Gretch Runs

Hi everyone!  Today I'm dropping by to share my annual update on my 30x30 list.  I started this list when I turned 25, and now I'm almost half way to 30 (I turn 27 today).  Time is just flying by, and here is an update to how I'm doing. Buy a house 4/1/16 Break 2 hours in the half marathon 10/11/15  (first time) Break 4 hours in the full marathon Complete a triathlon (sprint counts!) Get Married 5/6/16 Visit Mexico I'll be sharing this in a post soon! Splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime meal Bungee Jump or Sky Dive 10/17/15 Visit Falling Water Go to all the east-coast MLB stadiums (Remaining stadiums: Marlins Park, Tropicana Field, Turner Field, Yankee Stadium) Cook a fancy 5-course meal Plant a garden I started one this year!  So far I have zucchini, onions, mint, cilantro, basil and oregano. Learn how to ski Stay at a BnB in Vermont Learn how to belay 11/6/15 Have a spa day See a Broadway music...

Happy Monday everyone!  This weekend, I ran a local race, which just happens to be the oldest consecutively-run race in Western Pennsylvania.  This was the 42nd annual Butler Road Race, which is a 5 miler and 2k located about an hour north of Pittsburgh.  The town of Butler is really cute and small, and there always seems to be something going on there (from the Big Butler Fair to the Ice Jam ).  This is my second year running the race, and it was a lot of fun! The race starts out in front of the Butler Courthouse, with packet pickup at the nearby Diamond Park.  This is a relatively small race (248 runners in the 5 miler and 197 in the 2k), so pickup was quick and easy.  We got started exactly on time (9:00) and were on our way! I got lucky that it wasn't a super  hot day, and the temperature was around 73 when we started.  There weren't many clouds in the sky, but when one passed by the shade and breeze felt great!  The course in gen...

Hi everyone!  Long time, no talk.  What better way to catch up than to do an old-fashioned "What's Up Wednesday" post?!  Here are some recent things going on in my life, and please let me know what's going on in yours.  I miss you all and I hope to start blogging more regularly very, very soon :) On to today's post! Eating - Lots of fun, new foods thanks to my CSA box.  I've gotten four boxes so far, and it's been so fun to try out new recipes and flavor combinations.  If anyone's interested, I would love to share a post on some of my favorite meals that I've made with ingredients that I don't typically use (radishes, collards, parsley, rhubarb), or how to use up those more difficult CSA veggies :) Been up to - Work has been legit crazy lately.  I work on the mobile app team at a bank, and we have been working around the clock to release a new version of our app.  It's been over a year in the making, and we're getting down t...

This is going to be a WEEKEND.  For some reason I either have no plans, or all the plans in the world.  This is definitely the latter, where I have 2-3 social things to do each day, along with some errands to run and work to do.  On top of that, I'm also puppy sitting for the cutest dog in the world (besides Selma of course).  I'm sure I'll be posting a lot on Snapchat, so be sure you follow there to keep up! (My name is gretchxo).  Hope you have a fun- and maybe busy- weekend as well! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song : El Dorado by Shakira Shakira just came out with a new album and it's SO good.  I love all of her Spanish albums, and this one is no exception.  There are so many catchy songs but my favorite are Chantaje and Perro Fiel. Podcast : Here to Make Friends The new season of The Bachelorette just started, which means that one of my favorite podcasts is back.  ...

Hi everyone!  I had a great and busy weekend away from home, which means that it interrupted my training a bit.  Sometimes that's all you need to feel inspired to work hard again, and some time with family is always good.  We went to visit Dan's family for his grandpa's birthday, and it was such a great trip.  We had a lot of fun, but now it's back to reality.  Here's a look at how my week of training went: Monday Rest Day! I did my arm workout, and didn't run. Tuesday 3 miles / 9:34 pace I went on a run before work, and felt so sore when I started.  I took the first mile nice and easy, and started to feel a lot better.  It was so nice out in the morning, and it's crazy to me how light out it is by 6AM.  Crazy to think that I used to run in the dark all the time and now I need sunglasses!  I ran around Point State Park, which was getting ready for Arts Fest. Wednesday Rest Day! I did my leg workout, and didn't run...

Happy JUNE everyone!  Can you believe that it's nearly halfway through the year and summer has (un)officially started?  Time seems to be flying by lately and I've been so busy lately, that I almost forgot about today's linkup!  That's right...it's already time for the monthly linkup with  Kristen and me.  Make sure you link down below and tell me what's going on! Goals and Resolutions Do Something Crafty .  I didn't do so well with this in May.  I was really busy with work and other things (see below) so this kind of got pushed to the side.  In June I really want to sew something- maybe a dress or cute top for summer. Be Musical .  I got a few new piano books, and they're really challenging me!  I can already tell that I'm improving a lot, and the music is really fun to learn.  I've been using this as a way to de-stress at the end of the day, and I'm loving it.  The books that I got are 100 of the Most Beautif...