Gretch Runs

Compared to last week, this one was amazing!  Everything felt good again, and I was excited to get out for my runs.  It's still hot and sunny out, but I can already tell that my body is getting used to it.  Here's a look at how my week of training went: Monday 3 miles / 10:00 pace Started off the week with a doozy- it was raining outside so I decided to run on the treadmill at my gym for an easy 3 miles.  When I got there, the building was being evacuated because of a fire alarm going off in a restaurant that's connected to the gym.  I eventually got in, but the alarms went off for my entire run.  Not exactly the best Monday ever, but I got my run in and felt really good! Tuesday Strength training- arms Wednesday 3 miles / untimed According to my training plan, I was supposed to have a speed workout today.  I got home from work, not really looking forward to it, when Dan asked if I wanted to go for a run with him and Selma.  That sounded SO m

YAY for long weekends!  This could seriously not have come at a better time.  I've been feeling so stressed out and overwhelmed by work lately (hence my absence on here and not-so-chipper posts) so I'm really looking forward to having an extra day off.  I have so much to do, though, that I'll still probably log in for at least a few hours this weekend.  If it's outside in the hammock, it doesn't count as work though, right? Here's hoping that you all have a great weekend as well- whether or not you have off on Monday! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song : Swish Swish by Katy Perry Hello- drama!  This song is so catchy and great for summer, but has an interesting meaning behind the lyrics.   Apparently it's Katy's way of snapping back at Taylor Swift for Bad Blood.  If they keep coming out with these catchy, fun songs, I never want them to make up.  (JK- #GIRLPOWER and all that jazz) Podcast : Stuff You

I'm just going to warn you all today- this week sucked.  It happens to me every year and I've come to expect it- the first hot and humid week of the season is always so hard.  I feel sluggish and slow, and running a mile feels like I'm finishing a marathon!  Luckily this was a "step-down" week in my 5 miler training plan, so there weren't too many miles on my schedule.  I hope that forcing myself outside on hot days (and waiting until later in the day to run) helps me adapt to the hot weather faster!  Here's hoping to feeling better in the coming months! Monday 3 miles / 9:28 pace I went on an easy run around North Park, and then met up with Dan and Selma at the dog park.  Nice easy way to start the week! Tuesday Rest Day! No running, but I did my arm workout for the day.  I also went to Tuesday Trivia, and didn't win again!  It's still fun, so always worth it :) Wednesday 3.5 miles / 8:16 pace I had 400 meter repeats on

And just like that, it's summertime in Pittsburgh.  Last week I was running in temperatures in the 30s and 40s, and now all of a sudden we're in the 90s!  How does that happen?!  Luckily I love warm weather and I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time outside this weekend.  We have some fun plans which include checking off some breweries on my "Tour de Beer" list, and hope to get in some hikes with Selma.  I hope you have a sunny and happy weekend as well! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song : Despacito Remix  I feel like I've been hearing this song everywhere lately, and I don't even care because it's SO GOOD.  It makes me want to dance every time it's on (which means I had to put it on my running playlist!).  It's catchy and I think it'll be my summer anthem. Podcast : Girls Gone WOD I've been listening to this podcast for a really long time, but have to mention it now!  Joy

This summer I'm planning on focusing on getting stronger and training for shorter distance.  For the past few years, I've been training solely for longer races (10 milers, half marathons and full marathons), and have sprinkled in some shorter races as part of training.  I really miss running these shorter distances, so I decided to spend the summer working on my speed and getting stronger! My first goal race is the Butler 5 Miler at the end of June.  I ran this race last year and really liked it, but ended up having a bad race.  It's about a month and a half away, which gives me the perfect amount of time to train.  I'm going to be loosely following Hal Higdon's 8k advanced plan but replacing some of the runs with strength sessions. My training will follow this schedule: Monday  - 3 mile easy run with an arm workout Tuesday  - short speed workout (alternating 400 repeats and a tempo run) Wednesday - no running, but a leg workout Thursday - easy run (ra

This week I got back to training, and I could not be more excited.  I talked about how much I enjoyed training this entire year to get ready for the Gettysburg Marathon, so I was really looking forward to jumping right back in.  I'm going to be focusing on shorter distances for a while, and trying to get some speed back in my legs!  I'll share more about my plan and what races I'll be doing later this week, but here's a look at what my week of training looked like. Monday Rest day! No running, but lots of yard work!  Sometimes I think that's just as much of a workout as actually going to the gym or out for a run... Tuesday 3 miles / 9:39 pace First run of my new training cycle!  Just an easy 3 miles before work.  I felt a little sore from the yard work but otherwise felt great. Wednesday Rest day! Another day of no running, but I did an arm workout.  I'll be sharing the routine that I came up with (along with my entire train

It's been a while since I've shared a day in the life or What I Ate Wednesday post, so I thought it would be fun to join in today!  Here's a look at a typical day for my lately, along with all of the food that I ate. 5:45 - Wake up, have a shot of espresso from the Nespresso, take Selma out and change into my running clothes. 6:00 - Leave for work.  Dan drops me off on his way to work which is always great.  More time with him, and I don't have to take the bus :) 6:30 - Stop at the gym.  I work downtown and have a YMCA across the street from my office.  I leave my work stuff there and head out for a run on the river trail.  There are so many places to run downtown so I never get bored!  Today I just have an easy four miles planned and get done in no time. 7:15 - Get back to the gym and take a quick shower.  I usually don't wash my hair at the gym because it takes forever to dry and the hairdryer isn't always available, so I just use some dry sha

Hi everyone!  This weekend I was very lucky to run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon (thanks to Meranda ).  The Pittsburgh half is one of my favorite races, but in the past few years I've always been out of town (or out of the country) that weekend and had to miss it.  After getting a bib and having a disappointing race in Gettysburg, I decided to not go into this race with any goals in mind except to have as much fun as possible.  Spoiler alert- totally crushed that goal! I work downtown, so I was able to stop by the expo on Friday during lunch with Jennifer .  Pickup was really easy but the expo was packed , so I pretty much grabbed it as quickly as possible and got out of there.  It's probably for the best because expos always tempt me to buy way too many things that I don't really need! On Sunday morning, Dan and I picked up Jessie and headed downtown.  Parking was easy (and free!) at Rivers Casino, and we took the T (also free!) into town for the race start.  We got in

TGIF!  It's definitely been a crazy week at work, with no signs of slowing down until the end of June.  We have a big release coming up which means I have a lot of work to do!  I'm going to have to start working weekends to keep up with everything, but I love all of the projects that I'm on that I'm actually looking forward to it.  Is that crazy? This weekend is looking to be very busy, with a race, work event, errands and chores, and some social time as well.  I have a feeling that by Monday I'll be needing a weekend to recover from my weekend, but what can you do!  My favorites are a bit sparce this week since I didn't really have time to enjoy anything new or exciting, but I hope you enjoy them anyway. Good luck to everyone racing, and to everyone else have a fun (and hopefully relaxing) weekend! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song : OK Computer by Radiohead I've been on a big Radiohead kick lately and have be