Zenaida Arroyo

25
Aug
2013

One year ago..

A year ago I was training for the Marine Corps Marathon. Along the training I experienced some pain/tightness on my right leg and it hurt to run. I went to the doctor who referred me to physical therapy. It turned out I had tight hamstrings, weak hips, glutes, etc. What?!? I was in therapy for about 6 weeks and could barely run. I decided to reorganize my priorities and made the decision not to run the marathon. Luckily, I was able to transfer/sell my bib (for a fee) to another runner. Now, why can’t all races be like that? The seller gets money, the buyer gets to run, and everyone is happy right?

I then thought “why not run a race in each state”? I had already ran in 5 states so what is 45 more? Throughout my therapy I was determined to get stronger to run the Lady Speed Stick Women’s Half Marathon in MN on August 26. And I did! The race kicked my you know what and I met another fellow runner, JB, who has a similar goal like mine. Her goal is to run a half marathon in each state. She is so passionate about running and has suggested races that we can run together. She is ahead of me in her goal but so far we’ve ran four races together and am planning one more this year along with the Dopey/Goofy Challenge next year.

Since making the decision to run a race in each state, I’ve ran 23 races (not all of them have been out of state).

Half marathon-17
Nautical miles-1
10K-1
4 miles-1
5K-2
3.14 Pie-1

To date I’ve done 101 races and have ran in 21 states. I made a small change to my goal and so now it is to run a half marathon in each state. I’ve ran a full marathon in CT and LA and am planning to run a half in October and in February. That sort of messes up my numbers since CT and LA were #4 and 5 but that is OK and won’t worry about it too much.

Each race has been different for me. I’ve been happy, sad, or mad at each race. Why? Because I push myself too much and end up not happy with my finish time. My best time was at the Republic Bank Big Hit Half Marathon (2:20:00) in KY and my worst time at the Lady Speed Stick Women’s Half Marathon (2:49:25) in MN. My goal this year is to finish a sub 2 half marathon. I’ve been told numerous times not to worry too much about the finish time and instead to just enjoy each race. That is so true especially since I’ve been running so many races and I can’t expect each one to be spectacular right? Another problem I have is that I ALWAYS compare myself to others. I know, I know. I need to stop doing that because it does not make the situation any better. Finally, my attitude is not the greatest. I had a HORRIBLE time at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Half Marathon because it rained the whole time. I was miserable and could not wait to finish. However, my friend, Laura, had a different experience. She enjoyed the rain and made the best out of it. And she ran the full marathon!!! Yeah, I need to learn from that girl.

Today I ran the Fort2Base race (10 nautical miles). I’ve never ran a race of this distance but I have ran 11.5 miles. I plan to have a recap this week.

Overall, it has been a good year for running and I am proud of myself. Also, I am looking forward to the rest of my races this year.

Just Keep Running!

18
Aug
2013

Pro Compression Socks Giveaway Winner and Saturday Long Run

categories: Giveaway, Half Marathon Training, Running Gear

Congratulations to Jeffrey Lamers for winning a free pair of Pro Compression Trainer Low socks.

Thanks to everyone that participated in this giveaway. Remember, you can still get your very own pair or pairs and use coupon code JULY for 40% AND free shipping.

Yesterday I went for a 14 miles run. It was a gorgeous day.

I used the Nike + Running app on my phone. I will admit that I liked it!

Total miles ran was 14 miles; fastest was 10:22 and slowest was 12:29.

I used my sample of Blue Steel Sports Anti-Chafe Cream from my StrideBox. Sadly I chafed in the bra area but more than ever! I am convinced it is the bra so I will need to get new ones. However, I did not chafe in the inner thighs so that’s a relief! In the past I’ve used Body Glide and Aquafor but found the latter to be too greasy. I’ve used it twice and have some greasy stains in my shirts. The Blue Steel Sports cream was not greasy at all, in fact it had sort of a silky touch, and had a light tea tree oil scent that goes away in case you are not too fond of the scent.

I am still sore from yesterday’s run and it was only 14 miles. I cringe to think about running 15, 16, 17, etc, miles to prepare for the Goofy Challenge. And I will be doing runs on Saturday AND Sunday! Oh well, that is why it is called a challenge.

Just Keep Running!

14
Aug
2013

Adventures

categories: Adventure

I cannot believe we are halfway through this month! Where did August go? Oh yeah, I am on summer break and it is almost time to go back on the 26th. Yes, I am excited about it.

On Friday I met up with some friends for a sort of goodbye gathering for our friend, LS, because she was moving with her family to Dallas, TX. We’ve all been friends since college and have kept in touch throughout the years. We had a great time! I left with sad eyes because I will miss LS.

I got home late but managed to get up at 5am on Saturday for my run. Ugh, it was tough but I managed 5.46 miles. I enjoyed my run/walk along the lake. I felt tired but still good at the same time.

That afternoon I met my book club friends for lunch and then a painting/wine drinking session at Bottle and Bottega. We were celebrating our 3rd Book Club Anniversary. At first I was a little hesitant because I cannot draw anything for the life of me. You think I would being a first grade teacher right? However, it was so much fun! I relaxed (maybe because of the wine) and just sort of did my own thing.

This is what we had to draw/paint.

Adventures — Source: http://bottleandbottega.com/

Here is my final product. See what I mean about me drawing anything?

Later that evening I did not feel good at all. I was really tired and took a short nap. It was short because I could not stop scratching my legs. I knew it was from the night before but it was just so weird that I only began to feel the itchiness on my way to lunch. By the evening it was worse and that night I felt like crying.

WARNING. BEWARE.

PHOTO MIGHT MAKE YOU CRINGE.

This is what my lower legs and feet looked like. So painful! I thought I was the only one that this had happened to but I asked my other friends anyway and it turned out that most of them has been bitten too. Also, I was told that they were possibly chigger bites. I got some Benadryl cream to help with the itchiness and I felt better by Monday morning. I told myself that if I did not get better by Monday then I would go to the doctor. I am much better now but now have some ugly scars.

On Tuesday I took my nephews to the Willis Tower. There were so many people in line and it took us about 2 hours to make it to the top. Once up there the view was breathtaking!

I found my cup of coffee! You think it holds enough coffee?

And if you’re ever in Chicago and eat a hot dog, never put ketchup on a hot dog.

Don’t forget that tomorrow is the last day to enter my Pro Compression Socks giveaway!!

Just Keep Running!

10
Aug
2013

Pro Compression Socks Giveaway

categories: Giveaway

I am a big fan of Pro Compression Marathon Socks. I have a pair in pink and blue argyle, black, red, purple, neon yellow, neon green, orange, USA (red, blue and white), Christmas (red, white, and green), and white with the green shamrock. I wear them during my races and on Tuesdays for speed workouts and on Thursday for tempo runs. I’ve also worn a pair to recover after a long and/or hard workout. So I guess I pretty much wear these all of the time. And if you see the picture below on the right, I wore my Christmas socks to go with a Dr. Seuss outfit during Dr. Seuss week at school.

A few days ago I received two pairs of the Trainer Low Socks form Pro Compression. These also come in a variety of colors such as yellow, royal blue, baby blue, black, orange, etc. I’ve worn them a few times and these socks are just phenomenal. They fit just right and provide the perfect amount of cushion.

Pro Compression has agreed to give a free pair to one of my readers. If you absolutely cannot wait till the end of the giveaway and want to get your socks NOW, go ahead and order a pair or pairs and use the coupon code JULY for 40% off AND free shipping. Sweet deal right?

Good luck! This contest ends on Friday, August 16th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

07
Aug
2013

Volunteering at Feed My Starving Children

categories: Volunteer

Yesterday I took my nephews to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children. “It is a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s hungry children in body and spirit. The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and we ship the meals to nearly 70 countries around the world.” Source: http://www.fmsc.org

It is very organized. We start with a video explaining the mission, ask/answer questions, wash hands, and put on hairnets. Then we move to the packing room where we are told what to do. Very simple.

Each bag of food has rice, soy nuggets, dehydrated vegetables, vitamins/minerals and must weigh between 380-400 grams. If it is under we add more rice and if it is over then we remove some rice. When we complete 36 bags, we pack them into a box.

In order for a station to function efficiently there needs to be 6-7 volunteers. Depending on the number of volunteers there may be enough to work at all of the stations. In addition, there are some volunteers that pick up the completed boxes and take them to the packing room. There the boxes are packed in pallets ready for shipment to the various countries. Each shift is 2 hours but with the orientation and cleanup the actual volunteer time is about 1 1/2 hours. However, the time goes by fast because everyone is working fast, singing, and just having a good time.

At the end of the shift we get the opportunity to taste a sample of the food. It is actually pretty good. Also, we are told how many boxes we packed during our shift.

It is a great experience! This is my second time going but I hope to volunteer more often instead of going once a year. My 10 year old nephew has agreed to coming along with me as well.

Just Keep Running!