Gretch Runs

Good morning and happy Monday! I feel like I'm in the final countdown for the race now that we're less than a month away. Eek! I'm nervous but feeling more ready by the day, particularly since I did another open water swim. More on that below! Here's how my week went- Monday 40 min run I went on a run first thing in the morning along the greenway. It was nice to get a change of scenery and the run went by really quickly! I listened along to two of the Peloton All for One Music Festival classes which was really fun! Tuesday 1,000 yard swim My goal today was to get to 1,000 yards without stopping. My plan always has the swim breaking out into smaller pieces which is getting easier to do, but I wanted to work on my endurance a bit. Since I swim in a pool I do briefly stop at the ends to turn (I can't do a flip turn) but otherwise I did this non stop! It's so interesting to me how I have to go through a warmup period in swimming like I do for running- I start off fe

Good morning! I'm a little late sharing my weekly workout recap but it was overall a decent week. I hit a bit milestone (pun intended..will make sense below) on my swim but otherwise had kind of an easier week. Here's how it went- just over a month to go! Monday 45 min walk + run I really wanted a longer run today since it's getting cooler out, so I settled on a walk + run. I love these classes because they're so approachable and make me go further than what I would have done if it was just a straight up run. 1 hour yoga Afternoon yoga in the park is becoming one of my favorites. We had a little spot of rain at the start of class but it quickly ended and it just because a beautiful day to be outside. Loved this class and ending my day on an active but relaxing note. Tuesday 1,000 yard swim I was not feeling great for the swim today- I think it was all in my head and I just couldn't get myself to relax in the water. I was feeling anxious about how close the race is a

I'm starting to get reminders from the race that it's right around the corner and honestly it's starting to freak me out a bit! It feels like it's so close, but luckily I'm feeling ready - with the exception of my swim. I don't think I'll ever mentally feel prepared for that! But- it was another decent week of workouts- here's how it went. Monday 3.1 mile run Small victory today- I ran nonstop for this entire run! Over the summer I've been doing a lot of run/walks so this felt like a (literal) step in the right direction. Tuesday 10 min yoga I didn't feel like leaving the dogs alone to work out this morning (we've been dog sitting for a friend since Friday) so I took it easy and was lazy all day until I finally decided to do some yoga. It was pretty chaotic- Finn wanted to be involved and was all over me while I did this and kept cracking me up! It wasn't the best yoga but was definitely good for the soul. Wednesday 1,000 yard swim Easy s

I feel like I'm so behind on life right now so this post is up a lot later than usual! July was a pretty good month for reading- it's been so hot out that I've been spending more time indoors, and have also been enjoying some pool-side reading as well.  Here are the books I read last month and my thoughts! Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner Note- this won Goodread's Best Memoir of 2021 In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the East Coast for college, finding work in

This was definitely one of those weeks that was over in a flash, with an even quicker weekend! I feel like I need a do-over because that means this summer is going by way too quickly. Overall this was a better week where I felt like I got back on track again, at least with workouts! Here's how the week went- Monday 600 yard swim Today was an easy day- I've gone swimming 3 times in the last 4 days so I think my body was tired. I started having these random muscle spasms in my abs which has never happened before- I usually get them in my legs and they're so annoying but this was a first for me! I felt pretty good for the first 2 sets of my 200 yard repeats but then started to feel awful so I stopped. Maybe next time I shouldn't push so many days in a row in the pool! 60 min yoga Nothing better than an evening yoga class on a beautiful night. It's finally starting to get cooler out after work, so today's yoga class felt great. My friend Erica is starting to do Mond

Not going to lie- July was not a great month! There were definitely some great moments, but it was mostly just disappointing and got me in a bit of a funk. But- since it's a new month I decided to get a fresh perspective and make sure that August is going to be a great one. Like I said, there were still some great moments of the month. Dan and I went to two small concerts (a local funk band was playing at a record shop, and a candlelit string quartet at an old chapel). My mom, sister, and nephew also came down to visit for our housewarming (which we'll get to...), and I made my first trip back to Pittsburgh since moving away! I also had an amazing "Beerlympics" with my book club that was basically all the fun games we used to play in college and was so nostalgic and the best way to end the month.  Let's start with my annual goal check-in. Spend More Time Outdoors 1000 Hours Outside  - January - 54 total hours, breaking down to 41 hours running/walking/hiking, 5 ho

This was another hectic week that kind of threw off my training. I had to go to Pittsburgh for work, and then needed to take some time to rest after an eventful past few weeks! Sometimes rest is just what you need. Here are some highlights of the week and my workouts on the road! Monday Travel Day! This morning I traveled to Pittsburgh for work. I had a pretty early flight (which was luckily direct and had no delays). Once I got into town I worked in the office for the day and got outside for a nice long walk at lunchtime. Reminded me of the old days when I would go on walks everyday just to get out of the office for a bit! Tuesday 3.5 mile run My long day of meetings started at 7:30, so I had to get up early to fit in a run. I ran along the riverfront trail into the Strip District and then grabbed some breakfast. It was interesting to see how much things have changed in the last year and I loved the cooler temperatures and lower humidity. Wednesday 2 mile run I was exhausted from the