Zenaida Arroyo

14
Feb
2021

Weekly Run Down: Run, repeat, and ready for someplace warm

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

What a week! More snow and more cold weather. I know Winter is associated with cold weather and snow, but this is just awful. Even in other parts of the country is colder than normal.

Monday:

Tuesday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

This morning I woke up with a headache. I usually get them when I don’t get enough sleep or when I am hungry. Sometimes I get one if I don’t wear my mouth night guard. I never eat before running but felt a little hungry this morning so I drank coffee and ate a cinnamon bagel. Then after my run and shower, I ate again. I still have a slight headache and am still feeling hungry. I took a Tylenol and will finish reading blog posts from Friday. I am so behind.

The most exciting thing this week was taking my mother to the hospital for her first vaccine. While I appreciate that there was a vaccine for her, I wished it would have been more convenient for those that need to go there. It was quite a walk to get to the vaccination room (not sure what to call it). Luckily someone took her in a wheelchair but on the way back she had to walk. Now, I don’t mind it, but a 70 year old woman should not have to walk that much. Well, enough ranting about it because as I mentioned earlier, I am happy she can get a vaccine since I know others cannot get it. We go back on March 1st for her second vaccine and I go March 2nd (I am going to a different location).

On Tuesday I went to Trader Joe’s to pick up a few bottles of wine for a virtual wine tasting. I didn’t realize there were so many options!! Wow, and the price was decent. I ended up buying 5 bottles and so far have opened 2. The red one is really good.

Nothing exciting with school except that the District and School Union have not come to an agreement about this whole going back to school thing. They’ve had to get the courts involved. They’re like two big and stubborn babies. We all want what is best for the students and the teachers. Someone has to give in. It’s been one month since teachers have been back in the school building BUT not everyone is doing that. They are working from home. Do you know how it makes me feel? I am going in. I am dealing with the weather and traffic. Others are working from the comfort of their own home. Instead of uniting all teachers, it is dividing us and creating a feeling of annoyance and resentment. The next court date is sometime this week so you know I will keep you posted.

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

12
Feb
2021

Fit Five Friday: Five reasons I love running in the morning

categories: Fit Five Friday

It is no secret that I am a morning person. I also wake up early to feed my cats and then to catch up on reading some blog posts or start working on my next one. I like that it is quiet and find that I work better like that. I finally have a routine going here.

Though I know I can run at any time during the day, I prefer doing it in the morning. Here’s why:

👟 Sunrises. These are wonderful to see in the morning. With so many magnificent colors, it is a great way to make me smile and be alone in my thoughts. My own world. The same can be said for sunsets.

👟 It is my ME time. I’ve written about this before. Running in the morning is my ME time. I enjoy running when it is quiet and not a person in sight. For the most part I listen to music. I have a combination of English/Spanish and slow/fast music for my runs. Sometimes I focus on the music or think about what is going on in the world or what I need to do that day.

👟 More free time in the evening. I am exhausted when I am done with work. Being online and talking all day (because my students don’t talk that much) takes up a lot of energy. I want to come home to read or watch TV. Sometimes I need to do some errands and I can go after work and still be home at a decent time. Other times I want to be home and be with my cats. 🙂

👟 It is a routine for me. I wake up, run, and go to work. Repeat the following day. I work well when I have routines set up for me. I think this is another reason why I am enjoying going back to work. Yesterday was one month since I’ve been back to teaching in my classroom.

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👟 Beat the heat. Of course this doesn’t apply now why for sure in the Summer. There’s been times when at 6am it is already hot and humid. Right now I am complaining about the weather here in Chicago but in a few months I will be complaining about the heat. 🙂

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.

09
Feb
2021

Tuesday Topics: Five words to describe me

categories: Tuesday Topics

This week’s Tuesday Topic is: Five words to describe yourself. 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 began writing this post on Sunday. Not that I don’t spend time writing my posts for my other topics, but this one took me longer to write. I am not saying that I had so many words and it was hard to narrow it down to 5, but it was hard to actually come up with 5 words. Why is it easier to come up with 5 words for someone else than it is for us?

This is what I came up with:

Introverted
I am a social introvert. You might not believe this but I am a shy person. For the most part I am a quiet person too. I am comfortable in a group of 2-6 people. More than that and I’ll probably take a raincheck. I like being alone but sometimes do want the company of other people.

Proactive
I think this comes from being independent. I don’t like to wait around for something to happen. If I can get it done, then I will do it. Many times then I will become overwhelmed because I want to do it all. I also know that sometimes it is because I want it to be done MY way.

Independent
I love this about me. There is nothing wrong with having someone there with you or helping you, but for the most part I do many things on my own. I remember being a sophomore in high school and knew I wanted to go away for college. I was not the first one in my family to go to college, but I was the first one to go away. Man, that was one of the best things I ever did! More than 20 years later and I am still very independent.

Hardworking
I word hard. I have a strong work ethic. I remember spending hours and weekends on various projects when I worked at the bar association in Chicago. Then I became a teacher and you know how that is going. Many more hours and weekends working on lesson plans and activities for my students. Then this pandemic made it even more interesting when I had to come up with a different way of teaching. It is never ending and no matter what I do, work will always be there. Yes, I am hardworking but I also find a balance to relax and have fun.

Beautiful
This one was hard to write! I am not referring to it as what I look on the outside, but instead on the inside. This word sums it all up. 🙂 I hope everyone that wrote about this topic also picked this word. You are all beautiful!

07
Feb
2021

Weekly Run Down: New month and Mother Nature is awful!

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

What a week! Not much running this week. I know there are no rules for an “official” run streak but I am aiming for at least one mile. I don’t venture out too far since it is only a mile and there is still snow and ice out there. I am happy that the school does a good job of cleaning the snow on the sidewalk.

There was still a lot of snow Sunday evening. We were notified that on Monday teachers could work from home. My car was covered in snow. Later than evening I went outside to clean it off and to move it to an area with less snow.

I have no idea how I found the motivation to head out in this cold weather. But once I was out there it was that bad. Well, it could have been that I wasn’t out there that long anyway. I saw a beautiful sunrise on Thursday. I stopped and stared at it for a few moments. I felt alone (in a good way) and smiled knowing that things will be better. Ha, we got more snow that afternoon.

Sunday morning was the coldest day this week for running. My mother told me not to run. She then realized I wasn’t going to listen to her so she then told me to be careful.

This is the forecast for the next 10 days. It will be warming up! 🙂

And just for fun!

I know that on Friday I mentioned that I was feeling fine after the vaccine. However, these past few days I have noticed that I am more hungry than usual. It cannot be because I am running a lot because I am not. It has to be the vaccine, right? A few of my coworkers have mentioned that they noticed it too.

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

05
Feb
2021

Fit Five Friday and February Ultimate Coffee Date

categories: Fit Five Friday, Ultimate Coffee Date

It’s my first time participating in the Ultimate Coffee Date. Just like Runfessions, I plan to participate on a regular basis. Thanks Coco and Deborah for the linkup!

So grab your favorite hot drink and let’s chat.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that in Sunday’s post I mentioned that I had too many emails and deleted all of them from my inbox (I use Gmail). It was driving me crazy. I didn’t know this but my coach showed me a way to create folders and move the emails into specific folders. I was so happy and could not stop smiling all day. It is the little things that make me happy!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I went ahead and scheduled an earlier appointment to get the vaccine. I was supposed to get it on Monday with my mother but an opportunity became available through my school district. I am still going on Monday to take her and I know that one spot will be available for someone else that needs it. My arm did not hurt that much. I took a Tylenol in the evening because I felt cold (like I was getting a fever). I felt fine the rest of the day.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell that I am LOVING Schitt’s Creek. It is one of the funniest show I’ve ever watched. I love that they’re short episodes. It feels so good to come home after a long day at work to laugh and laugh some more. Obviously they’re a weird and goofy family. I think my favorite episode is when David serenades/performs (?) for his boyfriend, Patrick. This gif is really funny too.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you my youngest nephew (my little baby) is a senior in high school and recently enlisted in the Marines. He turned 18 in August so obviously is not a baby. But to me he will always be. Anyway, while I am happy for him, deep down inside I am also worried. I cannot imagine what his mother is feeling too. I am sure she is happy too, but he is her only son.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I hope this month goes by quickly. With the wacky weather here, I have a feeling February will be the same. I am really tired of the snow. With March in the picture, it will be that much closer to Spring Break. Travel plans are still up in the air. I have my ticket and will be fully vaccinated by the travel date. Oh, and I will mail in my application today to renew my passport and hope I get it in time. Now I am rambling so I will stop.

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Well, this was fun! Thanks for listening. Let’s see what I have next month.

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.