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!

These past few weeks went by too fast.  It was busy with work and family activities.  My oldest sister was in town for my mother’s birthday and she stayed with me so that was fun.  No, I am not being sarcastic.  I hadn’t see her in about a year and it is always nice to see her.  I know my mom was happy too.

Let me update you a bit with some life updates.

🔷 I have not been running.  My last run was on Sunday morning.  Prior to that my last run was on 9/18.  Getting up to run doesn’t sound too exciting right now.  I know I need to snap out of this funk and get moving.  I also know a race goal will get me excited.  However, Winter will be here soon and, well, you know how I feel about Winter running.

🔷 Last week was very hectic.  I had a meeting on Monday, Open House on Tuesday, and half day on Wednesday (but with meetings until 4pm).  For Open House only 3 parents showed up for my sessions and then 3 more at 7:30.  I was done with my sessions but was there to talk and answer questions.  Was I disappointed with the numbers?  Yep.  The meeting on Wednesday put me in a bad mood.  As a dual language teacher I feel like we are always doing more work than GE teachers.  I am already overwhelmed with the new things that are being implemented for Reading (one would be teaching foundational skills in English and in Spanish) but now I need to do bridging in Math.  What exactly is it?  “The Bridge is the instructional moment in teaching dual language when teachers bring the two languages together, guiding students to engage in contrastive analysis of the two languages and transfer the academic content they have learned in one language to the other language.”  

🔷 These hot flashes are a pain in the you know what.  It is weird how I can go months without them and then boom they show up.  This year I’ve experienced them within the last 2 months.  

🔷 My doctor prescribed a sleeping pill.  She thought the reason I was tired was because I wasn’t sleeping enough.  I go to bed between 9-930pm.  Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.  Most nights I’ve been able to go back to sleep but sometimes I stay away for about an hour before sleeping again.

🔷 I reactivated my Fitbit account.  The main reason is to track my sleep.  I don’t care too much about the number of steps I take during the day.  Well, I am curious.  Yesterday I walked over 8,000 steps, but I don’t think I will wear my watch everyday.  

🔷 My classroom is almost done.  I just need to finish my English classroom library (Spanish is done but it took me about 5 months to finish it) and organize my supply closet.  I am getting evaluated/observed this year and the main things are done.  No one will see the closet and the bins already have books in them. 😀

🔷 I haven’t been reading like I would like to.  Right now I am reading “Landslide”.  However, my favorite Chicago and NY shows are back on TV.  Thanks to a great offer from Peacock I can watch the shows after they’re shown on TV.  I am a T-Mobile customer and got a free 1-year subscription to Paramount+ Premium and can watch many CBS shows there.  Anyone remember “Bull”?  My sister and I were fans but then I stopped watching it.  I also like “NCIS” and stopped watching it about 2 years ago.  

Any recommendations to track sleep?  Honestly, I really do not want to wear the Fitbit watch.

Topic for next week – Today is World Animal Day.  What animals have you seen out on your 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:  Today is Positive Thinking Day. What quotes of affirmations do you use to get through a hard run?  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!

We all love positive affirmations.  There are so many out there but there are a few that I love and use at work, home, on a run, etc.

This one always makes me laugh!

Topic for next week – Share your Fall Race Schedule.  Feel free to write about this or any running related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

This week’s Tuesday Topic:  What’s on your Fall bucket list?  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!

Fall.  My favorite season.  I love the color of the leaves.  And I love the cooler weather.  I can be in shorts, jeans, etc., and a jacket and be comfortable.  However, Fall means Winter is around the corner and that I do dislike.  Oh well.  I will enjoy it as long as I can.

I was looking at my Spring bucket list and realized that I will include some of those items on this list.  Nothing wrong with it, right?

🍁 Leave work stuff at work and leave at 3pm.  Back to school is a lot of work and exhausting.  I need to find a balance between work and my personal life.  I start work at 8:30am but usually get there between 7-7:30am so there is really no need for me to stay late.  Many times I do too much – more than I should and then I resent it.

🍁 Continue to use the Peloton bike.  I am not training for a race but running here and there so I might as well use the bike.  Still working on taking all of Camila’s classes.  She has 206 classes and I’ve taken 91 leaving me with 115 more to go.  I am leaving the 45 minute classes till the end.  Those intimidate me.

🍁 Read more books.  With the extra time that I will have from not staying late at work nor working at home, I can do this.  I’ve been going through Wendy’s books from her reviews and am almost finished with the books she reviewed last August.  I am really amazed at the amount of books she reads on a monthly basis.  As much as I love reading, unfortunately I haven’t made time for it.  Pleased to say that I’ve read 7 books this year.  Currently I am reading “Landslide” and have already put on hold 3 more books.

🍁 Have fun! I plan to do more things with family and friends.  Yes, that involves food and laughing!  

🍁 Of course a .  And that is all I will say about it.  😀

Topic for next week – Today is Positive Thinking Day. What quotes of affirmations do you use to get through a hard 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:  Where I’ve been, A-Z: Letters S-Z.  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!

Thanks for joining me again this week again.  Click here to read Part 1 for letters A-I.  Click here to read Part 2 for letters J-R.  

Thanks to my Race in the 50 States +1 running goal, I’ve run in 43 states.  I need 8 more to complete it.  Before I was a teacher, I worked at the American Bar Association.  Through this job I also traveled to various states for our Spring and Annual Meetings.  The traveling aspect was fun but the work itself was not.  I was ready for something different and more challenging and so I went back to school to become a teacher.  My job now is different and definitely challenging.

So, let me tell you where I’ve been.  Ready?

S is for San Antonio
I’ve been there a few times because my sister lives there.  Once I went there during the Summer and OMG it was awful.  Never again.  Also, during one of my trips my sisters and I were on a mission to find Sandra Cisneros’ house.  We found it!  I’ve also been to St. Petersburg (Rock ‘n’ Roll St. Petersburg Half Marathon), San Diego (Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon), St. Louis (Rock ‘n’ Roll St. Louis Half Marathon), and Seattle (Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half Marathon).

T is for Tulsa
I went there to run the Route 66 Half Marathon.  It was a beautiful but hilly course.

U is for Urbana
I thought it would be a tough one but it wasn’t.  It seems that I ran there while running the relay portion of the Illinois Marathon and when I ran the half marathon.  At least I think I did.  Originally I had trained for the marathon but things didn’t go as planned and I ended up running the half.  Reading again the race recap brought back memories of training during the Winter since the race was at the end of April.  Almost all of my runs were done outside.  I was unstoppable.  I ran in the snow and in freezing weather.

V is for Virginia Beach
I went there for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon.  It was a flat course but that day was very humid.  Check out my Nike watch, armband for my iPod, and earphones with cords.  Very different with how I run now.

W is for Washington, DC
It is one of my favorite cities.  I’ve been there plenty of times and love it there.  A few years ago I ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Nation’s Capital Half Marathon.  I remember we had good weather but will never forget that monstrous hill around mile 6.

X is for Xcaret
This was a tough one.  But it still counts, right?  I’ve also been to Xochimilco (Floating Gardens) in Mexico.  No pictures but I swear I was there in 1988.  I remember because it was after my nephew was born.

Y is for Yauco
Puerto Rico!  Don’t ask me what year it was because I honestly do not remember.  But I remember it was before 2009 because I was still working at the ABA.  

Z is for ?
Another tough one.  I know there is Zion, Illinois but don’t think I’ve been there.

These posts were so much fun to write!  It was great to look at pictures and read posts that I wrote years ago.  I may not have traveled much these past 2 years but overall have I done quite a bit of traveling.

Topic for next week – Share your favorite running item(s) you’ve tried this year.  Feel free to write about this or any running related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!