Gretch Runs

This weekend seemed to fly by!  It felt like the last official weekend of summer (is it really the last day of August!?) so there was a lot going on in Pittsburgh.  Luckily, the weather cooperated and it turned out to be a gorgeous weekend!   First things first- congratulations to the freekeh giveaway winner Kristen (I'll be sending you an email shortly!).  Thank you all so much for entering and for all your amazing lunch ideas! Here are a few highlights of my marvelous weekend : Dan and I went to a Renaissance Fair !  Every year, there's an amazing fair near Pittsburgh that I've always wanted to visit.  It was a ton of fun!  We stopped by a few different shows- my favorites being Cast in Bronze (who appeared on America's Got Talent) and the Duelists (hilarious duo). Every time I think of a Renaissance Fair, I think of this scene in How I Met Your Mother...hilarious! Another highlight was definitely seeing...

This week was a bit of a challenge for me.  It was the first time my muscles felt sore and the workouts were difficult to complete.  Usually I look forward to my runs and have to hold myself back, but that wasn't the case this week.  I think it's finally time to really take those easy runs easier and focus more on eating enough, fueling properly, and preventing injury. I did hit an exciting milestone this week- I ran over 100 miles for the month of August!  I believe this is the first time that I've ever hit that milestone in my running career, so I'm really excited and proud of myself.  I also started running with a training group this week, so it's not surprising that I'm feeling sore.  Here's to hoping my body will start to respond and get stronger! Monday 4 miles easy / 38:00 / 9:30 pace I felt really good, so it was hard for me to slow down and truly take these miles easy.  I ended up running on trails because it was really sunny out,...

Happy Friday!  Quick side note- don't forget to enter my giveaway for a free packet of Freekeh!  You can enter by commenting on my lunch ideas post ( here ) until Sunday!  I'll announce the winner on Monday's post.  Good luck! Summer is quickly coming to an end, and the Friday Five ladies are going to be discussing different things that they've done.  I had the best summer ever, and have luckily been able to document it all here on my blog!  Today I'll be sharing my favorite posts from the past few months as a way to commemorate the top moments of the summer.  I hope you enjoy! Penn State Weekend There is absolutely no place that I love more than Penn State.  Every time I visit campus, I still get butterflies in my stomach and feel like I'm home .  Pair that with seeing two of my favorite people, and you have an amazing weekend!  Fourth of July Weekend To be honest, this is a bit of a bittersweet weekend to think about...

Happy Thursday everyone!  Today is a great day, because I'm joining in Anne 's Pin to Present Linkup!  I have a fun post planned for today- one that I've been wanting to do for a while. What if we tried to live a Pinterest-Perfect day?  What would that look like and what would we think about it?  I wanted to find out!  Since I'll be trying something new out, of course I'm linking up with Jess ! You'll see in my post today that I had a few things out of the ordinary happen, so I wasn't able to completely pin-ify (did I just make that term up?) my day.  I did try out a few pins which I'll discuss.  I hope you enjoy a look into a day in my life, as well as see a few Pins in the Present!  Make sure you check out Anne's post for more Pinsperation, and check out Amanda to see what other people are thinking about today! 6:00 Wakeup and take Selma for a walk 6:15 Morning yoga sequence. I usually don't stretch or do yoga in the morning, so th...

Today I have a new box to review - Bulu Box!  If you haven't heard of this box before, here's a quick rundown: Bulu Box is the first health, nutrition and weight loss discovery box designed to help you feel your best. Each month, you’ll get a custom box filled with a new mix of 4 to 5 premium samples from top brands to try. Share your thoughts about each product in sample surveys and you can earn 50+ Rewards Points (that's $5!) each month! Use your points to purchase your new favorites in full size at BuluBox.com ! Here you’ll also get expert tips, tricks and a supportive community of Bulugans just like you! Join the discovery and find a healthier you! I was sent the box to review from Sweat Pink.  I'm not being paid for this review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.  If you're interested in trying out a Bulu Box yourself, use the discount code SWEATPINK for 50% off a 3, 6 or 12-month subscription!  How cute is that box?  I love a...

In my workout recap on Sunday, I mentioned that I sometimes don't feel like doing a full yoga video and instead do a few of my favorite poses.  I've watched a lot of "Yoga for Runners" videos, and always came back to the same few stretches that felt amazing.  These always help me get the best stretch and are beginner-friendly poses. I would like to note that I'm not a certified yoga instructor or even consider myself a yogi, so proceed with caution.  I also wrote the instructions as clearly as possible, but again, I'm not an instructor so please be careful when attempting these poses.  I did link to Yoga Journal and Pocket Yoga for most of the poses so you can see a detailed explanation along with more information if you're interested in reading more.  Now, let's get stretching! As usual, I'm linking up with  Tuesdays on the Run . Go check out the other posts! Lizard Pose Stretches : hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps source How...

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a great weekend and got to enjoy the perfect weather!  In Pittsburgh we got a little preview of fall weather in the morning, which made my runs really enjoyable.  Here is a look at the highlights of my weekend ! A few weeks ago, I won an Instagram giveaway hosted by Gina , Vanessa and a few other ladies for a Target giftcard!  I picked up a few essentials as well as a some fun things, as you can see below! Sun Bum SPF 50 Sunscreen This is my first time trying this brand, but I love it!  Smells really good and has great protection. John Frieda 7 Day Volume I tried this in-shower treatment before and loved how thick it made my hair feel.  Highly recommend (plus it's cheap!) L'Oreal Infallible Shadow in Eternal Sunshine My absolute favorite single eyeshadow formula.  This is really smooth and stays put all day.  I love this golden color for summer and fall! Scotch Washi Tape and Neenah Cardstock Was...