Month: May 2020

Weekly Run Down: Joy and goodbye May

Weekly Mileage-57

Another great week for me!  Ran 5 days for a total of 18.33 miles and did another 2 virtual races for the Uncanceled Project.

This week was a HOT one!  I went out too late on Monday and struggled during my 4 miles.  I am sure I was dehydrated because I had a headache and felt some chills towards the end.

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I spent the rest of the day relaxing and catching up on blogs.

Apparently I did not learn my lesson on Monday because I went out again too late on Wednesday.  I did 1 mile, then 4-30 second surges, and then ran easy for total 3 miles.  I did pretty good with the surges (8:46/7:57/8:17/8:09)!

I am NOT eating well at all and paid for it on Thursday.  I did 5 miles and it was tough.  My shorts are a bit too tight and moving was not easy.  

Sometimes a run sucks and sometimes it doesn’t.  On Saturday my run did not suck.  I ran 3 sets of 5 minutes.  Couple of things: 1) Ran each set without stopping and that is something that rarely happens.  2) Got negative splits and that rarely happens too.  3) Fastest splits in a long time.  I was very pleased with this run.  I was happy.  I know the weather had something to do with it as it was perfect for running.  

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I finished May with 72.05 miles.  That has been my highest this year. 

May 2020 Mileage

Sometime in March I removed the Instagram app from my phone.  My last post was March 12.  I downloaded the app again.  At that time I had 900 followers.  Well, I unfollowed everyone because I want to start over.  It’s been interesting to see how many followers I lost.  🙂  I began with 900, then had 883, and ended up with 871.  So I lost 29 followers in a couple of days.  Tomorrow is a new month and I will start following people again.

It was kind of hard to find joy this week with everything that is going on in this country.  Last night we got an alert that the Mayor had imposed a curfew (9pm-6am).  Honestly, it wasn’t till last night that I saw what had been happening in the city.  Now I am watching a Facebook Live of a looting taking place not too far from my house.  I’ve been watching it for over an hour and cannot stop watching it.

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

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Random Thoughts Thursday 126

Random Thoughts Thursday

• Thanks to Facebook Memories for another great reminder.  I do enjoy teaching 2nd grade.  So if I am doing the math correctly, 2020-2021 will be my 7th year teaching 2nd grade.  I have had some great coworkers which makes this job a whole lot better.  Facebook Memories-6

•  Have you seen these tumblers?  I don’t need another one but these are very cute.  And I want one.  If you see them, get two of them and let me know.  I will pay you for them.

Starbucks Tumbler-1

  • A few weeks ago I purchased a cocktail shaker.  You know I love my martinis.  Somehow there was trouble with the delivery and Target gave me a refund.  I ordered another one and am supposed to get it today.  Imagine my surprise when on Monday I received the first one I ordered.  Now I have two of them.  Just kidding.  I will return the other one.  

Cocktail shaker

• My cats rarely sleep on the same bed.  Lola is still not happy that Mateo is around.  Will she get over it?  Now I need to get another bed for ME.  

Lola and Mateo-11

 • This made me laugh!  I will ignore any students that ask me that question.  

Bored Teachers-2

Tuesday Topics: My running hacks

Happy Tuesday and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Topics!  Did you all have a nice Memorial Day yesterday?  I spent most of the day reading blogs and watching TV.  Oh, and staying cool since it got really hot too.

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This week’s Tuesday Topic:  What are some of your running hacks 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’ve been running for over 10 years and while I am no expert, I have picked up a few things here and there to help make my running experiences a bit better.  Most are things things you’re already doing, but still I am going to share the things that have been working for me. 

• Lay out your running clothes the night before.  Some people sleep in their running clothes but I’d find that to be uncomfortable.  I am not big chested and do not sleep with a bra so I cannot imagine sleeping with a running bra.  I am sure I can sleep without it and then just put it on in the morning but I prefer to sleep in shorts and tee in the summer or long pants and long sleeve top in the summer.  Laying out your clothes the night before ensure you have everything ready the next morning and do not waste time looking for things you need.

• Schedule your workouts in your calendar.  I put everything in my Google Calendar.  I would be lost without it.  I also schedule my school meetings, doctor appointments, my mother’s doctor appointments, and everything else that my presence is required.

• Use an app to track the mileage of your shoes.  I have a Garmin and not only use the app to check the data of my run, but also to track the mileage of my shoes.  After each run, I check my splits, pace, etc., and I add the shoes that I wore.  This way I know when I can retire the shoes I am wearing and start using a new pair.  Right now I have the app set up to retire the shoes at 350 miles.  

• Vary your routes.  I usually run by my house.  I’ve been doing that for a few years now and like it.  There are days that I miss running by the lakefront.  Sometimes I want to see something different instead of the same thing.  I still run by my house but go a different route.  Sometimes I do a reverse loop.  

• Break up the miles.  This works very well for me when running on the treadmill but can also be done when running outside.  I remember one time I had to run 10 miles and was not looking forward to it (and I one that does not mind running on the treadmill).  I broke up the run into 2.5 mile segments, and taking a short break in between.

• Program your workouts in your watch.  This is perfect when doing intervals so you know exactly when to run and when to walk/recover.  No more guessing and running more or less that you’re supposed to.  I once had to do 30 second intervals and it was “hard” to do because I had to count in my head and pay attention to where I was stepping so as not to fall.  🙂

• Freeze your water.  I remember this from a few years ago that Judy either mentioned in her blog or she gave me that suggestion.  I remember it was for my hydration pack.  With a longer run and warmer weather, the water was not cold enough for me.  She told me to fill it halfway and then put it in the freezer the night before my run.  The next morning just fill it up with more water.  

• Have fun.  Seriously.  Running is a hobby and should not take control over us.  So what if a run did not go as expected.  Tomorrow is another day.  Life goes on.

Tuesday Topics

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Weekly Run Down: A good week of running and being kind

Weekly Mileage-56

Another great week for me!  Ran 5 days for a total of 20.07 miles and did 2 virtual races for the Uncanceled Project.

I have my days when I can easily get up at 6:30 am and am ready to start the day.  There are also days in which it is 8 am and I am feeling so tired and could stay in bed all day.   I  This week was a combo of both.  I did three runs in the morning, 1 in the afternoon, and another one in the evening.  have no idea how I am going to do it when I go back to the classroom in the Fall.

Going back to workMy run on Saturday felt so hard.  I procrastinated and went out at 2pm . I was struggling in the first half mile of the run.  The plan was to run 3.10 miles and then turn around to run another 3.10 miles for a total of 6.20.  At 1.5 miles I wanted to quit but knew I still needed to keep running to get home.  I decided to try a different route to get home.  By the time I was almost home, I was at 4.23 miles.  I asked myself “why quit now?”  I kept on going but stayed close to home because I knew it was going to rain a lot.  It did!!!  And then it was sunny and warm again.

I got on the Peloton one day.  I bought these gym towels to use and I like them.  They’re the perfect size to cover the handlebars.  I had ordered a different kind but that order never got delivered.  After a few emails back and forth with the company, I decided to get my money back and go with Plan B.

The theme this week was Kindness.  I am a kind person.  I do kind things but don’t expect anything in return.  We should all be kind no matter the situation.  We don’t know what people are going through and sometimes all it takes is a smile, a compliment, or just being nice to others.

Essential Workers

Last Sunday when I was coming home I stopped at Wendy’s.  I paid for my meal and paid for the order in the car behind me.  Did I have to do that?  No,  I wanted to.  The cashier told me “That is a very nice thing you did”.  I smiled at her and said “Thank You”.  I felt good but more importantly I hoped the people behind me were happy, healthy, and enjoyed their meal.  

My friend, Carolina, set up a GoFund Me page to raise money for the street cart vendors in Little Village.  I grew up in Little Village.  These vendors cannot go out there and sell like they used to.  Like many people in this country, they have no income.  When things get better, who knows if they will be able to sell again.  I donated a couple hundred dollars to give to the vendors.  I was inspired by my nephew.  He donated his stimulus check because he said he did not need it.  I was so proud of him when he said that.  I used Zelle to send the money to Carolina and she told me it was too much money and that I didn’t have to do that.  She was right.  I didn’t but I wanted to.  I told her that right now I am very lucky.  I have a job, a house, and am healthy.  There are other people in worse situations.  

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We have two weeks left of school.  Seriously, school should be done this Friday and not the following Friday.  Kids and teachers are burnt out and need a break.  On Thursday I held my last Google Meets session with them.  I would have one Monday-Thursday from 10am-1pm.  I did tell them that I will still be there for them if they have questions or need help.  As a way of saying goodbye to 2nd grade, I made a postcard.  Here is what it says:

Your teacher misses you.
Hi!  The school year is almost over.  You did a good job in the classroom and I am very proud of you.  Thank you for your help and your patience.  I know these past few months were not easy but we did it.  Remember that when we return the following year, you will be a 3rd grader.  Never forget that you are very intelligent.  Take care and I hope you visit me in the classroom when we return to school.

Postcard for students-1

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

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Random Thoughts Thursday 125

Random Thoughts Thursday

• Anyone read “Fifty Shades of Grey”?  I remember reading every book and seeing the movies too.  Thanks to Facebook Memories I was reminded of a few years ago when I was in Portland, Oregon for a race and found the hotel.  Haha!!

Facebook Memories-5

• This made me laugh!  I tried making an avatar but it looked nothing like me.  I prefer to use memoji on my iPhone.  

Release the avatars

  • Saw this yesterday.  I wonder how true it is.  I also wonder how exactly it will work in the Fall.  Many of the things on the list will be “impossible” to do.

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• I finished reading the book.  Wow!  I thought the Netflix series was excellent and the book is great too.  Well, I think the series was better.  

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 • No matter what situation we are in, we should always be kind.  Honestly, I am getting tired of people complaining and being ungrateful.

Essential Workers