Zenaida Arroyo

23
Jun
2019

Weekly Run Down: A fall and some bruises

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I had a great week and, yes, I fell again on one of my runs. Monday was again 3 miles. I like the short run to start off the week. Saw some pretty colors which is not unusual considering all of the rain we’ve been having here.

Flowers-1

I took Tuesday off from work to take my sister to the airport. First a run, of course. I had to run 5 miles and it was right before the turnaround that I tripped and fell. I couldn’t believe it! I was on the ground for a few seconds before I got up. I checked for blood and saw none so I knew it wasn’t that bad. I scraped a little my knees and my chin. I was happy I did not hit my head. I thought about calling an Uber to get back home but decided to just keep running and maybe walk too if needed.

I was very sore the next day. I could barely walk. I took ibuprofen during the day to feel better. And I did! 🙂

The photos below are from Saturday. Still a little purple but definitely no longer sore.

Thursday’s run was fun! I had to do 2 miles warmup, 5×2 minutes with 2 minutes recovery, 5×1 minute with 1 minute recovery, and 2 miles warmup. It was a humid morning too! I was extra careful and looked down a lot because I was afraid of falling again.

I nailed each interval except the last one. Guess I was tired. 🙂

Saturday’s run was at The Arboretum. I haven’t been sleeping well and then sometimes wake up at 3 or 4 and cannot go back to sleep. I didn’t sleep well Friday night and I struggled to get up the next morning for my run.

It was a gorgeous day for a run! It did get sunny and warm later on in the morning. I had to run 9 miles (my last run before my half marathon) with 3 miles at marathon pace (10:43). It took me about 3 miles to actually feel good to run. I did want to quit halfway but knew I would probably regret it later. Plus I have my 3 half marathons in August and quitting is not going to get me there.

Today’s run was at Lake Katherine. I was also there on Tuesday with my mom. We talked and enjoyed some quiet moments looking at the ducks.

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

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20
Jun
2019

Random Thoughts Thursday 77

categories: Random Thoughts Thursday

Random Thoughts Thursday

• Why would anyone wait that long? I remember reading that riders waited 10 hours?

Hagrid's Aventure Ride.jpg

http://www.fox32chicago.com/entertainment/-hagrid-s-magical-creatures-motorbike-adventure-to-open-thursday-at-universal-orlando-resort

• The new school year doesn’t start till August 26 but is it too early to start shopping for pencils? You know these are the BEST ones, right? 🤣

Ticonderoga Pencils-3.jpg

• It isn’t that often that my name is spelled correctly. I realized later that I didn’t give the barista my name when I ordered my drink. My name must have automatically shown up when I paid with the app. One time in California I ordered a coffee and I told the barista my name was “Maria”. She asked me to spell it for her. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

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• This is my kind of show!

• Saw this on my run. So cute to be young and have a crush. 🙂

Teenage Crush

18
Jun
2019

Tuesday Topics: My Summer race schedule

categories: Tuesday Topics

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!

Tuesday Topics

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.

Missoula Half Marathon-1

• 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?

Center of the Nation-1

• 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.

Detroit Half Marathon-1

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!

16
Jun
2019

Weekly Run Down: Summer school and some flooding along the lakefront

categories: Oiselle, Running, Weekly Run Down

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What a week! It was my first week of summer school and it went by fast. I like the schedule. I start at 8am and get off at 12:15pm. My last day is Wednesday, July 3rd. Not bad huh? Currently I have 12 students and hope I don’t get more. I have 3 that are so well behaved and pleasant. However, I have 6 that cannot read. How is that possible? Very sad and depressing. My students will be going to 2nd grade in August.

Monday was 3 miles in the morning. Great but sweaty run! After school I did laundry and then and took a nap with Lola. 🙂

Tuesday was 5 miles and it was also a sweaty one. Great weather for a run! My sister and nephew flew in from San Antonio and they will be here for a week. They’re both here to see my mom and other family members and to celebrate his HS graduation.

I was supposed to do a speed workout on Thursday but could not get up in the morning. I was so tired. Then I thought maybe I could do it Friday morning. Nope. After school on Friday I met a friend for lunch and then came home and took a nap.

https://giphy.com/gifs/cat-gif-tired-this-is-dieting-yVWks4eecteKc

Again with the crazy weather. While it has been warm in the afternoon, it is a little chilly in the morning and evening. During the winter I use a blanket to sleep and during the summer a sheet. Now I get cold at night and need a blanket. All day Thursday I felt cold and like I was getting sick. I emailed my coach about missing my Thursday workout and not being up for running 13 miles on Saturday. She told me to do my best, rest up, and get better. I felt better on Friday and went to bed that night with the intention of running 13 miles (being positive).

On Saturday I went to the lake instead of The Arboretum. My sister was having a graduation party for my nephew and she wanted me to be home as early as possible. Well, I wanted to be home early too for a nap. 🙂

I drank Generation UCAN in the morning and also made my own gel to use on my run. Elizabeth uses UCAN on her runs and gave me the idea to make a gel. I used a reusable food pouch to store the gel. While I like the cranberry raspberry in the liquid format, I was not a big fan of it in the gel format. It tasted funny. I also have chocolate and will try that next in a gel (I like it mixed with water).

The weather was perfect! Marathon training has begun and there were so many people out there. The last time I ran on the lakefront was 3 weeks ago. I was surprised to see some parts of the path flooded. The ducks were enjoying it!

I don’t think I’ve ever run 13 miles while training for a half marathon. I felt good at the beginning and then slowly got tired. I was supposed to run 7 miles as a warmup, 4 at marathon pace (10:43) and 2 as a cooldown. I did not hit the marathon pace. I tried. However, I am proud for running 13 miles and felt better at the end than when I ran 10 miles last week. I had some UCAN gel at 6.5 miles and then again 3 miles later. The food pouch was so easy to use and I am planning to use it again for future long runs.

Workout-88

I wore a new Oiselle tank and goodness sake but that thing chafed the heck out of me. It was painful and so uncomfortable. There was even some blood on the tank. I love the look of it and the material but definitely not made for a long and sweaty run.

There was a Color Run Race going on and for some reason I have never been interested in them. You? They do look fun though!

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

Weekly Run Down.jpg

13
Jun
2019

Random Thoughts Thursday 76

categories: Random Thoughts Thursday

Random Thoughts Thursday

• I am usually a good driver. I don’t speed and tend to follow the rules of the road. Somehow I must have not been paying attention because I received two tickets for a red light violation. Yes, TWO violations. Yes, that was $200 I had to pay and it hurt me to pay those tickets.

• I saw The Secret Life of Pets 2. Such a funny movie. I laughed throughout the entire movie. I could definitely see it again. Have you watched it?

• My mother spent 3 weeks in a nursing facility. We received a bill for her and I was afraid to open it. Happy to see that number in the bill. 🙂

Mother's Bill-1.jpg

• I have a checkbook and write a check once a month for my rent. The other transactions in my checking account are Target charges, deposits from work, and ATM withdrawals. I went to my bank to get more check registers. Apparently they don’t have them anymore. Chase doesn’t make too many of them anymore because customers don’t use them like before. This girl does. I added my name to a waitlist and was told it would be about 7 weeks before I can get one. In the meantime I can use a small notebook to record my transactions. Do you still have a register for your checkbook?

Small Notebook

• Say what? I know periods suck but why would anyone do this?

Women in ER.jpg