Zenaida Arroyo

06
Aug
2024

Tuesday Topics: My focus this month

Happy Tuesday! Thank you for joining me and Jenn for another edition of Tuesday Topics. Remember to link up with us! Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier! Don’t forget to come back for later linkers!

It is August! To me that means the end of Summer Break and back to work. I know it will be busy the first couple of weeks. This will be my 16th year working as a teacher and it doesn’t get easier.

Here are a few things I plan to focus on this month:

• Self care. I come first. I have to take care of myself. I am making sure to run and/or walk in the morning, get plenty of sleep, read, drink water, eat “healthy”, etc.

• Settle into work. This week I am planning to go to school to set up for a few days. I start on Monday and the students start on Wednesday. I am not planning to stay late this week. Once school starts I will do what I can during the day and work a few hours at home. In addition, I plan to leave at 3:30 pm unless I have a meeting after school. Work will always be there. I will never catch up so why stress about it.

• Marathon training. My long runs have sucked big time. I need to figure out why. I’ve done these runs before so I know I can do them again. Sometimes I wonder if it is because I am older. It could also be because of the weather. I ran my last marathon in 2016 using the Hansons Marathon Method. I cannot believe I was running 6 days a week!!!!

• Patience. I know this is throughout the year, but I need to continue to have patience. One reason is for work. It will be easier for me and for my students. Second is at home. I’ve mentioned it before that I help take care of my mom. I also live with my sister that has a mental illness. Those two sometimes take a toll on me. There are times in which I just want to be alone.

• To listen. I listen but do I really listen? Sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes I find myself listening to the other person talk but in my head I am already thinking of a response. I want to stop doing that. I want to hear what the person has to say. I owe it to that person.

The topic for next week – Share your race fueling plan. Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!

New Tuesday Topics

04
Aug
2024

2024 Chicago Marathon Training Week #6

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

Chicago Marathon Weekly Recap-1 Happy Sunday everyone! I am on Team TCS Teachers and training to run the Chicago Marathon on October 13. This will be my 9th marathon and my 6th Chicago Marathon.

Here is how my week went:

Week #6, July 29-August 4

Monday: Walked 2.35 miles and 25 minutes on the Peloton.

Tuesday: Ran 3.52 and walked 1.53 miles. Today’s run was an easy run with some hill strides. This is one of my favorite workouts!

Wednesday: Walked 1.12 miles. I didn’t run in the morning because I took my mom the hospital for a carpal tunnel release surgery. We woke up at 4:30 am and were at the hospital by 5:30 am. The surgery went well and we left the hospital around 11:30 am. It was a busy morning. In keeping up with my run/walk daily activity, I went walking close to 8pm. It felt good to walk but it was very warm.

Thursday: Ran 6.35 and walked .78 miles. Today was a 1.50 mile warmup, 3 miles @12:03 pace with a 3 minute recovery after each mile, and then a 1.50 mile cool down. I almost skipped this workout because it was very humid. I didn’t hit the 12:03 pace but managed to get negative splits (12:35, 12:13, 12:09). I am pleased with how I did and am glad I didn’t skip this workout.

Friday: Walked 2.50 miles. This was the perfect way to recover from Thursday’s run.

Saturday: Ran 2.65 and walked 1.14 miles. It was an 35 minute easy run but there was nothing easy about it.

Sunday: Ran 3.30 and walked 3.18 miles. I really, really wanted to run 13 miles. I woke up early, ate some pop tarts with my coffee, and went to the lakefront. I was doing 15 minutes running and 1 minute walking. I did OK for 3 miles and then stopped. I was not having a good run. I was doubting myself and wondering how the heck I was going to run 26.2 miles. Thinking this way is dangerous. Soon you start to believe it. I gave in too soon. I stopped my watch, turned around, and walked back to my car.

Do I still want to continue training for the marathon? I am not sure.

TOTAL:
Running: 15.82
Walking: 12.61
Cycling: 5.43

Here’s how training has gone so far:

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5

02
Aug
2024

Fit Five Friday and August 2024 Ultimate Coffee Date

categories: Fit Five Friday, Ultimate Coffee Date

Welcome to the August edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah. It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by My First 5K and More, Running with Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and me!

Now, grab a mug of your favorite beverage, and let’s chat briefly!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I am looking forward to the new school year. I know, I know. Soon I will be complaining about the school year. This year there are three 2nd grade teachers (last year there were 5) and I will be the only dual language teacher for my grade. It sucks because I will be “alone” but I can use it as an excuse when extra work needs to be done and I have no one else to work with.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you I am getting nervous and anxious about the Chicago Marathon. I am OK with the runs doing the week. The long runs are what scare me. They’re long and exhausting. I am doing 13 this weekend. The last time I ran this long was in March 2023. I know I can do it, I’ve run marathons before, but still they make me nervous.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I got the test results from my blood work. My A1C is fine but my proteins levels are low. Interesting that this has never been an issue. I knew I wasn’t getting enough protein but I didn’t realize that my levels were that low. More protein for me!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I had no one to take care of my cats during my trip to Minnesota. The few times I’ve been out of town, my sister has taken care of them. This time she went with us. I left my cats at the PetsHotel at Petsmart. It was one of the most difficult things to do but I had no choice. My cats weren’t eating for the first few days and were not adjusting well. I went straight to pick them up on the way home from Minnesota. I’m not sure who was more happy – me or them.

If we were having coffee…
I’d ask you if you shop at Marshalls and/or Ross. I’ve bought a few kitchen items but that’s it. A few weeks ago I went to Ross but cannot remember why I looked in the shoe department. Imagine my surprise when I found a pair of the Brooks Launch in my size for $50. I then looked in several other stores and have purchased 2 more pairs of the Launch and one pair of the Ghost. I’ve gone back and have bought a few tops for work and 3 pairs of work shoes. I am a fan of those stores!

The topic for next week’s Fit Fit Friday – 5 training tips for running or fitness. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!

30
Jul
2024

Tuesday Topics: July 2024 Review

categories: Monthly Review, Tuesday Topics

Monthly Review-July 2024 This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic. Feel free to post any running-related blog post. Remember to link up with Jenn and Zenaida! Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier! Remember to come back for later linkers!

Let me tell you about how July is going for me:

Mileage: To date I’ve run 61.62 and walked 36.36 miles.

Run the Year 2024: I signed up to run and walk 2,024 miles this year. So far I have completed 291.61 miles (per the RTE Tracker). I am training for the Chicago Marathon and I am excited to see how it will go and to see how many miles it will add to this goal.

Current Book: I read “Bright Burning Things”, “Leaving”, “The Taste of Ginger”, and “Lucky”. Currently, I am reading “The Bright Side Running Club”.

Injuries: I’m still dealing with plantar fasciitis. I purchased a pair of orthotics for running. I like them but the size I bought doesn’t fit correctly in my shoes. They were bothering me during my long run on Sunday. I bought a bigger size and those fit better. Today I will see how they feel.

Races: None.

Health: I am doing OK. I am still dealing struggling with hot flashes and the weight gain. I went to the doctor because of the weight gain. She ordered a blood test to check the thyroid, A1C, etc. Crossing my fingers that my A1C level went down. The last time I had a blood test, I was pre-diabetic.

School: Still on Summer Break and will return to work on August 12th. I am a little excited about it. Currently, I have 23 students in my classroom. I’ve sent them all a welcome letter and they should receive it this week.

What I am looking forward to next month: A new school year with new students!

The topic for next week: What are you focusing on this month? Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!

28
Jul
2024

2024 Chicago Marathon Training Week #5

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

Chicago Marathon Weekly Recap-1 Happy Sunday everyone! I am on Team TCS Teachers and training to run the Chicago Marathon on October 13. This will be my 9th marathon and my 6th Chicago Marathon.

Here is how my week went:

Week #5, July 22-28

Monday: Walked 1.17 miles.It was a “quick” walk before finishing packing up and leaving Minnesota. We were out the door by 8:30am.

Tuesday: Walked 1.72 miles. Today’s run was an easy run with some hill strides. However, I didn’t run because I was tired from the day before (I drove the whole way from Minnesota)

Wednesday: Ran 4.69 and walked 1 miles. Today was a 20 minute warmup, 3 sets of 1 x 1km, 2 minutes rest, 1 x 300m, 2 minutes rest and then a 20 minute cool down. I love that I can program these workouts into my watch. Total 4.69 miles @12:46 pace. I did good but my coach told me that since I hadn’t run in 6 days, it would have been beneficial to do an easy run before jumping into a workout. That makes sense.

Thursday: Walked 2.31 miles. 45 minutes of walking while listening to Matty.

Friday: Ran 2.53 and walked .75 miles. The plan was to do my long run of 11 miles. I knew I would be up late today and wouldn’t want to get up early the next day. I woke up tired and no desire to run 11 miles.

Saturday: Walked .70 miles. I decided to rest up and walked instead of running. I walked to T-Mobile to get a new phone. I got the iPhone 15 Pro Max and I love it.

Sunday: Ran 8.77 and walked 1.27 miles. Today was the day to do my long run. I was doing good but stopped close to 9 miles. I felt tired, my legs were sore, and my right foot began to hurt.

TOTAL:
Running: 15.99
Walking: 8.91
Cycling: 0.00

Here’s how training has gone so far:

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4