Gretch Runs

Happy Monday everyone!  This weekend, I ran a local race, which just happens to be the oldest consecutively-run race in Western Pennsylvania.  This was the 42nd annual Butler Road Race, which is a 5 miler and 2k located about an hour north of Pittsburgh.  The town of Butler is really cute and small, and there always seems to be something going on there (from the Big Butler Fair to the Ice Jam ).  This is my second year running the race, and it was a lot of fun! The race starts out in front of the Butler Courthouse, with packet pickup at the nearby Diamond Park.  This is a relatively small race (248 runners in the 5 miler and 197 in the 2k), so pickup was quick and easy.  We got started exactly on time (9:00) and were on our way! I got lucky that it wasn't a super  hot day, and the temperature was around 73 when we started.  There weren't many clouds in the sky, but when one passed by the shade and breeze felt great!  The course in gen...

Hi everyone!  I had a great and busy weekend away from home, which means that it interrupted my training a bit.  Sometimes that's all you need to feel inspired to work hard again, and some time with family is always good.  We went to visit Dan's family for his grandpa's birthday, and it was such a great trip.  We had a lot of fun, but now it's back to reality.  Here's a look at how my week of training went: Monday Rest Day! I did my arm workout, and didn't run. Tuesday 3 miles / 9:34 pace I went on a run before work, and felt so sore when I started.  I took the first mile nice and easy, and started to feel a lot better.  It was so nice out in the morning, and it's crazy to me how light out it is by 6AM.  Crazy to think that I used to run in the dark all the time and now I need sunglasses!  I ran around Point State Park, which was getting ready for Arts Fest. Wednesday Rest Day! I did my leg workout, and didn't run...

Compared to last week, this one was amazing!  Everything felt good again, and I was excited to get out for my runs.  It's still hot and sunny out, but I can already tell that my body is getting used to it.  Here's a look at how my week of training went: Monday 3 miles / 10:00 pace Started off the week with a doozy- it was raining outside so I decided to run on the treadmill at my gym for an easy 3 miles.  When I got there, the building was being evacuated because of a fire alarm going off in a restaurant that's connected to the gym.  I eventually got in, but the alarms went off for my entire run.  Not exactly the best Monday ever, but I got my run in and felt really good! Tuesday Strength training- arms Wednesday 3 miles / untimed According to my training plan, I was supposed to have a speed workout today.  I got home from work, not really looking forward to it, when Dan asked if I wanted to go for a run with him and Sel...

I'm just going to warn you all today- this week sucked.  It happens to me every year and I've come to expect it- the first hot and humid week of the season is always so hard.  I feel sluggish and slow, and running a mile feels like I'm finishing a marathon!  Luckily this was a "step-down" week in my 5 miler training plan, so there weren't too many miles on my schedule.  I hope that forcing myself outside on hot days (and waiting until later in the day to run) helps me adapt to the hot weather faster!  Here's hoping to feeling better in the coming months! Monday 3 miles / 9:28 pace I went on an easy run around North Park, and then met up with Dan and Selma at the dog park.  Nice easy way to start the week! Tuesday Rest Day! No running, but I did my arm workout for the day.  I also went to Tuesday Trivia, and didn't win again!  It's still fun, so always worth it :) Wednesday 3.5 miles / 8:16 pace I had 400 meter repeats on...