Gretch Runs

After 12 weeks of training , I didn't have the race that I was hoping for, but I finished, got a personal record, and added another medal to my collection!  I just started training hard at the start of this cycle, so I wasn't expecting some amazing break-out race.  It's time to keep up my fitness and keep training hard, and I'll eventually hit those goals that I set! For this race, I broke the distance up into four 5k's, plus a mile at the end.  I'll recap the race by those segments, and also have some overall thoughts on my training and the actual race at the end.  I hope you enjoy my first race recap! Race Stats: Official Time: 2:05:59 Pace: 9:37/mile 12/41 Female 20-24 172/638 Overall Mile 0-3.1 Felt great!  I was right on pace and everything was feeling easy.  My legs were loose and I had no cramping at all from my breakfast (for once).  There were lots of little tree spores flying around the air that would get in my mouth and n...

Inspiration from StrideBox's Instagram One Week to go!! My final full week of training was full of highs and lows, and definitely was one of my tougher weeks mentally.  I managed to push through, and now I'm really excited about the race next Sunday!  Read on to see how my week of training went, and I'll see you tomorrow for my race goals and recapping my weekend fun! Monday : 5 miles / 47:10 / 9:26 pace Felt really sore on this run, and kept my pace nice and slow.  Tried to keep it easy so I was happy with my time!  It was also pretty warm out when I ran, and the heat didn't really bother me.  Finally think I'm adjusting to the heat...thank goodness! Tuesday : 1 hour yoga I did a few yoga for runners videos from YouTube as well as specific stretches that felt great.  Nothing too exciting- just some nice stretches! Wednesday : 4 miles / 34:00 / 8:30 pace Today was my last speed workout, and as soon as I started my hamstring stated...

Monday : 5 miles / 48:47 / 9:46 pace Early morning run.  I was seriously dragging the first mile and felt horrible (10:31) but steadily picked up the pace and felt great by the end of the run.  My last mile was my fastest at 9:03, and oddly enough felt so much easier than the first mile.  I tried to keep it nice and easy for this run, and I was so happy to see a beautiful sunrise: Tuesday : 30 minute yoga video I've been loving the video I mentioned last week.  The stretches feel SO good! I usually do Group Centergy on Tuesdays, but today I needed more stretches. Wednesday : 5.4 miles / 45:00 / 8:20 pace Today was a tempo run, and it felt AMAZING!! After struggling with humidity and heat, it felt great to have a cool day.  My paces were : 10 minute warmup @ 9:45, 20 minute @ 8:10 average (first 10 minutes were a little slower, then I picked it up), 15 minute cooldown @ 8:45.  My legs felt amazing, and I felt like I could keep running foreve...

Today's motivation via The Chi-Athlete Monday : 4 miles / 38:45 / 9:38 pace Ran through the Frick Park trails.  I decided to run in the afternoon while it was hot out to better acclimate to summer running.  When I went it was about 80 degrees and humid.  The trails kept me nice and cool and it was a great run!  I sweat like a beast but I missed trail running.  I'll be doing a post on trail running tips next week, so keep an eye out for that! Tuesday : Group Centergy Another great class.  I tried to really focus and get the most out of class, since we're nearing the end of this release and I know it really well.  I don't even have to think about the poses or routine, so I tried to get deeper in to stretches and it felt amazing! Wednesday : Hump Day Hills with True Runner Run Club For today's workout, a huge group did repeats up Shady Ave in Shadyside.  For each repeat, we were given a bracelet that was worth $5 in True Runner bucks...

Hi everyone!  I hope you're all having a great weekend.  Since I was traveling last week, I didn't really recap my training.  Today will be a double recap of week 7 and 8 (although week 7 isn't very exciting!)  In Europe, we spent a lot of time walking and hiking and ended up doing over 15 miles a day!  I didn't want to push myself too much, so I took it easy with running to avoid injury.    Week 7 Wednesday - 3.5 miles / 32:50 / 9:22 pace Ran around Kungsparken in Malmo.  There were so many parks near our hotel and they were all perfect for running!  I was hoping to run a second time in Sweden, but we had early trains to catch. Saturday - 3.16 miles / 25:27 / 8:03 pace My first Park Run!  We ran three laps around Faelledparken, and my splits were 9:06, 8:09 and 8:00.  My legs felt great and fresh, and I ended up getting 4th place for women! Week 8 Monday - Rest day! I started feeling sick on the plane ride h...

from jenchoosesjoy.com Hi everyone and welcome to Week 6 of half marathon training! I'm officially half way through my training...what?!  I can't believe it but I'm feeling great and ready to put in 6 more weeks of hard training.  (note, I'm not affiliated in ANY way with the Biggest Loser or with the Run/Walk.  I just wanted to make it clear what I'm training for in a fun way!) Here was my training plan for the week: To remind you, I'm using Hal Higdon's half marathon intermediate plan as a base, but adjusting it to fit my schedule. Monday :  3.87 miles / 33:00 / 8:23 pace Beautiful morning run with some humidity and sprinkles.  I keep saying it, but I love these early morning runs!  Once I'm up and going, it's so peaceful and easy to keep going.  It's fantastic having the run out of the way early!   Tuesday :  Centergy Great class as always!  I especially love the hip openers.  Always feels s...

When you think about quitting, think about why you started. I can't believe another week has come and gone in my training! This was a fantastic week for me and I had some terrific workouts.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and I even did a few morning workouts!  Keep reading to see what I did this week. (note, I'm not affiliated in ANY way with the Biggest Loser or with the Run/Walk.  I just wanted to make it clear what I'm training for in a fun way!) Here was my training plan for the week: To remind you, I'm using Hal Higdon's half marathon intermediate plan as a base, but adjusting it to fit my schedule.   Monday 5 miles /  49:00 / 9:43 pace Ran home after walking dogs at the Humane Society for an hour.  Wow, it was a hot one and I felt it!  My legs felt like lead and I was tired the entire time (running with a backpack isn't exactly comfortable either).  I'm so glad I bought a water before I started!  Runs...

Happy Sunday everyone!  It was another great week of training for me.  I started to feel a bit of the effects of training hard and had some soreness, but other than that I have no complains for my 4th week of training!  I tried out a new workout class this week, as well as ran my second race!  Read on to see what I did this week.

Life is complicated, running is simple.  Is it any wonder that people like to run? - Kevin Nelson  Third week of training is over!  It was a great week of beautiful weather and absolutely nothing that I had to work around (thank goodness!).  I'm feeling really strong, and I'm still feeling motivated to go out every day and work hard.  I also had my first test of this training cycle- a 5K race!  Keep reading to see how this week went!

It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be Thank goodness that the second week of training was a little less busy.  I had plenty of time to get my workouts in, even if I had to rearrange a bit.  It was Dan's birthday, so I had to move some classes to go out to dinner (which was great!) and we're also currently visiting his family in Boiling Springs, PA. (note, I'm not affiliated in ANY way with the Biggest Loser or with the Run/Walk.  I just wanted to make it clear what I'm training for in a fun way!) Here was my training plan for the week: To remind you, I'm using Hal Higdon's half marathon intermediate plan as a base, but adjusting it to fit my schedule.  I'm also helping Dan train for a 5K using the Couch to 5K plan . Here's how my week went: Monday 3 miles / 28:00 / 9:20 pace I had a dentist appointment, so I had to run on the treadmill at the gym.  Not a particularly good or bad workout, but nic...

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'" - Peter Maher Hi everyone!  Now that my half marathon training is in full swing, I thought it would be useful to review each week of my training so I can hold myself accountable.  I'm sort of stealing this idea from one of my favorite bloggers, Jennifer at Running on Lentils (who, by the way, is kicking butt in training for the Pittsburgh Marathon!) (note, I'm not affiliated in ANY way with the Biggest Loser or with the Run/Walk.  I just wanted to make it clear what I'm training for in a fun way!) Here was my training plan for the week: To remind you, I'm using Hal Higdon's half marathon intermediate plan as a base, but adjusting it to fit my schedule.  I'm also helping Dan train for a 5K using the Couch to 5K plan . Here's how my week went: Monday 3.27 miles / 28:0...