In five years it will be 2026.  Nothing wrong with thinking ahead.  Things definitely will be better than how they are now, right?  I thought it would be fun and interesting to write about where I see myself in 5 years.  Keep on reading to find out.  🙂

🟣 I hope that I will still be running.  I won’t stop unless it is absolutely necessary.  Hopefully in 5 years I would have completed my goal to run a half marathon in each state.  Hopefully I would have run another marathon or a 50K.  I’ve run two 50Ks and my finish time from my second one is worse than my first one.  Yep, I would like a PR too.

🟣 I hope to still be blogging.  I enjoy it.  These past couple of months have demonstrated to me how much I look forward to reading different blogs.  Your posts have encouraged and motivated me.  You’ve all made me smile and let me know that things will be OK.  Hopefully in 5 years I will have met many more of you.

🟣 Still living in Chicago in a new house.  You know I have to add this one.  While I am grateful to have a place to live, I want something new.  I want to have my own house.  Though right now I am glad I don’t own a home because I hate to shovel.  

🟣 I see myself still teaching.  I already made a career change back in 2009 and don’t see myself making another one.  The only change I would like to make is to no longer be a classroom teacher.  I have a certificate in Math and would love to be a Math Interventionist.  This past year was really difficult and challenging.  While teaching isn’t as fun as it used to be, I still know that I am making a difference in these kids’ lives.

🟣 Hopefully I would have traveled to all of these countries or some of them – France, Italy, Hawaii, Africa, and Greece.  Of course I would love to go there to run but most importantly the chance to travel somewhere new.  While Hawaii is not in a different country, it sure sounds like it since it takes so long to get there.  That is how I felt when I traveled to Alaska.  I was in the US but it felt foreign to me.

Thanks for linking up with us again this week!  We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites!  Join hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday!  

It is no secret that I am a morning person.  I also wake up early to feed my cats and then to catch up on reading some blog posts or start working on my next one.  I like that it is quiet and find that I work better like that.  I finally have a routine going here. 

Though I know I can run at any time during the day, I prefer doing it in the morning.  Here’s why:

👟 Sunrises.  These are wonderful to see in the morning.  With so many magnificent colors, it is a great way to make me smile and be alone in my thoughts.  My own world.  The same can be said for sunsets.  

👟 It is my ME time.  I’ve written about this before.  Running in the morning is my ME time.  I enjoy running when it is quiet and not a person in sight.  For the most part I listen to music.  I have a combination of English/Spanish and slow/fast music for my runs.  Sometimes I focus on the music or think about what is going on in the world or what I need to do that day.

👟 More free time in the evening.  I am exhausted when I am done with work.  Being online and talking all day (because my students don’t talk that much) takes up a lot of energy.  I want to come home to read or watch TV.  Sometimes I need to do some errands and I can go after work and still be home at a decent time.  Other times I want to be home and be with my cats.  🙂

👟 It is a routine for me.  I wake up, run, and go to work.  Repeat the following day.  I work well when I have routines set up for me.  I think this is another reason why I am enjoying going back to work.  Yesterday was one month since I’ve been back to teaching in my classroom.

👟  Beat the heat.  Of course this doesn’t apply now why for sure in the Summer.  There’s been times when at 6am it is already hot and humid.  Right now I am complaining about the weather here in Chicago but in a few months I will be complaining about the heat.  🙂

Thanks for linking up with us again this week!  We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites!  Join hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday!  Please add your link below.

Thanks for linking up with us again this week!  We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites!  Join hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday!  Please add your link below.

👟 Sunrises.  Now that I have been out earlier in the morning to run, I have been seeing more sunrises.  It truly amazes me how it is the beginning of a new day but in another part of the world it is already night.  I know how or why it happens but to me it is still a wonderful thing that takes place.  I like to teach this lesson to my students because many of them have no idea.  I have also noticed that now it is lighter before 7am and it is getting darker later than 5pm.

👟 Being careful.  It bothers me that as a woman I have to be extra careful when running outside.  How many times do I hear or see an article of what I should or should not do?  There is never anything like that for men.  This week a man stopped me to ask a question about the bus.  I was having a great run and was more than happy to help him.  I answered his question and our conversation was about 2 minutes.  He was grateful that I helped him.  I felt good for helping him.  However, moments later I realized that maybe I should not have stopped to talk to him.  Yeah, at that moment I thought of what could have happened to me and it freaked me out.

👟 Sports bras.  Why are they expensive and why is it so hard to find one that fits well?  Mine are from Victoria’s Secret and I’ve had them for a few years.  I love them because they provide enough support and they’re easy to take off after a sweaty run.  I know I need to replace them but have not found any that I like (I hate the padded ones).  I ordered 4 new ones from Victoria’s Secret again and received two already.  I do not like them at all.  Hopefully the other 2 will fit.

👟  Things happen for a reason.  I am a firm believer of it.  However, there are times that I think really hard about those reasons.  Sometimes I like running in the neighborhood where I want to buy a house.  I see the house that I almost bought.  It was perfect for me.  But I also know that it wasn’t meant to be.  Right?  This was almost two years ago.  What is taking so long?  It is meant for me to live in an apartment for the rest of my life?  These past couple of months drove me crazy because I wished I had more room to move around.  When I was in quarantine I was limited to where I could go.  I also want more room so I can get a treadmill (I do want the Peloton treadmill).  Ugh!  I know, I know.  I need to be more patient.

👟  My run streak.  I slept in yesterday and did not have time to run in morning.  I ran after work.  However, I had to think really hard about why I “had” to run.  I think part of the reason was that I was tired.  Last week I was also tired and almost skipped my run.  My coach asked me to think about why I started this streak and if that why was still valid today.  I told him that “The why was to get out and run.  To get some fresh air.  To start off my day on the right foot.  To clear my head”.  I thought about those reasons and went running.  It was just one mile but I felt better afterwards.  Oh, and it was day #146.