Zenaida Arroyo

11
Jul
2025

Fit Five Friday: CityStrides

Happy Friday!

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!

What is CityStrides? “It is a website app designed for runners and walkers that tracks your progress in completing every street within a city or town by connecting to your GPS tracking data from services like Strava, Garmin, or Runkeeper. The platform uses data from OpenStreetMap to map out cities and highlight which streets you’ve run or walked, allowing you to visualize your progress and challenge yourself to complete entire cities.”

I remember learning about it from Shathiso in 2020. I know this because that is the first run that is recorded in my account. I set up my account and then forgot about it. A few weeks ago she posted on Facebook that she had run every street in Rossmoyne (Australia)!

I became interested again. I knew this was the motivation I needed. While I enjoy running in the same area and familiar streets, after a while it does become boring. I asked myself if I could run in every street in Chicago. It is a big city so I didn’t think it would be possible. I decided to go for it and see how I do.

Below is a photo from the end of June. You can see the area that I have done most of my running.

Below is a picture from yesterday. I decided to start in the Garfield Ridge area (southwest side). Since I am off this Summer, I can drive to that area to run and walk. This morning I was thinking that maybe once I go back to work I can join Planet Fitness close to where I work so that I can run and then go there to take a shower before going to work. This way I won’t have to go back home.

The version I have is free and I like the features that are offered. I can see which streets I have completed and the ones I need to complete. You can also become a Supporter for additional features such as route builder to create and save the routes to complete the streets.

I wish I wouldn’t have forgotten about it after I set up my account. I wish I would have run in different streets and not the same ones these past years. Oh well. Better late than never.

For now I am having fun. I am enjoying running in different streets and neighborhoods. I will keep you posted in how I do.

Are you a Strider? If you’re not, sign up today!

The topic for next week – Five simple ways to track your running progress. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!

08
Jul
2025

Tuesday Topics: 2025 Elmhurst 4 on the 4th Race Recap

categories: Race Recap, 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!

On Friday I ran my first race of the year! It took me 6 months but I got it done.

I thought I was going to be late because I messed up the location on the GPS and I ended up going almost 20 minutes in the other direction. I should have pulled over on the expressway but I thought I knew where I was supposed to go. Wrong. The easy thing would have been is for me to get off at the next exit on the expressway and then get back on it right? Yes, but the expressway I was on goes for miles and miles without any exits.

Anyway, I figured it out and made it to the race. Luckily, I found parking. In previous years I have parked in the same area (street parking) but this time I was in a different area because of the streets closure, so I ended up in an even better parking area. Now I know for next year. I went to pick up my bib and could hear the national anthem. I did something I’ve never done in a race. I didn’t stop to hear the national anthem. I kept on walking. I was not feeling very patriotic even if the race was on July 4th. It is a special day for my family because we came to the United States on that day in 1978.

There were no corrals. You line up depending on your pace. I think I lined up somewhere in the middle.

It was humid and overcast. I haven’t been running consistently so my goal was to have fun and finish the race. I enjoyed this race a lot. I ran using 4:1 run/walk intervals and I am proud to say that I did minimal walking during the run intervals. I didn’t listen to music but enjoyed some of the music on the course. It wasn’t a lot but I am still glad I ran without my AirPods.

My time last year was 49:05. My time this year is 52:55. I laughed when I saw my time because I knew it was slower than last year. But, I don’t care. I wasn’t aiming for a specific time.

I love this race!

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

04
Jul
2025

Fit Five Friday and July 2025 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!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that someone stole my CC number again. This person made three purchases on Google Pay (or using Google Pay). Luckily, my bank was able to issue a refund, but I still had to wait for a new credit card. With a new credit card I also have to add that new number to my online accounts which is a hassle.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I received a strange text message from the DMV. I deleted it and reported it as junk. However, it sparked my curiosity and I checked online for any unpaid tickets. It turned out that I had one speeding ticket from May 1st. I haven’t changed my address on my driver’s license yet (will be going next week) so it took a while to get the notice forwarded to my new address.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that this hot weather is not making me happy. I like it warm and not hot. My hot flashes are worse in the Summer and it is making me very uncomfortable.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that my sister moved in the basement last week. Now we are all under one roof. I am glad she is here and not by herself. With her moving in, I won’t have to continue paying the utilities and half of the rent in the other apartment. I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to help since I knew she couldn’t afford it by herself.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I am excited to see how many streets I can run/walk in Chicago. There are many streets in the city and I know I won’t get to all of them. I am using CityStrides for guidance. As you can see on the map below, most of my runs/walks have been on the southside of the city. Since I am on Summer Break and have more time, I am going to focus on the Southwest side of the city (east of Summit, IL and south of Bedford Park, IL).

I hope July is a wonderful month for everyone!

The topic for next week’s Fit Fit Friday – Five great running or fitness movies. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!

01
Jul
2025

Tuesday Topics: My 2025 Mid-Year Review

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!

In December I wrote my goals for this year. Since we are halfway through the year, let me update you on how it is going.

• Run/walk 2,015 miles. I am way behind in this goal. I have 1,940 miles to go. That is 10.55 miles per day to reach my goal on December 31st, 2025.

• Run at least 5 races. I am running my first race on Friday. With 6 more months to go this year, there is hope of adding 4 more race this year.

• PR in a race distance. It will be a miracle if I PR on Friday’s race (4 miles).

• Read 25 books. Great news! I will meet this goal. Currently, I am on book #13.

• Take an international trip. I want to make this happen. I want to go to Mexico City and spend a few days there. My plan is to see the pyramids in Teotihuacan, ride on colorful boats in Xochimilco, and check out the Museo Frida Kahlo in Coyoacán.

So let’s review how 2025 is going so far.

January-February

• Picked my word for 2025…Happiness.

• Bought my house!

• Ran and walked 4.70 miles in January.

• Ran and walked 0 miles in February.

March-April

• Moved into my new house.

• Ran and walked 0 miles in March.

• Ran and walked 24.20 miles in April.

May-June

• Ran and walked 17.25 miles in May.

• The 2024-2025 school year ended. I had 5 days off and began teaching Summer School.

• Ran and walked 37.94 miles in June. It is the highest mileage to date.

• Summer School ended.

• Finished reading 13 books.

I truly cannot believe that we are halfway through 2025. Let’s see how the rest of the year goes for me.

The topic for next week – How does Summer running impact your Winter running goals? How are you dealing with it? Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!

24
Jun
2025

Tuesday Topics: June 2025 in Review

categories: Monthly Review, Tuesday Topics

Happy Tuesday! This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic. Feel free to 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!

Let me tell you how June went for me:

Mileage: I started running again! How many times have I said that this year? This month I ran 16.72 and walked 4.80 miles. It has been insanely hot these past couple of days. I’ve been out before 6:30am and now am wondering if I should get out earlier.

Run the Year 2025: I signed up to run and walk 2,025 miles this year. I checked my stats and I am way behind. I knew it so I am not surprised. In order to meet my goal, I need to run/walk 10.30 miles per day. For the moment I am not going to adjust my goal, but see how I do these next couple of months.

Current Book: I finished reading “The Swimmers”, “Black Cake”, and “The Violin Conspiracy”. Currently, I am reading “The Golden Couple” and am loving it. I did cheat a little and read the endings (before I was finished with the book) for the last two books. I was curious to know what happens but didn’t want to wait till the end. I should be done with “The Golden Couple” today or tomorrow. It will be book #11 of my goal. I am sure I will meet my goal of reading 25 books this year.

Injuries: None. My feet are swollen which I attribute to the weather.

Races: None. However, this month I signed up for the 4 on the 4th race in July. I am excited about it.

Health: For the most part I am feeling OK. The weight goes up and down. I have been feeling more tired these past couple of days. Is catching up on sleep really a thing?

I went to the doctor for a skin check. Everything is fine, but she did remove two moles and sent them to the lab. She told me that she thinks they’re not cancerous but wants to make sure. It’s been almost a week since I saw her and she told me it will be 1-2 weeks to get the results back. Everyday I check my email to see if I have a message from her.

School: I am done with Summer School! The three weeks went by fast.

What I am looking forward to next month: To relax. To catch up on my reading. To continue and maybe finish organizing my house. I love saying that- my house. I plan to have someone working on my kitchen and bathrooms (one of the things I love about this house is that there are 1.5 bathrooms on the first floor). I want to replace the toilets and remove the tub and have only a shower; remove the dishwasher and install a cabinet for more storage; and make one of the closets in the bedroom closest to the kitchen a pantry. A lot right? Maybe, but not as much as when I remodeled the basement.

The topic for next week – Share your 2025 mid-year review. Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!