Zenaida Arroyo

06
Jul
2015

Community Bank of Elmhurst 4 on the 4th

Saturday morning I was up for a race. Normally I have a long run with the CES group but due to the holiday my group did not meet. Instead, all of the groups from the various locations met on Sunday in one location.

Back to the race. It is one of my favorites. Very cheap-$25-and with a $5 discount if you are a CARA member. It is 30 minutes from my house, plenty of parking, and fun/semi-challenging course. This was my 3rd time running it. You can read my other recaps here: 2014 and 2013.

I will admit that I was hoping to get a PR. Below are my times from last year and the year before.

I was not feeling good on Friday evening. I was bloated and felt very uncomfortable. I went to bed hoping that I would feel better in the morning.

Race day I was up before my alarm went off. I got dressed, drank coffee and ate a Hammer Bar. I did go to the bathroom 3 times before leaving the house.

I arrived in Elmhurst around 6:45. On my way to pick up my bib I ran into Pete who was running this race for the first time this year. We chatted for a little bit and said our goodbyes. Packet pickup was a breeze. I did not want my shirt so I quickly tied my bib to my race belt and got in line to use the bathroom one more time.

I was feeling a bit better but overall I felt tired. Not so much tired like from lack of sleep but more like body tired.

Start line. There weren’t too many people at the race so I was not too far from it.

Here are my mile splits:
1-9:15
2-9:58
3-10:49
4-10:15

I have NO idea how I ran that fast the first mile. I felt tired but still kept going. I remember stopping for water and walking up a small incline. As you can see mile 3 was my slowest and I just felt very tired and HOT (I was probably dehydrated). I walked a lot and kept checking my pace on my watch. I also did some walking in the last mile and even up the incline to get to the finish line but it must not have affected it that much because I still finished it in 10:15. <==== Very impressed with it!

Even though I did not PR, I still enjoyed this race. Unless I am out of town or injured, this is a race I plan to do every year.

My next race is Shipyard Old Port Half Marathon on Saturday in Maine. It will be state #34.

Did you run a race on Saturday? How was your 4th of July?

03
Jul
2015

Friday Randomness – July 3, 2015

categories: Friday Randomness, Running

1. On Wednesday I started my summer job. I will be working for the month of July from 8am-11:45 am. I like it because it it for one month for a few hours in the morning and I still have the rest of the day to do whatever I want. However, next month I have my summer class and then when it is over, it will be almost time to go back to school.

2. Do you have anything planned for Saturday, September 20th? Please plan to attend Bright Pink’s FitFest 2015 in Chicago. You can read more about it here.

3. Lately I’ve been buying so much Brooks running gear from REI. I’ve purchased the Versatile Lite Tank Top in each color. They run big – I usually wear a large but a medium fits me fine. I also bought the Versatile IV T-Shirt in blue and green. They also run big. There are a bunch of other discounted stuff and you’ll save even more (cash back) if you go through the Ebates site.

Brooks Versatile IV T-Shirt — Versatile IV T-Shirt

4. I was out returning some socks at Kohl’s and found some great books for my kids. I bought 4 different ones along with the stuffed animal. I might go back to get another one. Isn’t it cute?

5. Tomorrow is race #6 – Elmhurst Bank 4 on the 4th. I LOVE this race and am very excited about it. Here is a picture of my outfit.

6. Thanks to Timehop I can look back at what I did, ate, wore, etc., in prior years. Last year I had a new pair of Newton Kismet while three years ago I wore a pair of Brooks Glycerin.

What are you plans for the 4th of July? I am not sure if we’re staying home and my mother with BBQ or we’ll visit family members and they’ll BBQ. Do you have Timehop on your phone? How do you like it?

02
Jul
2015

Bright Pink FitFest 2015

categories: Running

I was invited by Bright Pink to attend an information session about their upcoming FitFest Chicago on September 20th.

AliciaRoman — I met Alicia Roman, NBC meteorologist.

What is FitFest? It is the ultimate fitness marathon in support of Bright Pink. Bright Pink is the only national non-profit organization focused on prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women.

Their aim is to reach the 52 million young women in the United States between the ages of 18 and 45 with their innovative, life-saving breast and ovarian health programs, thereby empowering this and future generations of women to live healthier, happier, and longer lives.

FitFest is the fitness marathon to save lives from breast and ovarian cancer. Now in their sixth year, this one-of-a-kind event gives you the chance to directly impact how these cancers are prevented.

Why FitFest?

Because… every dollar raised goes to life-saving breast and ovarian cancer prevention programs for young women and the medical community who care for them.

Because… awareness isn’t enough. Exercise is proven to reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. FitFest’s day of classes kicks healthy habits into action. Women and men of all fitness levels are welcome.

Because… it’s our turn to change the odds. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 1 in 67 will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Women have the power to be proactive to reduce their risk for these cancers or detect them at early, non life-threatening stages. It’s our mission to show them how.

Source: https://www.brightpink.org/support-us/attend-a-fundraising-event/chicago/

Some new things this year include:

New venue, event will take place at FFC Union Station
Six hours full of different classes such as yoga, barre, and hip hop dance
Nice perks including massage, photo booth, psychic readings, and nutrition consultants

The best part is that you can all of that for ONLY $25. It is definitely a great deal for an awesome cause!!

You can sign up as an individual or get a group of your friends to create a team and fundraise for Bright Pink. Recruit 5+ teammates and Bright Pink will comp your fundraising. Your only financial commitment would be the $25 registration fee.

Whether you’re an avid marathon runner or looking for a reason to get off of the couch, this is the event for you. Push your limits with 750+ passionate men and women and help turn breast and ovarian cancer awareness into life-saving action.

For more information, visit the Bright Pink website.

26
Jun
2015

Friday Randomness – June 26, 2015

categories: Friday Randomness, Running, Volunteer

1. Friday again? The days definitely go by much faster when you are on vacation. I know that during the school year I am always aware of each day and get so excited on Fridays. On vacation I sometimes lose track and have no idea when a day is Monday, Tuesday, etc.

2. On Monday, my sister and nephews went to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children. It is a great place to volunteer and you end up leaving really good about yourself. The last time I was there was almost two years ago. Yikes! I need to make it a priority to go there more often.

We were there from 2:30-4:30 pm. My nephews LOVE Home Run Inn and we stopped there for dinner. We got home in time to watch “The Bachelorette” and before the bad weather began rolling into the Chicago area. Luckily, it was just wind and lots of rain but I know other places had it even worse.

3. I bought a new running gear, the Garmin Forerunner 220. So far I’ve run with it twice and like it. The only problem I have is that I cannot get it to sync with my heart monitor. I have to run 8 miles on Saturday with the CES group so hopefully one of the coaches there can help me.

4. I know we all have good and bad runs. I love it when I have a good run but I love it even more when it is on a day that I had no desire to run. I did not run yesterday morning because I was planning to run in the evening with the ladies from Fleet Feet. Well, I did a few errands with my mom and got home after 6pm. I was tired and decided to rest and then go running. Everything hurt so I took an ibuprofen. Then I decided not to go. I guess I must have been feeling guilty and I reminded myself that I would not skip any of my marathon training runs planned by my coach (I’ve missed one) so I got dressed and went out for my run. You know what? It was AWESOME and I felt great. I ran better than I expected and that made me happy.

5. I received my grade for my Spring class. I am disappointed that I got a “B”. I know it is still a great grade but the class was so easy and pretty much an easy “A”. For nine weeks I listened to the lectures and took notes. I also did all of my homework and pretty much got all of the problems correct. The deal breaker was the final presentation on the last day of class. It was worth 50 percent of my grade. I know I did not rock it but I didn’t think I did that bad. I get really nervous speaking in front of a group (definitely not a problem with little kids) so I am just mad at myself because I messed up on the presentation. My next (and final class) starts in August.

What has been your best volunteer experience? Do you get nervous speaking in front of a group?

19
Jun
2015

Friday Randomness – June 19, 2015

categories: Friday Randomness, Running

1. On Monday I went to a live taping of Windy City Live. There were no prizes/gifts for audience members but it was still fun to be there. We heard from Brian Grazer, watched a performance by Muntu Dance Theatre, and listened to a discussion lead by Dr. E. Patrick Johnson on the NAACP leader, Rachel Dolezal.

2. This past weekend I got a kitten. Her name is Lola and she is very playful and FUNNY! I will post pictures of her (not too many) on the blog and on Instagram. I hope you don’t unfollow me. For now here are a few.

3. I love coffee. But I also love flavored coffee creamer. I’ve been loving this Mexican chocolate style. Delicious. Try it. You will not be disappointed.

4. Just the other day I found my Birkenstocks in the back of my car. I think they’ve been there since last summer. Ha, definitely ugly shoes but very comfortable. I remember one time I was in NY and walked for a couple of hours in them and my feet did not hurt one bit. Will definitely be wearing them this summer.

5. This afternoon my nephew and I did a Slice of Chicago Pizza Tour. We are both HUGE fans of Home Run Inn but wanted to try something different. We had pizza from Pizzeria Uno, Quartino, and Giordano’s. I must have read incorrectly the description because I could have sworn it said that we were supposed to go to 5-6 different pizza places. Overall, it was fun to make a trip downtown (even though it was very windy and kind of cold) and have a few slices from two places we’ve never been to, Quartino and Pizzeria Uno. The verdict? Pizzeria Uno is the best one.

Are you a fan of pizza? Favorite pizza place? What is your favorite topping(s)?