Zenaida Arroyo

12
Jul
2024

Fit Five Friday: 5 fitness goals for the last half of the year

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!

Friday is my favorite day of the week. But, this Friday is making me a little sad. My first day of school is in a month. I have two days full of meetings and then the students start on the 14th. How is this Summer going by so fast?

Here are my 5 fitness goals for the remainder of this year:

• Continue running and walking. I am not doing a running streak but I do have a running and/or walking streak. I’ve been doing some kind of outdoor activity since June 28th. I hope to continue doing this during the Winter as well.

• Use the Peloton bike. I’ve been using the bike 3x a week. Total minutes for each class is 25 minutes which includes a warm-up and a cool down.

• Watch what I eat. I don’t want to use the excuse that just because I am training for a marathon that I can eat anything I want. I’ve mentioned before that my A1C was in the pre-diabetic stage. I am planning to get tested again in the Fall and hopefully my A1C will be lower.

• Get enough sleep. I need to get plenty of sleep or I don’t function well. Plus, I get cranky if I don’t get enough sleep.

• Spend time on recovery. My long runs are getting longer and I don’t bounce back to my bubbly self like I used to. I ran 7 miles last Saturday and was sore the whole day. I must remember to use my massage gun everyday.

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

09
Jul
2024

Tuesday Topics: How I get through Summer running

categories: Tuesday Topics

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!

Running in the Summer is not my favorite. I dislike the hot weather but I do like running in shorts and tanks or short sleeve tops. But I have no choice this Summer. I am training for the Chicago Marathon!

Here are some Summer running tips that work for me.

• Start early. It is already warm at 6am. I get up at 5 and then check email, read blog posts, while I drink my coffee. Then I use the bathroom and get ready to head out. I’ve told myself that I need to wake up earlier or drink fast my coffee and save the reading for later.

• Hydrate. I make sure to drink water every day. Sometimes I will freeze some water in my handheld and then add more the next day. I have cold water to cool me during my run.

• Wear a hat or visor. A hat helps keep me cool and blocks the sun from my eyes.

• Use sunscreen. I want to protect my skin to prevent sunburns, wrinkles, and even skin cancer.

• Take it easy and listen to my body. Running in the heat will make you run slower. During the hot weather I’ve also had to take more walk breaks. Nothing wrong with that.

The topic for next week – Treadmill vs. Outside running. Let’s talk about it. Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!

New Tuesday Topics

07
Jul
2024

2024 Chicago Marathon Training Week #2

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 #2, July 1-7

Monday: Ran 2.44 and walked .36 miles. The weather was much better for running. It was a 30 minute easy run. Total was 2.44 @12:19 average pace.

Tuesday: Walked 1.72 miles and 25 minutes on the Peloton. A nice walk to clear my head. I took an ABBA class and enjoyed it a lot. Check out that playlist!

Wednesday: Ran 1.98 and walked 1.18 miles. A good run with hill strides.

Thursday: Ran 4.07 and walked .73 miles. I ran my 2nd race this year. Pleased with how I did and felt good about doing this race.

Friday: Walked 1.71 miles and 25 minutes on the Peloton.

Saturday: Ran 7 and walked .27 miles. I did better last last week. I ran the first 2 miles nonstop (12:34 and 12:29). However, by the last 2 miles I was hurting. My feet were bothering me and my body was beginning to hurt. It’s been more than a year since I’ve run 7 miles. I spent most of the day resting with my cats.

Sunday: Walked 1.69 miles and 25 minutes on the Peloton. I was still a bit sore from Saturday’s run but these two activities helped me feel better.

TOTAL:
Running: 15.49
Walking: 7.67
Cycling: 16.10

Here’s how training has gone so far:

• Week 1

05
Jul
2024

Fit Five Friday: 5 things about the 2024 Elmhurst 4 on the 4th

categories: Fit Five Friday, Race Recap

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!

For today’s post, I will write about the Elmhurst 4 on the 4th. I ran this race yesterday and am happy I ran it again.

Here are some fun things about the race:

•I’ve been doing this race since 2013. It was cancelled in 2020 and I skipped it in 2021. More than 10 years of running this race. It is a fun race – there aren’t that many races that are 4 miles.

• I didn’t train for this race. It didn’t matter. I still wanted to run it because it is one of my favorite races. I am in week 2 of marathon training and actually felt OK during my run. I did better than I thought I would do.

• I didn’t pay attention to pace. I ran by feel and walked when I wanted to walk. I got positive splits and my last two miles were the same pace.

• Packet pick-up is on race day. I love it when races have this option. I know sometimes it isn’t easy to get to packet pickup. I got my bib and shirt and used the port-a-potty one last time before I lined up for the race.

• It made me feel good. I had no goal except to have fun and that is what I did. I was tired at the end but I felt good afterwards finishing a race.

The topic for next week’s Fit Fit Friday – 5 fitness goals for the last half of the year. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!

05
Jul
2024

Fit Five Friday and July 2024 Ultimate Coffee Date

categories: Fit Five Friday, Ultimate Coffee Date

Welcome to the July 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 finally signed up to run the Fargo Half Marathon. It will be on May 31, 2025. However, I’ve been wanting to run the Bank of America Half Marathon and next year the race will be on June 1st. I haven’t made any travel arrangements but am thinking of running the half in Fargo, coming back that same day, and running the other half the next day. Crazy idea?

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you July 4th is a special day for me because it was the day my family and I emigrated from Mexico in 1978. I am grateful for my parents and for everything this country has given me. However, this year I was not feeling very patriotic. I am not going to go in detail but I think you have an idea of what I am referring to.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I ran my 2nd race yesterday. It was warm and humid but I still enjoyed it. This is my second week of training for the Chicago Marathon. Prior to that I wasn’t consistent with my running. I did better than I expected. My finish time was a few seconds worse that last year’s time and that is OK.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I am enjoying again my Peloton classes. Last year in June is when I had taken my last class. The new seat is a lifesaver. I am not sore as I was with the other seat. I took an ABBA themed class and LOVED it. I am excited and looking forward to more fun classes.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that on Tuesday I went to the podiatrist. She gave me a bunch of exercises to strengthen the plantar. She also recommended a night splint, custom orthotics, and to do pilates. Whew! It was a lot but I need this injury to go away.

The topic for next week’s Fit Fit Friday – 5 fitness goals for the last half of the year. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!