Zenaida Arroyo

16
May
2021

Weekly Run Down: My 200th Peloton run and getting ready for the end of the school year

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

Happy Sunday! This week was another week where the weather was up and down. Yesterday it was cloudy with some rain and I felt like something was off. This week is supposed to warm up so that is exciting!

On Monday morning I did my 200th run with Matty. I signed up for this run the week before. It was a good class but imagine my confusion when all of a sudden it was over. I stopped and checked my watch thinking “no way is it already 30 minutes”. Well, it turned out that the class was 20 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

I didn’t sleep well Monday night and woke up on Tuesday very tired. My workout was run 5 miles, 4-45 second surges with 1 minute recovery, and ending at 6 miles with a cool down. I did the workout on Wednesday since I felt much better. It was sunny and no wind…just perfect.

The rest of the week went well too. I ran 7 miles on Saturday. I took it easy and walked when I wanted to. I listened to music and thought about home life and school. Excited because I am planning to take a few days off!

This week my students took their MAP tests. I thought all school districts in IL were required to have students take the test. One of my friends works in CPS and she said the students in her school were not required. Ugh! That is very annoying and frustrating. Whomever is making these decisions doesn’t know what they’re doing. Kids do not need more tests. Anyway, my students took 2 tests in Reading and Math in both English and Spanish. Let’s just say some were very tired and had no interest in taking another test. Some students clicked on any possible answer in order to finish it. Some were on the bed taking the test (I told them to get off the bed). Some were laughing and talking and looking at something else but the screen (one student said she was talking to her brother). One student logged off before finishing the test and never came back. What an exciting week! I am supposed to do makeups and heck no, I am not doing that. 😬 I already did 4 days of testing. If the school wants these kids to make up a test then they will need to make the arrangements. Bitmoji Image

I spent a few days packing up my classroom too. I know next year I will be a Dual Language teacher which means I would be using new Reading materials. Our District will also be using a new Math curriculum. Now I wait to find out what to do with said materials. Here are some pictures from Tuesday. More things have been packed up. My goal is to be complete done packing this week.

I also finished the Selena series. I do not know how much of it is accurate but I thought it was a good story. I enjoyed learning more about her. I do wonder how her life would be like if she hadn’t died.

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

14
May
2021

Fit Five Friday: 5 reasons I love my Peloton bike

categories: Fit Five Friday, Peloton Bike

I received my bike in August 2019. Yep, before the pandemic. I ordered it August 3 and received it 10 days later. I will admit that I didn’t use it as much as I wanted to. Early this year I resumed my membership after pausing it for a few months. Now I use it about 3 days a week. I am happy with that since I run everyday.

Read along to find out why I am loving it.

🚴🏻‍♀️ Variety of classes – The list is long with over 1,000 different classes. You can pick from 5 minute to 90 minute classes. You can also pick classes for beginners, low impact, intervals, climb, and theme. Let’s not forget the music. There is latin, pop, rock, etc. The 80s and 90s pop ride classes are lots of fun. One of my favorite classes is the 30 minute Momento Latino Ride with Robin. The playlist made me dance and sing while on the bike.

🚴🏻‍♀️ Fun and great instructors – There are over 20 instructors offering classes. My favorite instructor is Cody but I have ventured out and have also taken classes with Denis, Ally, Jenn, Robin, Olivia, Erik, Tunde, Alex, Leanne, Ben, Christine, Leanne, Emma, and Hannah. Cody ALWAYS makes me laugh. His classes are the perfect ones to take when I need someone to cheer me up.

🚴🏻‍♀️ Convenient – There is simply no excuse since I do not have to go anywhere to use it. The bike is in my living room. Sometimes I use it while watching TV.

🚴🏻‍♀️ Not just bike classes – With the Peloton membership there are many other classes to pick. There is strength, yoga, cardio, meditation, running, tread bootcamp, bike bootcamp, and walking. I’ve done mostly cycling and running with a few walking, strength, stretching, and meditation classes. There is seriously many classes available.

🚴🏻‍♀️ Affordable monthly fee – I pay $39 per month (Peloton All-Access Membership). Honestly I think it is a great deal as I mentioned that there are many different classes available. There is also a Peloton Digital Membership for $12.99 per month. With the latter a Peloton hardware is not required and you can use a computer, phone, tablet, or TV to access the classes.

Are you a Peloton user? Bike or treadmill or both?

Thanks for linking up with us again this week! We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites! Join hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please add your link below.

11
May
2021

Tuesday Topics: Day in the life of a teacher during remote learning

categories: Tuesday Topics

This week’s Tuesday Topic is: What are some of your disastrous running costumes or race outfits? 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 to write about a day in the life of a teacher during remote learning. I will make it as exciting as possible! 😀

As you know, school is very different right now. In the beginning of the school year I worked from home. Then in January I taught in an empty classroom. Since March I’ve had 3 kids on various days in my classroom while still teaching online to the rest. It is a BIG mess and I do not like it. I know it needs to get done so I make the best of it.

Here is a typical day for me (I chose Tuesday):

5:30-7:30 AM
I get up and make coffee. Then I check my email. I also read blog posts and comments. Since it is Tuesday I make sure my post is up. Then I go out for my run. For the past couple of weeks, Tuesday has been a speed workout day and I run between 3-5 miles. Today it was 6 miles.

After my run I shower and get ready for work. I get my coffee and breakfast ready and head out the door.

7:30-8:30 AM
I arrive at school between 8-8:30am. I live 6 miles from my school and there is minimal traffic in the morning which makes it for an easy commute.

During this time I eat breakfast, drink coffee, check work email, and go to the bathroom. Then at 8:30am I go downstairs to get my students. I have 2 that come in on Tuesday and Wednesday and 1 student on Thursday and Friday.

8:30-8:50 AM
My students log in their computer and work on Imagine Math or Imagine Español. I finish up any last minute things that I need to do.

8:50-9:15 AM
I log in and then my students log in. I take attendance. We talk about what they did the day before. We go over the number of days we’ve been in school. This is all done via Google Slides. Last week I added two slides to include the last day of school and the number of days left of school. If time permits we also do “Would You Rather”. I check if anyone else has logged in and submit my attendance. I remind them to finish their breakfast and to take a bathroom break.

9:15-12:05 PM
The first subject is Reading. Currently we are reading John Chapman in Spanish. The book is originally in English but it is a difficult book for them to read and understand. Last year my coworker translated it and it is still difficult for most of them in Spanish. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Then we have Writing. We are working on revise and edit sentences/paragraphs. My students struggle with writing. Many do not write complete sentences. Many don’t start sentences with capital letters nor add punctuation at the end. It is very frustrating! The worst part is that they’ve been using their Chromebook for the past year and have not done any writing with pencil and paper.

Then we move on to Social Studies/Science. The last unit I taught was on “How can one people make a difference?” We talked about Garrett Morgan, Jane Addams, Luis Valdez, and Susan La Flesche Picotte. Even I learned about Susan!

The last subject I teach is Math. It is my favorite! We have an hour for it. I teach the lesson and then they work on their assignment. Last week we finished the unit on even/odd and arrays. Next week I will start the unit on fractions.

School with me ends at 12:05 pm. I tell my students to have a good lunch and afternoon and that I will see them the next day.

12:05-12:25 PM
We finish up. My two students use the bathroom one last time before going home (I do too). At 12:15 we go downstairs so they can go home. I stick around for door/playground duty until 12:25 pm. Then I go inside for lunch.

12:25-1:00 PM
Lunch time!

1:00-1:40 PM
Meeting time with my coworkers. Each week we alternate between Reading and Math. We talk about assessments, assignments, students, etc, etc. Sometimes we just vent on all of the BS that we have to do.

1:40-3:00 PM
I plan for the next day. I also review assignments. I talk to my coworkers. Sometimes I just put my head down and take a break.

After work I may stop at the store or go straight home. On a good day I am home by 3:30 pm but sometimes there is more traffic than usual and I am home at 4pm. Then I take a quick nap or rest for a bit before taking a Peloton bike class.

Afterwards I shower and eat dinner while reading blog posts. Sometimes I skip the blog posts and watch TV. That is why sometimes I am very late is reading and responding to comments. 😬 By 9pm I am tired. I give my cats a snack and go to bed.

Sleeping

How did I do? Is my day exciting? I realize the schedule is not ideal for students because I don’t spend enough time teaching the various subjects. There have been many complaints about it. However, I have NO complaints about it.

Tuesday Topics

09
May
2021

Weekly Run Down: Happy Mother’s Day and Appreciation Week

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

Happy Sunday! Happy Mother’s Day to you, your mom, aunt, grandma, sister, etc. Honestly, I think Mother’s Day should be every single day. Moms are truly amazing!

This week was very similar to last week. I had some great runs which left me feeling more confident. Today was when my body didn’t want to cooperate and I ran half of my 3 mile run. It was windy and chilly. I know it is my choice to run but I just didn’t want to deal with it today.

On Tuesday I ran 4 miles and then 4-45 second surges. The last time I did this workout was April 20th. Some of the paces for the splits were faster this week but also slower than the previous run two weeks ago. That is OK.

On Thursday I did again 5-1/3 mile intervals with the same distance in recovery. I remember waking up exhausted in the morning and didn’t get up till 6:30am. I knew I wouldn’t have enough time for my run so I decided to run after work. I don’t remember why I procrastinated so long but I ended up doing my run at almost 7pm. Maybe that contributed to my “slower” pace than the last time I did this workout (April 22nd)?

Saturday was 6 miles again with one 90 interval/90 recovery after each mile but stopping at 6 miles. Some splits were faster and some were slower than the previous run two weeks ago. I am still pleased with how I did. I’ve mentioned that I like this workout and enjoy running 6-7 miles on Saturday.

This week was Teacher Appreciation Week. I got some great gifts from our administrators. Last year I received a front lawn sign and I still have it! I received a message from 3 students and one of them gave me a balloon, candy, and a plant. But can I tell you that I didn’t get one thank you note from any parent? Nada, zilch, nothing. It must be because they are all fed up with me from removing their child from class and/or letting them know their child hasn’t been turning in their assignments. 😉 😜

The District also sent a tweet acknowledging every single teacher.

The weather has been up and down. Last weekend was warm and sunny. The rest of the week was cold (for May) and cloudy. Yesterday it did warm up a little but but then got cold again. Not sure what happened last night but I saw this today while on my run. The tree was in the middle of the street.

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

07
May
2021

Fit Five Friday and May Ultimate Coffee Date

categories: Fit Five Friday, Ultimate Coffee Date

Hello May! It seems like May would never get here. I’ve been waiting for it since last year. Haha, counting the days till school is over. It isn’t warm in Chicago, but I would still drink either hot or iced coffee. I like them both. So grab a cup of your favorite drink and let’s chat.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that RoadID has the BEST customer service. Months ago I won a gift card hosted by Jenn. I finally ordered a prism faceplate about two weeks ago and received it a few days later. It is pretty but I felt like the name and contact information were hard to see. I wrote to them letting them know I wasn’t happy with the product I ordered. They offered to exchange it for me or give me a refund. I opted for an exchange and picked a slate one. I asked if I should return the prism nameplate. They said to keep it. Now that is what I call 100% satisfaction guaranteed!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I secretly smile and laugh (or maybe it is a runfession) when I am running and see the speed light cameras go off. Many people are horrible drivers and like to speed up. I wish we could get one in the corner where I live. There is a stop sign but many drivers slow down instead of making a complete stop. Imagine how much money the city could make from that corner?

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I find it ridiculous when someone says “Happy Cinco de Mayo”. I honestly do not understand the big deal with it.

If we were having coffee…
I’d ask you if you have been watching season 2 of “Selena: The Series”. I know many people criticized the first season. They prefer the movie with Jennifer Lopez. I am liking the series because there is more focus on her and how her career started. I also love the love story between her and Chris.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that my doctor told me that I may be starting peri-menopause. She told me to keep track of any periods and any possible menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. I am “glad” I am not getting a period but not looking forward to hot flashes or night sweats.