Gretch Runs

Happy week 6!  Now that I'm past the halfway point of training, the race feels really real  right now.  So, I took my long run on the road and ran on the race course!  I'm starting to feel more and more prepared, and I can't wait to see if all of this hard work pays off on race day. Monday 5 miles / 9:33 pace I had to wake up super early this morning so I just went on my run before the sun went up. Loved the weather, even if it was kind of dark and foggy, so I was getting spooky vibes! Tuesday Stand-up Paddleboard / 2 hours It was a beautiful day, so I took out my paddleboard to the lake.  I didn't do anything too strenuous, but it felt great to be out on the water. Wednesday 6.25 miles / 8:24 pace Speed workout day!  This was the "switchblade"- 1 mile warm up, 2x2 miles, 1 mile cool down. Goal for the 2 miles was first mile at 10 seconds over HMP, second mile at 10 seconds under HMP. My goal is 8:10 pace, and

Happy Friday everyone!  It might be the end of September (ALREADY), but we're getting a last minute heat wave in Pittsburgh.  I'm hoping that that I can soak up the sun this weekend and enjoy the warmth before we start to get slammed with snow.  Even if I complain about running in the heat, I know I'll be missing it in a few months.  I do feel super thankful to live in a place that doesn't typically get hit with any kind of extreme weather, and my heart and prayers are constantly going out to all of you who have been affected by storms, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, or any other awful events lately.  Stay safe! I hope you all have a great (and safe!) weekend, and here are a few of my favorites from the week- linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song Sam Smith - Too Good at Goodbyes I am a HUGE Sam Smith fan, and I have been eagerly anticipating new music from him.  I love voices that are full of emotion and give me goosebumps (si

Hi everyone!  Last week, I took a quick trip down to Baltimore to go to Natural Products Expo East with my blogging (and real life) friend Alexa .  This expo (which also occurs in the west at another time of year) brings together companies of all sizes to show off their latest and greatest products that are all centered around healthy living.  There's everything from paleo to vegan to gluten free food, as well as supplements, body products, and stuff for your home.  There's a little bit of everything! There were so many different companies that we got to meet, and we ate SO MUCH FOOD.  We started the day with a sponsored breakfast, and tried food and drinks at pretty much every stall that caught our eye (and there were a lot).  Even though we tried a lot of different products, there were a few that stood out for me: (in no particular order) Don't Go Nuts Roasted Soybean Spread This was one of the first products that I tried, and it stayed in my mind for the entire

...and just like that, I'm at the half way point of training.  Things continued to go well this week, with a perfect speed workout to start off the week and another 10 miler to end the week.  In between these two workouts I took a quick trip to Baltimore.  Overall- a successful week.  Here's a look at what I did: Monday 7 miles / 8:24 pace Amazing workout today! 8x800m repeats at my half goal pace. Last time I did this workout (back at the beginning of the year) I couldn't finish and pretty much gave up on my training after that. This time around I was nervous but promised myself I would finish. Ended up CRUSHING it! My goal was 4:00 per 800 to meet my goal pace. Ended up running 3:53 for my first repeat, and took a few seconds off each time until I got to a 3:35. I still felt good so for my 8th repeat I went all out and got a 3:10!!  I'm really proud of myself for mentally pushing past this workout and physically having the speed to hit my paces. Tu

Hi everyone!  It's been a while, so I thought it was the perfect time for another Day in the Life/ What I Ate Wednesday post.  I'm approaching the halfway point of my half marathon training (this is week 5 of 10!) and work has been very busy with our new app launching and anticipating iOS and Apple product changes.  It's never a boring day at work and today was no different! Here's a look at yesterday: 5:30 Wake up.  Lately I've been going to the gym before work, so all I have to do in the morning is take care of Selma, change into my gym clothes, and grab my bag that's full of work clothes and my lunch! 6:00 Leave for work.  Dan drops me off downtown, so I eat a chia pouch and drink some coffee to get something in my stomach.  I used to have applesauce pouches, but I found these larger pouches at Sam's Club and I love them!  They're full of greens, chia seeds, and parsley and taste great!  I like to just have a little something before working o

Hi everyone!  I had another great week of training, which included a fantastic speed workout and my first double digit long run.  Here's to hoping that the good training weeks continue! Monday Rest Day We came back from our camping trip in Ohio, so I decided to take the day off of running.  Great decision! Tuesday 5 miles / 9:34 pace I went out on a humid but cool run around my neighborhood, and did some yoga once I got home.  Selma joined in! Wednesday 7 miles / 9:22 pace I specifically remember this speed workout from last year and was looking forward to doing it again this year.  The plan was 1 mile warm up, 2 miles at half marathon pace plus 15 seconds, 6 x 30 second hill repeats, another 2 miles at the same pace, and 1 mile cool down.  I got to do this workout with Jessie again, and we ended up crushing our goal of 8:25 miles, and hit 8:16, 8:10, 8:17, 8:09.  The hills were definitely a challenge in the middle, but this is one of thos

Happy Friday everyone!  Today I have a special Top Five post to share with you- all about my camping trip.  As I mentioned yesterday, I went camping for the first time during the long Labor Day weekend.  It was so much fun that I knew I wanted to share about it! The People The best part of this entire weekend was getting to see one of my best and oldest friend- my college roommate who I met in college.  We've travel around the world together (after college we went on a trip to Europe where we visited Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Czech Republic), and I got to visit her on adventures that took her all over the place (she lived in Mallorca as an English tutor, then moved to Chicago for grad school).  She lives in Indiana with her boyfriend now and it's been such a long time since I've seen her, so it was amazing to spend the weekend with her. Her brother and his girlfriend also came along, and as it turned out his girlfriend works at the same company as