Zenaida Arroyo

18
Jun
2020

Random Thoughts Thursday 129

Random Thoughts Thursday

• Summer school is going well. I have 16 students and almost everyone participates in our daily Google Meet session. The students are also very respectful and well-mannered. They say “Buenos Dias”, “Gracias, maestra”, and “Que tenga un buen dia, maestra” (Good Morning; Thank you, teacher; Have a good day, teacher. Many students use “maestra” since they rarely call me Ms. Arroyo). I rarely hear this from students and it makes me feel good when I hear this now from my students.

Summer School-1

• I came home from my run and Mateo was waiting for me. He loves being outside. Everyday he meows and stands by the door until one of us lets him out.

• So many graduations this year and no way to celebrate. Sigh. We’ve had several caravan parades to honor these graduates. Plus, there’s been a few birthdays. It’s been fun but of course it isn’t the same thing.

• Always a teacher.

Bored Teachers-4

16
Jun
2020

Tuesday Topics: My training philosophy

categories: Tuesday Topics

Tuesday Topics-48

Happy Tuesday and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Topics! This week’s Tuesday Topic: What is your training philosophy? 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 am no expert nor a running coach, but over the years I have learned a few things here and there thanks to my wonderful blogger friends. As a teacher, I know that learning is power. 🙂

My training philosophy is to to have fun. I’ve said it before and I will say it again but running is a hobby and not my job. Yes it should be taken seriously but not to a point that our life depends on it. Will we be happy? Yes. Will we be disappointed? Yes. Life still goes on. Something else I keep in mind are:

♥ Easy runs means run slow. It took me a while to figure it out. I am not a “fast” runner but I still look forward to my easy runs. They have helped me recover much faster and stay injury free.

♥ Never compare yourself to others. I used to do that and it would drive me CRAZY. Everyone is different so there is no point in saying that someone is “better” than you.

♥ Be proud of the work you put in. Whether it is one mile or 10 miles, pat yourself on the back. Running is not easy and should never be taken for granted.

♥ The only person you are competing with is yourself. So what if you are running 12 minute or 8 minute miles. No one will look down on you or make fun of you. A mile is still a mile.

♥ Not all runs/races will go like they’re supposed to. That one also took me a while to figure out. I would be so hard on myself if I didn’t always hit the time or the required paces. So what if my intervals are supposed to be done at ABC pace and I do them at XYZ pace? I will still be proud of how I did!

♥ Trust the process. I rely on a running coach to tell me what to do. Yes, I can follow a plan, but sometimes I want someone else to do it for me.

14
Jun
2020

Weekly Run Down: Not all runs are great and back to work

categories: Running, Weekly Recap, Weekly Run Down

Weekly Mileage-59

Ran 4 days for a total of 13.64 miles and did 1 virtual race for the Uncanceled Project. These past few weeks I’ve had some great run but this week they were OK. Still, it is better than no miles. 🙂

This week was about staying home and decluttering. I cleaned the pantry and took out so much stuff. Baking pans? I had a Bundt cake pan. I don’t remember the last time I baked and don’t think I will. Time to get rid of all of it.

Bundt Cake Pan

I had some good runs on Monday and Tuesday. On Thursday I had to run 5 miles using a run/walk method (3 minutes/90 seconds). I procrastinated and then decided to run Friday morning. At the last minute I told myself “Why wait? Just go.” and I did. However, it did not go well. There was a school issue that was bothering me. I sent a text to a coworker and then that ended up with several other text messages with another coworker. No matter what I did, I couldn’t shake it off and it kept bothering me. I decided to go home. I honestly thought I was about to get fired or moved to another school. I had anxiety for two days. The email system was down on Friday so you can imagine my anxiety level that day (I thought it was the first step in letting me go. Now I know how ridiculous that sounds). I hate being vague but right now I cannot say more as I don’t want to get in trouble if I provide specific details.

Earlier that day I went to school to pick up a few things that I need for Summer School. I was there for 40 minutes and it was sad to walk in my room. It looks just how I left it on Friday, March 13. 🙁

I almost skipped Sunday’s race. The weather was perfect but I was still not up for running. What got me out the door was Deborah’s RunBet Challenge and the California Coast 500 Virtual Challenge. Ran 3 miles and then walked the rest home for a total of 3.57 miles. Total miles for the challenge is 13.64 and have 236.36 miles to go.

Saw this by my house and it made me laugh! I guess he had a rough night!

Gnome-1

You all know how much I love my Brooks shoes. Did you see these? Aren’t they adorable?

Brooks Shoes-20

Tomorrow is the first day of Summer School. I am almost ready. I spent a few days working on lesson plans and assignments. Wish me luck!

Summer School 2020-1

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

Weekly Run Down.jpg

11
Jun
2020

Random Thoughts Thursday 128

categories: Random Thoughts Thursday

Random Thoughts Thursday

•Summer break is here! Feels so weird since I am not doing the “normal” things I do during this time. That is OK since I am using this time to declutter the apartment. So far I’ve cleaned the pantry and part of the kitchen. I was hoping to do one room per day so that I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. I guess I have all summer to do it, right?

•While cleaning out the kitchen I found an old glucose monitoring system for my cat. Years ago I had a cat named “Princess”. I had her for over 10 years and she was diabetic. Yes, I had to give her insulin and check her glucose everyday. Seeing it made me sad because it reminded me of her but also because I’ve had the box for so long and have not gotten rid of it. That is how much stuff I have!

•I am excited for this cake! I love the chocolate cake but this is good too. Cannot wait.

Portillos cake-1

•Has anyone tried this new version? I remember years ago I loved the previous version. Then Nuun discontinued it and now it is back.

• Just because. This was at 3:30am. I got up because I had to use the bathroom. Mateo is so dramatic.

Mateo-35

09
Jun
2020

Tuesday Topics: California Coast 500 Virtual Challenge

categories: Ambassador, BibRave Pro, Tuesday Topics

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the California Coast 500 Virtual Challenge as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

Tuesday Topics-47

This week’s Tuesday Topic: Working out on vacation tips. 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 new challenge I am doing now. The future of races is up in the air. Who knows when we’ll race again. Right now virtual races is really all that we can do right now. I like them now. They have kept me motivated and accountable so I make sure to get out there and run!

With the California Coast 500 Virtual Challenge you challenge yourself to run 100, 250, 400 or 500 virtual miles this summer from LA’s Santa Monica Pier to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge along California’s idyllic Highway One. You get 3 months (June 8 to September 7) to complete the challenge. I signed up for 250 miles which is about 84 miles each month.

California Coast 500 Virtual Race-2

Along the way you can maintain your motivation with custom content, mini-challenges, digital badge awards, and bespoke California swag. All participants will also receive:

√ an official California Coast 500 Race Shirt
√ one of four finisher’s medals at 100, 250, 400 and 500 miles
√ awesome content and opportunities to share where you #runlocal

Check out the medal you get after completing the challenge.

California Coast 500 Virtual Race-1

Thanks to the team at PWR Lab, there is an interactive map for you to keep track of your goal. On a team? You’re covered as well. You’ll be able to filter the leaderboard to see those closest to you, so you can encourage each other up Highway 1. I am on the BibRave Pros Team so you can see me along with my team members.

California Coast 500 Virtual Race-4

There are 5 in the team. Juan and I ran 3 miles yesterday so we are close together at the end.

California Coast 500 Virtual Race-5

There is also a relay team option so you can team up with family & friends and work towards 500 miles together!

To sign up, go to https://runlocalevents.com/california/. Make sure to use “BIBRAVE10” good for 10% off.

Source: https://runlocalevents.com/california/