A few weeks ago someone reached out to me about getting a DEXAScan.   I’ve been intrigued since I read Marcia’s post but never got around to making an appointment.  Now that my schedule is a bit “flexible”, I made an appointment.  

What is a DEXA Scan?  It stands for dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and is a body composition test.  This test measures fat, weight, muscle, and bone density.

I went to the Naperville location after work.  I arrived a few minutes early and checked out the place.  The office is shared with another office which I thought was weird.  You have to go through one office to get to the other one.

After filling out some paperwork, I was taken to another room for the test.  There was a table with a scanner attached to it.  The machine can be intimidating but don’t let it scare you.  The receptionist asked me to remove all metal jewelry and when I was ready, to lie still on the table.  Then an x-ray wand passed over me several times and then I was done.  The whole process took about 5 minutes.

Then I waited for my results.  This is what I found out:
• My bone density is good.  I have to thank all of my years of running for this.

• My BMI puts me in the overweight category.

• Overall body fat is high.  It is 10% higher than what it should be based on my height and weight.

• Most of the fat is in the stomach.  I knew that already.  I can see it.  Hahaha.

I am glad I took this opportunity to get this scan.  I have a good idea of where I am at bodywise.  I would like to go back in a few months to see if there is a difference, especially the body fat.  I definitely have lots of work to do.  🙂

There are several locations you can go for a DEXA Scan.  Check here to find one near you.

This week’s Tuesday Topic:  What are your tips for a strong training cycle?  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!

How is it that it is almost the end of June?  And then it will be halfway through the year.  The past few months have been interesting and challenging.  As I mentioned in this post, my mother had a stroke at the end of March, and our lives completely changed.  Luckily she is doing better and we are taking it day by day.  

I am on summer break but also working summer school.  That sounds weird.  Or should it be that my summer break will start when I am done with summer school?  By the way my last day is July 3rd.

I did a Day in the Life of a Teacher post in 2016.  I decided to do another one now that I am done with the regular school year.  I hope it isn’t too boring.  🙂

Here is a typical day for me (I chose Tuesday):

4:30-5:00 AM
I haven’t been sleeping well so I wake up at this time.  I remember when I needed an alarm to wake me up.  I make coffee and get ready for my run.  Sometimes I do an easy run (4-5 miles) or a speed workout. 

Since it is Tuesday I double check my Tuesday Topics post and publish it.  

6:00-6:30 AM
Depending on my run I get home around this time.  I shower and get ready.  I also make more coffee and my breakfast (usually overnight oats with fruit or greek yogurt with fruit).  I get to school by 7.  There is NO reason why I should get to school at 7.  I guess it is just a habit. 

7:00-8:15 AM
I check email, Facebook, and Instagram.  I also chat with some coworkers.  Sometimes I put my head down for a little bit to rest.

8:15-9:00 AM
I go downstairs to wait for my students.  I started with 14.  Then I had 12.  Then 13 and now I have 12 again.  🙂  We then go inside to get breakfast and take it upstairs to the classroom.  The students eat breakfast while watching “The Magic School Bus”.  They love it.  I take attendance and get my copies ready for the day.  

9:00-10:00 AM
We have reading and small group instruction.  Six of my students cannot read and I sit with them to help out as much as I can.  I think reading in Spanish is “easy” because it is phonetic, but I guess it is difficult for some of them.

10:00-10:10 AM
Break time!  We either do a GoNoodle, go outside to the courtyard, or down to the STEAM Room.

10:10-11:00 AM
I do a math mini lesson and also have small group instruction. 

11:00-11:50 AM
The students work on an art project.  They use tempera paint, watercolors, markers, crayons, felt, and tissue paper for their project.  They are very creative and I love seeing their work.

I want to make colored pasta for my students.  I think they will love it.

11:50 AM-12:00 PM
The students get ready to go home.  We then head downstairs.  Half of my students get on a bus to go home and the other half have parents waiting for them outside.

12:00-12:15 PM
I go back inside to use the restroom and sign out.  Then I head over to my mom’s.  

1:00-8/8:30 PM
I am usually there by 1pm and that is when the caregiver goes home.  My mom is eating lunch so I join her.  When she is done I make sure she takes her medicine and then we take a nap.  🙂  My mother takes medicine 3x a day.

After our nap we watch TV,  go to the store, or do errands.  We take advantage whenever we have nice weather to be outside.  Last week we went to Lake Katherine because it was finally nice enough to go there.  We were there for about 2 hours.  Sometimes she isn’t in the mood to go anywhere so we stay home.

At about 6 or so we have dinner.  I wash the dishes while my mother watches TV.  Sometimes she likes to sit in the balcony and listens to music.  If there is time I’ll check the post for comments and respond back. 

At 8 she takes her bedtime medicine.  I also give her an insulin injection and check her glucose level.  We check her glucose level 3x a day and write it down in a sheet of paper.  We started doing this because her doctor asked as to.  She also wanted us to inject her with 5 units of Novolog (a rapid-acting insulin) before every meal.  We no longer give her Novolog but still keep a record of her glucose level.  We’re hoping that based on the daily numbers we won’t have to check her glucose level 3x a day. 

I hate having to prick her fingers to check her glucose level.  Currently she has the FreeStyle Libre which is a “small, water-proof, fully disposable sensor worn on the arm. When scanned over the sensor, the reader shows a real-time glucose reading.”  It is easy to use and we don’t have to prick her fingers.  However, it is expensive.  I paid about $150 for the reader and the sensor.  The sensor is only good for 14 days and then it needs to be replaced.  Since we already have the reader, for the next time we only need to buy the sensor.

Between 8-8:30 pm I pack up my things and go home.  I get there around 9.  I wash my breakfast container and coffee mug and go to sleep.  It’s been a very long day.

During the school year I would leave school at 3 and get to my mom’s at 4.  I blame it on traffic.  🙂  I do this on Tuesdays and Thursday.  I also go on Saturday morning after my long run and spend the night there.  Then I go home on Sunday evening.

This routine leaves me exhausted.  I am not complaining but simply stating why I am constantly tired.  It definitely does not help that I have not been sleeping well.  I know how important sleep is and how much better I feel and function when I get enough sleep.

My runs help me focus and think.  My runs are my ME time.  I look forward to them.  Sometimes I think about everything going on in my life and sometimes I just focus on the music.  I have a running playlist on Amazon Prime but recently started listening to Pandora.  I have a station (is that what it is called?) that I like but I hate the ads/commercials.  It is tempting to upgrade it to skip the ads.

Thanks again to everyone for your support and encouragement.

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!

Disclaimer:  I received a free entry to the Missoula Half Marathon, the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago, and the Detroit Free Press/TCF Bank Half Marathon 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! 

Maybe summer will be here soon or maybe it won’t.  In one day we can have 3 different seasons which is absolutely crazy.  Regardless of whether it is cold, rainy, or hot, I have a couple of races planned for this year.

• Missoula Half Marathon, June 30 – I signed up for this race on December 16.  That same day I also made my hotel reservation.  I’ve been training for this race since then.  At the end of May I realized that I didn’t have a flight reservation.  I looked and it was too expensive.  The cheapest from Midway was $619 (and it would take me 8 hours to get there) while the most expensive one was $1,060.  I almost decided not to run the race because I didn’t want to pay that much money.  Finally one day I found the shortest and cheapest flight.  I paid $557 for the flight to Missoula. <<<  In my opinion it is still too expensive.  Holy frijoles!  I am excited about it since many people have said it is a GREAT race.  It will also be state #41 for me.

• Elmhurst 4 on the 4th, July 4 – This is a race I’ve been doing since 2013.  I love the distance and the location.  I would really, really like to get a PR.  I am done and in my house with plenty of time to participate in the holiday festivities.  

• Human Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago, July 21 – I’ve run the half marathon before but every year the weather is iffy.  Last year it rained throughout the entire race (I was spectating) and it was scorching HOT in 2013.  Thanks to BibRave I have the chance to run either the 5k, 10k, or half marathon.  I asked my coach for her 2 cents.  She told me that if I don’t run 13 miles that day, I would still need to do a long run.  I guess the half marathon it is.  Isn’t the medal pretty cool?

• Center of the Nation|Mainly Marathons, August 21-August 23 – I have not signed up but I will as soon as I can.  The registration fee is $115 per race till August 1.  I just realized that $115 is a lot of money for a half marathon.  I don’t want to wait too long either because of the flight reservation.  My first race is in Wyoming and Southwest doesn’t fly there so I would need to fly to Salt Lake City, Denver, or Boise and then take another flight or rent a car to Sundance, WY.  The next races are in South Dakota and then North Dakota.  I hope I can find someone to travel with me.  I don’t mind traveling alone for one race but this is 3 races.  I could use the company.  Want to join me?

• Detroit Free Press, TCF Bank Half Marathon, October 20 – I am registered for the race, have airline and hotel reservation.  Whew!  If I end up doing the 3 races in August, this race will be state #45 for me.  I’ve never been to Detroit but am more excited to travel to both downtown Detroit and Windsor, Ontario and crossing the border at both the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

I might add to my schedule the Santa Fe Thunder in New Mexico on September 15.  Not sure how I would feel running another half marathon after running 3 of them 3 weeks before.  Someone did warn me about the elevation but she also told me that it is a fun and well organized race.  The race is point-to-point but with a 1,000 foot net downhill.  This race will be #46 and then a race in South Carolina in December (#47) will leave me with 4 half marathons in 2020.  Yes or no to the race in New Mexico?

This week’s Tuesday Topic:  What are your Summer running plans and/or race schedule?  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!

Well, Mother Nature hasn’t made up her mind because the weather has been crazy these past couple of weeks.  Or has it been months?  It was a long and cold winter.  Then Spring came along and it was still cold.  Then it rained almost every single day in May.  Now we occasionally have a warm/hot day but then sometimes it rains the next day.  Will Summer be here soon?

You know I enjoy running in the morning.  It is tough waking up early but I like to have my run done and then have the rest of the day to do other things that I need to do.  Now I am loving that it isn’t as dark at 5 am.  I don’t have to wear my reflective vest (which I still love) nor my headlamp.

Maybe Summer will be here soon or maybe it won’t.  Who knows?  However, here are some Summer running tips that work for me. 

• Run when it isn’t hot.  I know, pretty obvious whether it is running early in the morning or in the evening once it has cooled down.  I used to run in the evening and loved feeling the cooler weather and seeing the sunset.  I remember during marathon training in the summer our runs would start at 6:30 am in order to be done before it got too hot.  If you cannot make it in the morning or in the evening, then run on the treadmill.  I’ve done numerous runs on the treadmill because I would wake up “late” and by then it would be too hot to run outside. 

• Hydrate.   Normally I don’t carry water with me on a run less than 5-6 miles unless it is very hot or I am thirsty.  Two weeks ago I did a 6 mile run and took a water bottle with me because it was warm and I drank the whole thing!  I have a Nathan Hydration Pack and for my runs at The Arboretum, I fill half the hydration bladder with water and leave it overnight in the freezer.  The next morning I add more water to it.  Throughout my run the ice melts and I always have cold water to drink.  

• Listen to your body.  Running in the heat will make you run slower.  Nothing wrong with that.  If you start to feel awful and need to stop then do so.  If you need to walk then walk.  I remember one run in which I was shivering (despite the heat) and was feeling a bit delusional.  I took a long break and drank water with Nuun.  Eventually I felt better and ended up walking back to my car (about 2 miles away).  

• Wear a visor or hat.  I have a couple from Headsweats and love them.  They block the sun from your eyes while at the same time allow the heat to rise from your head (visors).

• The less you wear the better.  I love running in shorts and always look forward to when it is warm enough (after winter) to wear them.  I also wear a tank or short sleeve top.  My favorites are the Oiselle flyout tops.  They’re light, comfortable and sweat wicking – perfect for the hot summer days!  The best part is that they don’t stink with all of the sweat.

This week’s Tuesday Topic:  What are your Summer running tips?  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!