Zenaida Arroyo

This week’s Tuesday Topic is:  What are your goals for 2022?  You can write about this topic or feel free to post any running related blog post.  Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!

I can’t believe 2021 is almost over.  Wow, time to start thinking about next year.  Last year I wrote my goals for 2021 and, unfortunately, did not reach all of them.  I will be including them again in this post for next year.  

✅ Stay injury free.  This year I had a minor calf strain and plantar fasciitis in the Summer but it wasn’t serious that I had to stop running for weeks or months.  I try to use everyday my massage gun and my mother’s foot and calf massager.

✅ Buy a house.  Yep, still on my list.  Still looking.  I am giving myself till the Summer to move.  I don’t want to move in the middle of the year (especially while training for my race), but if I have to then I will.

✅ Travel.  This year I traveled to work, to the laundromat, and to the store.  Hopefully next year I will at least leave the state.  At least I did leave the city.  🤣

✅ Continue to be patient at work and at home.  I noticed a change towards the end of the year.  I wasn’t as angry as I would usually get.  At work I pick my battles and mainly focused on the things that I can control (mainly in my classroom).  I do need to work on being more patient with parents.  Ugh, sometimes they drive me crazy with the things they do and/or don’t do for their child.

✅ PR in my 50k.  My PR is 6:20:55 from 2012.  That is a 12:14 pace.  😮

✅ Run 1,200 miles.  I was planning to run that this year but unfortunately had to change it to 1,000 miles.  

✅ Complete 300 Peloton rides.  I’ve been slacking with my bike.  Running has been taking a lot of my time, but I know that if I plan it correctly, I can fit in a bike ride after work.  

This week’s Tuesday Topic is:  Your year in photos.  You can write about this topic or feel free to post any running related blog post.  Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!

What a year this has been!  Thanks to everyone for linking up with us this year.  

Let’s recap this year.  As I was writing this post I realized that I didn’t have photos for everything that I mention here.  

January:

⭐ Began a new linkup with Darlene, Michelle, Jenn, and Renée. 

⭐ Went back to work in the classroom.  Still no students so it was me, myself, and I in my room.

⭐ Inauguration Day!!  One of the best days this year.

February:

⭐ Lots of snow this month.  Ran in one of the coldest days.  You can see the ice on my eyelashes.

⭐ Got my first covid vaccine.

⭐ Fell again but only scraped my knee.

March:

⭐ Began a new hybrid schedule at work and had some students in my classroom.

⭐ Got my 2nd vaccine.

⭐ Made it to 200 days of my run streak.

⭐ Did my 100th bike ride with Cody.

 April:

⭐ Celebrated Lola’s birthday.  My precious!  I love her.

⭐ Dislike Nike even more after reading the book “Win at all costs”. 

May:

⭐ Teacher Appreciation Week!

⭐ Did my 200th Peloton run!
⭐ The AC stopped working and we all struggled.  Even the cats!

June:

⭐ Celebrated Global Running Day!

⭐ Done with school!  One of the worst years of my teaching career.  

⭐ Started 4 weeks of Summer School.  Luckily it wasn’t remote and I enjoyed having students in the classroom.  Oh and it was a beautiful school (not the same one I currently teach in).

⭐ Nephews from San Antonio and Seattle came to visit.  Hadn’t seen them in over 2 years.  Went to Tzuco.

August:

⭐ Did my 300th Peloton run!

⭐ Bought some new shoes.

⭐ Went to school to set up my classroom.  Excited for a new year with all students in the room.

⭐ Saw Chicago PD being filed close to my house.  I saw Jay and Hailey.  The episode aired on October 7th.

⭐ Began a new school year with 21 students.  

⭐ Completed my running streak!  

September:

⭐ Celebrated my mother’s birthday!  Grateful for another year she is with us.

⭐ Cheered for Cody in Dancing with the Stars.

⭐ Did a virtual Open House with my coworkers.  All teachers had to be at school till 8pm.  We could have done this at home.

October:

⭐ Began training for my 50k.

⭐ Survived the Facebook and Instagram blackout.

⭐ I saw with my own eyes the world’s tiniest pencil.  One of my former students was using it in class.

⭐ Got my booster and flu shot with my mom.  

⭐ Went to the airport with my mom to pick up from nephew.  He came home for 2 weeks.

⭐ Spectated the Chicago Marathon.

⭐ Bought another pair of shoes.

November:

⭐ Virtual parent/teacher conferences.  I was all alone in my room.  

⭐ Last pair of shoes for this year.  

⭐ Celebrated my birthday.

December:

⭐ Counting down the days till Winter Break.  Two more days to go.

⭐ Realized I need 60 miles to meet my goal of running 1,000 miles this year.  Coach said I will run 36 miles this week and 32 the following week.  Looks like I will make it.

This week’s Tuesday Topic is:  Show us your year in bling!  You can write about this topic or feel free to post any running related blog post.  Remember to link up with Kim and Zenaida!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!

I’m deviating from this week’s topic (I didn’t run any races this year so no bling) to write about a topic that was talked about a few weeks ago.  I missed the linkup that week and am now writing about it.  

I do not own a treadmill.  I really wished I did.  Once I have more room, I plan to get a Peloton treadmill.  I know Kim has one and she loves it.  I do like running outside but sometimes the weather is not the best.  Also, training for a 50k requires longer runs and I am not sure how much earlier I can get out in the morning to get it done and be on time for work.

Anyway, I’ve done many, many runs on the treadmill.  There was one year where I did a lot of my runs on it while training for the Chicago Marathon.  I actually do not mind the treadmill at all.  I do like it.  I know many people don’t and that is OK.

Here are some tips that worked for me.  

• Listen to fun music.  I have a variety of Spanish and English music and various playlists.  Depending on how I was feeling is the music I would pick.  

• Watch TV.  Sometimes music gets on my nerves so I prefer to watch TV.  I’ve watched whatever is playing on the television or a show on my iPad.

• Change incline and/or pace.  I did my runs at 0% incline but made sure to change the pace.  I would set a timer for 1:30/2:00 minutes or 3:00/4:00 minutes and then change the pace (I would have 3 different paces) at the sound of the buzzer.  Or I would change it after each song.  This would make the run a bit more exciting and made the time go by faster.

• Break up the run into parts.  I never did a run without stopping.  Who wants to run 10 miles without stopping?  Not me.  For a run of that distance, I would run 2.5 miles, take a quick break, and run again 2.5 miles.  Then I would use the bathroom and/or get more water and repeat for the rest of the 5 miles.  Something similar could be done for 12, 14, or 16 miles.  The key is to not think of it as a LONG run of 12, 14, 16 miles but instead as short and quick runs with breaks in between.

Yes or no to treadmill running?