Gretch Runs

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr Day to everyone!  I'm lucky enough to have the day off (which has been awesome- been doing a lot of house cleaning and decluttering all weekend).  While the temperature has definitely been dropping in the past few days, my training is starting to heat up.  My officially training plan for my next half marathon starts in just a few weeks, so I'm working on building up a solid base!  Besides some cross training and running, I also am doing the Yoga with Adriene 30 Days of Yoga (as I mentioned in my monthly goals), as well as 15 squats, 10 pushups, and 15 situps each morning.  This is a little challenge my friends and I started, and I think it's a great way to start the day! Here's how my week of workouts went: Monday Day 13 - Space Lots of twists in this one, which is one of my favorite moves in yoga!  Really nice and relaxing. 2.25 miles / 9:21 pace Christmas Tree Grave Yard I wasn't really in the mood to...

It should come as no surprise that yoga is my cross-training activity of choice.  It all started 3 years ago when I went to a free yoga class offered downtown, and I started doing it regularly last year.  In my marathon training this year, I've been trying to do daily videos and it's helped me so much! I love yoga because it has so many benefits- it helps me stretch out and recover faster, strengthens my legs, arms and core, and also has mental benefits.  There's nothing like taking a half hour for myself to meditate and reflect on myself at the end of a long day. Today I wanted to share my favorite yoga videos for runners.  I've been asked by a few people what my favorite videos are, so I thought it would be helpful to put them all in one place!  I'll be breaking it down by video length, so whether you have an hour or just 5 minutes, I have something for everyone! 50 Minutes 45 Minutes 35 Minutes 30 Minutes 25 Minutes ...

Hi everyone! As you can all probably figure out, my workouts lately have been pretty different than what I'm used to.  Not only did I stop training for a marathon , but I also cancelled my gym membership last month.  This means that I've had to do things a bit  differently lately!  Today, I thought it would be fun to share what my workouts look like lately.  I know that this is only temporary, but I thought it might be helpful to those of you who are also in fitness-limbo! Running I still run occasionally, but now I'm not following any schedule or plan.  In fact, I haven't even been timing or measuring my runs at all.  I go out when I want to, run however long I want to, and I'm enjoying every minute!  I'm also going on runs with Selma which has made us both very happy. Since it's been heating up outside, I've also loved to run on the trails.  I've always loved trail running, so it's been great to get back to that and not worry a...

In my workout recap on Sunday, I mentioned that I sometimes don't feel like doing a full yoga video and instead do a few of my favorite poses.  I've watched a lot of "Yoga for Runners" videos, and always came back to the same few stretches that felt amazing.  These always help me get the best stretch and are beginner-friendly poses. I would like to note that I'm not a certified yoga instructor or even consider myself a yogi, so proceed with caution.  I also wrote the instructions as clearly as possible, but again, I'm not an instructor so please be careful when attempting these poses.  I did link to Yoga Journal and Pocket Yoga for most of the poses so you can see a detailed explanation along with more information if you're interested in reading more.  Now, let's get stretching! As usual, I'm linking up with  Tuesdays on the Run . Go check out the other posts! Lizard Pose Stretches : hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps source How...

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'" - Peter Maher Hi everyone!  Now that my half marathon training is in full swing, I thought it would be useful to review each week of my training so I can hold myself accountable.  I'm sort of stealing this idea from one of my favorite bloggers, Jennifer at Running on Lentils (who, by the way, is kicking butt in training for the Pittsburgh Marathon!) (note, I'm not affiliated in ANY way with the Biggest Loser or with the Run/Walk.  I just wanted to make it clear what I'm training for in a fun way!) Here was my training plan for the week: To remind you, I'm using Hal Higdon's half marathon intermediate plan as a base, but adjusting it to fit my schedule.  I'm also helping Dan train for a 5K using the Couch to 5K plan . Here's how my week went: Monday 3.27 miles / 28:0...

Hi everyone!  As promised, Wednesdays will be devoted to reviews- new products, new places, new classes...something new each week!  The first installment will be of an exercise class that's offered at my gym called Group Centergy.  Enjoy!