Zenaida Arroyo

24
May
2013

Three Things Thursday, May 23, 2013

1. 10 days to go till summer break. My plans this summer are to run, eat, and drink. Also, to relax and not think about work at all. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my 10 year old nephew as well. He is the cutest little thing and I just adore him! We already have a list of things to do this summer.

2. I signed up for the Disney Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, January 11-12, 2014. The challenge is a half marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday. Yes, I am goofy. I have not ran a marathon since the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon, March 4, 2012. Time to dust off that marathon training plan. If you’ve done this challenge, please send me your thoughts and advice.

3. Do you like Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter? Then you will LOVE MaraNatha Dark Chocolate Almond Spread. They’re both delicious and the nutrition values in both are very similar. The biggest difference is that MaraNatha has less sodium than Justin’s. Try it and let me know what you think.

Just Keep Running!

22
May
2013

Rock ‘n’ Roll Portland Half Marathon

categories: Race all 50 states, Race Recap, Rock 'n' Roll Race, Running

Done, state #18.

I arrived in Portland on Saturday morning and my friend, Julia, picked me up. Julia and I went to high school together and I had not seen her since graduation. We went to lunch and then to the expo. For some reason this was smaller than previous RnR expos. Plus, it seemed like it was missing a few other vendors. Oh well, no big deal. I only bought two pairs of socks and that’s only because it was “buy one and the other is 1/2 off”. I also signed up for StrideBox which is a monthly subscription that delivers an assortment of products to runners.

It rained Saturday so I was worried it would also rain on Sunday. The gods must have heard me complain throughout the race in Nashville that they decided to be nice to me. No rain on race day!!

I made a STUPID rookie mistake. Remember how I mentioned that I bought a new Garmin watch? Well, I turned it on but I forgot to press the button to locate the satellite. So as I crossed the start line I pressed the button and it began to locate the satellite while I was running. Of course that did not work so I had to stop for a couple of seconds and then took off. I was mad at myself! How could I have made that mistake?!?!?!

The course was blah. The nicest part was running through the residential areas. So pretty! I remember at some point we went through warehouses and it smelled horrible!! There was so much crowd support. I loved it!

As I crossed the finish line I had no idea of my time. I did not think it was a PR but one can only hope right? I got two medals at this race. One for finishing the race and another one for completing five races in the series. I’m a Rock Star!

Later that evening I found out my finish time was 2:23:43. Yes, I am pleased with it.

20
May
2013

Weekly Workouts, May 13-19, 2013

categories: Half Marathon Training

Workouts this week:

Tuesday – 5 x 1000 (400 RI)
Done. Next week’s speed workouts are 6 x 400s. Yay, I like those!!

Thursday – Yoga
I went to my first bikram yoga class on Thursday. It was not easy but I found it to be relaxing. I made a few rookie mistakes (I forgot to take my mat so I had to rent one, need longer towel to cover mat, extra towel to wipe off sweat from face, and drink a gallon a water prior to class) and don’t want to make them again for my next class. The plan is to go again on Thursday and Friday this week.

Saturday– Half Marathon
I ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll Portland Half Marathon today. It was a gorgeous day (no rain) and not hot at all. The course was blah but not horrible. I am even pleased with my finish time of 2:23:34!

Upcoming races: Boston’s Run to Remember Half Marathon on May 26 and Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon on June 2.

17
May
2013

Three Things Thursday, May 16, 2013

categories: Three Things Thursday

1. This past weekend I went to Fleet Feet Chicago and bought a Garmin Forerunner 10. It’s supposed to be a simple watch. When I run I only want to know distance, time, and pace. And this watch will give me just what I need. Plus, I fell in love with the color!

2. On Saturday I am off to Portland to run in state #18. It is supposed to rain and check out the elevation map. Seriously?!?!?!?

I received this email below on Tuesday. Yay!

3. I finally took the plunge and took my first bikram yoga class! I can cross it off this list. I have a headache which is probably from the heat. I did like the class but I am not used to the heat. I bought a new student monthly pass so I can go as many times as I want till June 16. Definitely will take advantage of it!!

Just Keep Running!

12
May
2013

Weekly Workouts, May 6-12, 2013

categories: Half Marathon Training

Workouts this week:

Tuesday – 2 x 1200 (2 min RI) and 4 x 800 (2 min RI)
Done. I had a meeting scheduled after school so I did my workout on Monday. I enjoyed the 800s more than the 1200s. Next week’s speed workouts are 5 x 1000s.

Thursday – 2 miles easy, 3 miles @ short tempo, 1 mile easy
Done. I had to finish up, shower, eat something fast, and then head out to another negotiation team meeting. I was there till about 9pm. Definitely a long day for me!

Saturday – 8 miles a@ HMP, 10 minutes walking
I traded the treadmill for a nice long run along the lake. Gorgeous! Next Saturday I will be in Portland for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Portland Half Marathon.

Check out my colorful gear!

Total miles ran this week is 20.74.

Just Keep Running!