Gretch Runs

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...

Today is going to be a short and sweet post.  I'll be linking up with Tuesdays on the Run to share some of my favorite runners and inspirational quotes.  Please be sure to share your own inspiration in the comments below!  I can always use new quotes and people to look up to! Steve Prefontaine Track superstar who held American records in seven track events in his short 24-year life Kathrine Switzer First woman to officially run the Boston Marathon  Meb Keflezighi Olympic medalist and winner of the NYC and Boston marathons  Lopez Lomong Former Lost Boy of Sudan, who achieved his dream of running in the Olympic Games, as well as being torchbearer for the United States  Read my review of Lomong's book, Running for my Life, here Clara Santucci Local runner who qualified for the Olympic trials in the marathon (and 2015 Pittsburgh Marathon winner)  Of course, my biggest inspiration in the running ...

"We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon." Emil Zatopek, Czech runner; winner of four Olympic gold medals A look at the runs I've completed this year   Well, after a rather long absence, I am finally writing again.  Throughout the past months, I've gone through so many ups and downs with my training that it was almost depressing to try to write all about it.  I've had a few injuries and lost weeks of training which really scared me and almost made me want to give up and run the half marathon again, which I know I can complete.  However, I kept telling myself that I made this promise to myself and to so many people to complete the marathon this year, that it would be such a let down to give up. I know that I would always look back on this failure with nothing but disappointment.   Lately, my training has been phenomenal....

Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things. - Joe Paterno Last post I said that I felt that I was running for more than myself, and that couldn't have been any more true this past week. When the news of Joe Paterno's death swept the campus, people were very upset and emotional. After hearing all of the stories of his philanthropy and love of Penn State, I was so moved and thankful for him...more than ever before. Every run I did that week I did for Coach Paterno, and did it with the intensity, desire, passion and dedication he expected from everyone. Rest in peace, Coach. I had great workouts last week. I did a long run of 8 miles on Monday, easy run of 3 miles on Wednesday, and a tempo run on Friday. During the tempo run, I did an easy 1-mile warm up and cool down with 3 miles at a 8:30 pace. I'm taking a volleyball class, and last week we began our first tournament. This consists of playing three games per day three times a week fo...

This might be a weird title for a post of a running and training blog, but I was listening to the song by Florence + the Machine , and one line in the song stuck out to me: Run fast for your mother run fast for your father Run for your children for your sisters and brothers Leave all your love and your longing behind you Can't carry it with you if you want to survive This line really resonated for me. I feel like I'm no longer running just for my own satisfaction, but for all of my friends and family. They're all just as invested in my progress and training as much as I am, and truly motivate me every day to keep working hard. No longer am I just running fast for myself, but for everyone in my life as well. Running is also an extremely emotionally and physically intensive activity. To me, it's much more psychologically taxing than physically, and in order to do well I always have to leave all doubt or uncertainty behind in order to "survive" this process, and ...

Hello! Well, it's been a very hectic few weeks, and I have to admit that my training has suffered quite a bit due to life happening all around me. Last weekend, I took a trip home for my grandparent's 50th anniversary. Here's a picture of our beautiful family: We've had some unseasonably warm and beautiful weather in State College. Luckily for me, my boyfriend is a wonderful photographer, and took me to a gorgeous wooded area and got some pictures. Here's one of my favorites: I squeezed in some workouts and runs as much as I could. I did have a terrific run this weekend and did my longest training run yet: 9 miles. Even better news for me was the fact that my 9th and final mile was my fastest! (my Nike watch gives mile times for each mile run, then tells you your fastest and slowest miles). Here's a look at the runs I completed the past two weeks and used my watch: I'm now over 150 miles on my watch! I c...

" STAND UP and FINISH what you started " Bob Harper This was a really rough but fun week. I had 4 exams, countless hours of homework, 2 presentations and band practice. On the weekend I went camping for the first time ever, which was so much fun! I also incorporated an aerobic class at Penn State into my workout, which was a great change of pace and really enjoyable! I'll try to add another in the next week. 9/26: stretching and light plyometrics 9/27: 3.5 mile run: 27:00, 8:00/mile 9/28: 6x400 repeats on treadmill with 1 mile warm-up and 1 mile cool-down 9/29 : 3.5 mile run: 30:00, 8:32/mile Step Aerobics class- 45:00 9/30, 10/1: REST and CAMPING! 10/2: 4.25 mile run: 38:47, 9:07/mile Here's next week's schedule: 4 Stretch & Strengthen 3.5 m run 35 min tempo 3 m run + strength Rest 3 m run ...

The first week of my official training is OVER. This weekend, the Blue Band went to the Temple game, so I was unable to run the weekend, but finished all the other workouts. Here's a summary of what I did this week: Monday : 30 min on bike, 1 hour lifting, 20 minutes abs/stretching Tuesday :3.34 miles: 27:00, 8:04/mile Wednesday : Treadmill intervals 1 mile warmup at speed 6, 5x400 going to speed 7.5, reducing to speed 5.5 for 400 m in between. 1 mile cooldown at speed 6 Thursday : 4.80 miles: 39:05, 8:07/mile 1/2 hour lifting Friday : Central York football game Saturday : Penn State vs. Temple game, Upper Dublin Spectacle in Sound festival Here is my schedule for this coming week: 2 Stretch & Strengthen 3 m run 30 min tempo 3 m run + strength Rest 3 m pace 6 m run A little motivation for the w...

You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement. - PRE 7/27 Workout: 4 miles on trails at Riverview 7/28 Workout: 30 minute stationary bike 1 hour strength 20 minute core 7/30 Workout: 6.75 miles at North Park 57:05, 8:30/mile 7/31 Workout: Flag football game with the interns 4 hours of walking at the zoo: some elephants! look at the little baby :) a jellyfish, taken by another intern (Dan Koller, great pic!) we ran into a peacock that was just walking around the zoo So, I didn't hit my target as far as runs go, but I did have EXCELLENT runs this week! I felt absolutely amazing during my long run at North Park, and my endurance is definitely improving. This weekend I'm hoping to have a run of over 7 miles, and keep picking up a half mile every weekend. Thanks for reading! Pittsburgh M...

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going . - Jim Ryun 7/25 workout: 3.63 miles on Rivertrail 30:00, 8:15/mile Pittsburgh Marathon: 283 days

It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys . Emil Zatopek I just found that quote, and it could not explain my weekend better! I had two terrific workouts and am in absolute pain this morning (which is a good thing to me!) On Saturday, I biked for 30 minutes at the maximum resistance on my very old stationary bike, then increased my weight on about half of the exercises I did, and increased repetitions on the exercises I didn't move up. Overall my body was feeling very strong, but I was really sore the next day! Sunday I went out for a run while it was in the 90's, and ran on the trails in Riverview. I decided to run without calculating my distance or pace to just relax and run for time. I ran for about an hour, and it felt terrific to just enjoy the run and not worry about pushing myself to the limit! This week I'm hoping to run 5 days and lift 3. It's almost time for vacation (Deep Creek, Maryland!) and Blue Band, so I ...

"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." After taking a few days off from training, I'm finally back to it. I had to rest up to get over a few areas that have been bothering me, but I'm now back in action and feeling better than ever. On Tuesday, I rode a stationary bike for a half hour and did a weight lifting circuit. The two moves I did for legs were lunges and leg extensions , both of which I haven't done in a while. Yesterday, I got back to Riverview Park and did an easy trail loop that was around 3 1/2 miles with rolling hills. My average mile was 8:30, so it was a decent run. The quote at the top is by one of my favorite athletes and role models- Steve Prefontaine . For those of you who don't know him, do yourself a favor and read a bit about him here...

Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best. Today has been a very reflective week for me. It's my 21st birthday, and as I was running along the trails in Riverview Park last night, I thought back over the past year of how much I've changed. I would say that I definitely matured a lot through the past 365 days in multiple ways. I'm much more career-focused after completing my first internship. Last summer I was a technology intern at Progressive Insurance, and working for 12 weeks in the field helped me realize what life will be like after college. That helped me focus on the past year of school, giving me the two best semesters of college thus far. This summer, I'm interning at PNC Bank as a technology project manager, which has already allowed me to grow in so many ways, both professionally and technically. It helped me to narrow my vision and realize my potential in the work place. Other big changes that I've gone thro...