Running – Page 80 – Zenaida Arroyo

Category: Running

30
Mar
2014

Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle

I got a PR today! I am so happy and still cannot believe it!!

Let’s go back to yesterday to packet pick-up. I am so glad my nephew and I went early. There were so many people and parking was a hassle.

I registered for the The Original 5K. How many candy bars in the jar?

Thinking of running the BTN Big 10k in July.

My nephew and I had so much fun with the magic tricks from Open Heart Magic. Sorry it is blurry.

Today I woke up at 5am. Why so early? I don’t know. I tried going back to sleep but couldn’t so I just stayed in bed and finally got up at 6:45. I got dressed and had breakfast. I was nervous about the weather because it was in the low 30s. I was undecided on which long sleeve shirt to wear but finally decided on a black and thin one.

I left at 7:30 to pick up my friend, ABH, to take the train downtown. Lots of people were on the train going to the race. We got off on Roosevelt and walked the 8 or so blocks to drop off my bag at the Nike Running tent. Then we walked to the start line. I was in Corral F and ABH was in K so I just went to her corral. It was a long wait. By then it was a bit warmer so I was grateful for the “late” start.

A little after 9:30 it was time to run. There were so many people. I did not wear my headphones but instead just focused on my surroundings and how I was feeling. Boy oh boy I was feeling really good! I ran nonstop for 3 miles. That has never happened. I was planning to take a break to drink the rest of my water at 2.5 miles but instead just kept on going.

Mile 1-9:40

Mile 2-9:03

Mile 3-8:59 Fastest mile!

I remember stopping at mile 4 because I had a side stitch.

Mile 4-9:48 Slowest mile.

I looked at my watch and knew that I had a good chance of a PR. However, I did not know it was going to be by almost 5 minutes. I just ran and ran without stopping.

Once I was back at Michigan Avenue, I knew I was almost done. I just had to conquer a “hill”. I’ve walked this “hill” at every race but this time I was determined to run it at a slower pace. I succeeded! Once I made it to the top and turned left, I just ran to the finish line.

Mile 5-9:43

Done! Finish time is 48:38. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it on my watch.

Overall it was a great race. I was a bit nervous about the weather but it turned out to be great. My only complaint is that there were so many walkers in the middle of the street. There is nothing wrong with walking. I’ve done my share of walking during a race but I’ve always moved to the right side of the street/road. During this race I kept moving left and right to pass the walkers. It was a bit annoying but I did what I had to do to get to the finish line. 🙂

After the race I went with ABG and her sisters to Waffles Cafe. The food and coffee was delicious.

Next race is the Chicago Lakefront 50K on Saturday.

27
Mar
2014

Three Things Thursday, March 27, 2014

categories: Running, Three Things Thursday

1. The Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle is this Sunday. I’ve ran this race six times since 2006. My best time is 52:18 in 2010 so my goal this year is to PR.

I am not cool about my start time. The actual race starts at 6:30 am. Of course I am not a speedy runner so my start time is at 8:55, Wave 2. Boo. Funny how those in Wave 1 and maybe 2 will be done by the time I start to run.

2. I like Picky Bars. Well, what’s not to like? They’re tasty and have lots of good stuff for us. They’re “real food balanced for sports”. Just this past weekend I became a member of the Picky Club and I got my first shipment yesterday. As a club member I get 18 bars for $37, free shipping, samples of new flavors, a free shirt, and other fun club gifts.

3. I love a good sale. I bought two pairs of Brooks PureFlows 2 for $50 each from Running Warehouse. They still have more pairs available so I think I will purchase a few more or all of them. I love running in those shoes and I don’t think I’ve ever paid $50 for a pair of Brooks shoes.

22
Mar
2014

My training so far for the Chicago Lakefront 50k

categories: Running

I cannot believe that two weeks from today I will be done with my second ultramarathon. I can’t remember why I signed up for something “crazy” like this. When I signed up for this race I wasn’t sure how I would train for it because I was focusing on my quest to run a half marathon in each state. Luckily I had a coach come up with a training plan. Fast forward weeks later and here we are. My coach’s plan has me running 5 times a week in various speed modes (tempo, easy, steady, long, and recovery ) for a total of 415.3 miles from January 27-April 5.

As you know the weather in Chicago has been ridiculous. Also, I hate running in the cold weather. Yes, I do like running on the treadmill and have done most of my training on it. Coach did advice me to do my long run outside. No can do. My excuses were always “It is too cold” and “There is snow and ice and I don’t want to slip”. I did manage to do a few of them outside when the weather was bearable for me. I think what makes it more difficult for me is that I run alone. I sure could use a running partner.

Now back to the plan. To date I’ve ran 245.7 miles but should have been 315.3. Believe me. I did my best to do all of my runs but there were times that I was just so tired that the last thing I wanted to do was run. So instead I would go home to rest. My longest run was supposed to be 26 miles. I only ran 20. When I began running that morning I was determined to do the whole 26 plus .2 miles to equal a marathon. Guess the joke was on me. My legs were hurting so much and I was almost in tears. I honestly thought that I was injured and thought about quitting and not running the race anymore. Well, that feeling only lasted a few hours and then I felt better once I ate and showered.

Am I injured? I don’t know. For as long as I can remember I’ve had problems with my hips. My right hip gives me the most trouble. I HATE foam rolling but I do it because Coach told me to. I get a massage two times a month, use “The Stick” and do several hip flexor stretches (thanks to Pinterest).

The stretches kind of hurt but also feel good. Weird combination. In the last couple of weeks I’ve felt (more) pain in my right leg.

I have two weeks till my race. I was supposed to be in GA this weekend but decided not to go. I am still running 13.1 miles tomorrow but at a much slower pace. I have an 8k next weekend that I really, really want to do but will wait and see how I feel.

I am nervous and excited about the 50K. I am even more excited because Michelle from This Momma Runs is also running that race and has agreed to run with me. However, that girl is so much faster than me and I think she will get bored with me. 😀 The race starts at 8:30am at Foster Avenue Beach House. If you happen to be in the area, come run a few miles with us. Let’s do this!

03
Mar
2014

Walt Disney World Princess Half Marathon

categories: Race Recap, RunDisney, Running

AR and I had pizza on Saturday evening. It was good and hit the spot.

My alarm went off at 3am on Sunday morning. Dang, why do these races have to start so early? It felt like I had just gone to bed and closed my eyes and next thing I knew my alarm was going off. I stayed in bed for a few more minutes then got up and got ready. I was done in about 15 minutes but knew I had to do one more important thing but couldn’t do it because I hadn’t yet had any coffee.

I went to the lobby to get in line for the shuttle bus. The line was moving quicker than I thought it would be. About 2 minutes later AR was in the lobby and then we got on the bus. The bus ride was about 15 minutes and once we arrived AR and I looked for coffee. Well, I wanted coffee and she wanted water. We found it! What we did not know is that once we passed through the “Runners Only” area, there was free water for the runners. Boo. We had paid for the water and coffee. The things Disney does to squeeze more money from people.

photo-2

AR and I walked to the start line. I got in line to use the bathroom twice (just to make sure) and then went to my corral to wait. I did not wait too long and off we went to run 13.1 miles. I was hoping to see Jeff Galloway but did not see him at all.

This race is the same course as the one from Walt Disney World Half Marathon. Oh and it was humid too.

So pretty! Can you see how foggy it was that morning?

photo-9

This race went so much better for me. Maybe because I knew it my last race that weekend and was not worried about another race the next day like I did in January? It could have been that I knew what to expect and that the killer overpass would not bother me as much.

There were quite a few characters along the way but I did not stop for anyone except Sofia the First.

This flag too.

Finish time is 2:32:13. I did it! I completed the Glass Slipper Challenge and got 3 medals. And because I also completed the Coast to Coast Challenge, I got an additional pink medal.

I had a great time in Florida but was looking forward to coming sweet home Chicago.

26
Feb
2014

Walt Disney World Enchanted 10K

categories: Race Recap, RunDisney, Running

This past weekend I escaped the cold weather in Chicago for a warm weekend in FL. I went back to Walt Disney World for the Glass Slipper Challenge–10K on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday. After completing the Goofy Challenge last month, I was convinced that I could accomplish anything. Well, I already knew I could but the challenge “sealed the deal” for me.

Travel plans began on Friday morning. After last month’s travel fiasco to CA for Tinker Bell Half Marathon, I told myself that for future trips I would get on the first available flight. My flight was supposed to leave at 6am but due to weather conditions and other technical difficulties, it left 2 hours later.

AR and I arrived in Orlando about 11:30 or so, picked up her luggage, and then headed to Terminal B for the Disney’s Magical Express Bus. Our wait time was about 15 minutes and then we were on our way to the hotel. The bus ride was about 45 minutes but it sure went by fast.

Check-in at the hotel was fast and easy! We each got a personalized MagicBand to unlock our hotel room, enter the parks, and buy food and merchandise.

photo-1

We stayed at the All-Star Movies Resort and this was on the way to our room.

We had a quick lunch and then off to the expo. It was pretty much the same as the WDW Weekend last month. This time I bought two tops from Running Skirts. I was tempted to buy a long sleeve shirt too but realize that I have too many of them.

After walking around for a couple of hours, it was time for a drink. Check out the cool bib!

The next morning I was up at 3:10am for the 10K. I got ready and then headed to the lobby to get on the bus. I did not wait long and was at Epcot about 4:15. Then it was just to wait for the 5:30 start time. I didn’t want to put together another costume so I wore the same one from the WDW Half Marathon.

It was a humid morning. Finally it was time to run. The first 3 miles were B-O-R-I-N-G. Oh dear! It was dark and we were running on roads so pretty much there was nothing to see. The next half was the best part. The best part was running along the Boardwalk. Oh, and I ran again with Jeff Galloway. He is such a cool guy!

I only took one picture along the course. Love it! I think this was about mile 5 or so.

Finish time is 1:10:38. Definitely not my best time but I was not expecting to PR or anything like that.

I felt OK throughout the race. The humidity did not help at all. I was disappointed with the course. This was the first year of the 10K so hopefully they’ll change it for next year.

I liked the convenience of staying at a Disney property. There was an airport pick up, transportation to/from the expo, and transportation to/from Epcot for the race. Oh, and I loved the MagicBand. My only complaint is that there was no coffee maker in the room. In every hotel I’ve stayed in, there’s always been a coffee maker. The cafeteria was not open on race morning nor was there any coffee in the lobby. I am a big fan of coffee and MUST have it every single morning.