Gretch Runs

Inspiration from StrideBox's Instagram One Week to go!! My final full week of training was full of highs and lows, and definitely was one of my tougher weeks mentally.  I managed to push through, and now I'm really excited about the race next Sunday!  Read on to see how my week of training went, and I'll see you tomorrow for my race goals and recapping my weekend fun! Monday : 5 miles / 47:10 / 9:26 pace Felt really sore on this run, and kept my pace nice and slow.  Tried to keep it easy so I was happy with my time!  It was also pretty warm out when I ran, and the heat didn't really bother me.  Finally think I'm adjusting to the heat...thank goodness! Tuesday : 1 hour yoga I did a few yoga for runners videos from YouTube as well as specific stretches that felt great.  Nothing too exciting- just some nice stretches! Wednesday : 4 miles / 34:00 / 8:30 pace Today was my last speed workout, and as soon as I started my hamstring stated to bothe

Hi everyone and Happy Friday !  Even though this was a shorter work week, the entire week seemed to drag on for me.  I'm so excited for this weekend! Instead of having a themed "Top Five Friday", I decided to share five things that I'm currently obsessed with.  A lot of these are upcoming events in Pittsburgh that I'm excited about.  The city is definitely picking up its fitness game lately, and I'm so excited for some of these programs to start.  If you're visiting Pittsburgh this summer, make sure to check them out!  If you're a resident, I hope to see you around :)  I also have an athletic event I've been following very closely, and a podcast I can't stop listening to! Open Streets Pittsburgh (May 31) Image from livingpittsburgh.com Last year, I went to the first Open Streets event held in Pittsburgh and it was so much fun!  I went to a spinning class, Zumba, and had a blast walking around downtown Pittsburgh all morning checkin

Hi everyone!  I'm so excited to share my latest food challenge : Greece!  (If you missed my past challenges, check them out here and here !)  I'll also be linking up with Anne for her Pin To Present series as well, so check out what other people are trying out this month.  If you aren't following me on Pinterest yet, follow here ! I absolutely love Greek food, but have never tried to cook it.  In Pittsburgh, we have lots of Greek food festivals every year, as well as Greek vendors at the farmer's market in Market Square every Thursday.  The food always appealed to me because it features lots of fresh vegetables and bright flavors.  I was so excited to try out some recipes! First up is a recipe from a fellow Pittsburgh blogger : applesnkale .  Jenny was raving about her Greek Salad for a while, and I knew I had to try it out!  It turned out great and was a perfect spring/summer side dish.  I kept it in my fridge all week and had a bowl with all of my meals. I lo

Hi everyone and Happy Wednesday!  I absolutely love short work-weeks, and feel like it should still be Monday.  We're already halfway through the week- WOO HOO! For today's post, I'm reviewing an awesome product that was sent to me: Voke Tabs!  I was really excited to be contacted by the company to try these out.  They're supposed to be a natural source of energy with no crash!  Here are some facts I got from their website: Disclaimer: Voke Tabs were sent to me for review, but I was not paid for a blog post or compensated in any way!  All thoughts are my own. - Each tab gives you a few hours of smooth, natural energy from organic guarana berry (for focus and memory), natural green tea leaf caffeine (for endurance) and organic acerola cherry (for vitamin C antioxidants) - There's no sugar added, no artificial flavor or color, and there's only 2 calories per tab! - If you replace a coffee each day with a Voke tab, you can save $972 eliminate 72,000 ca

Hi everyone and Happy Memorial Day!  I hope that you're all enjoying the holiday if you're in the United State, and appreciate the reason we get to celebrate.  I'll be spending the day at the Pirates game and hopefully enjoying the beautiful weather! This weekend was very busy and a lot of fun!  Here's a quick recap for #MIMM with Katie : - Dan and I were out in the Allison Park area for my work on Friday, and happened upon Narcisi Winery .  It was really funny because I've been wanting to visit (they do concerts on the weekends and have their own restaurant) and we just happened to pass it and decided to stop!  We just stopped for a tasting and ended up buying a bottle of  Stella (great red wine!) and Riesling (slightly sweet but also amazing). Image from http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-casa-narcisi-winery-gibsonia - We stopped on the Northside to meet a friend at Monterey Pub .  It was my first time to that place, but I absolutely loved it!  It felt like an

Monday : 5 miles / 48:47 / 9:46 pace Early morning run.  I was seriously dragging the first mile and felt horrible (10:31) but steadily picked up the pace and felt great by the end of the run.  My last mile was my fastest at 9:03, and oddly enough felt so much easier than the first mile.  I tried to keep it nice and easy for this run, and I was so happy to see a beautiful sunrise: Tuesday : 30 minute yoga video I've been loving the video I mentioned last week.  The stretches feel SO good! I usually do Group Centergy on Tuesdays, but today I needed more stretches. Wednesday : 5.4 miles / 45:00 / 8:20 pace Today was a tempo run, and it felt AMAZING!! After struggling with humidity and heat, it felt great to have a cool day.  My paces were : 10 minute warmup @ 9:45, 20 minute @ 8:10 average (first 10 minutes were a little slower, then I picked it up), 15 minute cooldown @ 8:45.  My legs felt amazing, and I felt like I could keep running forever! Thursday : 3 miles / 26:4

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!! I don't know about you, but this week has been dragging on!  I'm so excited for today, because the Friday Five theme is Summer Fruit!  I absolutely love fruit all times of the year, but it seems to taste better in the summer.  Anyone else agree?  Instead of picking five different fruits, I decided to focus on my one true (food) love: MANGO.  I absolutely love eating mango, and I try to use it in different ways.  Today I'll share my five favorite ways to eat mango, with some recipes!     Fruit Salad mango + strawberry + blueberry + blackberry + raspberry + pineapple I love trying different combinations of fruit, so mix it up!  A tropical salad is also great with fruits like papaya and starfruit.  Yum! Mango Salsa  1 mango + 2T cilantro + lime juice + 2T orange juice +1/3 cup red bell pepper + 3T red onion I love this either on its own with some chips, or on top of salmon for a yummy summer dinner! Mango Smoothie  1

Hi everyone! Happy Thursday to you all.  For today's post, I thought I would do a second edition of the "Currently" survey.  The last one I did was right after I started blogging (wow..seems so long ago now) so I thought I was due for another one!  I hope you enjoy and be sure to answer some of the questions below! Current Book The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriatry I like this book, but it took a while for all the different story lines to make sense and fall into place.  Now that I've found out "the husband's secret" it's a lot more interesting!  I can't wait to see how it'll end. Current Music Ludovico Einaudi.  If you like classical music as much as I do (or even if you don't, and just want some beautiful and relaxing music) you will love Einaudi!  He plays the most beautiful piano music I've ever heard, and I recommend nuvole bianche .  Amazing. Current Guilty Pleasure Lululemon! Granted, I haven't bought

Hi everyone!  Today's review will be my second PopSugar Must Have Box (referral code).  I was excited to see this month's box because the theme was all around summer and fresh products.  Keep reading to see what was included in this month's box! (if you missed April's box, check it out here! ) Sisters of Los Angeles Surf Sand Love Beach Towel - Value $40 It's a very nice beach towel- nice and thick and soft.   I don't go to the beach or pool very often, but I can always use a new towel!  The yellow stripes are really cute and summery, and the huge "SURF SAND LOVE" print is also fun. Middle Kingdom Mini Plum Vase - Value $20 Love this little vase!   I have a few large vases, but this one is the perfect size for just a few flowers.  I already used it with some flowers that my mom bought for me:   Isn't it adorable?? Sage & Row Bare Shave Cream - Value $17 This is weird for me to use.  I'm used to using a shave gel or cr

Hi everyone!  I know that I've talked about my love of running on trails over and over on this blog, and I figured it's finally time to devote an entire post to the topic!  I think that trail running is one of the best ways to get a fantastic workout, clear your mind, and ease your worries.  There are a few things to be cautious of before taking your first trail run, and I hope my tips can help out!  Please share any other tips you have in the comments! Safety First Running on trails can be really exciting and fun, but also a bit more dangerous than running on a smooth road.  To be safe, I either take one ear bud out while running or shut off my music completely.  It can be harder to see people coming at you, or bikes approaching, so I always like to be as alert as possible. I also bring along pepper spray (you can order small cans with a hand strap on Amazon) in case I'm approached by either a wild animal or wild person!  Finally, I always w