This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic.  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!

Thanks to everyone that linked up with us two weeks ago.  It was interesting and fun to read everyone’s 5 words they picked to describe themselves.  It was also interesting to read that quite a few said they were introverted.  Today I will be sharing more and writing about a few things you may not know about me.  

I’ve never been hospitalized
I’ve been to the ER when I broke a glass with my arm and had to get stitches.  I spent a few nights with my mother in her room when she was hospitalized after her stroke.  Nope, nothing for me.

I was engaged 
We had our hall, church, and date picked out.  Things fell through.  I remember the day I was supposed to get married, it RAINED!  Do I see myself getting married in the future?  Definitely not.  Nothing wrong with it.  I am just used to it being me, myself, and I (with my cats too) and I am perfectly fine with it.  However, I do wonder what my life would be like if I had gotten married.

I eat A LOT when I get stressed out
Food relaxes me.  Sometimes I like to get a Big Mac with fries and a Coke with no ice from McDonald’s.  Who doesn’t like fries from McDonald’s?

There are 7 in my family and I am the 2nd youngest
There are 3 girls, one boy, and then 3 more girls.  All of us are about 2 years apart.  That is how I can remember the ages.  The oldest is 10 years older than me.  Rumor is that I was named after my grandmother (my dad’s mom) because I was supposed to be the last one. 

I cannot stand the taste or smell of whiskey
Just thinking and writing about it makes me queasy.  Let’s go back to 1993.  I was in college for summer school.  I was at a party and we were playing “Quarters”.   You know where I am getting at, right?  Yep.  I had too many shots that night.  

I was born in Mexico but emigrated to the US when I was 5
I still remember that day.  My mom and my siblings arrived on July 4, 1978.  We were supposed to arrive the day before but we missed our flight.  Well, that is the story my siblings tell me.  I have some vague memory of being in the airport and being outside.  I also remember being in a car and seeing the Sears Tower and the lake.  Now that I am older I know that was the Kennedy Expressway (I-90).  I have some memories of living in Mexico, but sometimes I do wonder if they’re real.

I wore braces and glasses in high school
High school is already awkward.  I got braces at the end of my freshman year and wore them till the beginning of my senior year.  The glasses I got at the beginning of my senior year too.  I was already a quiet and shy girl so it didn’t really bother me.  As a matter of fact, I had a great time in high school!  I was not a social butterfly but I still had many great friends.  

I have 3 tattoos
I have a panther, a butterfly, and a sun.  I would like to get another one but am not sure.  The last one (the sun) is on my ankle and that was painful.

I wasn’t always a teacher
After college I worked at The Lodge for 3 months.  It was a company owned by McDonalds’s.  Then I worked several years and different positions at the American Bar Association.  It was there that I received an email to attend an orientation for people wanting to make a career change.  I went because another friend of mine was going too.  I remember someone there telling us not to go into teaching just for the money.  A few months later I had an interview.  Then did a few years of graduate school.  As much as it is tough to be a teacher, I do not regret it one bit.  It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

My dad passed away when I was 18 years old
It was at the end of my freshman year of college.  I was never close to him.  He was a quiet man and we rarely talked.  I remember before leaving for college, he asked me a question.  I don’t recall what it was but I responded with “yes”.  He then told me to take care of myself.  

How is everyone doing with this crazy weather?  I saw on the news yesterday that over 40 states are under a Winter weather alert. At least here in Chicago we get snow and are “ready and prepared” for it.  States like GA or TX are not and, well, they are struggling.  Stay safe and be careful.

This week’s Tuesday Topic is: What are some of your running pet peeves?  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!

Here is what I wrote in a previous post.  

• Runners that post their pace all of the time (Garmin, Strava, and RunKeeper, etc.) 

• Walkers that start in the front of a race.

• Runners that make sudden stops.

• Runners that take up the whole path.

• Dog owners that don’t leash their dogs. 

• Runners that blast their music.

• Runners that talk non stop during  a race. 

Today I am adding a few more.

• Long lines at the port-a-potties.

• Running out of food or swag.

• People that honk or catcall while I’m out running.  

• Races that start late.

• People that spit.

• Shoe companies that think they are making their product better, but really they’re not.  Don’t change anything!

• Chafing and not realizing till taking a shower.

• An ugly shirt or one that does not fit properly.

• People that do not throw their water cups in the trash can.  Stop being lazy.  

• Races that do not have a refund or deferral option.

• Spectators with signs saying that I am almost there.  No I’m not.  Don’t lie to me.

• When I want to hit the pause button on my Garmin and instead hit the lap button.

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!

This week’s Tuesday Topic is: Share your best running views from around the world.  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!

Last month I shared with you my some of my running views.  Today I will share with you some of my best running views from around the world.  

🌎 Mexico 

🌎 Ecuador 

🌎 Peru

This was a walking trek to Machu Picchu but still gorgeous views for running.

🌎 Alaska

This week’s Tuesday Topic is: Your six favorites of 2020.  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!

Oh, 2020.  We will never stop talking about it.  It wasn’t all that bad.  Here are some of my six favorite things of 2020.

⭐ Favorite Day.  It was September 9th.  That day we celebrated my mother’s birthday.  A few weeks ago she had tested positive for Covid.  She got tested again and on the 8th her results came back negative.  Happy she was able to celebrate another birthday.

⭐ Favorite Group Run.  We did not run together but we all ran at the same time in different locations.  It was a HOT day too in Chicago!

⭐ Favorite Cat Photo.  This was hard to pick.  I have so many photos of them but chose this one because they’re both being nice to each other and enjoying life in the balcony.  I love my balcony.  As you know last year my mother and I spent hours there since we couldn’t go anywhere.  I felt bad for her because at least I could go outside to run and to the store for errands but not her.  She only left the house to go back and forth to my sister’s condo and my apartment.

⭐ Favorite Run.  For 9 weeks I trained for a 5k.  I had many great and not so great runs.  Then in December everything came together.  My coach had picked the date for this race but I did it before.  I was out for a run and I was feeling good.  The weather was perfect too and I went for it.  

⭐ Favorite Purchase.  I love Picky Bars but this Drizzle is AMAZING.  It can be eaten with apples, oatmeal, yogurt, bread, etc.  I have eaten it straight from the jar too.   If you can interested in joining the Picky Club, click on this link to get $10 off.

⭐ Favorite Thing I Found while Decluttering.  Can you find me in this magazine?  The photo is from when I ran my first marathon, The Chicago Marathon, in 2006.  I remember submitting it but didn’t think it would be selected for the magazine.  It was published in “Chicago Athlete” in March 2007.

This was another fun topic.  It was great going through my photos and remembering that not everything in 2020 was horrible.  One of the most difficult things was finding ways to make eLearning/Remote Learning work.  Months later I think I figured it out.  40 kids in my classroom?  Sure, why not?  Haha, JK.