Zenaida Arroyo

04
Mar
2018

Illinois Marathon Training Recap, Week 14

categories: Illinois Marathon, Marathon Training, Running, Weekly Recap

Week #14, February 26-March 4

M Rest
T 3.28
W 6.40
TH 2.92
F Rest
S Ran 3.33
S Ran 11.00

Tuesday was warm enough to wear a skirt! I did my run in the morning and it was 44 degrees. Perfect!

Illinois Marathon-136

I procrastinated on Wednesday to hang out with Lola. I didn’t want to get out but then remembered it was the end of the month and I wanted to get it more miles to meet my goal. I didn’t. I missed it by 8.42 miles. Bummer.

I actually enjoyed my run and again hit the paces I was supposed to (10:02 for each 3 minute intervals). I need to work on my recovery since those I am running too slow.

Illinois Marathon-139

March began with 35 minutes of easy running. It was a beautiful evening with a full moon outside.

Illinois Marathon-140

I was very tired on Saturday and stayed in bed till about 10. I watched TV and caught up on a few shows. I still didn’t go out for my run till about 2pm. The sun was out and did get warm but I also got cold being in the shade. Still it was a beautiful afternoon for a run.

I remember how before I would do my long runs on Saturday and would have no trouble getting up in the morning. Now? Lately I’ve been struggling. I still prefer to do my long runs on Saturday so I can recover the rest of the day and if needed, on Sunday too.

Sunday’s run had 2×2 miles @10:45 pace and then repeat. I was a bit nervous about it. I’ve been able to hold that pace for 2, 3 or 15 minutes but NOT 2 miles. It wasn’t easy and unfortunately did have to stop for a few seconds to catch my breath. The headwind did not help and that just aggravated me even more. Still pleased with my run.

Illinois Marathon-143

Another great week of marathon training. March is here and I am hoping that we get warmer weather so I can wear shorts. 🙂 I’ve managed to hit the paces on my workouts but still need to work on pacing for my tempo/longer runs. I tend to start off too fast and then get burnt out too soon.

Total mileage for the week: 26.93
Total mileage for this training cycle: 274.11
Total mileage for the year: 195.30

Here’s how training has gone so far:
• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5
• Week 6
• Week 7
• Week 8
• Week 9
• Week 10
• Week 11
• Week 12
• Week 13

How was YOUR week? How is the weather in your city or town?

Link back to the host and let’s support other bloggers linking up as they train for a marathon, half marathon, or any other event.

02
Mar
2018

Friday Five 2.0-Five “new” races for me!

categories: Ambassador, BibRave Pro, Friday Five 2.0, Rock 'n' Roll Race, Running

Disclaimer: I am promoting these races 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!

Happy March! I am hoping that with January and February behind us, March will be better in the weather department. I am proud to say that running wise I did great in February. But I still want some warm weather! My first race, Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle, is this month and I am excited about it. Read HERE to find out why you need to run this race and make sure to use code “SHUFFLE” at the following link: http://haku.ly/dd2567 to save $10 on your race entry.

I have added a couple of races to my calendar. Thanks to BibRave for giving me the opportunity to sign up and run these races this year. I’ve run 3 of them in the past and while I haven’t run in Denver, a Rock ‘n’ Roll race isn’t new to me. Hopefully you can join me in a few or all of these races.

1. Soldier Field 10 Mile, May 26. This race is always on Memorial Day weekend. It starts and ends at Soldier Field. I love the distance, flat course, and you get to run on Lake Shore Drive. There is some great food and beer after the race along with some live music entertainment. My PR is 1:41:56 in 2015 and it is time to set a new one this year. Use Code “BRSoldierField” for bonus RAM Racing sunglasses (expires 2 days before the race).

2. Tailgate 10K, August 11. This race used to be the BTN Big 10 and is held in Grant Park. Plans for this race are still in the works so be sure to check the website for updated information.

3. Fort2Base, August 26. I did this race in 2013. I ran 10 nautical miles which equals to 11.5 miles. It is a unique race distance and an automatic PR for those running this race distance for the first time. This race takes you through a military command and training centers. I remember there is a HUGE hill (Hero’s Hill) that wore me out.

4. Run Mag Mile, September 8. Last year was my first time running this race and I had a great time. The weather was perfect and I loved running along Michigan Avenue. We got a beautiful medal and some delicious food after the race. Use Code “BRMagMile” for bonus RAM Racing sunglasses (expires 2 days before the race).

5. Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver, October 21. Rock ‘n” Roll races are not new to me. I’ve done quite a few of them. 🙂 However, I’ve never been to Denver. My niece lives there and this race will give me the perfect opportunity to meet up with her (and maybe she’ll run with me). When I finish this race I will also cross off another state in my Race in the 50 States Goal. If you want to sign up for this race, use code “RNRBRP2018” for $15 off your registration fee.

Which one of these races would you like to run?

I’m linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 2.0.

01
Mar
2018

Random Thoughts Thursday 9

categories: Random Thoughts Thursday

Random Thoughts Thursday

Happy Thursday! Hard to believe it is already March. Time is going by too fast. I am looking forward to Spring and the warmer weather. Seriously, I am tired of this cold weather and the changes brought on by Mother Nature. Now let me tell you about my random thoughts.

• I remember when the duck face pictures were popular. Are they still popular? Do people still do those? Lately I am seeing a lot of photos of people with their mouth open. One, two, and maybe three is OK. But when almost all of your photos are of you with your mouth open. Just no. I find them annoying. Thoughts?

• I did a few Disney races back in 2014. First I did Goofy Challenge because a few of my friends convinced me to do it. Then I did a couple more races that year. I did them more for more. I remember during Goofy people were upset because there weren’t enough characters on the course for pictures. I took a few pictures but to me it wasn’t that important. I know Disney races are more for fun but should people get upset or care about how much time they have to take pictures with characters? Should they really care how many characters are on the course too?

• I’ve been house hunting since November. Still no house. I’ve seen quite a few of them and came close to buying one. Sigh. Now I am getting desperate but at the same time still need to be patient. There was one that I liked and was ready to put in an offer but then found out that someone else had paid cash for it. Man, I need that kind of money!

• I am late to the party here but finally saw the movie “Moana”. I have NO idea why I waited so long. On Sunday I was at a family party and my niece was talking about how her son loves that movie. They played the movie but I didn’t get the chance to see it again. I knew it was available on Netflix so Wednesday evening I sat down to watch it. Great movie! My favorite song, of course, is the one by Dwayne Johnson. I maybe have a secret crush on him. 🙂 Have you seen “Moana”?

• I went to the Laundromat on Sunday and it got me thinking about detergent. I did used a little bit more than required but still nowhere near what the person next to me used. Mine is the top one.

Laundry-1

Laundry-2

What are some of your random thoughts today?

27
Feb
2018

February was good for me!

categories: Illinois Marathon, Running, Tuesdays on the Run

I cannot believe tomorrow is the last day of February! Two months done for the year. If you have been following along my training for the Illinois Marathon, you know that this winter has sucked. I’ve run in freezing weather and in the snow. It hasn’t been easy and I had to talk myself into getting out there.

• To date I’ve run 81.90 miles. I have a run today and Wednesday. I still won’t make my goal of running 100 miles per month. I know it is my fault because I did miss 2 workouts and didn’t complete another one that was 11 miles. Oh well. My marathon is in two months and I know there will be heavy mileage coming up and for sure will go over 100 miles each month. As long as I have at least 1,200 miles for the year I will be happy.

• Total time run is 16:11:13. That is about the same amount of hours from the time I wake up in the morning to the time I am in bed at night and start all over. Fascinating!

• I’ve run 16 days. This training cycle has me running 5 days a week. I’ve been doing pretty good even with this crappy weather. I am proud of myself for getting out there.

• I’ve had some great quality session workouts. Not only have they been great but they’ve been fun! I’ve managed to hit the required paces and that has been a great confidence booster. I remember how before I would do these workouts on the treadmill because it would help me stay on pace. Now I can do these on my own with no help from it.

• I have not kept up with strength workouts. I slacked off. I had signed up to do a February Challenge (Supermans, Squats, and Russian Twists) with a few other bloggers and did good for the first few days and then stopped. I got tired and lazy. Hopefully there will be another challenge in March that I can participate.

So how did February go for you?

Linking up with Marcia, Patti, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run.

25
Feb
2018

Illinois Marathon Training Recap, Week 13

categories: Illinois Marathon, Marathon Training, Running, Weekly Recap

Week #13, February 19-25

M Rest
T 3.76
W 2.51
TH 4.91
F Rest
S Ran 3.80
S Ran 11.38

Another great week of training for the Illinois Marathon! I didn’t miss/skip any of my workouts. Mother Nature cannot make up her mind about the weather. It rains one day and then cold the next day. Hopefully in March we’ll have decent weather.

Tuesday’s run was in the rain. Well, maybe not exactly rain but more like a mist. I was still cold but glad it was a 45 minute run. Lola didn’t care that I was cold.

It was cold again on Wednesday and honestly I did not want to run. Sucked it up and did it anyway.

I was looking forward to and excited about my run on Thursday (2 mile warmup, 5 minutes @10:45, 5 minutes @10:02, 3 minute rest, repeat and then 1 mile cool down). Pretty cool huh? Well, during the first 5 minute session I was curious to see my pace so instead of pressing the light button, I pressed the lap button. No! I almost wanted to cry. I know, stupid.🤦🏻‍♀️ It was a long day plus we had a practice lockdown so you can imagine how emotional that was during school. Anyway, I quickly snapped out of it and continued with my run and it was AWESOME! Moral of the story: Trust the process and don’t mess with your Garmin.

After cuddling with Lola in the morning I went out for 45 minutes of running. It was cloudy and not too cold. I should have done my long run on Saturday instead of Sunday.

Saw these shoes on Running Warehouse and want to get them.

Illinois Marathon-133

I was NOT looking forward to my long run on Sunday. Total time to run was 2 hours and 2 minutes. It was cold and windy. The sun did come out but also decided to hide. I was very tired towards the end but pleased to get it done.

Total mileage for the week: 26.37
Total mileage for this training cycle: 247.18
Total mileage for the year: 168.37

Here’s how training has gone so far:
• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5
• Week 6
• Week 7
• Week 8
• Week 9
• Week 10
• Week 11
• Week 12

How was YOUR week?

Link back to the host and let’s support other bloggers linking up as they train for a marathon, half marathon, or any other event.