Gretch Runs

What a weird week- this was supposed to be the week I got back from France and immediately head to Columbus for my goal half marathon (looking back, probably not the smartest plan). Instead, I was again at home, getting outside at most once a day for some fresh air. It was definitely hard to think of where I should be, but still so thankful I'm able to exercise and am healthy.  I hope you all are too!  Here's a look at my week: Monday Peloton Circuit I wanted to start my week on the right foot, so I signed up for a live circuit of classes with the Peloton app. First up was a 20 minute HIIT cardio class with Andy, which definitely got my heart rate up and got me sweating! Then, I had a 10 minute core class with Emma, which flew by and really had my abs in pain. I ended with a 30 minute beginner yoga flow with Anna. This was a great way to round everything out because it helped slow my heart rate and stretch out. Tuesday 30 min Hip Hop Fun Run with Jess Sims

Happy Wednesday everyone! For today's post, I'm going to be sharing the next part of my National Parks trip this past December. This is great timing too, because it happens to be National Parks Week! I've been celebrating by sharing all of my favorite trips on my Instagram- so far I've talked about Haleakala, Everglades, Cabrillo National Monument, and Cuyahoga Valley. Today is all about the Grand Canyon, which is probably one of the best known (and most popular) parks! I was lucky enough to visit the park in winter, during a snow storm. To be honest, I didn't know that it snowed there, since all of the pictures I've seen were during clear, sunny skies and usually had people dressed in the bare minimum. Plus- it's in Arizona! This was definitely NOT the case when we got there- temperatures were well below freezing, and there were several feet of snow and ice on all of the trails. Some of the roads were even closed because of the conditions. After

Weeks are starting to blend together, and I can't believe April is 2/3 of the way over. It feels like a weird mix of time standing still while also flying by.  Here's a look at how my week of workouts went- I tried out a few new things and also got in some manual labor to break things up a bit. Lots of fun stuff going on! Monday 10 min Core Strength with Emma Lovewell Short and sweet workout to start my day and week! This went by really quickly and didn't have any breaks or pauses, so it was tough. 30 min Slow Flow with Ross Rayburn To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of this. I was really looking forward to a relaxing yoga class but it seemed like this was more yoga 101, explaining what each move was and holding poses for a really long time. There were only about 10 poses that we went through, so I was kind of bored during this. Tuesday A lot of yard work We got a delivery of soil, compost, and manure for our garden beds, so my workout was rollin

Another week down, who knows how many to go!  This week was kind of crazy in terms of weather- one day it was beautiful with sunny blue skies, and the next it was SNOWING!? I'm starting my veggie garden this weekend, so Mother Nature better make up her mind soon! This week I was supposed to be in France with Dan for two weeks of exploring the wine regions and going to tennis tournaments, but I'm thankful that I'm still healthy and able to make the most of being isolated. Lots of happy hours with friends, video chats with family, and getting outside a bit every day to take in the sun is helping. Here's how I was able to exercise last week! Monday 60 min 90s Pop Fun Run with Matty Maggiacomo  Great run on a beautiful day. I planned out a five mile route around my neighborhood and jammed out to some pop music the whole time. It was so much fun and I was loving life! When I got back home I did a post-run stretch. 30 min Yoga Flow with Anna Greenberg T

If you're anything like me, it's been hard during this time to find any kind of motivation to be productive. For the first week of quarantine, I was sleeping in, eating at any time of the day that I wanted, working late into the night, and binge watching shows. It's hard to convince yourself to keep the house clean when no one's going to see it for months! Second week of quarantine, I realized that I missed having some structure to my day, and the sense of purpose and fulfillment that comes with projects. So, I started to adapt a strategy that's worked for me in the past (and also got inspired by someone I follow on Instagram who was doing the same thing and came up with a cute template!) which completely turned my frame of mind around! The concept is simple- at night, write down three goals for the following day. They can be work-related, home projects, or just something you've been putting off for a while. Then, when you wake up, you'll have a few g

Happy Wednesday everyone! For today's post, I'm going to continue with sharing my National Parks trip from December. After spending a few days in Zion National Park , our next stop was the Grand Canyon. We broke that drive into a stop along the way to visit the small town of Page, Arizona. There are a few must-see attractions here, and I was really excited!  Here's what we did for our overnight stay. Antelope Canyon One of the main reasons I wanted to make this our next stop was to visit Antelope Canyon. If you haven't heard of it, chances are you would recognize it by the pictures! This is an iconic spot, full of insanely beautiful slot canyons that seem to defy nature and gravity. It's always been a place that I've wanted to see, so I was excited to book our tour! The canyon sits on Native American land, so it's required to go with a tour group to visit. There are a few companies to choose from, and we went with Dixie Ellis. After picking our g

We made it another week, and this new routine is starting to feel more normal day by day. I keep telling myself- this isn't forever and I can make it through this. You can too. Here's a look back at my week of workouts, which was all over the place....in a pretty good way. I'm starting to feel like the best part of my day is the hour or so I can spend being active. I feel my body getting stronger, but also feeling like it's my therapy to get out any negative emotions and turn my mind more positive. If I start to feel panicky or scare- time for yoga. If I feel angry or upset- hit the roads for a hard run. If I'm happy that it's a beautiful day and I have no plans to keep me busy - get out with Selma for a walk. I hope you also find your own version of therapy and it helps you through this time! Monday 10 min Bodyweight Strength with Becs Gentry Quick strength workout at lunchtime- this one had some legs, arms, and abs. It was hard but went by really fast

Hi there! How are you doing? Like, really doing? I hope that my posts lately have helped to be a distraction during this time, maybe even giving you ideas on fun things to read or new workouts to try. Today we're getting to the good stuff- food!  The past few weeks I've been trying to stretch the food that I have in my house to avoid going to grocery stores. I went about 10 days ago, and I just felt like I was holding my breath the whole time- it was so stressful and scary. So- I've been trying to get creative and using up food in different ways at home! Here's a look at what I've been rotating through the past month- I hope it helps to give you some new ideas. Stay safe friends! Frozen Egg Cups This is a great way to get some vegetables and protein in every morning, without worrying about them spoiling! I made a big batch of these and keep them in my freezer. One of my favorite ways to heat them up is tossing them in a frying pan and making them into

Back again today as promised to share all of the books that I read in March. There have been some really good ones, and some that I didn't even make it through. It's also interesting to me that I read a few different genres- mystery/thriller, memoir, romance, and screenplay. Got to switch things up!  I would love to hear what you're reading as well- please give me suggestions!  Now- on to the books. The Turn of the Key When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.  What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder. Thi

Wow, what a weird experience it was to look back on my March Goals post and realize how much things have changed in the past month. I had just gotten back from a trip to Cancun and was excited to start my new book club and train for my half marathon. Now, other trips I had planned for this year are off the table, I hosted my first (virtual!) book club meeting to discuss our first pick, and my race is on hold. I'm glad to be back blogging at this time just to look back years in the future and see what was happening at this crazy time. Things weren't all bad in March- my highlight of the month was the very first week when travel was still allowed. Dan and I visited friends in Cleveland for a quick weekend- stopping by a few breweries and going to a Cavaliers game (back when there were live sports!). It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to get the opportunity to see friends in person again. Now let's take a look at my goals from March... Dive into Half Marat