Zenaida Arroyo

02
May
2021

Weekly Run Down: 96.10 miles and one year with my running coach

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

Happy Sunday! Another great week with running along with a few classes on the bike. The weather was up and down with very windy days, to chilly weather, and warmer weather. I hope this month is more consistent.

I had some great workouts this month! I am seeing faster splits which I am hoping will translate to a few PRs either this year or next year. I finished April with 96.10 miles. I was hoping for 100 but it is a big jump from last month (78.22 miles).

I didn’t run in the morning on Monday but instead did it after work. It was nice and warm but WINDY. Glad it was “just” one mile.

Tuesday was a speed day. It was still windy but not as bad as the day before. My workout was 4 miles with 4-45 second surges. Splits were 8:10, 7:55, 7:45, and 7:25. Definitely fast for me but still manageable. I have no idea how other runners can run long miles in those paces. I did this workout on March 9th but with 30 second intervals. Those splits were 9:16, 8:15, 7:39, and 9:30.

These past couple of weeks I’ve done 1/3 and 1/4 mile intervals. On Thursday I did 4-1/2 mile intervals. I am not a big fan of long intervals. I always start off too fast and then struggle with maintaining that pace the rest of the interval. My splits were faster than what my coach asked me to do (10:44, 10:42, 10:28, and 10:18). I was tired at the end. In the last interval I stopped my watch for about 5 seconds for a quick break. I don’t think I could have done another one.

Saturday was 7 miles with one 90 interval/90 recovery after each mile but stopping at 7 miles. I like this run because it makes each mile a bit more interesting. I did this run 2 weeks ago. I compared the splits and while some were faster in yesterday’s run, some were also slower. That is OK. I am still pleased with how I did.

I thought a Live DJ Run would be a fun class to take. Wrong! OMG, the constant talking between the instructor and the DJ was very annoying. Never again will I take these classes. The Calvin Harris Run was OK. I like him but I recognized maybe 2-3 songs.

I also did 3 bike classes (2 with Denis). He is a great instructor! I am liking his classes and the music is great too.

It’s been a year since I started working with my coach. I am very happy with him and have enjoyed my workouts. I am excited for this upcoming week, month, and future months!!

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

30
Apr
2021

Fit Five Friday and April 2021 Runfessions

categories: Fit Five Friday, Runfessions

It’s the last Friday of the month which means Marcia has opened the Runfessional! It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by Darlene, Renée, Jenn, Michelle, and me! Let’s get started, shall we?!

Hello there and Happy Friday! I am excited we are at the end of April. I know you know why I am happy about it. I am taking it day by day and am doing my best to be calm and patient at work. 29 days to go!

I runfess…
That I did not get a period this month. Last month I wrote that in March my period lasted 10 days. I’ve never had one last that long. I already sent a message to my doctor letting her know. It could be pre-menopause, stress, or something else. One thing I know for sure is that I am NOT pregnant. 😊

I runfess…
That I am a bit jealous of seeing people post on Facebook about their vacation. I am happy for them. But deep down inside I do wished that were me going on vacation too. I have the time and the money so what really is the issue? Is it really Covid stopping me or is it something else? Places I want to visit are Mexico, NY, and Washington, DC.

I runfess…
These past few days it’s been going well in school. My secret? I tell my students that if they don’t pay attention, don’t do the assignments, etc, etc., I will remove them from my Google Meet. Then they cannot join again until 24 hours later or I change the meeting code. I do the latter. I also tell them that if parents ask why I removed them, that they should go ahead and tell them. I’ve had to remove a few and for the most part most of them are paying more attention to me.

I runfess…
That all of this running and bike classes is making me more hungry. I need to do better in eating a more filling breakfast so that I am not starving by 10am (my lunch is at 11:30am on Monday and at 12:30 pm the other days). I make a shake/smoothie with oatmeal, almond milk, and protein powder. Sometimes I add a banana or spinach. I thought that the oatmeal would fill me up but it doesn’t. It doesn’t help that I am rushing when I get home from my run since I need to shower, get ready, and leave for work.

I runfess…
That while the extra money is nice teaching summer school, sometimes I have no desire to do it anymore. I had to pick whether I wanted to do remote or in person teaching. I picked in person and then changed it to remote. However, there is no guarantee that I would be given what I select. I like remote because it means no kids in the room and I do not have to wear a mask. I like in person because I miss having kids in the classroom. I have 3 right now (different days) and it is nice having them. Each option has pros and cons. I know the school I will be teaching but still do not know the grade. Hopefully soon I will find out!

Again, thanks for listening!!

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. I am also linking up with Marcia for Runfessions.

27
Apr
2021

Tuesday Topics: April 2021 Review

categories: Monthly Review, Tuesday Topics

This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic. 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 know April is not over yet. We still have a few more days left. Things are going well in the running department and I am trying to stay positive and taking it day by day in the work department.

I will use the same format from my last monthly review of October 2020.

At the end of April we’ll be 1/3 done with 2021. Time is going by fast!

Mileage: As of this morning I’ve run 87.54 miles. There are 3 more days left in April and based on my schedule, I will run 8 miles in those 3 days. I won’t make it to 100 miles but so far April will be my highest mileage month. My highest mileage ever was 186.27 miles in July 2016.

Highest Mileage Week: 24.61. It was this past week and it took me 5:08:31 hours.

Current Challenge: My running streak. Today is day #242. Total miles is 668.55. It is still going well and I am hoping to make it to one year.

Current Book: None but I am waiting for “The Soul of a Woman” by Isabel Allende. I need to check Wendy’s posts since she always has some great suggestions of books to read.

Current Song: No specific song but I am loving anything 80s.

Current Shoes: Brooks Launch 5 and Brooks Levitate 1. I wanted to replace the Launch at the end of March, but sadly had about 200 miles in them due to low mileage in February. I will hit 300 miles in May and will then add either the Launch 7 or Ghost 12.

2021 Running Goal: My goal this year is to run 1,200 miles. I am at 22% done with 264.58 miles. I know last month I thought about changing my goal to 1,000 miles. I will revisit again in June, since I plan to run more miles in the Summer, and make a decision.

What am I looking forward to next month? Almost the end of the school year! You knew I was going to say that, right? Have I mentioned that my last day is June 9th? 😊

How is April going for you?

Tuesday Topics

25
Apr
2021

Weekly Run Down: Some new PRs and a few days off

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

Happy Sunday! The week does go by fast when you work for 3 days. This week I took 2 well deserved days off. But before I tell you about it, let me tell you about my runs.

I am on cloud nine because I had an awesome week of running. My workouts were similar to last week – 4 days of easy/recovery runs and 3 days of speed workouts.

On Tuesday I did 4 miles and then 4 intervals each lasting 45 seconds with a one minute recovery. Then I ran till I hit 5 miles. I told my coach that I didn’t want to do the workout because I didn’t want to run 5 miles before work, but overall it was a great run. It was even more fun with a 30 minute BHM: Motown Run. Great music!

The past couple of weeks I did 1/4 intervals and this week it was 1/3 intervals. It was a little longer which made me nervous. I did 5 of them with the same distance in recovery. Then I ended it with a half mile cool down. Not only were the the splits faster than what my coach asked me to do, but they were all negative splits (11:02, 10:35, 10:08, 10:01, and 9:30). 😊

Yesterday I did the same workout from 2 weeks ago (6 miles with one 90 interval/90 recovery after each mile but stopping at 6 miles). Splits from last week were 9:52, 9:46, 9:04, 8:35, and 8:53 and yesterday they were 9:16, 9:34, 8:56, 8:49, and 8:30. I am making improvements!

Bitmoji Image I took 3 bike classes and managed to get a PR in each one. Normally I don’t start off a class hoping for a PR, but as the class progresses I then gauge if I can do it or not. Sometimes I am so close and miss it by a few points but that is alright with me. Tuesday’s 30 minute class was on the same day I ran 5 miles. I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea to do that long of a class on that day. I was tired and my legs were sore too but am happy with how I did.

I know a bike class needs fun music for it to be even more fun. I have bookmarked all of the 70s, 80s, 90s pop music, Latin, and Live DJ rides ranging from 15-60 minutes. Total is 555 classes. Now I wished there were more running classes with that type of music.

As you know I’ve been so frustrated at work. Everything has been bothering me and I was getting very annoyed with my students. I have 28 students and only 4 girls do the work and participate. The others are quiet or don’t do much in class. A few goof off or log in whenever they want. One student told me that she does not know how to find the weekly schedule and the assignments. We’re almost in May!!! Plus, I had to give two ACCESS Test (Writing and Speaking) to two of my students. Oh, and then we had a bus evacuation drill which I honestly thought was a waste of time. I had to wait longer than necessary and why are we doing this drill? No one is going on a field trip. The school/district is worried about cross contamination, but yet I was in a bus with 2 other teachers and 4 students that are not in my room (one is a sibling to one of my students). All of this took time away from my other students since I had to give them asynchronous work while all of this was happening.

I was off Thursday and Friday. It felt good to be off. I caught up on reading blog posts and watched Grey’s Anatomy. My coworkers kept me updated on what was happening at school. On Friday one of them subbed for my class. However, there was a room supervisor in my room because one of my students was there. (You are probably wondering why that student was not in the other teacher’s classroom. Students are “not allowed” to go to another teacher’s room. Let me just say that everything about this is messed up). I had told mom that I was not going to be in school hoping that she would keep him home. She didn’t. Apparently that student was eating in the classroom. No! We do not eat in the classroom, especially during class time. I got really annoyed with his mom for sending him to school with food. I won’t see him again till Wednesday and will ask him what happened. Oh, and I decided to take off 2 more days the following week. I joke with my coworkers that I have enough sick days to take the rest of the year off. We have 30 more work days to go!

Matty asked this question in his class. Which group do you vote for, The Temptations or The Four Tops? My vote is for The Temptations.

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

23
Apr
2021

Fit Five Friday: 5 things to remember from April 2020

categories: Fit Five Friday

Somehow I was looking for an old post and ended up reading posts from last year. So many things have happened since last year! While we are still in a pandemic, some things are the same and some are different. Join me as I go down memory lane to remember a few things from April 2020.

🗓️ Martini – I do love my martinis but just recently finished that bottle of sour apple pucker. I have no idea why it took me so long. And even with that book, I have not made different ones. I’ve been been drinking more wine. 😬 Still no Martini Party. Maybe next year?

🗓️ Rainbow challenge – This was a fun one! It was also during this time that our Governor extended the stay at home order till May 30th and school was also cancelled for the rest of the year. It was a rough week for me and I cried during one of my runs. I am still having rough weeks but no crying.

🗓️ Remote learning – Who would have thought that I would still be doing remote learning? So much has happened and changed and I am really frustrated with all of it. I’ve been teaching from my classroom since January and I’ve had 3 students in my room since last month. I still send letters to my students. As a way to reward and motivate them, I send them $5 gift cards when they do well in class, a test, an assignment, etc. Will remote learning continue in the Fall?

🗓️ Zoom meetup with blogger friends – Can we do this again?

🗓️ My first Peloton run class – I am so glad I decided to take another class with him again. And then again and again. He is one of my favorite instructors. The constant chatting doesn’t bother me as much anymore. He always has something interesting to say during class. Many times I am learning something new from him. I love his laughter and the many motivating things he mentions. One of my favorites is “Wish for what you want and be ready to receive it”. I might have missed a word or two.

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.