Fit Five Friday – Page 8

24
Mar
2023

Fit Five Friday: 5 things about the NYC Half Marathon

This week’s Fit Five Friday topic: 5 sources of mental clutter for your training. You can write about this topic or any fitness-related post. We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida so be sure to link up with us.

I am going to deviate from this week’s topic to write about the NYC Half Marathon. It was my first race of the year and my first half marathon in 3 years. I’ve entered the lottery many times but was never selected. This year was THE year to go!

Here are some fun things about the race:

🗽 It is a tough course and I didn’t train like I wanted to. I had a training plan and was determined to follow it but I missed a few runs. I paid for it. I walked a lot but at the same time did better than expected. I was surprised when I saw the finish time on my watch. It isn’t my worst time.

I used a 5:1 run/walk method. For the most part, I followed it but there were times when I walked more than run.

🗽 It was freaking cold and windy in the morning. I was in Wave 3 with an 8:20 am start time. I stayed with my nephew in Brooklyn and arrived before 7 am. I checked my bag and then went through security. From there it was a 1.5-hour wait time. I was miserable. I had a mylar blanket and waited in the sun and those two things helped. I knew I would warm up once I began running. I wore a jacket and kept it on until past mile 12 when running in Central Park.

I also wore shorts and I know that didn’t help in the morning. I had pants on but took them off when I checked my bag. I should have worn another pair to throw away once the race began.

🗽 It was my first time running in Central Park. I’ve heard so much about it and was excited to run there. I walked a few times but don’t know why I didn’t take more photos.

I remember people telling me that I was almost at the finish. I saw a sign letting me know I still had 800 meters to go. Then either another sign or someone telling me I had a quarter mile to go. I was so close to the finish line. I ran as fast as I could and saw my nephews and one of their girlfriends with about 100 meters to go.

🗽 There was amazing crowd support! I am glad I didn’t listen to music like I usually do. I soaked it all in. My favorite part was running in Times Square. The crowd and the lights were magnificent!

🗽 This race gave me a chance to visit my nephews and explore the city. The last time I was in NYC was in 2008. It was definitely time to go again. We had bagels and coffee for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, we ate Thai food, hot dogs, pizza (was not impressed with the NY style), Szechuan, and sushi. We went to the 9/11 Memorial and to see “The Book of Mormon”. Oh, and I drank a lot of beer!

Will I do it again? Maybe.

The topic for next week: Runfessions with Marcia! We hope you will link up.

10
Mar
2023

Fit Five Friday: 5 Spring cleaning tips for your fitness gear

categories: Fit Five Friday

This week’s Fit Five Friday topic: 5 spring cleaning tips for your fitness gear. You can write about this topic or any fitness-related post. We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida so be sure to link up with us.

The word “Spring” gets me all excited. While it isn’t my favorite season, I do like it more than Winter. Spring gets us closer to Summer and then Fall. Yes, Fall is my favorite.

Fitness gear isn’t cheap. Well, it depends on what you buy and whether you pay the full or the sale price. I usually do the latter unless there is something I really, really like then I will pay the full price. No matter what, we want to take care of it so that it can last a long time. Below are a couple of Spring cleaning tips I do for my gear.

🧺 Invest in a good detergent specifically for fitness gear. I have tried a few brands over the years, but my favorite is “Sport Suds”. I use it each time I wash my running gear. A little goes a long way. I have been using it for years and my clothes do not smell like they used to before. I am a heavy sweater and my clothes would stink a lot.

🧺 Check if the clothes still fit, has holes, or are too dingy. I know I just said that fitness gear could be expensive, but why still wear something that is very old with holes or doesn’t fit anymore? Invest in something new. You might get lucky and get a good price! Now will also be a good time to invest in new sports bars.

🧺 Replace your running shoes. They need to be replaced every 300–500 miles. I replace mine every 300 miles. I track the mileage using the Garmin Connect app. Once they’re no longer usable for running, I use them for work.

🧺 Clean your Garmin device. I do this more than once a year. Of course, Spring is the perfect time to do this. I hand wash the strap. I also deep clean the actual watch as if I am performing surgery. OK, not really but you get the idea. 😃

🧺 Clean your treadmill, bike, weights, and any other fitness equipment you own. Right now the only fitness equipment in the living room is the Peloton bike. Though at this moment it is collecting dust. I need to get my act together. I will, I will. I wipe off the sweat after each workout, but I need to wipe off that dust and clean it from top to bottom and from left to right.

The topic for next week: 5 fitness superstitions. We hope you will link up.

03
Mar
2023

Fit Five Friday and March 2023 Ultimate Coffee Date

categories: Fit Five Friday, Ultimate Coffee Date

Welcome to the March edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah. It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and me! Let’s get started, shall we?

I am glad February is over. It did go by quickly. While it was a mild temperature-wise month for us, it is now March, and some warmer weather. But first Mother Nature decided to drop us a Winter storm that will start today in the afternoon. I am crossing my fingers and toes that the meteorologist got it all wrong and we won’t get any snow at all.

Now, grab a mug of your favorite beverage and let’s chat for a bit!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that just like I had a good experience with Amazon last month, I also had a good experience with Running Warehouse. I ordered two shirts and they supposedly were delivered. I remember that that day someone else’s package was on the front steps and so I took it to the correct house. Nothing from Running Warehouse. I reached out to them and after a few email conversations with them and UPS, another package with the two shirts were sent to me. I am pretty sure the original package was delivered to the wrong house, but whoever received it decided to keep it.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that there are a few houses that I like but not one that I would buy right now. Last year I told my landlord that I know he wants me to move and that I am looking for a house. He told me that he understands and that there is no rush for me to leave. He also mentioned how expensive the houses cost. I was relieved. The houses on my list are ready for me to view and hopefully buy just in case he gives me a notice that I need to move. Is my plan the best plan? Probably not, but I don’t think there is another option for me. I do wish the interest rates weren’t ridiculously high.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I am inspired by Erica’s run streak. She just finished 3 years and still going! I did a one-year run streak a few years ago. However, just when I “start” one, something comes up and then I don’t run that day. I guess that is the universe telling me not to do it. Right?

If we were having coffee…
Last month I received an email from Twitter telling me that I’ve been a member for 11 years. Let me tell you that I am not sure how I feel about Twitter. Sometimes I like it and sometimes I don’t. Other times I wonder if I am using it correctly. A few months ago I was into it and enjoyed reading the conversations but now I am tired of it. Too many politics and many people being downright mean and rude. Who has time for that? I haven’t deactivated my account but did remove the app from my phone.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that a friend tagged me on a Facebook photo from CARA promoting one of their upcoming races to take place next month. I remember that race a few years ago. It is a nice photo (I love black and white photos) and I look happy in it. However, right away my eyes went to the stomach area and I was horrified. Ugh! I know, I know, I shouldn’t feel that way but I couldn’t help it.

The topic for next week’s Fit Fit Friday – 5 Spring cleaning tips for your fitness gear. Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!

17
Feb
2023

Fit Five Friday: 5 self-care ways to show love for yourself

categories: Fit Five Friday

This week’s Fit Five Friday topic: 5 self-care ways to show love for yourself. You can write about this topic or any fitness-related post. We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida so be sure to link up with us.

We all love self-care right? What it is and how we do it is different for each one of us. Let me tell you what I do.

💟 Exercise. I run and sometimes I walk. I know, I know, I need to do more. My Peloton misses me.

💟 Watch what I eat. It may not be perfect but I do what I can. However, there are days when I get too stressed and I go for what I want to eat. Hello Big Mac and french fries!

💟 Get enough sleep. I am usually in bed by 9 pm and wake up between 4-5 am. Sometimes I do OK and other times I wake up in the middle of the night and it takes me a while to go back to sleep. Melatonin does make me sleepy but I need it to last longer.

💟 Do things I enjoy. To me, that is either watching TV or reading a book. On Monday I finished reading my 4th book this year. I also like to meet up with friends for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

💟 Drink less coffee and drink more water. As much as I love coffee, I have cut down on it. I drink one cup in the morning and that’s it. Sometimes, I will stop for coffee at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, but I don’t do it as often as I used to. I bought a Brita pitcher to have in my room and fill it up in the morning. My goal is to finish it at school.

The topic for next week – It is Runfessions with Marcia! We hope you will link up.

03
Feb
2023

Fit Five Friday and February 2023 Ultimate Coffee Date

categories: Fit Five Friday, Ultimate Coffee Date

Welcome to the February edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah. It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and me! Let’s get started, shall we?

I am glad January is over. It did go by quickly. While it was a mild temperature-wise month for us, we are now closer to March and to some races.

There is more to tell. So grab a mug of your favorite beverage and let’s chat for a bit!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that Amazon sent me an Echo Dot by mistake. When I contacted them about it, they asked if maybe someone had gifted it to me and to see if there was a label inside. No one did and there wasn’t a note. Then they asked if I wanted to send it back. I already have one, but this one is nicer. They said I could keep it and I did. The one I have now I will give to my niece. Would you have sent it back?

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I finished watching Golden Girls. That final episode! Wow! I cried. It is such a good show. My favorite girl was Dorothy and I am a little like her. I also adored Sophia.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I need to do a better job of reading blog posts in order. Ahem, or not fall too behind. At the beginning of January, I was reading posts from the Friday linkup. I thought I was finished (not sure how or why) but then I started reading the posts from Sunday’s linkup. I had a feeling I was “off” but kept reading. Something made me go back to my posts and that is when I realized I didn’t finish reading all of the posts from Friday.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that a few years ago I did something to my blog to make money through ads. I completely forgot about it until last month when I checked the dashboard. I made $100! Haha, I know it isn’t much but it is $100 I didn’t have before. That will come in handy to help buy my ticket to Washington, DC for the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Race.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that I don’t understand the big deal with the two spaces after a period. I do it all of the time. As a senior in high school, I took a typing class on the recommendation of my counselor. One of the best classes I took and I did really well in it. What about you – two spaces or one?

Topic for next week’s Fit Fit Friday – 5 things to love about running. Feel free to write about this topic or any fitness topic you’d like. We hope you’ll link up with us!

Zenaida Arroyo

Category: Fit Five Friday