Weekly Run Down: Happy New Year and I am back!

Hello there!  Remember me?  I haven’t posted in here for over a year.   I hope that I will continue to post weekly and read about all of your fun weekly activities.

This past week was my first week of training for the NYC Half Marathon in March.  I ran 4 days, had 2 rest days, and had 1 day of cross training.  My first two runs felt hard, but I stuck with it and then had two great days of running. 

December 26-January 1

Monday: Rest day.  I have no pictures from that day but I know I was home (Winter Break) with my cats.

Tuesday: Ran 3.07 miles.  I used a run/walk method and it was hard.  I did a lot of walking.  My last run was 5 miles on November 20th.  It was cold and windy too.  The snow made it tough too.

Then I cuddled with my cats.  In the evening I made it out to Oak Brook for dinner with the BFF.


Wednesday: Ran 3 miles.  Another tough run.  Did a lot of walking again and I am OK with it.  My goal for the half marathon is to have fun and finish it.  There was still a lot of snow on the ground and I had to be careful because I didn’t want to fall.

Thursday: Ran 3.04 miles.  Even with the wind this run went much better.  I stuck to the ran/walk intervals and ran/walked when I was supposed to.  Nothing wrong with walking more if needed.  I ran in my new Brooks running shoes.  I told myself no more shoes but couldn’t help buying a new pair of the  Launch 9.  

Friday: Rest day.  I did a few errands and began reading a new book.  So far it is good.


Saturday: Ran 4.11 miles.  I did my last run of the year and it was a great run!  I felt good and my average pace was faster than my last 3 runs.  It was still “slow” but I was pleased to see an improvement.  I finished the year with 494.92 miles. 

Sunday: Walked 3.39 miles.  It was a cross training day and I decided to walk.  It was in the 40s with no wind.  For those that know me, know that I rarely go out for a walk.  As much as I have tried and wanted, it just doesn’t happen.  

So that was my week.  It feels good to be running again.  I am liking these 4 days of running instead of 6 like I used to.  

I am looking forward to this year!  I am signed up for 3 races and hope to add a few more to my race calendar.  Last year was not my year of running so I hope this year is better.  

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

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Tuesday Topics: My goals for 2023

This week’s Tuesday Topic:  What are your goals for 2023?  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 can’t believe 2022 is almost over.  And what a year it has been!  I know I said this before.

Time to start thinking about next year.  Last year I wrote my goals for 2022I will update you on how I did and then talk about my goals for next year.

❇️ Stay injury free.  I was doing good until plantar fasciitis decided to visit.  As if that wasn’t enough, hip pain came too.  They’ve both overextended their stay and they need to leave.  

❇️ Buy a house.  I came really close by making an offer but then decided not to move forward.

❇️ Travel.  Does it count that I traveled downtown for a race and to the suburbs for another race?

❇️ Continue to be patient at home and at work.  I did good here.  It wasn’t easy.  It also helped that I picked my battles.

❇️ PR in my 50k.  I tried twice to run a 50k but it didn’t happen.  I guess it never will and I am OK with it. 

❇️ Run 1,200 miles.  This was not my year of running.  I ended up with 481.71 running miles and 7.37 walking miles.

❇️ Complete 300 Peloton rides.  Done!  I am currently at 359 rides.  Is it cheating if I am counting my warmup and cooldown rides?  The Peloton instructors tell me I need to take them so I am listening to them.

2023 Goals:

➡️ Complete 500 Peloton rides.  

➡️ Run 800 miles.

➡️ Run at least 5 races.

➡️ Do one Peloton activity each day.

➡️ Read 12 books.

And that is our last Tuesday Topics of 2022.  A HUGE thank you for joining me and Kim each Tuesday to talk about running and other things not related to running.  I love this group of bloggers!  

Wishing you an (early) Happy New Year!

Topic for next weekYour word for 2023.  Feel free to write about this topic or any running related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

Tuesday Topics

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Fit Five Friday: 5 things I am looking forward to during Winter Break

Today is my first day of Winter Break.  And it is cold outside.  I go back on the 9th and am happy with the extra day we get for our break.

This week was full of fun activities with the students.  Last week they took 4 MAP tests (state required) so the fun stuff was well deserved.

I am very excited about about my time off.  Let me tell you what I am looking forward to during that time which is very similar to what I wrote last year.

☃️ Not be out running in the dark.  I need to start training for my half marathon in March.  I know I will wake up early anyway, but I will not be out running that early.  I do wish I had a treadmill for when we have bad weather (like today).  

☃️ Not drive to school or anywhere else.  I plan to leave my house just for running, to get groceries, and go to my brother’s house to feed the cat.  We do have enough food in the house to last us for a few weeks.  Nothing fancy.  We have the basics such as beans, tortillas, spaghetti, eggs, and green tomatoes to make salsa.  

☃️ Watch TV.  I am still watching “Golden Girls” and hopefully will finish it during break.  I am debating on whether to watch the new season of “Grey’s Anatomy”.  Sometimes I get tired of it but cannot stop watching it.  I do hope soon the show will end.  

☃️ Read.  I know I enjoy watching TV but I also like to read.  Currently I am reading “Landslide”.  I started reading it in the Summer but had to return it.  I have also requested 4 more books from the library.  

☃️ Write a few blog posts.  Now is the perfect time to do this.  I hate having to wait till the last minute and then rush to get it done.

Thanks for linking up with us again this week!  We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts, and we are ready to link up every Friday to share YOUR weekly fitness favorites!  Join hosts My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugsand Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday!  Please add your link below.

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Tuesday Topics: My year 2022 in photos

 

This week’s Tuesday Topic:  Your year in photos.  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!

This has been one of my favorite posts to write.  I wrote one in 2020 and 2021.  I had fun reading those posts again and thinking about how much has changed since 2020.

What a year this has been!  Thanks to everyone for linking up with us this year.  Kim and I are already planning for next year.  Let us know if you have fun topics you want us to add to the linkup.

Let’s recap this year.  

January:

⇒ Went back to work after a nice 2 1/2 weeks of being at home.

Chose my word of the year: Patience.  Next year I will let you know how I did.

⇒ Ran once (and last time) on the treadmill in the gym in a mask.  It was awful!

February:

⇒ Had a couple of remote days because of the snow.  It was tiring preparing for them but it was nice to be home teaching without a mask.

March:

⇒ Ran the Shamrock Shuffle 8K and had a great time!  I had forgotten that I ran two races this year.

April:

⇒ Met up with my former coach for dinner.

May:

⇒ Began packing up my stuff.  Received official notification that my school will be closed and I would be moved to a different school.

June:

⇒ Finished the 2021-2022 school year!

July:

⇒ Ran the 4 on the 4th Race.  It was my 2nd and last race of 2022.

⇒ Met up with Wendy and Marcia for lunch.

August:

⇒ Taught a group of kindergarten kids.  There were 7 in my class and they were adorable.  The goal was to make it fun for them and excited to start school.  Read for the first time the book “The Kissing Hand”.  Adorable and it made me cry.

⇒ Saw a few actors from Chicago PD.  Fun!  Not sure why I wrote ‘characters’.  I meant actors.

⇒ Began the 2022-2023 school year.

September:

⇒ Celebrated my mom’s birthday.  We made mole.

October:

⇒ Spectated the Chicago Marathon.  It was a fun day!  I met Renee.

November:

⇒ Got excited to participate in a month long challenge for National Blog Posting Month.  I stopped after 12 days.  While posting wasn’t that difficult, it was the reading and commenting that took most of my time.  I lost track of the posts I read, fell behind, and then I couldn’t do it anymore.  I tried.

⇒ Celebrated my 50th birthday.

December:

⇒ Counting down the days till Winter Break!  Thursday is my last day.

⇒ Soon will say goodbye to 2022.

Topic for next week – What are your goals for 2023?  Feel free to write about this topic or any running related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

Tuesday Topics

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Tuesday Topics: The letter M

This week’s Tuesday Topic:  Show us your year in bling!  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 am deviating from this week’s topic because I have no bling from this year.  Nada.  No races at all.  I know next year that won’t be the case.  So far I’m signed up for the NYC Half Marathon in March and am planning to add a few more races to my calendar.

For today’s post I am writing a few things that come to my mind that start with the letter “M”.  Why that letter?  Well, it is the 13th day in December and the 13th letter of the alphabet.  Ready to see what I come up with?

➡️ Mail – Right now I am getting impatient with the US Mail.  I ordered $500 worth of Target gift cards and received an email notification that they were delivered on Thursday.  No they weren’t.  I reached out to Target and was told that sometimes carriers mark packages as delivered before they are actually delivered.  I will wait till Thursday and then reach out to them again.

➡️ Music –  I listen to it every single day.  On the way to school, in the morning before school starts, and on the way home.  I like Christmas music but cannot stand listening to it all day.

➡️ March –  The month of the NYC Half Marathon!  I am excited and looking forward to it.  I made my flight reservation and now need to plan what to do there.

➡️ MAP – Seriously the worst standardized test that students need to take.  My students take 4 tests – 2 in English and 2 in Spanish.  One of my students arrived from Mexico about a month ago.  He took a Reading test in English.  How is that fair to him?  

➡️ mile – Would love to do one mile time trials like Kim did.  But Winter is coming and you know I dislike running in the snow.  But I need to train for my half marathon so I guess I can do it.

➡️ Monday – I dislike Mondays and wish we were off that day.  

➡️ moody – Yesterday I experienced being happy, sad, angry, and annoyed.  And that was in a span of about 2 hours!

➡️ mother – As tiring as sometimes it is to take care of her, many times I am glad she is still with us to keep enjoying life.  I know it hasn’t been easy for her, but family members are always happy to see her. 

➡️ move – Will 2023 be the year I move?  Everyone please cross your fingers and toes for me.

󠁍󠁍➡️ movie – The last time I was in a movie theatre was in March 2020.  Right now there are two movies on my list-Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

󠁍󠁍➡️ Mexico – Oh beautiful Mexico!  I haven’t been there in over 10 years.  I’ve been to Cancun but that doesn’t really count.  Haha.  It’s been so long since I’ve been to the state of Guerrero (where I was born) and am not sure but I think the last time I was there was in 1991 when my dad died.

I know there are more words that start with M.  I ran out of time last night.  I got home late, ate dinner, and then was ready for bed.  

Topic for next week – Your year in photos.  Feel free to write about this topic or any running related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

Tuesday Topics

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