Zenaida Arroyo

23
Feb
2018

Friday Five 2.0-Top 5 reasons to run the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K

categories: Ambassador, BibRave Pro, Friday Five 2.0, Running

Disclaimer: I am promoting the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K 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!

The Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K is next month and I am excited to run it again. It is one of my favorite races in Chicago! This race marks the start of the official running season in the city. Are you signed up for it? If yes, GREAT but if not then read on to find out why you MUST run this race. I will even give you a discount code. 🙂

1. Automatic PR and sweet medal. Isn’t it beautiful? An 8K is 4.97 miles so if you’ve never run this distance before then you automatically get a PR. I’ve run this race 9 times and my PR is 48:38 in 2014. I am having a great marathon training season and hopefully will get a PR this year.

2. Beer! Celebrate that new PR and/or show off that sweet medal at the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle Post-Race Party. Each runner gets a ticket for one (1) Michelob ULTRA (must be 21 years or older to consume). There will also be live music. The party doesn’t stop there. The celebration will continue at The Scout Waterhouse & Kitchen (1301 S. Wabash Ave.) from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. Shamrock Shuffle participants who bring their race bib will receive a ticket that can be redeemed for one (1) Michelob ULTRA.

3. You can dress up! How fun is it to be all decked out in green and run in a beautiful city? I’ve lived in Chicago for almost 40 years and never get tired of the view. This race is also great to do with friends. Each year I’ve been able to run with friends and have a fabulous time.

4. It is a short but yet popular race. An 8K is a unique distance and in Chicago there aren’t that many 8K races. Over 30,000 runners run the Shamrock Shuffle. It is so popular that on race morning NBC 5 Chicago provides live, streaming coverage of the race start and finish from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. where supporters can watch their favorite runner cross the line.

5. Save $10 off registration fee. Make sure to use code “SHUFFLE” at the following link: http://haku.ly/dd2567 to save $10 on your race entry.

So did I convince you? Will I see you there? Have you run this race before?

I’m linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 2.0.

22
Feb
2018

Random Thoughts Thursday 8

categories: Random Thoughts Thursday

Random Thoughts Thursday

Happy Thursday! It was a short week and it felt wonderful. Tomorrow all 2nd graders in my school are going on a field trip to the Museum of Science of Industry. It should be fun and I am actually looking to it! Read along for some of my random thoughts.

• Are you a pet owner and have an Instagram account for your pet? I love my Lola very much and have an account for her. You can follow her HERE.

• I am excited about my new pair of Tieks by Gavrieli but have yet to wear them. My new pair are in my room waiting to be worn. I ordered them in Chestnut because I needed a neutral color that will go with many outfits (I already have a pair in black). The problem now is that I don’t have that many outfits that go with that color. Most of the pants that I wear to work are black or some other dark color and do not go well with brown. I might exchange them for another color. I do have a few skirts that will go very well with those shoes but for now the weather isn’t cooperating and I am not wearing any skirts. Or I can go crazy and not exactly match my shoes with my pants! 🙂

• Spring is around the corner and I got a great deal on sweaters! I had a coupon for 30% off from Kohls and took advantage of it to go shopping. I found a sweater on clearance for $10.80 and with the discount I ended up paying around $7.50. Great deal, right? I wanted more in different colors but couldn’t find them at the store. Instead I went online and ordered 9 additional sweaters. They were $14 but with the discount each one came out to about $10. Love it when stores have big sales like this one.

• Lately I’ve noticed that I’ve been drooling while I sleep. Of course I notice when I wake up (usually because I have to use the bathroom). I know, kind of gross. I don’t think that had ever happened to me before!

• Today we had a practice lockdown. My kids know exactly what to do. It is hard to keep 24 kids quiet in a room. Some talk and others giggle. I had to remind them to be quiet and to sit as comfortable as possible because we had no idea how long we would be in that position (we sit on the floor in a corner with the door locked and all of the lights off). A few minutes later I got very emotional. They did not see me cry. I know it was a practice drill but what if it was real? I know I would do anything to protect them from harm but this whole thing about how teachers should be armed is RIDICULOUS. Just now.

What are some of your random thoughts today?

20
Feb
2018

Dear Running: I do love you but sometimes I don’t!

categories: Running, Tuesdays on the Run

Last week I wrote about why I love running. But it isn’t always unicorns and roses. As much as I love it, there are a few things I don’t like about running. Let me tell you about it.

• Chafing all over. Oh boy, that is definitely the worst. Throughout the years I’ve had my share of chafing in my inner thighs, in the bra area, and the inside of my arms. I make sure to always use body glide but I guess sometimes I don’t use enough. It is much worse in the summer when I am sweaty or when running in the rain. I remember I chafed so bad during the 2015 Chicago Marathon that I could hardly walk. It took a few days for it to heal and for me to walk like a normal person again.

• Blisters on feet. Those suckers are just as painful as chafing. They’re less painful when I pop them and drain the fluid. I know I’m not supposed to do that but to me it definitely feels better. I remember I got a blood blister in my toe from running Goofy in 2014. I didn’t leave it alone and drained the fluid and that helped with the pain. I also got a couple from running the 2015 Chicago Marathon (same year as chafing). << The next time I ran the Chicago Marathon there was no chafing nor blisters.

• The weather. This one isn’t really running’s “fault”. This winter has been a mixture of very cold weather and a lot of snow. Luckily I’ve been able to do most of my runs outside but it hasn’t been easy. I’ve tried to be positive and make the best of each run. Sometimes it works and sometimes I wonder why the heck I am training for a marathon. I know I will complain again when it is summer. Why is it so darn HOT outside?!?!?! That is why for me the best running weather is during the Fall.

• Being tired. When I was training using the Hansons Method, I was tired all of the time. That program is intense but at the same time I enjoyed running 6 days a week. Currently I am training with a coach and I am running 4-5 times a week. Not as hectic as before but there are some days that I am so exhausted and don’t want to get up in the morning and go to work. I actually look forward to my rest days. 🙂

• An achy body or injuries. Long runs and speed workouts take a toll on your body. But it is those runs along with easy/recovery runs that make us better and faster runners to help us achieve our goal. But that also comes with a price. Our body aches. We are sore. A good kind of soreness. But we wake up the next day and run again. Let’s not forget about injuries. Those suck! I’ve been injured a few times and it isn’t fun at all. Not being able to run drove me crazy. But it took time, patient, and rest for me to get better and start running again.

What don’t you like about running?

Linking up with Marcia, Patti, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run.

TuesdaysOnTheRun

18
Feb
2018

Illinois Marathon Training Recap, Week 12

categories: Illinois Marathon, Marathon Training, Running, Weekly Recap

Week #12, February 12-18

M OFF
T Ran 3.73
W Ran 6.40 miles
TH Ran 3.20
F OFF
S Ran 3.36
S Ran 9.72 miles

This week was awesome!! At the beginning of the week I dealt with some snow on the sidewalk but we also got some warm weather and most of it did melt.

Monday is a rest day. I went to a funeral for a dear friend’s dad. It was so sad and I am always at loss at what to say to a grieving family. As I got out of the car to go inside the funeral home, I saw a beautiful sunset.

Tuesday’s run was actually pretty good! It was sunny with temperatures in the low 30s but I didn’t feel too cold. The snow wasn’t helping so I went to the local park to run around a couple of times.

I was a bit nervous about Wednesday’s workout (1.5 mile warm up and cool down, 2×1 mile @10:02 and 4×1 minute @9:16 with 2 minutes recovery). Mile repeats scare me. It wasn’t easy and I kind of cheated. I had planned to run each one nonstop but just couldn’t do it. I stopped a couple of times to catch my breath. I cannot remember how many times I stopped but at least I got it done. I still did pretty good! 🙂

Thursday’s run was awesome! I came home and took a quick nap. Then I got cold and debated on whether to run or not. I reminded myself that it was only 40 minutes and it was definitely doable. After my run I came home to find Lola still napping.

Another 40 minutes of running for Saturday. Most of the snow had melted already and that made me happy. However, we got more snow later in the afternoon. Not a lot like last week but enough for the roads to get slippery. It did look kind of pretty.

I was excited about Sunday’s workout (5 mile warm up, 15 minutes @10:45, 8 minutes @11:58, 4×25 second strides @9:16 with 60 second recovery, 2 mile cool down). I waited to run in the afternoon because I knew it was going to warm up (40 degrees) and I had no desire to run in cold weather (it was 19 when I woke up). Plus, Lola was keeping me company while I watched TV and I just wanted to stay with her. 🙂 Isn’t she cute?

Once I was out running it was WINDY and I got cold. I had headwind for about 4.5 miles and then I turned around and it was much better. I was very surprised to hit almost of my paces. I think my Garmin watch is broken. 🙂 I know, I know. I need to believe more in myself.

I am very pleased with all of my workouts. I was a bit nervous for doing them but I actually enjoyed them and am happy with my results. It is another confidence booster and that is exactly what I need now. I am freaking out because the Illinois Marathon is in 10 weeks. I’ve run a marathon before but still get nervous when training for it.

Total mileage for the week: 26.42
Total mileage for this training cycle: 220.81
Total mileage for the year: 142.01

Here’s how training has gone so far:
• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5
• Week 6
• Week 7
• Week 8
• Week 9
• Week 10
• Week 11

How was YOUR week?

Link back to the host and let’s support other bloggers linking up as they train for a marathon, half marathon, or any other event.

15
Feb
2018

Random Thoughts Thursday 7

categories: Random Thoughts Thursday

Random Thoughts Thursday

Man, the groundhog was not kidding with stating that we’ll have 6 weeks of winter! Chicago got so much snow that schools were closed last Friday. And it didn’t stop there because we got more snow on Saturday night. Luckily it’s been warming up and the snow is melting. Hopefully that 6 week prediction will be proven false.

• Let’s talk gray hair. I get a few here and there. They’re so small that really I use tweezers to pull them out. Sunday afternoon I found two long ones. Well, maybe 3 inches long. I couldn’t leave them alone. I pulled them out and felt better. Do you leave or pull them out?

• If a friend prefers money for her birthday would you give it to him/her? Someone posted on Generosity.com that instead of birthday presents this year, to consider making a contribution (fundraiser) for her upcoming trip. I’ve seen posts in which people ask for birthday donations to an organization but never for a trip. I don’t know if I was appalled, angry, or annoyed. I haven’t decided if I want to unfollow or unfriend this person.

• I’ve lived in Chicago for almost 40 years and have seen my share of “Chicago Dibs“. However, I’ve never been a part of it till this year. After Friday’s snowstorm I had my very own personal spot in front of my house. I put a chair there to claim my spot. I did some errands Saturday and Sunday and my spot was still there. I came home late on Monday and someone else had parked in “my” spot. Someone had moved my chair. I was annoyed. How dare they? I got over it pretty quickly because I found another spot right away.

• Amazon Prime has the best customer service! I ordered two containers of Orgain Organic Protein Powder last week and they were supposed to arrive on Saturday. I forgot about it and then remembered on Monday morning. I checked my account and found out that the driver couldn’t deliver it because it was a gated community and couldn’t get access to my house. I was annoyed. I sent an email to Amazon stating that I do not live in a gated community. I also asked why didn’t the driver come back on Sunday? Hours later I got an email from them with an apology and letting me know that my package was lost due to carrier error. They offered to send another order for next day delivery free of charge. Well, Monday night when I came home I saw that my first order had arrived. The next day my replacement order arrived. Definitely love their service

• Have you tried Cafe Bustelo? Saw it at Target. It is pretty good. A bit strong but with good flavor. I am still trying to figure out the correct coffee to water ratio. I’ve tried one tablespoon for each cup of water but that was too strong for me. Yesterday I used one teaspoon for each cup and while it wasn’t that strong, it was stronger than how I normally drink it. Next is one teaspoon for 2 cups of water. We’ll see.

What are some of your random thoughts today?