Zenaida Arroyo

02
Apr
2021

Fit Five Friday and April Ultimate Coffee Date

categories: Fit Five Friday, Ultimate Coffee Date

Hello April! Like Jenn mentioned in her post, we are 1/4 through the year. Wow! These past few months were a blur, well, except for February with that awful weather. 🙂

I am still on Spring Break, but today is my last day. However, I am also off on Monday and then Tuesday is a Remote Planning Institute Day (I can work from home). This week also went by fast. No complaints. So, grab your favorite drink and let’s chat.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I want to go on vacation. I just want to go somewhere and get away. I have my good days and bad days and I am itching for some time alone. Is that bad? I know the pandemic has affected everyone but like everyone else I am just so tired of it. I want to travel to NYC and to Washington, DC.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I want to buy anther Garmin watch (245) just because of the walking feature. My 235 does not have it. Do I really need a new watch? No. But I do want to have the feature when I do go out for a walk. There’s been a few times when it’s been so windy and I’ve had no desire to deal with it while running, that I’d just go for a 20 minute walk. You will then tell me that I don’t like to walk. You are right. However, lately, I don’t mind it. I usually do a Peloton class or listen to a podcast. You will be shocked because I don’t like podcasts either.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I find this whole virtual Boston Marathon thing a bit crazy and silly. I get it that it’s been tough on the running industry but they are taking advantage of people wanting to supposedly race a Boston Marathon and get a unicorn medal. It isn’t even on the actual course. Plus, $125 is a lot of money for a virtual race. So am I a hypocrite if I tell you that, since I will never qualify for it, if I were given an entry to it, I will take it?

If we were having coffee…
I’d ask you “What do you do about all of the ads on Instagram?” This past week I spent some time going through quite a few of them and hiding them and either selecting “It’s irrelevant” or “I see it too often”. I’d ask you if I just wasted my time by doing that.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I know you are tired of hearing about me wanting to buy a house. While I am excited about it, I am also nervous. I know the interest rates are low. Actually, they’ve gone up a little bit. House now are still so expensive. More than they were last year. I live on the south side of Chicago where it isn’t that expensive but seeing prices for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath for $250,000-$300,000 scares me. I remember years ago when I started looking I did not want to spend more than $225K (I thought it was too much). Now I have no choice.

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 Running with Perseverance and Confessions of a Mother Runner for the Ultimate Coffee Date.

29
Mar
2021

Tuesday Topics: My daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals

categories: Tuesday Topics

This week’s Tuesday Topic is: Do you set a weekly goal? Monthly? Yearly? 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!

Hello there! How is everyone doing today? Today is day 2 of Spring Break. Yesterday was glorious…loving Spring Break. I will write more about it in Sunday’s post. For now let’s talk about goals. I have daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. I am happy to say that this is the first time I’ve actually written them down. 🙂

Yearly
➡️ At the beginning of the year, I set my goal to run 1,200 miles. As you know, February was not a good month for me due to the weather (34.26 miles). March has been better (74.71 miles) but still my mileage is not what I wanted it to be. That is OK. I might have to change that yearly goal. Maybe 1,000 miles?

Monthly
➡️ In order to meet my goal of running 1,200 miles this year, my monthly goal is 100 miles. I may need to adjust it.

➡️ Buy coffee 4-5 days per month. I have both a coffee maker and a Keurig so there is really no reason for me to stop at Starbucks of Dunkin Donuts for a coffee. I do like their coffee though but know it is expensive.

Weekly
➡️ No specific mileage but just do the workouts assigned by my coach. I do my best but sometimes a run doesn’t happen or is cut short due to the weather or not feeling it.

➡️ Do 2-3 bike classes on the Peloton. I mean that is the reason I bought the bike.

➡️ Take my lunch to work 4 days a week and order out one day. I work hard. I treat myself. Sometimes I even have leftovers and that is dinner for me.

Daily
➡️ Not bring any work to do at home. Sometimes I don’t get to finish all of my work and I end up finishing it over the weekend. I remember a few years ago I would bring work home almost every day. Now it is just maybe an hour or two to finish my lesson plans.

➡️ Leave work at 3pm. We do have a staff meeting on Wednesday and on those days I leave at 4pm.

➡️ Drink 8 cups of water. I have a 32 oz water bottle that I take to work. I like to finish it before leaving work. Then at home I refill it again and try to finish it before I go to bed. There are days when I don’t finish the bottle and there are days when I refill it 3 or 4 times. Balance, right?

Tuesday Topics

How about you? Do yo make daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals?

28
Mar
2021

Weekly Run Down: Afternoon runner and kids in the classroom

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

Hello there! Tomorrow is my first day of Spring Break! I’ve been waiting for this week for weeks! Haha! I have no traveling plans but want to finish up a couple of things for school, read a few books, and watch TV. Relax, right? I am excited for Thursday to watch Law and Order! Anyone else?

As you know I prefer to run in the morning. But this week was all about running in the afternoon. I could not wake up in time to run and then get to work. It is weird how years ago I would wake up around 4:30-5:00 to run, get ready for work, and get to work around 7am. I am thinking that something is wrong with me. I’ve just been more tired than usual.

I ran in a few new Oiselle items that I bought. New gear makes me happy. Right, Shathiso?

This week I celebrated my 150th run with Matty. No shoutout from him but he did make one for a friend of mine that lives in Chicago. I had no idea she was doing the same run until she posted it on Instagram. But during the run I did not hear the actual shout (it was towards the end and I was tired of battling with the wind) so then I went back to listen again. Gonna try again for my 200th run!

After a year of teaching online and not having any students in the classroom, I had two students on Tuesday and Wednesday. I had so many emotions that day. I was nervous, scared, and excited. After Spring Break, there will be 3 students on Tuesday/Wednesday and 2 students on Thursday/Friday. While I do like having them in the room, the most difficult thing is wearing a mask. We all have to wear one. It is hard to breathe and talk. I found myself talking louder so my students that are at home could hear me. Oh and we had a fire drill on Tuesday!! 😀

On Saturday I stayed in pajamas pretty much all day. I finished reading “The Vanishing Half” and then went out to run around 5:30pm. The book is so good! Wow! I had to run 5 miles but instead ran 1.5 miles (Sunday’s workout). That night I did not sleep well then woke up on Sunday hungry and with a headache. The plan was to run 5 miles (Saturday’s workout). Nope. It was WINDY and cold. Could not do it.

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

26
Mar
2021

Fit Five Friday and March 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?!

Today is the last day of work before Spring Break. It is also the last Friday in March so it is time for Runfessions. This month was just blah. I was happy, sad, and angry. I smiled but also cried. My Runfessions for this month are all over the place. Actually some of more complaints. 😬 Thank you all in advance for listening.

I runfess…
That I am still learning something new about this whole menstrual cycle thing. We can talk about this, right? I’ve been tracking it on the Garmin Connect app. A few years ago my period would last about 4-5 days. Now for the past year or so, it’s been longer than 5 days. I don’t like it one bit. For this month, my first day was the 15th and it ended on the 24th. That is 10 days. That is long. Should I be concerned?

I runfess…
That 5 months after buying my car, I learned that it has a remote starter. That would have come in handy in February when we had those really cold days. A few weeks ago I had to take my car to the dealer for something else and I felt so stupid asking the technician about it. Not only did they confirm the remote starter, but they also showed me how it works. And why did I take my car there in the first place? For some weird reason the windows would go down and the sunroof would open. I thought it was something electrical. No, it turns out that somehow when the keys are in my pocket or purse, something would press on the “open” button (for longer than necessary) causing those things to happen. Apparently, it has happened to many of their customers. Sigh, while I do like my new car, I also miss my old one.

I runfess…
That I’ve noticed more gray hair and I don’t like it one bit. A few I’ve been able to pluck out with tweezers but then they come back or more show up days later. Thanks Orgain Collagen Peptides! I know it is part of life but I am just not ready for them now.

I runfess…
That all of the Reels on Instagram are starting to annoy me. Yes, I know I don’t have to watch them. But I do wonder what is the point of them. The ones I’ve been seeing a lot are of people dancing and/or singing. Is there more to it? Am I missing something here? Is it just me?

I runfess…
That I really want to know what an influencer is supposed to do. Lately I’ve been seeing more of them on Instagram. Maybe I shouldn’t use Instagram anymore? It seems like more and more of them will just post about a “great” or “fabulous” item just to get paid. It makes me wonder if they really like all of the items they’re promoting. Well, let me tell you that I skim through them while also rolling my eyes. 🙄 🙄

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.

23
Mar
2021

Tuesday Topics: Races I never want to run

categories: Tuesday Topics

This week’s Tuesday Topic is: Is there a popular race you never want to run? 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!

My last race was the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon last year. I am not sure if I will run any races this year, but hopefully in the Fall I can race again. While I am itching to run a race, there are a few races that I would never want to run. Does that make me boring? 🙂

🚫 The Barkley Marathons – “The Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon trail race held in Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg, Tennessee. If runners complete 60 miles this is known as a “fun run.” The full course is about 100 miles. The race is limited to a 60-hour period, and takes place in late March or early April of each year.” 100 miles? No thanks.

🚫 The Color Run – “The Color Run, also known as the Happiest 5K on the Planet, is a unique event that celebrates healthiness, happiness, and individuality. Now the largest running series in the world, The Color Run has been experienced by over 8 million runners worldwide in 50+ countries.” I know these are fun races but they’re not for me. I want a finish time. I want to do better than my previous race. I want a PR. And if I don’t get one then I will keep on trying.

🚫 Cupid’s Undie Run – Run in just my underwear? A big NO! 🤣 🤣

🚫 Races that cost an arm and leg to get there – Well, honestly I cannot say that I will never run them. I’ve done one in MT because there aren’t that many races in MT and I had to run it for my Race in the 50 States goal. I paid more than $500 for my flight. The hotel was either $200 or $300 and it wasn’t even close to the start line. It was a great course but honestly don’t think it was worth all of the money I paid. I have a few more states (WY, SD, ND, and ID) to run that will probably cost the same so I need to suck it up. 🙂

What about you? Are any of these races on your list too?

Tuesday Topics