Running – Page 39 – Zenaida Arroyo

06
Mar
2018

My love relationship with the treadmill.

categories: Running, Tuesdays on the Run

I know many people don’t like the treadmill. In fact, many people HATE it and call it the dreamill.

While I do like my gym and have enjoyed most of my runs outside, there have been times that I wished I had a treadmill at home. On many occasions I have questioned my sanity because it would be freezing or snowing and yet I was outside. Also, the snow and ice makes a run or driving challenging so ideally it would be best to run indoors. Other times it takes me longer to motivate myself and get ready for a run than the actual run (especially for my runs of 30-45 minutes). 🙂

However, I have also done a lot of runs on the treadmill. I think the longest run I’ve done is either 14 or 16 miles. During my summer break I would wake up later than usual and by then it would be too hot to run outside. I remember one day running in the middle of the day and I almost passed out. Not sure what I was thinking. Or I guess I wasn’t thinking at all. 🙂

Here is what helped me make my runs more bearable:

• Listen to fun music. I rarely listen to music while on a run but on the treadmill it is a MUST. I have a variety of Spanish and English music and various playlists. Depending on how I was feeling is the music I would pick. However, my favorites are:

• Watch TV. Sometimes music gets on my nerves so I prefer to watch TV. I’ve watched whatever is playing on the television or a show on my iPad.

• Change incline and/or pace. I did my runs at 0% incline but made sure to change the pace. I would set a timer for 1:30/2:00 minutes or 3:00/4:00 minutes and then change the pace (I would have 3 different paces) at the sound of the buzzer. Or I would change it after each song. This would make the run a bit more exciting and made the time go by faster.

• Reward myself. For me it would be a coffee, food, beer, or a new piece of gear. Of course I wouldn’t do this for every single run but mainly on days when I had ZERO desire to run and needed some motivation.

• Thinking of that wonderful feeling after a run. The most difficult part of a run is starting said run. Once that happens then you get all of these good feelings and the result is a wonderful sense of accomplishment. And then be ready to do it all over again.

• Break up the run into parts. I never did a run without stopping. Who wants to run 10 miles without stopping? Not me. For a run of that distance, I would run 2.5 miles, take a quick break, and run again 2.5 miles. Then I would use the bathroom and/or get more water and repeat for the rest of the 5 miles. Something similar could be done for 12, 14, or 16 miles. The key is to not think of it as a LONG run of 12, 14, 16 miles but instead as short and quick runs with breaks in between.

So yes/no to treadmill? What’s the longest you’ve run on the treadmill?

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

04
Mar
2018

Illinois Marathon Training Recap, Week 14

categories: Illinois Marathon, Marathon Training, Running, Weekly Recap

Week #14, February 26-March 4

M Rest
T 3.28
W 6.40
TH 2.92
F Rest
S Ran 3.33
S Ran 11.00

Tuesday was warm enough to wear a skirt! I did my run in the morning and it was 44 degrees. Perfect!

Illinois Marathon-136

I procrastinated on Wednesday to hang out with Lola. I didn’t want to get out but then remembered it was the end of the month and I wanted to get it more miles to meet my goal. I didn’t. I missed it by 8.42 miles. Bummer.

I actually enjoyed my run and again hit the paces I was supposed to (10:02 for each 3 minute intervals). I need to work on my recovery since those I am running too slow.

Illinois Marathon-139

March began with 35 minutes of easy running. It was a beautiful evening with a full moon outside.

Illinois Marathon-140

I was very tired on Saturday and stayed in bed till about 10. I watched TV and caught up on a few shows. I still didn’t go out for my run till about 2pm. The sun was out and did get warm but I also got cold being in the shade. Still it was a beautiful afternoon for a run.

I remember how before I would do my long runs on Saturday and would have no trouble getting up in the morning. Now? Lately I’ve been struggling. I still prefer to do my long runs on Saturday so I can recover the rest of the day and if needed, on Sunday too.

Sunday’s run had 2×2 miles @10:45 pace and then repeat. I was a bit nervous about it. I’ve been able to hold that pace for 2, 3 or 15 minutes but NOT 2 miles. It wasn’t easy and unfortunately did have to stop for a few seconds to catch my breath. The headwind did not help and that just aggravated me even more. Still pleased with my run.

Illinois Marathon-143

Another great week of marathon training. March is here and I am hoping that we get warmer weather so I can wear shorts. 🙂 I’ve managed to hit the paces on my workouts but still need to work on pacing for my tempo/longer runs. I tend to start off too fast and then get burnt out too soon.

Total mileage for the week: 26.93
Total mileage for this training cycle: 274.11
Total mileage for the year: 195.30

Here’s how training has gone so far:
• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5
• Week 6
• Week 7
• Week 8
• Week 9
• Week 10
• Week 11
• Week 12
• Week 13

How was YOUR week? How is the weather in your city or town?

Link back to the host and let’s support other bloggers linking up as they train for a marathon, half marathon, or any other event.

02
Mar
2018

Friday Five 2.0-Five “new” races for me!

categories: Ambassador, BibRave Pro, Friday Five 2.0, Rock 'n' Roll Race, Running

Disclaimer: I am promoting these races as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

Happy March! I am hoping that with January and February behind us, March will be better in the weather department. I am proud to say that running wise I did great in February. But I still want some warm weather! My first race, Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle, is this month and I am excited about it. Read HERE to find out why you need to run this race and make sure to use code “SHUFFLE” at the following link: http://haku.ly/dd2567 to save $10 on your race entry.

I have added a couple of races to my calendar. Thanks to BibRave for giving me the opportunity to sign up and run these races this year. I’ve run 3 of them in the past and while I haven’t run in Denver, a Rock ‘n’ Roll race isn’t new to me. Hopefully you can join me in a few or all of these races.

1. Soldier Field 10 Mile, May 26. This race is always on Memorial Day weekend. It starts and ends at Soldier Field. I love the distance, flat course, and you get to run on Lake Shore Drive. There is some great food and beer after the race along with some live music entertainment. My PR is 1:41:56 in 2015 and it is time to set a new one this year. Use Code “BRSoldierField” for bonus RAM Racing sunglasses (expires 2 days before the race).

2. Tailgate 10K, August 11. This race used to be the BTN Big 10 and is held in Grant Park. Plans for this race are still in the works so be sure to check the website for updated information.

3. Fort2Base, August 26. I did this race in 2013. I ran 10 nautical miles which equals to 11.5 miles. It is a unique race distance and an automatic PR for those running this race distance for the first time. This race takes you through a military command and training centers. I remember there is a HUGE hill (Hero’s Hill) that wore me out.

4. Run Mag Mile, September 8. Last year was my first time running this race and I had a great time. The weather was perfect and I loved running along Michigan Avenue. We got a beautiful medal and some delicious food after the race. Use Code “BRMagMile” for bonus RAM Racing sunglasses (expires 2 days before the race).

5. Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver, October 21. Rock ‘n” Roll races are not new to me. I’ve done quite a few of them. 🙂 However, I’ve never been to Denver. My niece lives there and this race will give me the perfect opportunity to meet up with her (and maybe she’ll run with me). When I finish this race I will also cross off another state in my Race in the 50 States Goal. If you want to sign up for this race, use code “RNRBRP2018” for $15 off your registration fee.

Which one of these races would you like to run?

I’m linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 2.0.

27
Feb
2018

February was good for me!

categories: Illinois Marathon, Running, Tuesdays on the Run

I cannot believe tomorrow is the last day of February! Two months done for the year. If you have been following along my training for the Illinois Marathon, you know that this winter has sucked. I’ve run in freezing weather and in the snow. It hasn’t been easy and I had to talk myself into getting out there.

• To date I’ve run 81.90 miles. I have a run today and Wednesday. I still won’t make my goal of running 100 miles per month. I know it is my fault because I did miss 2 workouts and didn’t complete another one that was 11 miles. Oh well. My marathon is in two months and I know there will be heavy mileage coming up and for sure will go over 100 miles each month. As long as I have at least 1,200 miles for the year I will be happy.

• Total time run is 16:11:13. That is about the same amount of hours from the time I wake up in the morning to the time I am in bed at night and start all over. Fascinating!

• I’ve run 16 days. This training cycle has me running 5 days a week. I’ve been doing pretty good even with this crappy weather. I am proud of myself for getting out there.

• I’ve had some great quality session workouts. Not only have they been great but they’ve been fun! I’ve managed to hit the required paces and that has been a great confidence booster. I remember how before I would do these workouts on the treadmill because it would help me stay on pace. Now I can do these on my own with no help from it.

• I have not kept up with strength workouts. I slacked off. I had signed up to do a February Challenge (Supermans, Squats, and Russian Twists) with a few other bloggers and did good for the first few days and then stopped. I got tired and lazy. Hopefully there will be another challenge in March that I can participate.

So how did February go for you?

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

25
Feb
2018

Illinois Marathon Training Recap, Week 13

categories: Illinois Marathon, Marathon Training, Running, Weekly Recap

Week #13, February 19-25

M Rest
T 3.76
W 2.51
TH 4.91
F Rest
S Ran 3.80
S Ran 11.38

Another great week of training for the Illinois Marathon! I didn’t miss/skip any of my workouts. Mother Nature cannot make up her mind about the weather. It rains one day and then cold the next day. Hopefully in March we’ll have decent weather.

Tuesday’s run was in the rain. Well, maybe not exactly rain but more like a mist. I was still cold but glad it was a 45 minute run. Lola didn’t care that I was cold.

It was cold again on Wednesday and honestly I did not want to run. Sucked it up and did it anyway.

I was looking forward to and excited about my run on Thursday (2 mile warmup, 5 minutes @10:45, 5 minutes @10:02, 3 minute rest, repeat and then 1 mile cool down). Pretty cool huh? Well, during the first 5 minute session I was curious to see my pace so instead of pressing the light button, I pressed the lap button. No! I almost wanted to cry. I know, stupid.🤦🏻‍♀️ It was a long day plus we had a practice lockdown so you can imagine how emotional that was during school. Anyway, I quickly snapped out of it and continued with my run and it was AWESOME! Moral of the story: Trust the process and don’t mess with your Garmin.

After cuddling with Lola in the morning I went out for 45 minutes of running. It was cloudy and not too cold. I should have done my long run on Saturday instead of Sunday.

Saw these shoes on Running Warehouse and want to get them.

Illinois Marathon-133

I was NOT looking forward to my long run on Sunday. Total time to run was 2 hours and 2 minutes. It was cold and windy. The sun did come out but also decided to hide. I was very tired towards the end but pleased to get it done.

Total mileage for the week: 26.37
Total mileage for this training cycle: 247.18
Total mileage for the year: 168.37

Here’s how training has gone so far:
• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5
• Week 6
• Week 7
• Week 8
• Week 9
• Week 10
• Week 11
• Week 12

How was YOUR week?