny! Why anyone would want to taste these flavors is beyond my comprehension lol!

After sampling, it was time to shop! They had a huge gift shop with every flavor of Jelly Belly jelly bean you could ever want. They also had Jelly Belly merchandise like bean shaped pillows and stuffed Mr. Jelly Belly's! And I found what I wanted...Minnie Mouse Jelly Belly Jelly Beans!!! :-)

The Jelly Belly Factory Tour was a super fun experience! The kids had a blast! And the fact that it was free made it even more awesome!

QOTD: What are your favorite Jelly Belly flavors? Mine are watermelon, strawberry cheesecake, and chocolate pudding!

Scenes in California!

I took SOOO many pictures (833 to be exact and that doesn't include my running selfies) while in California! A lot of these pictures were of the landscape or just things in general that were different than what I see here on the Gulf Coast. I want to share some of these pictures with you!

Mountains!

I was amazed at these! I took so many pictures of them! What surprised me the most was how dry it was in California. They do not get a lot of rain (which is weird to this Gulf Coast girl who is used to at least one rain shower every day in the summertime). The grass on the mountains looked the color of hay. And a lot of the mountains had very few trees on them. They were beautiful though! I couldn't get enough of them and think Californians are definitely blessed to be able to look at them every day!

Windmills!

There are no windmills where I live! I was amazed at how many I saw in California! I guess they rely on solar power quite a bit for their electricity. I also saw solar panels on several houses and even over a parking lot at a high school! But I also learned that it is VERY expensive to live in California. My friend Stephanie said her power bill could average about $900 a month! That's crazy to me whose average power bill is around $150 a month! 

Italian Cypress Trees!

I renamed these trees "Dr. Seuss trees" because they reminded me of trees you would see in a Dr. Seuss book! Can you tell I'm a preschool teacher??? Lol! I LOVED these trees! They were everywhere! People use them as screens between their properties. They were just so different than the trees we have around here. 

In-N-Out Burger!

I was told that I couldn't leave California without eating at In-N-Out! So my second night there I did just that. And it was very tasty! I loved how fresh the food was! And I LOVED watching them hand cut the fries while I waited on my food. Definitely yummy! People must love it there because I saw In-N-Out everywhere!

Rocks in the landscaping!

I know this is a weird one but everywhere around here is landscaped with grass or some type of mulch. I guess since it's so dry in California they use rocks instead! And I'm sure rocks are plentiful in those mountains! (Oh yeah..check out those gas prices too...yikes! Gas here is $3.45!)

GORGEOUS ocean views with the mountains in the background!

California has the best of both worlds! You have the beach AND the mountains! It's breathtakingly gorgeous and my pictures do not do it even an ounce of justice! 

Crazy hilly streets!

I've heard about the hilly streets in San Francisco but it doesn't mean much until you experience them yourself! As a runner...WOW! I don't know how runners do it! That's some crazy hill training! Again...you can barely tell they are hills in my pictures but I promise you that these hills are straight up! And I saw the crazy Lombard Street too (the one famous for the 8 hairpin turns) but didn't get a great picture of it. It's at the very top of the picture below.

So those are just a few of the things in California that I found interesting and so different from where I live! 

I WILL say that I fell in love with San Francisco! It was an amazing city! One of my favorite things about it was how active everyone is. Everywhere you looked people were walking, running, or biking! I even saw some people doing CrossFit in a park! So awesome! I definitely want to visit again!

QOTD: Have you ever been to California or San Francisco? What was your favorite part? What was one thing you found that was different than where you live?