Distance Yourself with INKnBURN

I am so excited to announce that I have been chosen to join the INKnBURN ambassador team.  If you follow me on Instagram (runchelrun), you know that my choice of running apparel is INKnBURN; not only are the clothes comfortable, breathable, and moisture wicking, but the designs are beautiful and unique.

Have you ever been at the starting line of a race and seen at least 10 people wearing the exact same thing you are???  This is actually how I found INKnBURN, I was immediately drawn to the beautiful designs and art work that stand out against all the other running clothes.  INKnBURN is not just another clothing company that simply puts their logo in the corner of a racer back tank or at the bottom of shorts.  The elaborate designs include coi fish, cherry blossoms, and one of my personal favorites is the flutter design which is an abstract of butterfly wings and flowers.  Another great design and one of my other favorites are the denims.  I have the denim camisole which practically goes with everything and the dark blue denim shorts.  The denim shorts have to be one of my favorite pieces as in once I've worn them, they are immediately thrown in the wash so I can wear them again.  These shorts are light weight, don't ride up and they really look like denim shorts, which make them great for bopping around town.  The shorts, sports skirts and camisoles have small pockets to hold your gels or keys.  I have even comfortably put my iPhone in the pocket of the sports skirts during runs with no problems.

Here are a few pics of taken from my Instagram sporting my INKnBURN apparel...

Flutter Sports Skirt

                                             Run or Die Roses Camisole with Britney Sports Skirt

Drifting Petals and Lust Camisole with Britney Sports Skirt

Patriot Singlet Tank and Rock 'n Roll Run or Die Singlet Tank with Denim Shorts

Denim Camisole and Cherry Blossom Sports Skirts

Current Camisole with Denim Shorts. Fellow Ambassador Tam in Rock 'n Roll Run or Die Singlet.

INKnBURN is for people who want more from their clothes and life.  You will pay a little more for, but as the saying goes, "You get what you pay for."  The clothes are well made, beautiful, and well worth what you pay so, check out the website at www.inknburn.com and use my discount code: INBchel14 on your first purchase.  Enjoy!!!

Product Review - Aveeno Positively Radiant Targeted Tone Corrector

I was super excited to receive the Aveeno Positively Radiant Targeted Tone Corrector complimentary from Influenster.  This skin care product is suppose to help reduce the look of stubborn dark spots all while improving your skins radiance in just two weeks.  I definitely have some discoloration and uneven skin tone which I attribute to every day sun exposure and old acne scars so needless to say, I was all for giving this product a try. 

 

It's been just over a week and I have been using the product as directed which is to apply once in the morning and once in the evening before applying my moisturizer.  I have to say that I am actually starting to see a little change in the discoloration on my face, especially the dark spots on my cheeks.  This product is pretty awesome and smells really good.  It goes no smooth and leaves my skin feeling great.  It's also oil free, but doesn't leave my skin feeling dry.  If you're looking to improve your skins overall radiance give this a try.  I'm glad I did! 

#SweatPinkSummer Instagram Challenge Recap

I completed my first Instagram photo of the day challenge; not because I don't like doing them, but mainly because I never know where to find these daily photo challenges.  Often times when I stumble on one that looks fun to do, it's nearly half way over and my OCD will not allow me to start a challenge mid way :).  That being said, I particapted in the #SweatPinkSummer Instagram Challenge.  The challenge consisted of posting specific pictures over 10 days.  This was tons of fun.  I enjoyed thinking of what I could post for each day then looking to see what others posted via the challenge specific hashtags.  Here is a recap of my 10 day #SweatPinkSummer Instagram Challenge...

Day 1: Favorite summer snack -Fresh Berries...Mmmmmmm

Day 2: Favorite workout gear- Of course any clothing made by InkNBurn (flutter skirt pictured), my Garmin, and Mizuno Wave Riders.

Day 3: Summer vacation- Throw back to our trip to Bora Bora.  One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and hope to return to one day.

Day 4: Celebrate July 4th- Started it off right with a 15K.

Day 5: Favorite recovery stretch or yoga pose- Camel Pose




















Day 6: Take a hike- Hiking in Laguna Beach

Day 7: Favorite way to #sweatpink- Running...Duh!

Day 8: Favorite book- No time to read for myself so I posted one of my favorite books to read with my Little Babes.

Day 9: #sweatpink with a friend- This is another throwback picture of me and two of my favorite running buddies.  One has moved far, far away so we only get to run when she is in town :( and the other doesn't live nearly as far, but the distance has made it hard to get our runs together in.  Miss and love both of these girls.

Day 10: Favorite summer activity- Anything that involves being with my Little Babes.  She is loves the water so we try to spend plenty of time poolside.

I really enjoyed this challenge and made quite a few new Instagram friends in the process.  I also just became a Sweat Pink Ambassador and couldn't be more excited to join their team.  Sweat Pink is an awesome community of people that come from all different walks of life.  They are all about promoting a healthy, active lifestyle and providing support and encouragement to all.  


Happy running my friends.   

Chia Chocolate Pudding

I have been meaning to make Chia pudding ever since I saw a recipe for it on the back of the package and thought...Hmmmm that might be good.  Up  until now I was just putting Chia seeds in hot water with honey and drinking it like tea, which is a super yummy as well and a great alternative to tea if you want a hot drink without the caffeine.  Anyways, I found this recipe online at blog.freepeople.com and tweaked it just a little bit.  It's a super delicious and healthy snack.  Even my 18 month old loves it.  Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup chia seeds

3 tablespoons baking cocoa powder

1/8 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt (found this at Trader Joe's)

1 tablespoon organic maple agave syrup (also found at Trader Joe's)

Put all ingredients in a medium sized glass bowl and mix well.  After 30 minutes, mix again to prevent chia seeds from clumping together.  Cover and refrigerate over night.  

*I like to garnish with fresh berries and sliced almonds.  I also drizzle and toss the berries in just a little of the syrup before serving.  You can also garnish with chocolate shavings and other fruits...the possibilities are endless.  

*This recipe is great because it can be tweaked in so many ways.  Last night I made a vanilla one by omitting the cocoa powder and adding 1 tsp of vanilla.  I also used less almond milk and added Greek yogurt.  Can't wait to try it today.  I'm sure it will be delish!

Meet me half way

Well, I've made it to the half way point of my 50 day running streak and I have to say that this is easier than I thought it would be.  They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, but maybe because I was already a runner this came much quicker.  Prior to this challenge I was running anywhere from 3-5 days a week, so really I was just adding a few more days. 

How am I feeling, you ask???  GREAT!  I have to admit that on some mornings, I fell lazy and don't really want to lace up and get out, but I blame that on two things.  First, it's been really hot lately and second, if I don't get up early enough before the hubs leaves for work, I gotta take the Little Babes with me in the jogging stroller.  And I'm sure every mom can side with me when I say that when you have to take your little one...or little ones with you, it's kind of a whole production.  I've gotta make sure she's got sunblock on, I pack her breakfast and all sorts of snacks.  I even pack toys and music for when she starts to get bored.  Seriously, once I've packed the stroller and left the house, I am exhausted.  But on the bright side running with the Little Babes in the stroller has definitely made me a stronger runner.  Shout out to all you mother runners!!!

So here I am at day 25 and I am surprised at how quickly it has gone.  At this point I have logged a total of 87.15 miles (each week I am trying to gradually increase my mileage).  The annoying knee pain that I was complaining about at Day 11 is gone...Yipppppeeeee!!!  But, I am very careful not to forget my stretching, foam rolling, and pressure ball.  Looking forward to the next half of this challenge and hoping to finish it strong.  Wish me luck and happy running friends!!!

Thanks for stopping by :)

4th of July Festivities

What better way to start of the 4th of July than with a race???  This year, I headed to my old stomping ground in Santa Monica to run the Red, White, and Blue 15K which was put on by race organization, A Better World Running.  I stumbled on this race and organization while looking for a 4th of July race on active.com.  A Better World Running is an organization that puts on small, intimate, timed fun runs throughout Southern California.  The races consist of 150-200 participants who can run a 5K, 10K, 15K, half, or full marathon.  And...while looking through the A Better World Running website I found that if you volunteer at one of their races, your race entry is free!  How awesome is that?!?!?  So I decided to volunteer for the Stars and Stripes race the following day (July 5th).

When I arrived to Santa Monica, those who were running the full marathon had already started.  The half-marathoners were about to start and the 5K, 10K, and 15K participants would start 10 minutes after.  The course started on the pedestrian path right along the beach; the 15K race consisted of three 5K loops.  Now when I decided to run this race, I was a little nervous about the course, because I struggle with out and back courses and the thought of having to do 3 loops was a little intimidating, but I was up for the challenge.  Here is the start of the 5K, 10K, and 15K races.  Very relaxed in and informal indeed.  It was nice to see so many festive participants in their red, white and blue...

My first 5k loop went fairly quick.  It was still pretty early and there was a nice breeze.  The course is not closed to the public so there were other runners and walkers out, but luckily it wasn't too busy yet.  I started off my second loop and the thought of the 3 out and back loops had sunk in.  I did okay, but as I headed back to the start point, I kept thinking to myself, "Gosh darn-it, I have to do this loop one more freaking time?"  I got to the start point and was told that I was doing well and I may be in the lead for the 15K.  I thought, that has got to be wrong, I am never in the lead or even close in races that I run, but then again, this was a small race.  I wasn't sure how many participants were doing the 15K, but still thought it was cool to possibly be in the lead so off I went on my third and final 5K loop.  This was the worse of the three, but I knew it would be.  I knew that mentally I would struggle, and I did...and by this time, the heat was much worse than when we started.  My pace slowed, and because of all the water I was drinking, I had to stop at at bathroom to pee...anyone else hate when that happens?  Anyway, I made it to the finish and found out that I was the 2nd female finisher for the 15K.  I was excited and kind of mad at myself...I think the bathroom break cost me the 1st place spot, but oh well.  

 

All in all, it was a great run and I'm glad I did it.  This race challenged me mentally, which is good for all runners and in the end, I came out a better, stronger runner.  I enjoyed the smaller race feeling and met some nice people as well so it was a win, win day for me :)

The following day was my turn to volunteer for the Stars and Stripes run in Long Beach.  I was in charge of the 10K water station.  I headed to the start of the course early to pick up water, Gatorade, Gu packets, and other essentials for my aide station.  Once I arrived to my location, I quickly set up and within 10 minutes the marathoners were headed my way.  There seemed to only be a few who were doing the marathon so there was a small break between.  After a bit, more runners and walkers showed up.  I enjoyed cheering them on; some even stopped for a bit and chit chatted which was nice.  I spent about 3 hours at my water station and really had a great time.  Even though I wasn't running, I caught the contact high from all those who stopped by to say hi and thank you.  Here is the view from my station; not a bad place to spend 3 hours of my morning...

Hope everyone had as great of a 4th as I did.  If you are in Southern California you should check out abetterworldrunning.com.  Such a great idea started by two very nice people.  I love the concept and hope to run and volunteer at more of their events.  Happy running friends!