Zenaida Arroyo

05
Jul
2024

Fit Five Friday: 5 things about the 2024 Elmhurst 4 on the 4th

We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and me for another Fit Five Friday link-up!

For today’s post, I will write about the Elmhurst 4 on the 4th. I ran this race yesterday and am happy I ran it again.

Here are some fun things about the race:

•I’ve been doing this race since 2013. It was cancelled in 2020 and I skipped it in 2021. More than 10 years of running this race. It is a fun race – there aren’t that many races that are 4 miles.

• I didn’t train for this race. It didn’t matter. I still wanted to run it because it is one of my favorite races. I am in week 2 of marathon training and actually felt OK during my run. I did better than I thought I would do.

• I didn’t pay attention to pace. I ran by feel and walked when I wanted to walk. I got positive splits and my last two miles were the same pace.

• Packet pick-up is on race day. I love it when races have this option. I know sometimes it isn’t easy to get to packet pickup. I got my bib and shirt and used the port-a-potty one last time before I lined up for the race.

• It made me feel good. I had no goal except to have fun and that is what I did. I was tired at the end but I felt good afterwards finishing a race.

The topic for next week’s Fit Fit Friday – 5 fitness goals for the last half of the year. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!

05
Jul
2024

Fit Five Friday and July 2024 Ultimate Coffee Date

categories: Fit Five Friday, Ultimate Coffee Date

Welcome to the July edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah. It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by My First 5K and More, Running with Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and me!

Now, grab a mug of your favorite beverage, and let’s chat briefly!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I finally signed up to run the Fargo Half Marathon. It will be on May 31, 2025. However, I’ve been wanting to run the Bank of America Half Marathon and next year the race will be on June 1st. I haven’t made any travel arrangements but am thinking of running the half in Fargo, coming back that same day, and running the other half the next day. Crazy idea?

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you July 4th is a special day for me because it was the day my family and I emigrated from Mexico in 1978. I am grateful for my parents and for everything this country has given me. However, this year I was not feeling very patriotic. I am not going to go in detail but I think you have an idea of what I am referring to.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I ran my 2nd race yesterday. It was warm and humid but I still enjoyed it. This is my second week of training for the Chicago Marathon. Prior to that I wasn’t consistent with my running. I did better than I expected. My finish time was a few seconds worse that last year’s time and that is OK.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I am enjoying again my Peloton classes. Last year in June is when I had taken my last class. The new seat is a lifesaver. I am not sore as I was with the other seat. I took an ABBA themed class and LOVED it. I am excited and looking forward to more fun classes.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that on Tuesday I went to the podiatrist. She gave me a bunch of exercises to strengthen the plantar. She also recommended a night splint, custom orthotics, and to do pilates. Whew! It was a lot but I need this injury to go away.

The topic for next week’s Fit Fit Friday – 5 fitness goals for the last half of the year. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!

02
Jul
2024

Tuesday Topics: My 2024 Mid-Year Review

categories: Tuesday Topics

Tuesday Topics-238 Happy Tuesday! Thank you for joining me and Jenn for another edition of Tuesday Topics. Remember to link up with us! Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier! Don’t forget to come back for later linkers!

In December I wrote my goals for this year. Since we are halfway through the year, let me update you on how it is going.

• Read 24 books. I am reading book #11.

• PR in a race distance. I’ve only run 1 race and skipped 3. I am running a 4 mile race on Thursday and doubt I will PR. I am running the Chicago Marathon in October and hoping to get a PR.

• Run a half marathon in a different state. If I do run in a different state, it will probably be after the Chicago Marathon.

• Don’t procrastinate (too much). I am doing OK. Sometimes I don’t think about it too much and just do it. Other times someone else will “remind” me to do it. One day my mom wanted me to clean the balcony and I told her that I was tired and that I would do it tomorrow. She told me that I was going to be tired tomorrow as well. She was right. I got up and did it.

• Switch retirement plan and add more money to it each month. I haven’t done this yet. There are many options to choose from but I will do it. I did open another life insurance policy.

So let’s review how 2024 is going so far.

January-February

• Picked my word for 2024…Self-Care.

• Purchased my new domain for my blog. I like it!

• Ran and walked 43.20 miles in January.

• Ran and walked 16.61 miles in February.

March-April

• Went to San Antonio for my aunt’s 90th birthday. It was a lot of prep work for school but I had a good time in San Antonio.

• Ran the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8k.

• Ran and walked 15.65 miles in March.

• Ran and walked 33.17 miles in April.

May-June

• Ran and walked 36.20 miles in May.

• The 2023-2024 school year ended. I had 5 days off and began teaching Summer School.

• Ran and walked 49.01 miles in June. It is the highest mileage to date.

• Finished reading 10 books.

• Summer School ended.

I truly cannot believe that we are halfway through 2024. Let’s see how the rest of the year goes for me.

The topic for next week – How do you get through Summer running? Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!

New Tuesday Topics

30
Jun
2024

2024 Chicago Marathon Training Week #1

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

Chicago Marathon Weekly Recap-1 Happy Sunday everyone! I am on Team TCS Teachers and training to run the Chicago Marathon on October 13. This will be my 9th marathon and my 6th Chicago Marathon.

Here is how my week went:

Week #1, June 24-29

Monday: Rest day. The first week of marathon training. I went for a 30 minute walk before going to work.

Tuesday: Ran 1.59 and walked 1.17 miles. This was an easy run with some hill strides. It is flat where I live so the best I could do was a ramp to the expressway.

Photo-1

Wednesday: Ran 3.35 and walked .20 miles. A good run. It was a 15 min warmup, 8×45 sec @9:42/mi with 1 min jog recovery, and then a 15 min cooldown. I did the intervals too fast and then was tired towards the end.

Thursday: No running and no walking. I reactivated my Peloton membership and took my first class this year. My cat scratched the bike seat so I bought a new one. It wasn’t as easy to install but I did it. The seat it wider and much more comfortable.

Photo-2

Friday: Ran 2.47 and walked .29 miles. It was a 30 minute easy run. Total was 2.47 @12:12 average pace. It didn’t feel easy and was surprised I hit the required paces. Prior to this week of training, I’ve been doing run/walk and am pleased that I ran the first mile without stopping.

Saturday: Ran 4.01 and walked .47 miles. It was an awful run. It was humid. I was hot and then got a headache. It could have been the humidity but I could not keep up with the paces.

Sunday: Walked 1.96 miles and 25 minutes on the Peloton. The weather was much cooler than yesterday and it felt good to walk. Also, I enjoyed my 15 minute low impact ride with Camila.

Overall, I am pleased with this week. My long run didn’t go well but sometimes that happens. I am pleased to be back on the Peloton and plan to also take some strength and stretching classes.

TOTAL:
Running: 11.41
Walking: 5.70
Cycling: 10.48

25
Jun
2024

Tuesday Topics: June 2024 Review

categories: Monthly Review, Tuesday Topics

Monthly Review-June 2024 This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic. Feel free to post any running-related blog post. Remember to link up with Jenn and Zenaida! Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier! Remember to come back for later linkers!

Let me tell you about how June is going for me:

Mileage: To date I’ve run 26.99 and walked 6.53 miles.

Run the Year 2024: I signed up to run and walk 2,024 miles this year. So far I have completed 178.16 miles (per the RTE Tracker). I am training for the Chicago Marathon and I am excited to see how it will go and to see how many miles it will add to this goal.

Current Book: I finished reading“The Bad Muslim Discount”, “The Last Thing He Told Me”, and now am reading “The Unsinkable Greta James”. I am liking the book. It reminds me of my cruise to Alaska and now I want to go on another cruise.

Injuries: None. My knees don’t hurt anymore and the pain with plantar fasciitis comes and goes. I will be running more and I don’t want this injury to affect my training . I have an appointment with a podiatrist next week and hopefully we can find a solution (maybe a cortisone shot).

Races: None.

Health: I am doing OK. I am still dealing struggling with hot flashes and the weight gain. I had some blood work done and my A1C level came back as pre-diabetic. I couldn’t believe it. This is the 2nd time it has happened. I see how much diabetes has affected my mom and it frightens me that one day I will be diabetic too.

School: The last day of Summer School is Friday. I will miss some of the students. There is one that is clingy and always wants to be next to me. Another one likes hugging me.

What I am looking forward to next month: I am going to Minnesota for a few days. I still need to find an Airbnb. There aren’t too many places available and the ones that are available are too expensive. We’re talking $800-900 a night for a house – there is a house for $4,000 per night! I realize it is cheaper than a hotel but that much money for a place in Minnesota? Or is that what the rate is now?

The topic for next week: Your 2024 mid-year review. Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic. We hope you’ll link up with us!