Zenaida Arroyo

22
Oct
2019

Tuesday Topics: My favorite running movies

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

This week’s Tuesday Topic: What are your favorite running movies? 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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In no specific order, here are mine:

• Spirit of the Marathon – I love this movie! OK, so this one of my favorites. 🙂 This movie follows the journey of 6 runners (with two of them being elite runners) that are training for the 2005 Chicago Marathon.

• Chariots of Fire – I remember hearing about this movie when I was a kid but I didn’t watch it till about 3 years ago. I got chills watching it.

• The Barkley Marathon – It is an ultramarathon that takes place in Tennessee. The course is 100 miles and only 40 runners are accepted each year to run the race. The time limit is 60 hours and to date 15 people have completed it in that time frame (one runner has finished it twice and another runner has finished it 3 times).

• McFarland, USA – It is based on a true story of a cross country team from a Latino high school in California. With the coach’s help, the team wins the state championship.

20
Oct
2019

Weekly Run Down: Race week and almost 400 miles

categories: BibRave Pro, Brooks Running, Race all 50 states, Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

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Brooks Shoes-17 Did you see these new shoes? They’re a beauty! I definitely do not need them. 🙂 Right? I have a similar pair, Ghost 11, that I bought last year. I love those! I use Garmin Connect to track the mileage on my shoes. Right now I have 5 shoes that I am tracking. A few weeks ago I decided to just run in the Ghost 11 till I get to 400 miles. Then the next shoes I will run in are the Launch 5 and the Levitate 1. I know it is a crazy system. I also have 3 new pairs in boxes. Yikes! Update: My Ghost 11 now have 289.40 miles after today’s race. 🙂

I am so excited to run the Detroit Free Press/TCF Bank Half Marathon. But I will say that I am not ready for it. I think this is the first time I haven’t felt ready for a race. Well, I think many of us have those feelings, but in my case I really am not ready. If you’ve been reading my blog, the training hasn’t been there. I had (have) plantar fasciitis and at one point took 3 weeks off to recover. But my goal is to have fun and finish it! Oh and maybe finish in less than 3:18:01 which is my worst finish time from when I ran the Walt Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon.

I ran only 2 days (one was race day). The rest of the days I slept in. I don’t know what is going on but I have been feeling very tired. I wake up just in time to get ready and leave for work.

The photo below is from Monday, the day after the Chicago Marathon. It was cold and windy the day of the marathon. On Monday I ran 4 miles and enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful fall colors.

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I received my two Koala Clips on Thursday. Love using these on my runs!

Saturday morning I finished getting my stuff ready. Then I had breakfast and left for the airport. My flight left at 11:15 and I arrived in Detroit at 1:00. Once there I took an Uber to the hotel to check in and left for the expo. The expo was fun! There were so many vendors and I was actually impressed with it. Normally I don’t buy anything anymore but this time I bought 3 pairs of Balega socks (it was buy 3 pairs and get one free) and an R3 foot roller.

In the evening I had dinner and watched TV. One of the workers from the hotel offered to take me downtown so I could see the start line. It turns out it it close to TCF Center where the expo was held.

When I got back I got my stuff ready for the race and went to sleep.

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The race was fun! But my foot did bother me and I ended up walking a lot. I enjoyed this race and would definitely do it again. Oh, and I finished in 2:45:41.

Have you run a race where you did not train well for it or were not prepared? How did it go?

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

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17
Oct
2019

Random Thoughts Thursday 94

categories: Random Thoughts Thursday

Random Thoughts Thursday

• I have a half marathon on Sunday and I am definitely not ready for it. My training hasn’t been great due to plantar fasciitis. My foot does feel better but I am wondering if I should even attempt to run 13.1 miles. My longest run was 6 miles in September.

• On Sunday I met a few friends to spectate the Chicago Marathon. This was my favorite sign. 🙂

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• Chicago public school teachers are on strike! I don’t work in Chicago but I definitely understand and support the teachers. Today was day 1 of picketing so who knows how long the strike will last. Our school contract is up next year in June so we’ll also be negotiating for a new contract.

2019 Chicago Strike-1.jpg • Can you believe someone ran a 1:59:40 marathon? It is truly AMAZING! I can’t even run a half marathon in that time and to know that someone ran double the distance is unbelievable.

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Source: Runner’s World

• Love the new Brooks Running Ghost 12 shoes. I have the 11s and they’re so comfortable! But mine are nicer, right?

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15
Oct
2019

Tuesday Topics: My favorite running books

categories: Boston Marathon, Half Marathon Training, Hansons Training, Marathon Training, Tuesday Topics

I love to read! It makes me sad to see my students struggle with reading. Many read very slow and then many times have no idea what they just read. We have independent reading time every single day and I hope this does not make them dislike reading.

This week’s Tuesday Topic: What are your favorite running books? 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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Here are a few great books I’ve read:

Born to Run: I loved reading about the Tarahumara Indians and their barefoot running. They’re amazing natural ultramarathoners! I remember learning about chia seeds. 🙂

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Run Less, Run Faster: If you “only” have time to run 3 days a week, then this book/plan is for you. I am pretty positive I used their plan for one of my races. There is also an app where you add the race distance, date, and calculated 5k and you will get your 3 runs and paces for each week leading up to the race.

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Hansons Marathon Method: I have the books for the marathon and half marathon. The plans are intense but doable. For the 2016 Chicago Marathon I trained using this method. I was aiming to finish under 5 hours, but I didn’t. I did get a PR so that counts, right? You can read what I wrote about it HERE.

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Boston Bound: It is an easy to read book that details Elizabeth Clor’s struggles as she attempts to get a BQ. She tried for 7 years and finally qualified in October of 2014. She ran the Boston Marathon on April 18, 2016.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul – Running for Good: I read about this book in Wendy’s blog. Immediately I ordered it from Amazon. I could not put it down. The book is full of wonderful stories of runners talking about their struggles, goals, and accomplishments. I loved that each story began with a motivational quote.

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Living with a Seal: Another book from Wendy’s blog. This book is HILARIOUS! Jesse invites a Navy Seal to come live with him and to train him to get in shape. His only condition is that Jessie does everything he tells him to do. I don’t think I would last a day with him.

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I am currently reading “Meb for Mortals. I bought this book last year before the Chicago Marathon. I know, I know, that was a year ago. I should have finished it by now.

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Any other good running books I should read?

13
Oct
2019

Weekly Run Down: Chicago Marathon weekend and a Model PLC School

categories: Chicago Marathon, Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

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No, I did not run the Chicago Marathon and definitely did not feel like I was missing out. The last time I ran this race was 3 years ago. It was in the mid 50s. I ran the first half faster than the second half. However, I did manage to get a PR and bettered my time by 40 minutes from 10 years ago (my first marathon).

I did however felt left out when I saw everyone’s post from the expo. I usually go every year and love it. From the pictures I saw that Joan Samuelson, Paula Radcliffe, and Deena Kastor were there. I’ve only met Deena and have seen Joan on the running path.

I ran 3 days this week for a total of 11.65 miles. I missed my run on Wednesday and Saturday. I was out late at a concert on Friday and slept in. The rest of the day was just busy and then we went to a family dinner. No time to run.

Wednesday evening I went to a Board Meeting because my school was recognized as a Model PLC School. Earlier in the day during our after school meeting, the Superintendent and various Directors showed up to congratulate us. Everything we do we do it for the kids. It feels great to be recognized and I know we will continue to do great things.

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Early this morning I went to spectate the Chicago Marathon. It is so much fun to spectate! One of my best friends was running her first marathon. The tracking app was acting funky and I missed her a few times. In the end I did see her and ran with her for about 5 miles.

It was cold Sunday morning. The sun came out a few times and it did warm up but then it got cold again. I wore shorts with a singlet, a long sleeve underneath, and a light jacket on top. I also wore pants and took them off a bit before I started to run.

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Another busy and hectic week. Next week is my half marathon. Am I ready? No. My goal is to have fun and enjoy it.

Have you spectated a marathon before? Have you run the Chicago Marathon?

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

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