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 over halfway (I turn 28 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!) - Signed up for one in August! :) Get Married   5/6/16 Visit Mexico Isla Mujeres and Cancun 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) Cook a fancy 5-course meal Plant a garden  Learn how to ski Stay at a BnB in Vermont Learn how to belay   11/6/15 Have a spa day See a Broadway musical Ride a jet-ski  7/4/15 Stay at a really fa...

Ok everyone- it's week four of training and I think I'm officially obsessed with biking.  This week, I managed to go three times, and I wish that I could go even more!  It's such a fun activity to do in the summer, and it's becoming more thrilling and enjoyable to me rather than just scary.  I guess that's a good thing to feel at this point in training, right? Here's how my week of training went, which included my first brick workout, a new distance record for biking, and my first experience with biking in traffic! Monday 12.5 mile bike This was such a great bike ride!  I can really tell the difference in my comfort level now, because I was able to work on taking my hands off the handles (something I was terrified to do just last week), and worked on speeding through turns instead of braking.  Plus- it was my longest bike ride ever, and is the distance of my race (12 miles) 3.25 mile run For some reason, Dan thought it would be fun to go ...

Well guys, it looks like it's going to be one of those perfect weekends!  There is not a cloud in the forecast, and I'm planning on taking full advantage of this weather.  I see a lot of bike rides, SUPing, dog walks, and outdoor runs in my future!  Maybe even a summery cocktail on the hammock?  Who knows!  I hope you all enjoy your weekend, and hopefully there is sun in your forecast as well. Here are my favorites from the week! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five Song Ariana Grande - No Tears Left to Cry I think that I found my official summer jam!  I absolutely LOVE this song and blast it when it comes on the radio.  Speaking of Ariana Grande- have you guys been following her whirlwind relationship with the guy from SNL?  $100,000 engagement ring after a few weeks of dating.  Celebrities..they're just like us. Podcast Need Suggestions! Unfortunately, this week I d...

Week three is now in the books for triathlon training!  With the big race only 2 short months away, it's starting to feel real. While I'm starting to feel more confident in my ability to actually finish the race, I'm still anxious about trying something new.  Training has been a ton of fun, though, so if nothing else- I've enjoyed the experience! Here's a look at how my third week of training went- Monday 1500 yard swim This was my first swim where my average pace was under 2:00/100 yard (I snuck right under at 1:58!).  My plan for this was to swim easy for 10:00, then alternate 100 yards swimming hard with 100 yards easy for 800 total yards, then cool down until I hit 30:00. Tuesday Strength / 1 hour I took a class at Beat Fitness, which is a boot camp/circuit-style class.  There were four different stations, and each station had two exercises.  We would do three 3:00 sets with a 30 second rest in between each set, for a total of 12 sets....

Lately I've been going through a reading phase.  This usually happens when I'm taking the bus a lot, because it's the best way to pass time (or at least feels more productive to me than watching Netflix).  It seems like I'll go through one of these phases, add a bunch of library books to my Overdrive queue, then have them all become available at the same time, with only 2 weeks to get them read.  Does that happen to anyone else? So, today I wanted to share what I've been reading lately!  With so many books on my list (and being kind of a slow reader), I've adopted a system of only reading books that I like through the first chapter.  If it's not catching my attention, I move on to the next one on my list.  With that being said, you'll notice that I mostly only have good things to say about all of the books.  If you're looking for good summer reads, I would highly recommend all of these (except maybe Deliverance...a bit dark).  Deliverance ...

Week two of training is officially in the books!  I hit a few milestones this week during training, in both my longest swim and longest bike ride.  Since I don't have much experience with either, pretty much every week is going to be a new PR!  It's been so much fun training so far, and I love the mixture of all the different activities.   Here's a look at how my week of workouts went: Monday 4 mile bike I went out for a quick nighttime bike ride with Dan.  It was great and nothing too exciting happened!  We did get to see a pretty sunset, though :)   Tuesday Rest Day!   Wednesday 4 mile run This was such a hot and horrible run!  I was definitely struggling the entire time and took a few walk breaks.  Still adjusting to that heat, but I'm trying to remember how awful the winter was. That helps me not complain too much about the heat. 1425 yard swim My plan was to swim for 30:00, which is my ...

It's the weekend!  I love short weeks, and this one is even shorter because I'm at home today to get new windows installed.  Yay for home ownership!  This was kind of a stressful week with some big projects going on at work and a vendor meeting that I was in charge of, but luckily everything went pretty well.  Now I'm looking forward to spending more time outside, and hopefully getting in some gardening, and overall relaxation. Have a great weekend! (also, just about missed this, but HAPPY JUNE!!) linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five Song Road Trip Playlists I'm a big fan of all of the pre-made playlists on both Amazon Music and Spotify, and lately I've been listening to a lot of their "road trip" playlists.  They're also perfect for listening to during work or on a run, and I don't even have to worry about selecting a good mix!  One of my favorites is Classic Rock Road Trip, which has over an ho...