Gretch Runs

I hate to start out another Friday post with negativity, but this has been another awful week.  I've decided that I'm over March and ready to move on to April.  New months always feel like a fresh start for me, and April means that it's also a new quarter.  It's also my marathon race month!  So, I'm ready for today to be over because it will be the weekend and I can forget about having a horrible month. Let's cheer up a bit to talk about the things that did make me happy this week! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song : Deja Vu by Shakira For some reason I've been going through a big Spanish music kick lately.  I've been working on translating our app to Spanish for work, so I think it's taking over my whole life!  I really like this song because I love pretty much everything Shakira comes out with, and it also reminds me of summer between my sophomore and junior year of college.  I had an internship in Clev

Hi everyone!  For today's Tasty Tuesday, I'm going to be sharing a quick dinner party idea with you all.  Last week, I was feeling social and invited over a fellow local blogger for some food and beer.  It was during the week, so I didn't really feel like cooking anything after a long day at work, and didn't want to order pizza either.  I came up with a simple idea that ended up being a lot of fun and low key. Enter the dip party! It really doesn't get much easier than this- all I had to do was open a bunch of packages and serve the dips up in pretty bowls.  I found a bunch of fun dips and finger foods at Trader Joe's and Aldi's with different flavors and textures, and served it alongside a few different kinds of chips and pretzels.  There was enough variety that no matter who you serve, they'll be happy!  For another variation, you could also have a dip potluck and ask everyone to bring their favorite homemade dip (just make sure everyone doesn'

It feels so good to finish a full week of training again.  The weather was also perfect all week (is spring finally going to stick around?) and it felt amazing to run outside in SHORTS.  I'm happy to be running again and for the most part this was a fantastic week.  I did have a little setback that I'll talk about, and is the reason for the title today!   Only four more weeks to go until race day, and each day I'm getting more and more of my confidence back.  I'm using this entire training cycle as a lesson on what (not) to do and learning from it.  I know I haven't even run this race yet, but I'm already excited to use what I learned to improve and crush some PR's this year. I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's just talk about training this week! Monday 5 mile walk I didn't really want to run for a third day in a row, so I decided to head out with Selma for a walk around North Park.  She's always up for some exer

Oh man, am I happy that it's FRIDAY.  This has been a week .  It seemed like every day was filled with minor annoyances that wouldn't normally bother me (broken down bus, broken elevator which meant I had to run up 27 flights of stairs to make it to a meeting, week long training, stuck in tech support for 2 hours for an Macbook upgrade, etc etc) but when it happened one after another it started to get to me!  Luckily, I had a lot of social time on my calendar and opted for an amazing pie (which I'll talk about below) for dinner on a particularly bad day, so all is right in the world. This weekend is Dan's birthday and we have lots of fun plans!  I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with him and hoping to spend lots of time outside in the warm weather.  I hope you all have great weeks as well! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song : Blaze Up The Fire This is not a new song, and it's one that I've been li

Hi everyone!  Training is almost over and there are only 5 weeks until race day.  It's so hard to believe, and I almost skipped this update because I haven't been feeling that positive about training lately.  But, it's a new week and I'm going to look forward (by first looking back).  I've had 15 tough weeks of training so far, so I know that I can still reach my goal!  I'm not going to let a little shoulder stop me! I'll be going through the past five weeks of training (the good and the bad) and talk about what I'll be working on for the final stretch of training.  This is also the last that I want to talk about my injury, because even I'm getting sick of hearing me whine.  Just a warning that I talk about it a lot in this post, but after this it's time to move on. Let's get into it! A Look Back I started training by following Kara Goucher's Half Marathon Plan , which I really liked.  After a few weeks, I switched over to a marat

I'm happy to report that I got back to running this week!  I took nearly two weeks off of running (and one full week after I stopped feeling any pain in my shoulder) just to be safe.  Nothing would be worse to me than starting too early and being back where I started. Here's a look at my week, which includes some running miles (finally!).  Only five weeks till race day! Monday 3 miles elliptical Finally pain free, so I got to exercise!  It was so weird to go a week without working out at all.  I felt so sluggish and lazy all week, so I was really happy to get my sweat on!  I used the elliptical at the gym and finished 3 miles.  I kept my bad arm on the arm rest and only "pumped" with my right arm. Tuesday Physical Therapy I did the exercises from my doctor, which has some strength moves and stretches.  It takes about 15 minutes to finish and helps me feel stronger! Wednesday 2 miles elliptical / 4 miles spinning I started to get bored with

Hi everyone!  I hope you're all staying warm out there.  The weather has been brutal this week, but luckily we didn't get as much snow as other areas on the east coast.  For all of my California readers- enjoy the sunshine and warmth for me! I'm going to be sharing a few of my favorites for the week.  I hope you all have a great (warm) weekend! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song : Beauty and the Beast by Lindsey Stirling I'm sure you're all well aware that Beauty and the Beast comes out this weekend, but even more exciting than the movie itself (for me at least) is hearing the soundtrack!  I've always loved Disney music as a kid and listening to it still makes me happy, so hearing the new versions of old favorites has been really special.  This medley might not be on the official soundtrack, but I love listening to Lindsey Stirling play so much that I had to include it. Podcast : WTA Insider Podcast I've be

I have been reading so much lately, and wanted to share my recent reads with you all today.  I hope you find a few new books to read, and please leave me your suggestions for what I should read next in the comments! Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won't swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe. But before she can put her modest plan into action-life happens. Today, it turns out, is the day Timby has decided to fake sick to weasel his way into his mother's company. It's also the day Joe has chosen to tell his office-but not Eleanor-that he's on vacation. Just when it seems like things can't go more awry, an encounter with a former colleague produces a graphic memoir whose dramatic tale threatens to reveal a buried family secret. My Thoughts :  I start

Hi everyone!  Today's weekly update is going to be a bit different because there wasn't much running happening.  In case you missed it, I've been having pain in my shoulder for about a week, and at my annual check-up my doctor told me that I had a rotator cuff injury and I had to stop running before it got worse. I went on one run early in the week (before my appointment) just to see how my arm was feeling, and stopped after the pain got too bad.  After that, I stopped running for the rest of the week and started doing some physical therapy that my doctor gave me.  There are a lot of stretches and strengthening exercises that seem to be helping!  I also got a sling to help isolate my arm in a comfortable position, and have been taking some acetaminophen for pain and to cut back on the swelling. We had a big snow storm on Friday, so I wasn't too sad to stay in :) I'm not going to lie and say I'm not disappointed that I had to miss the Rock n' Roll

Hi everyone!  This is a weekend that I've been looking forward to for a while, because it's Rock n Roll DC week!  Unfortunately I won't be able to run (my doctor said I have a rotator cuff injury and have to rest) but I'm still looking forward to cheering on everyone who is running.  Let me know if you'll be there and I'll make sure to look out for you during the race! I decided to switch up my Top Five Friday post and start having categories.  Some weeks it's really hard for me to come up with five favorites, so I decided to pick out a favorite in the following categories- songs, podcasts, products, shows, and randoms.  Now you can know exactly what I've been loving each week and it'll be easier for me to track!  Let me know what you think, and be sure to share your favorites in the comments.  Have a great weekend! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song : Believer by Imagine Dragons This is the best  song to

It's been quite a while since I've shared a wish list on my blog, so I thought it would be fun to share one today.  Spring is right around the corner, and I've been seeing so many cute products at all of my favorite stores.  I'm usually a pretty neutral person, but I'm really liking the fun patterns and bright colors I'm seeing around. I'll be going through my favorite springy items at a few of my favorite stores- J Crew (Factory and regular), Ikea, and Target.  I hope you enjoy my picks, most of which are on sale now!  Let me know what you're loving for spring in the comments! J Crew  25% off with code SHOPTOIT Striped boatneck tunic I just love the style of this!  I'm a huge fan of striped tops, and think this would be so flattering. Ornate floral ruffle-trim top Such a fun pattern, and I love the ruffle trim.  I would wear this under a blazer for work, then take it off for drinks after. Lightweight bow sweater This would be per

Hi everyone!  On today's Tasty Tuesday post, I'm going to be sharing a review of a few different kinds of veggie burgers.  While I don't eat these all the time, they're a fun and easy meal to eat on a vegan or vegetarian diet.  Or, if you're an omnivore and want to sneak in some extra veggies, these are a great and fun way to do that! There are so many brands out there at a variety of price points, so I wanted to break down a few that I've tried out.  I have a bunch more that I want to review, so I'm thinking there will be a part two on this topic!  I didn't want to overwhelm everyone with this post :)  I'm also thinking it would be fun to review some Pinterest veggie burger recipes as well as restaurant versions.  What do you think? Let's get started on the reviews! #1- Season's Choice Veggie Burger Quick facts: 5g protein, 3g sugar, 290 mg sodium Ingredients -  carrots, peas, whole oats, zucchini, edamame, corn, string beans,

Hi everyone!  I'm getting a little tired of the titles on these posts (and still have 7 weeks to go!).  This seems like the never ending training cycle.  Don't get me wrong- I'm still loving training and get excited before I do each and every run.  I'm just getting tired of counting the weeks, and every week feels like a repeat of the last.  I hope these weekly recaps aren't getting boring for all of you! This was another decent week.  I was still recovering from my 20 miler for the majority of the week, and dealing with random aches and pains.  I have my next race on Saturday, which I'm really excited about.  I'm going to take it easy this week so that I can have a good effort at the race, and then it's all about the marathon in April!  I can't believe we're getting that close to race day. Here's a look at week thirteen  (unlucky 13?  We'll see!): Monday 3 miles / 9:53 pace I was happy to be back on the morning run w