This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic.  Feel free to post any running-related blog post.  Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!

April is almost over which means May is almost here.  That means June is around the corner!  And you know what that means – the end of the school year!!!

Let me tell you about how April went for me:

Mileage:  So far it’s been the month with the highest mileage.  As of today, I’ve run 79.83 and walked 4.08 miles.  There are still a few more days this month so I am sure those numbers will increase.  

Current Book:  I am reading “Damnation Spring”.  I am not sure how I feel about it.  It is a bit boring but I don’t want to stop reading it.  I still want to keep reading and finish it.

Current Shoes: Still running in the Brooks Ghost.  I’ve run close to 250 miles so soon I will retire them and then run in another pair.

2023 Running Goal:  My goal this year is to run 800 miles.  It is about 67 miles per month.  Total mileage to date is 225.52.  It is about 30 percent of my goal leaving me with about 575 miles to go.  As long as I stay healthy and injury free, I am confident I will reach my goal.

Injuries:  None.  The hip is better.  It isn’t 100% better but not as bad as before.  I still have plantar fasciitis but it isn’t as bad as before.  

Races:  I ran one this month – CARA Lakefront 10 Miler.  It was a cold and windy day but I made the best of it.  I have another one on Sunday and I am sure it will be a fun one.  It is “only” a 5k.  

School:  I am mentally exhausted and cannot wait to be done.  My last day is June 2nd.  Next month we have one institute day, a field trip to the zoo, and a pizza party.  I will be very happy when I am done.

Run Streak:  I wasn’t planning to do one but as of yesterday, I’ve been running for 30 days.  I focus on time instead of miles.  I run between 20-60 minutes on different days.  I feel like it is less pressure and at the same time, I enjoy my runs.  Whenever I feel tired, I get out for 15 or 20 minutes – short and sweet!

Health:  The hot flashes continue.  Other than that, I am feeling good.  I am trying to watch what I eat because of my high A1C.  In June I am getting blood work done again and hopefully, that number will be lower.  I cannot get diabetes!

April went well and I know May will be even better! 

The topic for next week:  Mother’s Day gift guide (mom, sister, friend, etc).  Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic.  Feel free to post any running-related blog post.  Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!

March is almost over which means April is almost here.  That means Spring Break is around the corner!  One week off to relax and enjoy.  I am not going anywhere and that is OK with me.  I want to stay home.  

Let me tell you about how March went for me:

Mileage:  It wasn’t low but neither high.  As of today, I’ve run 59.62 and walked 1.87 miles.  There are still a few more days this month so I am sure those numbers will go up.  

Current Book:  I finished reading “Three Sisters”.  Wow!  Beautiful and sad book.  I cried many times while reading it.  The love among the sisters was so strong while going through a horrific time.  

I am currently reading “The Husbands”.  It is book #8 for this year.

Current Shoes: Still running in the Brooks Ghost.  I need to retire these soon.  I also have the Launch 9 and the Hyperion Tempo.  I’ve been eyeing another pair of the Ghost but will not buy them yet.  Nope, self-control.  

2023 Running Goal:  My goal this year is to run 800 miles.  It is about 67 miles per month.  Total mileage to date is 138.07.  It is low but I know I can make it up in the upcoming months.  As long as I stay healthy and injury free, I am confident I will reach my goal.

Injuries: None.  The hip is better.  It isn’t 100% better but not as bad as before.

Races:  I ran two this month – NYC Half Marathon and Shamrock Shuffle 8k.   Both went well and I did better than expected.  My running/training hasn’t been great but I am pleased with how I did.

School:  Almost less than 2 months to go.   Right now what keeps me going is knowing that I am off next week.  I think my students need a break too…from me.  

Health:  The hot flashes continue.  It is awful!  I got some bloodwork drawn and found out that my HBa1c has increased.  That worries me because I don’t want it to get higher and be diabetic.  I’ve been eating pretty much the same (in December my HBa1c was 4.9) but do wonder how much my lack of running has caused it to increase.  I’ve been more stressed than usual and haven’t been sleeping well because of the hot flashes.

March was OK.  Hopefully, April is better.  I was supposed to run the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile but have decided not to make the trip to Washington DC this weekend.  There is one race I want to do next month.  I know I keep talking about it and now just have to sign up.  I may do just well just like my last two races, right?

The topic for next week – Today is National Vitamin C Day, how do you get your vitamin C?  Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic.  Feel free to post any running-related blog post.  Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!

Yay February is over!  It has been a mild Winter with not too much snow but some windy days.  It has rained a couple of times but overall still a great Winter.

Just like not all runs will be great, the same thing for days/weeks/months.  February was an OK month for me but I survived.

I can now add myself to the list of Covid victims.  Yep, I finally got it.  It was very mild with a lot of coughing.  I stayed in bed for 5 days, resting and reading.  I finished one book in two days!  But after 5 days of being home, I was ready to return to work.

Let me tell you about how February went for me:

Mileage:  It was a very low mileage for me with 18.78 running miles and .98 walking miles.  I hope this is the only low month this year.  It is warming up and that motivates me to keep on running.  But that means then I will be complaining that it is too hot.  😆 😆 

Current Book:  I have finished reading 5 books and am currently reading “The Paper Place”.  My goal is to read 12 books and I am almost halfway done.

Current Shoes: Still running in the Brooks Ghost.  These are perfect because they’re NYC-themed!

2023 Running Goal:  My goal this year is to run 800 miles.  It is about 67 miles per month.  I ran way less this month but I know I can make it up in the upcoming months.  As long as I stay healthy and injury free, I am confident I will reach my goal.

Injuries: None but sometimes my hip hurts because I do not stretch as I should.  Sometimes I do wonder if it is something else.

Blog: I fell off the wagon with posting on Sundays.  That is OK because I still want to post on Tuesday and Friday consistently.    

School:  I have my good days and my bad days like everyone else.  We have 3 months left of this school year.  Next year we will have a new Reading Curriculum and I am actually looking forward to it.  Something new.  But that also means more work with this new curriculum.  I am not complaining about the curriculum.  My complaint is that not enough time is given to us to learn and implement it.

Health:  I have no complaints about my health.  I have noticed that now I am getting more hot flashes during the day and at night.  I wonder if this is because of Covid or premenopause or both.

February was OK.  Hopefully, March is better.  I am signed up for two races and am excited about them.  I will admit that I am NOT ready for my race in NYC next month.  I haven’t been training like I wanted to.  But I don’t care.  I am still going because I know I won’t have another chance to run the half marathon.  My goal isn’t to PR anyway.  I want to run the race and finish it.  

The topic for next week – Tomorrow is International Women’s Day.  Who are the female athletes you admire?  Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic.  Feel free to post any running-related blog post.  Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!

Yay January is over!  It has been a mild Winter but yesterday and today we got some very cold weather.  I guess I shouldn’t really complain.  Well, maybe just a little.

In late December, I began training for the NYC Half Marathon.  I am following one of Hal Higdon’s plans and so far have had some good workouts.

Let me tell you about how January went for me:

Mileage:  I finished the month with 59.66 running miles and 13.59 walking miles.  I am impressed with the walking miles because I am not much of a walker.  I missed a few days of running but am not too worried about it.  My goal for the half marathon is to finish and have fun. 

Current Book:  I read two books and now am reading “The Plot”.

Current Shoes: Running in the Brooks Ghost.  These are perfect because they’re NYC-themed!

2023 Running Goal:  My goal this year is to run 800 miles.  It is about 67 miles per month.  I ran less this month but know I can make it up in the upcoming months.  As long as I stay healthy and injury free, I am confident I will reach my goal.

Injuries: A few months ago I was dealing with hip pain and plantar fasciitis.  The hip pain isn’t too much nor is the plantar fasciitis.  I’ve been stretching more and have been using these inserts all of the time.

Blog: I want to be consistent and blog 3 days a week (Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday).  I was doing OK posting on Sunday but missed it this Sunday because I am always falling behind on reading and commenting.  I need to figure out a system to balance it out.  Any ideas?  

School:  I have my good days and my bad days like everyone else.  My students sometimes amaze me.  We are working on adding 3-digit numbers and almost everyone in the classroom understands the strategy I am teaching them.  Thanks to Common Core, I cannot teach them the way we learned it (algorithm).  They need to break it down into hundreds, tens, and ones.  I understand why but it takes so long.

Health:  I have no complaints about my health.  I still have my days when I sleep OK and others when I do not sleep OK.  I was taking a sleeping pill prescribed by my doctor but that didn’t really help.  Instead, if needed, I take melatonin.  

Overall, January was a good month.  Let’s see how February goes.

Topic for next week – Things you saw on your last run.  Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic.  Feel free to post any running related blog post.  Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!

I cannot believe October is almost over and we have 2 months left this year.  And what a year it has been so far!

So let me tell you about how this month is going.

Mileage:  I am currently at 28.85 miles.  It isn’t my lowest.  It is February with 1.49 miles.  This past weekend was gorgeous with weather in the 70s.  Very unusual for October.  But this week it will get cooler with Fall weather.

Current Book:  I began reading “Landslide” then put it down to catch up on a few TV shows.  Then I requested from the library in audio version “A Place for Women” so I could listen to it on my way to work and home.  I couldn’t focus.  There were some parts I did listen and enjoyed but then got lost when I wasn’t paying attention.  I decided to request the book instead and am waiting for it.  How do people listen to audiobooks all of the time?

Current Shoes:  Still running in the Brooks Ghost.  So far I’ve run in them 230 miles.

2022 Running Goal:  My goal this year was to run 1,200 miles.  To date I’ve run 464 miles.  I am OK with not making this goal.  At least I am out there running whenever I can and want.  It will be interesting to see how many miles I end up doing this year.  I will keep you posted!

Injuries: I am still dealing with plantar fasciitis and hip pain.  My chiropractor said the hip pain could be from a tight hip.  He told me to stretch more.  I am trying.  It hurts to even do that.  My runs have been either 20 or 30 minutes but maybe I should stop running for a few days to get better.  And how could I still be dealing with injuries if I am barely running?

Blog: I had a folder on my computer desktop with ALL of my blog pictures.  I was organizing the desktop (I do not like it when it is cluttered) and I must have deleted it by mistake.  I searched for it but it was gone.  Then I remembered that I may not have all of my photos in a folder but they’re still on the blog.

I am not blogging much these days but am interested in 30-day blogging challenge in November.  Next month is National Blog Posting Month.  Can I do it?  I think that if I sit down and plan then I could come up with blog posts for each day in November.  Read more about it HERE.  Click here for best practices and here for writing prompts put together by our very own San who blogs at The in between is mine.  What makes me think that I can do this is when she says “Also, remember that not every blog post has to be a deep, long, elaborate piece of writing. Sometimes sharing a picture or some random thoughts is all it takes to engage your readers!”  Sounds manageable?

School:  As usual it is hectic and nerve wrecking.  As much as I tell myself that I need to focus on myself and not work so much, it just isn’t happening.  I am doing too much and there aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all.  It is very frustrating when there is a lot of work to be done to help our students in reading, writing, and math.  Surely it shouldn’t have to fall on all of us to help them with this.  What about the parents?

Health:  I have my days when I sleep OK and other when I do not sleep OK.  I don’t wear my Fitbit anymore and instead wear my Garmin.  The data shows that I sleep usually around 6-8 hours each night.  I don’t feel as tired as I used to but sometimes do take a nap on the weekends.  

Thanks for listening!  This is more like a coffee date than a monthly review.  😀 😀

Topic for next week – Tips for Finding a Running Group.  Feel free to write about this or any running related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!