Gretch Runs

We are officially in the final stretch before my last race of the year! I'm so excited to see how I do compared to last year. This was a week of transition- I'm back in the office now so that's definitely changing how my workouts went and how I could squeeze them in again. I'll figure it out but for now it's been a little rough! Here's how the week went-  Monday 1 hour yoga Yoga was very much needed today- I had my first day back in the office this morning (after 3.5 years away!). It was a long and stressful day so it felt great to end my day with some stretching and easy movement. Tuesday 30 min run Very sticky and warm run today at lunchtime- I headed to a park that I haven't been to in a while and it was great to have a change of scenery! Wednesday 1 hour bootcamp Today's class was so hard! Our first three stations were all wall sits- one regular one with a weight overhead, and then holding a weight and just using one leg in the hold. It was really ch...

We are getting closer and closer to my next (and possibly last?) race of the year! It was a great week of training- minus doing some road biking because my bike was in the shop getting a tune up for the race. Otherwise, things are clicking in place and I'm excited to see if I have any improvements from the race last year! Here's how the week went- Monday 1000 yard swim I did a straight swim today- no sets or warmups, just swim nonstop. I felt good on this and could have kept going which is always a good thing! 4.5 mile hike Since it was a holiday, I decided to go out to my favorite park for a hike. I was also planning on kayaking afterwards but it seemed like that was everyone's plan and it was super crowded! So, I just ended my kayak and headed home to relax the rest of the day. Tuesday 40 min run If you can tell by our expressions, it was a toasty one this morning! I joined Erica for a run around the Art Museum, and we took it easy with some walks up the hills.  Wednesday...

This was definitely a week of highs and lows. I had some rough workouts but also had amazing ones as well- it seems like running is hard right now but everything else is feeling great! I'll just blame the weather and hope it feels easier once it gets cooler (and less humid). Here's a look at my week- Monday Rest Day! Tuesday 3 mile run I met up with my early birds group for my run this morning, and as soon as we started I felt off. I donated blood on Sunday evening and thought that I would feel better by now but my body let me know it didn't! I hung in the back and did a run/walk, but was still happy to have people to start with at least! 2 hour SUP I was feeling much better by the end of the day and it was gorgeous out, so I headed to Harris Lake for a little paddling. The water was pretty calm so I took it easy going around and also took lots of rest! It was the perfect end to the day. Wednesday 1 hour bike I went out for a lunchtime ride and added in two intervals of 3 m...

This was a really great week of training! In my plan this is still in the base phase, so it feels manageable and not too tough yet. I'm just enjoying it so far and it's making me excited for the more challenging stuff that I know is coming along! Here's how the week of workouts went- Monday 1 hour yoga I had a pretty open day, so I was able to make it to Erica's outdoor yoga class. It was just what I needed today- it was warm out but class wasn't too intense. Lots of stretching and easy movement. Loved it! Tuesday 1000 yard swim I'm enjoying the workouts that are in the plan that I'm following- it really helps me during swimming to break down the distance and keep it focused on smaller chunks of work. Today we started with a 200 yard warmup, then did drills for 100 yards (for this I do kickboard for 50 yards, then bouy for 50 yards). Next, it was 4x100 yards of moderate effort. 100 more yards of kickboard, then a 200 yard cool down. 3 mile walk Selma and I m...

Happy Monday!! I just got back from an amazing weekend trip (more about that below). This might not have been the best workout week ever, but I still managed to get some movement in every day. Let's just say that it's not easy to motivate yourself to run when you aren't sleeping well, and I've been sleeping really badly lately. Let's hope that's just an off week and I'll be back to normal soon! Here's a look at how the week went- Monday 2 mile run Started the week with a midday run. It's definitely feeling like summer out there, but it actually felt great! I did a little interval workout using the new Free section of the Peloton app (I used to have a membership but dropped it a few months ago, but they just came out with free workouts that you don't need to have any membership to access!) Tuesday 1300 yard swim I followed a swim workout today, and that really helped me to break up the swim and made it go by really quickly. I enjoyed it a lot whic...

 Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've posted on the blog and for good reason- I just got back from an amazing vacation. I'll be sure to share all about it but it was probably the best trip of my life! But- it's back to reality now and I had a decent week back of training. My first race is around the corner (EEK!) so here's how the week went: Monday Rest Day! We got home on Sunday, so today was all about getting back to work and readjusting to the time change. I really didn't do much of anything active! Tuesday 1.5 mile run First run in a while, and it was rough! I walked Selma in the morning and did my run at lunchtime, and it was already pretty warm out there. Definitely need to get back in the habit of running early now that it's feeling like summer. Wednesday 1 hour Boot Camp I was really happy to wake up this morning and feel back to my normal self! I always get a little sick at the end of trips, but today I woke up feeling great again. I made it ou...

Hello Fall(ish) weather! We got some amazing weather this week and weekend (finally!) and it felt great to be outside. I'm already looking forward to runs in long sleeves and hikes to see the changing leaf colors. I do love summer, but I'm ready for a little bit of a change. How about you? What's your favorite season? Here's a look at my week in workouts! Monday 30 min I Love Ibiza Ride with Ben Had to cross Ben off my instructor list, so I was excited to see he had a fun ride planned for first thing on Monday morning! Nothing like a rave vibe to start off the week. The music was great but I have to say that Ben is too chill for this type of class! I still enjoyed it, but I think Jess King would have killed this one. Tuesday 10 min Yoga Flow with Kristin This was a really great quick class! Went through a bunch of postures but didn't feel rushed at all. If you're in a pinch and need a quick flow to stretch out this was a great one. Wednesday 30 min Classic Rock ...

Hi everyone! This was a fun week for me- Dan and I went camping at Raccoon Creek State Park! We were originally supposed to go on Thursday, but he had a minor accident and we left on Friday instead. It was lots of fun though! Here's how my week of workouts went- Monday  2 mile run Convinced Dan to join me for a morning run. It was so nice and cool out so this felt heavenly. Don't think he agreed, but we made it without walking! 30 min Intermediate Yoga Flow with Chelsea Evening yoga flow with my favorite instructor. This was my first Intermediate flow in a while, and I loved it! It was challenging, but all within my capabilities. There were a lot of twists and heart openers which I enjoy. The time flew by! 20 min 90s Ride with Alex Great ride right after yoga to end the night. This was so much fun...putting my favorite time period of music together with the best cycle instructor and it's a recipe for success. More of this please! Tuesday 30 min Pop Fun Run Pre-work run. Fel...

Happy Monday! Last week was kind of crazy- work was busy with lots of meetings everyday, and I had more (socially distant) plans than usual. Feels nice to be around people again. We also had a car issue that kind of ruined some plans, but otherwise it was a nice week. Here's how my workouts went- Monday 45 min SUP Mornings on the water are the best! Headed out for some tranquility and found it. This is going to be a good week- I can feel it. 20 min Hip Hop Full Body Strength with Adrian It's official- I think that Adrian is my new favorite instructor. His classes are always challenging but within my wheelhouse (movements are simple or have a good modifications). Plus, his demeanor is just what I like in an instructor- warm and friendly but pushes you to keep going. Really enjoyed this full body workout, which had 2 circuits and a bonus round at the end! 30 min Latin Celebration Ride with Kendall I wanted to do a quick ride at night, so I chose one that I had bookmarked with Ken...

Happy (late) Monday! It's honestly been kind of an up and down week for me- some days were great while others I had zero motivation. I've been getting waves of this during the quarantine lately and just go with it and listen to my body. I did have some fun workouts and some fun marathons (from Netflix) so let's look at my week- Monday 1 hour SUP Best start to the week for me is to be on the water! It was so beautiful out this morning and super quiet (only a few people were at the park, awesome!). 10 min Yoga Flow : Hips with Aditi Getting started with the week 2 Pelothon challenge- taking two live classes. A friend suggested this class and it was really great- just some nice hip opening stretches with one of my favorite instructors. Tuesday 5.25 mile run Apparently the days are getting shorter because this was the first sunrise I've seen heading to a run in a while. I felt really good on this run- it was one of those where I felt like I had to keep holding myself back. ...

This week marks the start of Pelothon 2020, a four week challenge with different goals each week. For the first week, I have to take a class with every instructor on my team- I chose The Unstoppables which features Alex, Christine, Hannah F, Irene, Matty, and Chelsea. It was so hard to choose a team (they were all great), so I decided to pick the team with the fewest members. I'm happy with my choice and loved trying out new instructors this week! Here's what I did- Monday 30 min Y2K Pop Fun Run with Matty Felt refreshed after a few days off of running, and did a hilly loop around my neighborhood. This run felt fun, and I crossed off my first instructor from team #TheUnstoppables. I always love Matty's workouts- he's such a positive and uplifting person, and puts a smile on my face. 45 min Beginner Yoga Flow with Chelsea This was a great class for a few reasons- I really like Chelsea's style and how she moves from position to position (and also how she structures ea...

Good morning everyone! I hope that you enjoyed your weekend- mine was really fun and busy (big change from the last few months!). We had a tiny break from the crazy heat in the last few weeks and I took advantage of it. Here's a look at how my week of workouts was: Monday 30 min All For One Strength My body was telling me it needed a break from cardio, so I did a nice strength workout. This was another workout in the "All for One" series I started last week- this one featuring all of the strength teachers (Adrian, Rebecca, Andy, Jess, Chase, Robin, and Selena). The class was divided into four sections- full body (Rebecca and Andy), lower body (Selena and Adrian), upper body (Jess and Chase) and a finisher (Robin). The class was OK- some of the segments I loved and other felt like they dragged on. But- it was a good workout. Tuesday 6 mile run It's always so crazy to me that one run can feel awful, and then a few days later feel so easy. Compared to my long run on Sund...

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend. This was definitely a different Fourth of July than ones I've had in the past- I didn't really celebrate or do anything with friends like I would typically do. Since the holiday fell on the weekend I also didn't have any days off work (fun fact- Friday was not a bank holiday even though most places used that as the holiday!).  To be honest, this wasn't the best week- I'll go into it a bit below. Sleep has been hard to come by, and after a few days it really seems to affect me! I hope that this coming week will be a bit better..we'll see. Here's a look at my week in workouts- Monday 45 min 80s Fun Walk with Rebecca I know it'll be a long and stressful week at work (new projects and structure- fun!) so I made sure to start off with a little movement. Took out Selma for a nice, long walk and loved this fun playlist. It was all songs by females which was a fun twist! 20 min Arms and Shoulders Strength...