MIMM : family, friends, food, and fitness

Hi everyone and Happy Monday!  How was your weekend?  Mine was so great and filled with all of the best things in life- family, friends, food, and fitness (alliteration was unintentional there!).  I'm linking up with Katie to share my Marvelous Monday!

This was such a great and busy weekend that I have to back it up to Thursday.

On Thursday, Dan's work had a picnic at a big park in the Pittsburgh area.  We had a lot of fun and tons of great food and drinks.  We brought orzo salad, which is one of my favorite things to bring to potlucks.  Easy, delicious, and can sit out for hours without going bad!

We also brought Selma along and she was a huge hit!  There were tons of kids there and they kept running over to pet her.  She just sat there wagging her tail and soaked up all the attention.  She didn't even mind when some of them pulled her tail.  Best dog ever!

On Friday, I ran the Riverview 5k!  This is a race I used to run with my sister and dad growing up, but haven't run it since 2005.  The weather was warm and rainy the entire race (my favorite running weather) and my goal was to run comfortably the whole time.  The race is half uphill and half downhill, with a mile-long hill at the end.  I felt SO GOOD the entire race and ended up with my best time of the year at 24:37 and getting second in my age group!  The last time I ran the race (10 years ago) I was a minute slower, so I was really happy with my time.
Stole the picture from Steff's blog- look at that storm!
Afterwards, I finally got to meet Steff (stole the picture above from her blog) and Chelsea!  We had dinner at James Street Gastropub on the Northside, which was amazing.  Just a tip- if you're trying to get the restaurant, don't go up the stairs to the club.  Dan and I went in the wrong door and had to pay  a cover to see a band (who sounded really great!!) and had to ask for our money back when we realized we were in the wrong place. Embarrassing!!  I had a great time getting to know them and hearing all about their upcoming adventures.  They're both so inspiring- if you haven't checked out their blogs GO NOW!

On Saturday, my grandparents had their annual yard sale.  They call it our "unofficial family reunion", because everyone stops by to sell their things, bring some food, and have fun!  I ended up with a bike rack for our car for $10 and adorable mason jar glasses for free (thanks to my aunt Lorraine

Later in the night, Dan and I tried out Open Bottle Bistro in Shadyside.  The outdoor patio area was really cute and had a small waterfall and koi pond, but that's about all that we liked about the place.  The waiter got both of our wine orders wrong, and the cheese and meat platters that we ordered (each were $14!!) were tiny and not special at all.  There were a ton of interesting-looking places along that road that I would love to try out next time, but wouldn't recommend Open Bottle!
open bottle bistro review

Yesterday, my mom, sister and I all headed to brunch at Point Brugge Cafe, which is an adorable little restaurant in Point Breeze.  There was already a line when we got there (at 10:45- restaurant opened at 11)!  The food was great, and the mimosas were very generously sized.
point brugge brunch

Afterwards, we headed to Keystone Health Club for Pilates Fest!  It was SO much fun, and we got to try out lots of fun classes.  We did PiYo, Bokwa and CrossFit.  PiYo was pretty intense, with lots of small movements that targeted the butt and abs.  Bokwa is a dance aerobic class where you trace out letters to the beat of music (sounds weird, but it's so much fun and really easy to catch on to!).
pilates fest pittsburgh

For CrossFit (my first time ever trying it!) we first did AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of 10 ring pull-ups, 10 pushups, then a "farmer's carry" of 35 pound kettle bells in each hand.  We had to do that as many times as we could in 8 minutes, and I was really tired by then end!  Next we did 5 burpees followed by a short sprint, then 4 burpees and a sprint, and so on until we reached 1 burpee. Tough workout!  Overall, I absolutely loved the event and really liked the gym.  Thanks so much to Maddy for inviting me to come (and for braving CrossFit with me!). 

Such a fun weekend!  This upcoming week, I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove with my training.  I have a 5 mile race in two weeks, and I'm planning on keeping my training steady and easy until then.  Once July hits, it's time to train hard again!  Here's my plan for the week:

Monday: bike riding and dog walking
Tuesday: Group Centergy
Wednesday: True Runner Run Club (Hump Day Hills)
Thursday: Group Power + 3 miles
Friday: rest
Saturday: 5 miles
Sunday: rest/light yoga?

I hope you all have a great week!  Let me know how your weekend was and your plans for the week!

Comments

  1. Cute mason jar! Is that a chalk label?

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  2. First congrats on a great race and placing in your age group. It looks like you had an eventful weekend and got to eat some great good. My friends do cross-fit at keystone gym and I have only heard good things about it, I have been meaning to get down there and try out a class.

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    1. Thanks Shaun! I really liked Keystone and would recommend it. The lady who was instructing us was tough and didn't take it easy on us! You should check it out:)

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  3. Looks like a fun weekend! I love Point Brugge but have never tried their brunch. :)

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    1. It was so good! I definitely want to go for dinner sometime and try some of their belgian beers (my favorite!)

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  4. Congratulations on your age group award and best 5k time of the year! That is an awesome way to start the weekend!

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  5. Awesome job on the Riverview 5K! I'm sure it was even more meaningful for you to do so well since you used to do it with your family. Congrats! Sounds like you had a fun & busy weekend overall! Oh, and good Selma but bad kids for tail pulling!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer! It was a major case of deja vu running that race. I seriously don't understand why parents let their kids do things like that to a dog they've never seen before..she could have been a mean dog that bit them and they would have no idea! Thank goodness she's an angel and ignored them.

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  6. Sounds like a fun race. Our 5k's have wound down but there still are races here in the summer. I did 2 miles Saturday before my butt got tired. I think I need to space out PT and pure barre better so that doesn't happen.

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    1. It seems like here there are lots more 5k's this time of year! It's really hard for me to find longer races, but there's a few 5ks every weekend. Barre sounds so tough, especially before a run!

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  7. Oh, your weekend sounded great and congrats on that PR! That's my favourite kind of weather to run in too. I'm hoping to race a 10k this coming weekend so I'll take this week's running a bit easier so my legs are fresh for the race.

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    1. Thank you! Good luck in your race- hope the taper helps and you feel great by the time you start!

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  8. Such a fun weekend! I was able to spend a little time at the beach Sunday, so my weekend seemed perfect haha. I am looking forward to working a half day Wednesday to celebrate my company's summer BBQ, and then a full weekend of relaxation this weekend! I can't wait!

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    1. That sounds amazing! I need some beach time soon :) Have fun at the BBQ and relaxing!

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  9. So let me get this straight. You had brunch and Mimosas then went to crossfit? No wonder it was challenging :-).

    The 5k sounds like fun. I like running in the rain, but I agree, it should be warm too.

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    1. Hahha that does sound bad huh...well it was a few hours before the class started! I think it was just challenging because my upperbody is super weak! My chest and back are killing me today! Warm rain is great, cold rain is miserable. I'll take it all over the snow and ice though!

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  10. Oooh, Pilates fest sounds so fun! I haven't really tried pilates or crossfit either but I like the idea of trying them in a non-commital, shorter workout setting like that. And gotta go now because all your food pics are making me hungry for lunch!
    Gina || On the Daily Express

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    1. The event was such a great way to try new things! It was so much fun. Sorry for the food pics...it was all so good :)

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  11. Gretch, that is a seriously killer weekend! I would have to go to Pilates fest :D And love a picnic/potluck. I just wish that I could eat more of the foods that are brought. I loooooove hot dogs. We had quite a storm here yesterday evening--some SERIOUS lightening, but I love to watch it!

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    1. I know you would love the Pilates fest!! It was seriously amazing. We had a big thunderstorm as well (luckily didn't ruin any of my plans!) but I love summer storms. So soothing while I'm sleeping!

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  12. Congratulations on your fantastic race and for placing! You go Gretchen! Sounds like a great weekend, and I am over here beaming for you. :)

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  13. I'm a sucker for alliterations so I totally would have started my post that way too :) AWESOME job on your race! Yikes, a long hill at the end?!

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    1. Thanks Emily!! The hill was tough but luckily I know the course really well so I was prepared! Lots of people had to stop and walk and that's when i made my move :)

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  14. Selma is SO adorable! I love her name too. Sounds like an awesome weekend!!

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  15. Ooh that sucks that the service at Open Bottle was so bad! I hate it when I pay good money for an experience like that. Crossfit is crazy and awesome all at the same time. I don't think I could do it as my only consistent workout plan but I have mad respect for those that do. It can get brutal.
    I have to thank you for all the restaurant and again, the recent book reviews you've posted. You've been helping this girl out a lot lately... haha.

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  16. You go to gym then need a comfortable and appropriate shoes.So find out best suitable shoes for crossfit to you.

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