Gretch Runs

I have to admit, this was a really weird week that felt more like a year. More news and regulations came about COVID-19, along with me being mandated to stay home from work for the next few weeks. I tried to maintain my normal workout routine just to keep my sanity, but with suggestions to avoid high-contact areas like the gym, I had to make changes! Here's what the week looked like for me, and I hope that everyone out there is staying safe and healthy. I'm thinking of all of you!! Monday Arms + Bike Everything felt so hard, which I guess is normal when you take basically two weeks off of the gym! Got in a good arm workout and then biked for the rest of the time. 3 mile run / walk Gorgeous day out, so Dan, Selma and I headed to the park! We rotated between running and walking and covered about 3 miles of trails. Love this weather. Tuesday Elliptical + Core Yesterday my group was told that we will start mandatory work from home (for about two weeks) and I h...

Third week of training is done, and it was a doozy! It's never easy coming back from vacation, and I was definitely struggling getting back in my routine. I managed to finish all my runs, but slacked a bit in the gym. I also had a quick weekend trip, so I'm feeling it! Let's hope starting today I'll be back on track. Monday 30 minute racquetball I was SO tired since it was my first day back at work, but Dan and I still wanted to jump right in with our 5AM gym date. I was kind of out of it this entire time, so I definitely need to make sure I eat before the gym next time. 15 minute basketball The court was open after our game, so Dan and I played a bit of around the world and did some shooting. I must have been REALLY out of it because I missed about 99% of my shots. Still was fun though! 2 mile run After work the weather was perfect, so we set out for a short and easy run. As soon as we started though, the rain poured down and felt like ice hitting us! ...

Hi everyone! I'm back from a great and relaxing vacation with some friends to Cancun. I skipped a week of training (which was smartly built into my training plan), so here's a look back at 2 weeks ago and my workouts. Now that I'm back from the beach it's time to get back in gear! Wish me luck :) Monday 3 mile run I had the day off for Presidents' Day, which meant I could sleep in and still get in a run before dark! It was a gorgeous day out, so I took advantage by heading to a park that I've never run in before- Hartwood Acres. I forgot how hilly it is there and took this run nice and slow! 3 mile walk I still had a few hours left in the day so I headed to another park with Selma for a walk. Tuesday 15 minute racquetball Little warm up to get woken up at 5AM! I wasn't really in the mood to play, so it wasn't too much of a workout and mostly just lazing around the court until I decided to lift. 20 minute arms Luckily, I was ...

It's officially training time! My goal race (Capital City Half Marathon in Columbus) is 10 short weeks away, and with a few trips in between I know it'll be here before I know it. Once again, I'll be following the Kara Goucher half marathon plan and training with my friend Jessie! This was a good first week for me full of lots of cross training and quality runs.  Here's how it went! Monday 30 minutes racquetball This entire week I tried to make it to the gym or run before work, and today Dan joined me. We started out with a game of racquetball to warm up before our main workouts, and it's also a great way to start our day! 3 mile treadmill run I did about 15 minutes easy, then steadily picked it up. Treadmill isn't my favorite, but it was nice to get miles in before work since it was a pretty nasty day outside. Tuesday 30 minutes racquetball This was the first day that I felt like everything was clicking and I managed to take a game...

Hi everyone!  It's been quite a while and a busy few months!  The end of the year shows no sign of slowing down either- I'm definitely going to end this decade with a BANG with a few trips and races coming up! To catch up, here's a look back at a few highlights from each of the past 7 months that I've been missing- April San Diego Dan had to go to San Diego for work, and luckily the timing worked out that my mom and I were able to take a trip over and visit!  We had a blast and were super busy on our long weekend, doing everything from hiking at Torrey Pines, walking around La Jolla, visiting Cabrillo National Monument, going to a San Diego Padres game, and visiting every cidery/brewery/winery in the area.  The Padres stadium was so beautiful and definitely one of my favorites that I've visited (now up to 15!). Capital City Half Marathon I made a trip to Columbus with my favorite running girls to run the Capital City Half!  I was signed up fo...

Hi everyone!  I've been a bit quiet for the past few weeks and haven't posted workout recaps, and that's because Dan and I took a quick trip down to Florida!  We were there for 10 days and visited Miami and the Tampa area and crossed off two more stadiums.  Here's a quick recap of the trip, along with some workouts I managed to squeeze in! 4 mile run in Brickell We stayed in Brickell, which was a GREAT location.  There were a lot of restaurants and beautiful places to run, and anytime we drove somewhere we were going against the crazy Miami traffic.  For my speed work, I ran to Brickell Key, which is a flat, mile long triangle island.  It has beautiful views of the skyline and even has some water fountains!  Plan was to do 1 mile warm up and cool down, then 1 mile at 8:30, 1 mile of 8:10, rest 3 minutes and repeat.  After the first round  (hitting the paces perfectly) I was completely wiped and my legs felt like lead, so I just ran ...

All of a sudden, it's the halfway point of training!  I can't believe it, but it's been going really well so far.  I've cut back on running miles compared to other cycles, but I've also added a lot more cross training.  I think it's really helping, and I'm feeling stronger than ever! Here's how my week of training went- Monday Rest Day Planned on running and /or going to Beat, but I started feeling really sick when I got home.  A bug was going around at work, so I decided to just get in some extra rest. Tuesday 3 miles Felt much better when I woke up, so after work I headed to the park to run and walk with Selma and Dan!  It was a beautiful, sunny day and the park was filled with dogs.  We stayed mostly on trails, which was great. Wednesday 7 miles Speed workout for the week was 8 x 800 at half marathon pace.  Jessie and I met after work at a local track to get it done.  Our watches were both really off from eachother a...

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a great weekend, and got to enjoy St Patrick's Day!  I definitely did, and also had a great week of training.  Here's how week four went- only six more weeks of training to go! Monday 1 mile / 9:35 I had a busy day, but Dan and I managed to squeeze in a short run together.  It was windy and cold so neither one of us really wanted to run, but we got it done! Tuesday 7 miles / 8:54 pace Speed work day, a little earlier this week!  In the Kara Goucher plan, this is always one of my love it/hate it workouts.  It's called ice cream sandwich, and the goal is 2 miles at 15 seconds over race pace, 6 hill repeats, then another 2 miles at 15 seconds over race pace.  Since my goal pace is 8:20, I was planning on sticking around 8:35 pace.  Well, that immediately went out the window because I felt GREAT, and the weather was perfect!  My average paces ended up being 8:12 for the first two and 7:53 for ...

Hard to believe, but I'm now three weeks in to training for my next half marathon!  This was one of my most fun and diverse weeks of workouts that I ever had- it definitely wasn't a high mileage week, but I tried out so many different workouts and it was so great!  We also were blessed with some amazing temperatures, and I hope that means spring will be making its debut soon.  Here's how my week went! Monday 5 miles / 9:35 pace Cold run, but the sky looked incredible and there was a bit of sun!  I did a few loops around the pool by my house and got back to my car at around 4.65 miles, so of course I had to keep going to get to 5 of course! Tuesday Rest Day! Wednesday 5 miles / 8:49 pace I worked from home, so I was able to get in my workout during lunch.  The goal for this week's speed work was tempo- 3 miles at 8:40 sandwiched between a warm up and cool down.  It was a really chilly day and I just wanted to finish quickly, so I end...