Zenaida Arroyo

15
Mar
2024

Fit Five Friday: 5 things I cannot live without

Tuesday Topics-1 We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and me for another Fit Five Friday link-up!

Happy Friday! It was a short week for me but I was very tired when I went back to work on Wednesday. Two more weeks for me and then Spring Break!

Today I am writing about 5 things I cannot live without. I will not include the main things one needs to live (food, clothes, shelter, etc).

• Entertainment. I watch a few shows on Hulu, Netflix, and Peacock. Don’t judge, I work hard. I also enjoy reading books. Both are a break from the stress of life.

• Healthcare. I am lucky that I am healthy and I owe it to having access to healthcare and taking care of myself. I saw my aunt this past weekend (she is 90 years old) and she looks great! She was dancing at her birthday party and enjoys one beer a day. Drinking beer is her secret!

• Technology. I remember the days of writing school papers on a typewriter, doing research with encyclopedias, writing and mailing letters to family in Mexico, and having one phone in the house. But thanks to technology, all of those things, and more, can be done faster and more efficient.

• A car. I know there is public transportation but for some of the things I do, I need a car.

• Coffee. I like the taste of it. I also like boost of energy. I drink a cup in the morning while reading emails and blog posts, and before I head out for my run. Depending on how I feel, I may have another cup in the afternoon and in the evening..

The topic for next week – 5 fitness things you’d love to try. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!

12
Mar
2024

Tuesday Topics: A letter to my 90-year-old self

categories: Tuesday Topics

Tuesday Topics-236 This week’s Tuesday Topic: How do you organize your running gear ? You can write about this topic or 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!

I was planning to write about this topic but realized that I wrote about it in 2021 and nothing has changed since then. I have more gear but it is still stored in the same places.

I am going to deviate from today’s topic. I was in San Antonio for a few days for my aunt’s 90th birthday party. She is my mom’s older and the last one of her sisters. They are like night and day but yet so much fun to see them together. My aunt laughed and danced on her special day. She was surrounded by her sons and daughters, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and their kids, her sister and brother, and her friends.

Letter-1

Hola Zenaida:

Wow, 90 years old! I know you look and feel amazing. Taking care of yourself and going to the doctor paid off. You are still running, not like before, but you are still active and that is what matters.

You are enjoying your retirement after working for over 20 years as a teacher. Have you seen more of your previous students? I am glad that many of them still keep in touch with you. You made a difference in their lives. I know teaching was not an easy job but you were patient, did the best you could, and loved your students.

I hope you are enjoying the condo life by the lakefront. I know that it always want you wanted. Owning a house is a lot of work and comes with more responsibilities, but I am glad you still bought a house because you looked for one for YEARS.

You love your nieces and nephews very much and I am happy that they visit you. They make sure you have what you need and still make you laugh and smile.

Do you remember when you turned 25? You celebrated by going to Lalo’s with friends. You were so happy because you were a quarter of a century. Then 50 came along and you thought you were old. But that didn’t last too long because you then said that age was just a number. You were not old. You were healthy, had a place to live, had a job, and was surrounded by family.

You lived a good life. Things happen for a reason. Your failures and your good choices shaped you into the person you are now.

Keep doing what you are doing. You might see the year 2072.

The topic for next week – What are your Spring running plans or race schedule? Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!

New Tuesday Topics

08
Mar
2024

Fit Five Friday: 5 of the best gifts I’ve received

categories: Fit Five Friday

Fit Five Friday-5 We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and me for another Fit Five Friday link-up! This week’s topic is “5 things in your gym bag”. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like.

It’s been years since I’ve set foot in a gym but I still have my gym bag (Speedo Unisex-Adult Large Teamster Backpack 35-Liter). It is easy to carry and big enough to store everything I need.

Speedo Backpack-1

Today I will deviate from today’s topic and talk some of the favorite gifts I’ve received.

• A passport. I was born in Mexico but came here in 1978. I am thankful to my parents for getting a passport for me. Yes, that is me on the left, the photo from my first passport from Mexico. Years later I became a US citizen and got my US passport.

• Travel. I love that with or without a passport, I can travel. I’ve been to many states and various countries.

• To be active. Whether it is running or walking, being active clears my head and sometimes puts me in a better mood. I see how my mom struggles with walking and I hope that I can be active for a long time.

Noxgear-1

• To be creative and patient. I am not one to do DIY projects but I can do fun things with my students. Being a teacher is a difficult job but I am glad that I am patient enough to do it. We laugh, dance, play, watch movies, etc.

• To get up and keep going. I have fallen a few times but I’ve been able to get up and continue on with whatever I was doing.

The topic for next week – 5 places you would love to run. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!

05
Mar
2024

Tuesday Topics: My running motivation

categories: Tuesday Topics

Tuesday Topics-227 This week’s Tuesday Topic: How do you maintain your running motivation? You can write about this topic or 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!

This is the perfect topic for me to write about because right now I am lacking motivation to go running. My last run was yesterday and prior to that it was February 14.

Below are a few tips I am following to get motivated:

• Sign up for a race. I have a few races that I am signed up for. Since I am no longer running the NYC Half Marathon, I want to sign up for a half marathon in Chicago. There are plenty of those here, but this time I want to make sure I train for it.

• Buy new gear. One of my favorite reasons for running. I ordered a pair of the Brooks Run Lucky Launch 10 and two luxe short sleeve tops.

• Go outside. It is warmer outside. I love that it is light outside much earlier now. The sunshine and warmer weather always makes me feel good.

• Set a goal and keep track. In my case, it is to remember my goals. I still want to run/walk 2,204 miles and that won’t happen by itself. I like the RTE Tracker to see how I am doing. The bibs I get for meeting set goals are a bonus.

• Run one mile at a time. Right now I am not training for anything (though I need to for my upcoming 8k in a few weeks) so I will run for whatever time/miles I want to. This way I am not pressured and most likely will look forward to my run.

The topic for next week – How do you organize your running gear? Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!

New Tuesday Topics

01
Mar
2024

Fit Five Friday and March 2024 Ultimate Coffee Date

categories: Fit Five Friday, Ultimate Coffee Date

Welcome to the March 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 no longer going to NYC to run the half marathon. The training hasn’t been there. I thought about running it without training but feel like I will end up injured. And that is the last thing I want. I am happy I ran it last year and maybe will plan to go again another year.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that last month I told you that I paid over $600 for night guards. Imagine my surprise when I got a message from the receptionist telling me that apparently my insurance did cover it and I was getting a check back. That money went straight to my savings account.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you about my fun experience when I went to get a mammogram. Last week on Thursday I got a reminder for my appointment the next day at 8:40am. The next day I left a little early so I could get something to eat for breakfast and to hopefully be seen before my appointment time. I knew it wouldn’t take long and the plan was to go back to work. I arrived at the hospital but the receptionist told me that she didn’t see my name on the calendar. I was confused thinking that maybe I had the wrong date and time. But how could I when I got a reminder the day before. Suddenly, I realized that I was in the wrong hospital. I had gone to the one I used to go. Luckily, it was still early and the correct hospital was about 15 minutes away. I arrived on time and was done in about 10 minutes.

I got my results yesterday. Everything is normal.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that a few weeks ago I made an offer on a house and it was not accepted. My offer was $30k OVER the asking price! My agent told me the owners received 32 offers. The house was “cheap” and it needed some work to be done. I was ready to do it and was actually excited about it.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you I am now a fan of shopping at Aldi’s. I remember the store as a kid. I also remember it (years later) the store being closed on Sundays and they would only take cash or debit cards only (not the case now). I have found some great options there and for a lower price. I like to buy chips, fruit, and vegetables. I also like the balsamic vinaigrette for my salad. Can you believe that these past two weeks I have eaten a salad for lunch? Yep, my salad has spinach, strawberry, chickpeas, feta cheese, and walnuts or sunflower seeds. It is delicious and looks so pretty.

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