Rock ‘n’ Roll Race – Zenaida Arroyo

Category: Rock ‘n’ Roll Race

19
May
2020

Tuesday Topics: Some of my best races

categories: BibRave Pro, Chicago Marathon, Oiselle, Race all 50 states, Race Recap, Rock 'n' Roll Race, RunDisney, Running, Travel, Tuesday Topics

Happy Tuesday and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Topics! Last week I wrote about some not-so-great things that have happened to me at races. So today let’s discuss some of my best races whether it is because of a PR, the course, or some other reason.

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This week’s Tuesday Topic: What was your best or worst race? You can write about this topic or 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!

♥ 2016 Chicago Marathon – It it my marathon PR. I simply love everything about this race. I’ve run it a few times and also love spectating it.

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♥ 2015 Live Grit 10 Miler – I met Wendy and Marcia at this race. It was warm in the beginning of the race but then the temperature dropped about 20 degrees. I did not have a jacket and was COLD.

♥ 2019 Detroit Free Press/TCF Bank Half Marathon – I was undertrained but loved this race. I was also dealing with plantar fasciitis but I made the best of it. It is an incredible experience running the bridge to Canada, in Canada, and then back to the U.S.

♥ 2019 Delaware Marathon Running Festival – Hilly course but I met Kim! What’s not to like about it? Running in Brandywine Park felt peaceful and very relaxing. It was just what I needed to deal with all of the hills.

♥ 2013 Community Bank of Elmhurst 4 on the 4th – I don’t remember how I heard about this race but am so happy I did. I love everything about it (distance, price, location, to name a few things) and continue to run it each year. I am sad it is cancelled this year but understand the reason.

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♥ 2020 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon – So the race itself was not that great. It was a VERY hilly course and I was undertrained. What I loved about it was the Olympic Marathon Trials that took place the day before. I got excited and goosebumps being so close to many elite runners – LOVED seeing Desi on the course!!

♥ Utah Valley Half Marathon 2017 – A race meeting up with blogger friends! The views were incredible. It was the first time dealing with altitude and running a downhill race. Not easy but I finished in 2:34:59 which is a whole lot better than I expected!!

♥ Walt Disney World Half Marathon and Walt Disney World Marathon – Did this as part of the Goofy Challenge. Seriously, I have no idea what I was thinking when I signed up. I don’t think I was thinking AT ALL! 🙂 It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. No regrets at all.

♥ The Great Alaskan Running Cruise 2017 – It was a fun week exploring and running in Alaska. There were a total of 4 races:

√ 5K Kick Off Run/Walk in Anchorage and Welcome Party
√ Glacier Half Marathon in Juneau
√ 4-Mile Amazing Race in Skagway
√ 5K on the trails in the Tongass National Forest in Ketchikan

♥ Chicago Lakefront 50K 2012 and 2014 – I don’t have a recap from my first race in 2012 but HERE is the second one I did in 2014. As if running a marathon isn’t hard enough, I decided to run a race even longer than 26.2 miles. I ran the RnR New Orleans Marathon early in March and then ran the 50k a few weeks later. Why not, right? 🙂

I enjoyed writing about this topic. It was fun reading older posts (sometimes cringing because of what I wrote – Yikes!!), but overall remembering each one which made me smile.

08
Oct
2019

Tuesday Topics: Themed races – Yay or nah? Favorite themed races?

categories: Rock 'n' Roll Race, RunDisney, Tuesday Topics

This week’s Tuesday Topic: Themed races – yay or nah? Favorite themed races? You can write about this topic or 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!

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Rock ‘n’ Roll

I’ve done quite a few themed races. The bulk were Disney and Rock ‘n’ Roll Races. Sometime in late 2013 I purchased a TourPass. With this pass I was able to run unlimited RnR races in the U.S. This pass was only $399. Awesome deal and I took advantage of it. In 2013 I ran 14 Rock ‘n’ Roll races. I am glad I was able to visit so many different places – some I had never been to before! Some of my favorite cities were Washington DC and Las Vegas. I ran my 100th race at RnR Chicago which I was happy about. The worst one was Nashville because it was hilly and it rained throughout the whole race. I feel like I need to go back and do it again. When I was done with Las Vegas, I ended up with 22 medals.

It’s been fun to read again some of these posts. There are so many things I would do different but still I am glad I experienced these races.

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I ran 8 races in 2014. It all started with the Goofy Challenge (half marathon on Saturday and marathon on Sunday) in Florida and ended with Wine and Dine in Florida too. I remember some friends talking about the Goofy Challenge and how they wanted to do it again. They asked me if I was interested. I replied “sure” not really knowing what I was getting myself into. They ended up doing Dopey Challenge which was a 5k on Thursday, 10k on Friday, half marathon on Saturday, and a marathon on Sunday. DOPEY FOR SURE!

Goofy Challenge was definitely hard but I finished. Training for it was even worse. The race was in January and I had to train in the Winter and that was not fun at all.

Then I went on to run Tinker Bell Half Marathon, Enchanted 10k, Princess Half Marathon (those two were The Glass Slipper Challenge), Disneyland 10k, Disneyland Half Marathon (those two were the Dumbo Dare Challenge, and Wine and Dine Half Marathon. I had forgotten that Wine and Dine was a night race (so RnR Las Vegas is not the only night race I’ve done). It also rained most of the course and my finish time is my worst finish time. After this race I had 14 Disney medals.

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Also, it’s been fun reading some of my posts again. When I first started my blog, I used Blogger. Then I used WordPress, back to Blogger, and back again to WordPress. Cannot remember why I did this but with all of this back and forth, some of my photos aren’t showing up on the posts or are upside down. I want to fix them but I don’t know how. Or should I even bother and just leave it the way it is?

I enjoyed both the RnR and RunDisney races. However, what I did not like about the Disney races was the price. They’re very expensive! I think I paid close to $400 for the Goofy Challenge. Would I do them again? Only Glass Slipper Challenge. I like the theme and I’d rather go to FL than CA because it is closer and cheaper to get there.

As for RnR races, I will not do those again except maybe Chicago. And that is a big maybe. That race is in July and July is not a good month for a half marathon in Chicago. I would like to run in Washington DC because I love going there.

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21
Jul
2019

Weekly Run Down: A few days with mom and some running injuries

categories: BibRave Pro, Rock 'n' Roll Race, Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

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What is the weather like where you live? For us in the Chicago area it was another hot week. It cooled down a bit on Thursday because it rained but then midday it was hot again. Then Friday and Saturday were just brutal HOT. It is summer after all. 🙂

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My mom came home with me on Sunday because she had a doctor appointment on Monday and an eye doctor appointment on Tuesday. Both doctors are close to where I live so it made sense to have her stay with me.

Monday morning I ran 4 miles. I accidentally stopped and saved my run at .39 of a mile and didn’t realize it will about 1/2 mile later. I am not sure how that happened. I did keep running to complete my run.

At the doctor’s office we found out there were some changes to her medical benefits and therefore could not see her doctor. Somehow her current doctor is not in the network and she was assigned to a different one located downtown. Anyway, since it was early and we were still hungry, we went to eat breakfast.

I was told to call County Care and have them switch her back to her current doctor. I didn’t call and instead went back and forth via email and some phone calls to another clinic where I was told that her doctor is in the network. I also found out that County Care does not pay for medical appointments. Medicare pays for those appointments. Finally I was on the phone with someone from the clinic and County Care and I think we got it straightened out. She has an appointment on Wednesday. Cross your fingers we are not turned away again.

On Tuesday we went to the eye doctor. My mother had cataract surgery 5 years ago. She has some trouble seeing clearly with her right eye. The doctor said there is a wrinkle (?) in her right lens and a minor laser procedure can fix it. We scheduled an appointment for next Friday. Later that evening my cousin invited us to his house for enchiladas.

Wednesday morning I ran 5 miles. It was warm but not too bad. It helped that it was cloudy. Later on I took Lola to the vet for her yearly checkup. She is healthy but has lost some weight compared to last year. It was just a few ounces and was told to take her back in 6 months. Not sure how she lost weight since my sister and I always make sure she is fed. I hope it isn’t anything serious. Obviously she does not like going to the vet and as soon as we got home, she hid under the bed and was there for the rest of the day..until dinner time. 🙂

Oh, and my mother made enchiladas again. 🙂 That evening I took her home. I am glad she stayed with me. It was a change for her and it gave my sister a break too.

It rained all morning on Thursday. I must have been really tired because I slept in a bit and felt really good. No running for me because I met a coworker for breakfast. Her mom had been in the hospital and nursing facility since February and came home about a week ago.

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It cleared up in the afternoon and it was hot again. I knew I still had to run and waited till after 8 to go outside. It was like an oven. I managed 1.5 miles. I wore my Koala Clip and was very happy with it. I did notice that my phone did get a little wet. Perhaps I didn’t close it correctly? Who knows but I still liked it and best of all there was no bouncing and it did not move.

I also went to the doctor to have him check out my left knee and foot. The bottom of my left foot started bothering me during the Missoula Half Marathon. Then again last weekend when I tried to run 10 miles. I suspected it was plantar fasciitis (thanks Google) but still wanted to be sure. The doctor did say it was plantar fasciitis, along with knee bursitis and patellar maltracking (my kneecap moves a bit and makes a clicking and scraping sound when I bend my knee). My knee does not hurt..just my foot. He gave me some exercises to do and a prescription for physical therapy (along with a recommendation for a gait analysis). He also told me to wear a knee support brace, but only when I run, and reminded me to stretch and foam roll. I thought for sure he was going to tell me to stop running. 🙂

When I suspected that I had plantar fasciitis, I bought these massage rollers from Amazon. Wow, they’re amazing!!!

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On Friday I meet a few BibRave Pros at the RnR Chicago. I got excited when I saw Kathrine Switzer and one of my favorite Brooks shoes.

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Then I meet the Pros for dinner at City Winery West Loop.

Saturday evening I decided not to run the half marathon. I went back and forth with my coach about my knee and foot. She advised me to take a few days off from running and instead to focus on cross training activities. I am to let her know Monday afternoon how my foot feels. Let’s hope I can get back to running soon.

Have you ever had plantar fasciitis? Suggestions on how to treat it?

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

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13
Nov
2018

So many cities and so little time!

categories: Race all 50 states, Rock 'n' Roll Race, Running, Tuesdays on the Run

I have been running for over 10 years. However, it was 6 years ago that I decided to make it a goal to run a half marathon in each state. By then I had already run in 5 states (two being a marathon and I went back to run a half) so I knew I had a long way to go.

One of the best things I did was purchase a Rock ‘n’ Roll TourPass in 2013. This pass allowed me to register for as many Rock ‘n’ Roll races as I wanted to in a year. And that is what I did. That year I ran 14 Rock ‘n’ Roll races. While it was exhausting, it was also fun and I made the best of it.

I may be biased but I love running in Chicago. I love running along the lakefront. Although for almost a year I have been running by my house. I live 1.5 miles from Midway Airport and sometimes run loops around it (4 miles each loop). It is just perfect for me. I also love running in Chicago because it is flat. Although that didn’t help when I ran in other hilly cities like Nashville, TN; Little Rock, AR; Tulsa, OK; and Jackson, MS.

Besided Chicago, I have enjoyed running races in other cities as well. They’re listed below in no particular order.

• Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon. What’s not to like running down The Strip at night? It is fun to see The Strip at night without any cars. The best part of this race was that I got VIP status. First and last time!

• Princeton Half Marathon. Getting there was a bit of a hassle but I enjoyed running through Princeton University. Even though there were hills, there were so many trees and the colors were just beautiful. The campus is lovely and it was fun learning about Albert Einstein.

• Boston’s Run to Remember Half Marathon. This race was after the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Security was very tight and I remember feeling a bit nervous but also sad. The course was mostly flat and the turnaround point was Harvard University. I also enjoyed running through Beacon Hill and Boston Common.

• Glacier Half Marathon. Running in Alaska was also so much fun! I ran a half marathon, two 5Ks, and did a running scavenger hunt. I ran these as part of the The Great Alaskan Running Cruise. You can read all about my great adventures HERE.

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Linking up with Marcia, Patti, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run.

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11
Sep
2018

2018 Fall Running Plans

categories: Half Marathon Training, Rock 'n' Roll Race, Running, Tuesdays on the Run

The official season is not here yet but fall weather is here! It feels wonderful running in 60-70 degree weather. Friday evening I went out for a run. I was supposed to run 4 but thought that it said 5 on my training calendar. I felt so good and ended up not only doing negative splits, but running faster than I was supposed to.

Fall is my favorite running weather. I love seeing the different color leaves on the ground. I love the cool weather and being able to run in a short sleeve shirt or a thin long sleeve shirt and still not feeling too hot. I love that I can still run in shorts and not feel cold.

However, I do not like that it gets darker earlier in the day and it gets lighter later in the day. 😉 But still these temperatures are wonderful.

I have a few races coming up soon and I am excited about them!

• ZOOMA Great Lakes 5k. Originally I signed up for the half marathon and last week decided to do instead the 5k. I did the half marathon back in August 2014 when it was held in Chicago.

• Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver. I am excited to run in a new state. My last one was in July 2017 when I ran in Alaska. I remember signing up for this last year but then couldn’t make it but for sure I will be there this year.

• Rock ‘n’ Roll Savannah. Another new state for me. Honestly, I am glad to finally cross GA off my list. I had wanted to run in Atlanta but somehow couldn’t make it work. Then when Rock ‘n’ Roll had a special back in June, I took advantage of it and registered for this race. The logistics suck (for me). Savannah doesn’t seem like a long way from Chicago but it will take me almost 6 hours to get there (beginning with a 6am flight). Luckily the race is on Saturday so I will be home that same day and have Sunday to recuperate. 🙂 I’ve heard Savannah is pretty and do have a couple of hours to explore before my flight home.

For now that is all I have for the fall. I am kind of excited to train during the winter for Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans. I’ve run both the marathon and the half marathon. Last year I trained for the IL Marathon and had many, many great runs even with the cold weather. Of all of my years of running, I don’t remember running so many days outside during the winter (always used the treadmill when there was snow or “too cold”). Plus, I learned how to dress properly for winter running. Haha. Sounds silly saying it but so true.

What is YOUR favorite season for running? What are your fall race plans?

Linking up with Marcia, Patti, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run.