Gretch Runs

Hi everyone! We're doing things a little different today, and I'm going to be answering some fun questions. You probably know by now that I'm a big Peloton fan, and during quaratine they've had the trainers answer fun "one question interviews" on their Instagram account. It's been a fun way to learn more about the instructors! Today I wanted to answer the questions myself, and want to hear your responses as well! Here we go with the One Question Interviews (maybe we'll have a part two if they keep the series up!) 3 words to describe myself Curious - I love learning new things, traveling to new places, and meeting new people with different backgrounds. Passionate - I live by the phrase "How you do anything is how you do everything". I give everything my all and get obsessed with things really quickly. There's no half-measures with me! Friendly - I hope that I come off this way, but as I mentioned above I love to meet new people and maki...

It's me!  Remember me?  Gretchen...I run (sometimes) and blog (even less frequently than I run)??  Ringing any bells? It feels like it's been forever since I wrote my last post, when in reality it was just over a month ago.  Funny enough, my last post was called " Snowing Again ", and as I write this..in the middle of April..it's snowing outside.  Crazy spring, eh?  It's almost like the universe was waiting for another post on the old GretchRuns blog to kick itself into spring weather.  So, if today is the final day it snows on the east coast and it's all warm weather from here on out, you know who to thank. Beautiful day for a baseball game!  Do they use snowballs in this weather? Today's post is just going to be a good old catch-up sesh (especially since I missed my own What's New With You ) linkup.  Here's what happened in March! - I got injured .  Boo!  Once again, marathon training was going great, then I got an injur...

Well, that didn't go as planned!  This weekend was my big race, my first marathon in nearly 4 years.  I was excited and felt ready.  Then the race started and everything went downhill (except for the course, which went up and down and up and down....).  Here's a look at how my final week of taper went, as well as the race itself: Monday Rest Day! Tuesday 3.1 miles / 9:28 miles  I felt great, which made it hard to keep the pace slow!  I ran in the morning before work and kept my pace slow enough that I didn't lose my breath or break a sweat. Wednesday Yoga Nice and easy flow just to keep everything loose. Thursday 4 miles / 9:15 pace The plan was to run 4 miles, with the middle two at marathon pace.  My "warmup" pace kept creeping up into that race pace territory, so I had to force myself to keep it slower.  I felt amazing and did this run with absolutely no issues, which made me super excited for the race! ...

Social media can be such a tricky thing.  I've talked about how I'm becoming a "student" of running, which means reading about running and listening to podcasts.  This also means that I've been reading more blogs, following more accounts on Instagram, and basically trying to take in as much information as I can.  As most other runners can probably agree (and I'm guessing this can happen in any kind of sport or hobby), this can get dangerous and you can enter the comparison trap . In some ways this is a good thing.  I see other people crushing their workouts and breaking barriers, and all of a sudden I'm feeling really motivated and want to share my successes as well.  Someone talks about having a crappy day with a million things going wrong in their life, and all of a sudden my so-so day doesn't seem like a good excuse to skip a run and I get it done.  I've found new workouts to try, techniques to improve my form, fueling tips, and get encoura...

I'm thankful for: - My family , who is always there for me and has always supported me - Dan , the love of my life and my best friend - Selma , who is the best dog and can always make me feel better - My health , and the ability to run - My job , and amazing coworkers that make long days bearable - My friends , who make life more fun and inspire me daily - Each and every one of you , for your encouragement and support I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Today I'm here to talk about every runner's favorite subject- burnout. I've always liked to race a lot.  Races are the best kind of speed work for me- they always bring out the best in me and the competition brings out a different side of me that I just can't get alone.  So, every year I always sign up for a ton of races throughout the year.  I don't pay attention to timing or recovery- I just want to race a lot.  Plus- if nothing else it always gave me lots of blog content ;) For the past few years, this has worked out great for me.  I always looked forward to racing and training for races.  It didn't matter if I had a race every week- I was always excited! This year things seemed to change for me.  I made a goal to run more races, but there were a lot of other changes going on in my life.  Dan and I bought a house and moved out of the city, we got married, and I got a new job.  I didn't think that any of these things would reall...

Hi everyone!  Today I'm going to be joining in the Show and Tell Tuesday linkup and sharing a more personal post.  The theme for today is Soundtrack of My Life, and I'm going to share a song that either meant a lot to me during different times of my life, or the lyrics highlight important events in my life.  This is going to be sort of a cheesy post, but I hope you enjoy a more personal post! Birth Step By Step - New Kids on the Block I was born on June 28, 1990 in Pittsburgh, and this was the #1 song at that time!  It sounds so 90's..right?   Elementary School Born This Way - Lady Gaga Early on in elementary school, I was tested for the Gifted Center, which was a program in the Pittsburgh Public Schools for people that tested above a certain IQ.  My mom always knew that I was different and actually thought that I was being tested for emotional support.  She could tell you a lot of stories about how I was always slightly o...

Today I'm going to be talking about money!  Specifically- how to save it.  If you'll remember, a few months ago I did a post on how I create a budget (if you haven't seen that post click here to check it out!) This is sort of a follow-up on that post, where I'm going to talk about different ways to cut expenses and generally spend less money.  These are the tips that work for me (or things that I'm testing out), but I would love to hear how YOU save money! Lower your Data Plan This is actually a new trick that I'm trying out (so I'll let you know how it goes at the end of billing cycle!).  I decided to lower my data plan from 4 GB a month to 2GB, which saves $12 a month!  I luckily work in a building with wifi and have wifi at home, so I figured out that I was using up a lot of data and spending a ton of money for no reason!  In order to use less data, I came up with a few tips: - Use "airplane mode" when you're in an area with...

Hi everyone!  Today I'll be joining in the  Tuesdays on the Run linkup.  The topic for today is about group running vs. solo running.  I have a lot of experience with both, so I thought it would be fun to talk about the pros and cons of each! Group Running Pros: Meeting new people.  You already have something in common if you're all running, and it can be an easy way to make new friends.  Some of our local groups hold social events after the run, so you don't have to worry about talking during the run.  If you're new to a city, this is a great way to meet new people with similar interests! Pushing yourself.   Running with others is a great way to push your pace!  I never want to get separated from the group, so I always push myself a little harder and go faster than I normally would when I run with a group.  This can be especially helpful when you're running tempo runs or preparing for a race. Being accountable .  If I...

Today's topic for the Tuesdays on the Run Linkup (which I've been LOVING being a part of!) is "Why I Run".    I love this topic, and it'll give me a good chance to tell you all a bit about my running history.  This is a lengthier post, so if you'd like the short version, read this article I wrote for Huffington Post, right before I ran my first marathon. I started running when I was 8 years old, because my sister and dad would go out running at a park nearby.  I really wanted to join them, and my parents finally let me when I turned 8.  It was love at first stride, and I couldn't stop running.  I did my first race when I turned 10 at the same park- the Brighton Heights 5k.  I ended up beating my dad and sister, and finished in the top few women! My first race.  Notice all the white cotton t-shirts..running was really different back then! From then, I didn't want to stop running.  My dad, sister and I formed "Team Braun" an...

Happy Thursday!  How is everyone doing?  This week is absolutely flying by.  I'll be leaving soon for Europe, so I've been trying to get ahead of my tasks at work.  I love being busy, though, so this has been a terrific week for me! Today for Thinking Out Loud Thursday with Amanda , I decided to do the 20 question tag that I've seen on tons of blogs.  The questions are fun, and its a good chance for you all to get to know me better!  Make sure to answer some questions in the comments below!  I'd love to get you know all of you better :) 1. What’s your whole name? Gretchen Braun (no middle name)   Baby Gretchen was very serious, especially about Easter egg hunts and ballet 2. Are you named after anyone? I don't believe so! 3. Do you have any siblings? One sister- Kirsten.  She's two years older than me and currently lives in California.  She'll be moving back to Pittsburgh this summer!  Her husband was in the A...