Gretch Runs

Another week of training has come and gone, with a bit less mileage than week 1.  I ran in a local race on the weekend, which was a great test of my race pace.  I'm feeling great so far and I'm looking forward to higher mileage again next week.  I also need to work on adding in more cross training! Here is the graphic view of my training: And here is the day-by-day summary:   Monday 4.3 miles easy / 42:00 / 9:45 pace I split this run in half- 2.5 miles in the morning at 10:00 pace, and 1.8 miles in the evening at 9:26 pace.  Dan and I ran the first half of the Run Around the Square course to get ready for Saturday's race.  It was super hot and humid out at night, so I'm glad I switched to morning running! Tuesday 6 miles fast finish / 53:59 / 8:59 pace The goal for today's workout was to run steady for the first three miles, then gradually pick up the pace.  I started out a lot faster than I planned (thanks to a m...

Happy Friday everyone!! I'm switching up my graphics today to get ready for the end of summer/beginning of fall.  Fresh flowers just didn't seem appropriate anymore, so I did a little water-coloring in Paint!  I hope you like it. Today's topic from the Friday Five ladies is "5 Things I'll be Doing in 5 Years".  I already have a post dedicated to that (my 30x30 list.. check it out here !), so today I wanted to share 5 events that I'm looking forward to that are taking place within 5 years.  Most of these I won't actually be able to attend, but if I find a few spare dollars lying around, I'm there! 2016 Summer / 2018 Winter Olympics   I am the biggest Olympic fan and get really excited when the Games start!  I'm already starting a countdown to next years' Games (less than a year!!!).  I would love the chance to see a few events, so maybe Pittsburgh will host it some year; otherwise, I need to do some traveling.  2016 Elect...

Can you believe it's Thursday already? For some reason, Mondays usually drag by for me, then Tuesday and Wednesday fly by, and before I know it, it's the weekend!  I'm not complaining- fast work weeks are always a good thing! Today I wanted to share a few quick and easy lunch ideas.  I mentioned in my August goals that I wanted to pack a lunch every day (spoiler alert- not going so well).  I'm not really a sandwich/fruit/snack every day kind of person, so I wanted to talk about what I bring.  For the most part, I love to pack leftovers for lunch, or plan out my meals on Sundays.  That way, it's no extra effort and I save money (and food).  Win-win!  I hope you like my ideas, and I would love to hear what you bring to lunch. I'm also hosting a giveaway thanks to Sweat Pink and Freekeh Foods ! Keep reading to find out how to enter :) ( Giveaway is over!  Congratulations to Kristen for winning!) Since I'm trying out freekeh for the first t...

Happy Hump Day everyone! Today is going to be part 2 of my Allure Beauty Box review (if you missed part 1- Makeup- check it out here !). The final part will be hair products, which is taking a bit more time to review. There are lots of creams and sprays, and I only have one head of hair.  It'll be here in a few weeks! For now, I hope you enjoy my reviews on the body products included in the box.  As you can see, there's lot of everyday items that I was thrilled to get (saving money is always a good thing!).  Enjoy! Dove Purely Pampering Shea Butter Beauty Bar : I have a strict no bar soap policy (they gross me out and I just can't use this) so unfortunately I won't get any use out of this.  It smelled great through the package though, and I'm sure it's a great product!  I'll be giving this to someone so it still gets used, but it won't be by me! Caress Love Forever Body Wash : LOVE the scent of this, and it does seem to linger a bit after I ...

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 ...

Hi everyone and Happy Monday!! I hope that you all had some fun this weekend.  It was a beautiful, sunny 3 days here in Pittsburgh, and I tried to enjoy it as much as possible.  Here are some highlights from my weekend (linking up with Katie , Erin and HoHo Runs !)  Spent a lot of time in the park.  I even climbed a few trees (then freaked out about falling and breaking an ankle) Selma had a ton of fun. We have a 50-foot leash that we hook her to so she can run around and chase squirrels, but not run into the street. I love her huge smile as soon as she starts running! Dan was also climbing trees, and Selma tried to join him!  Unfortunately paws aren't very useful for climbing.  Sorry, Selma! Early morning run on the North Shore trail.  The Women's National Team was playing at Heinz Field, so there were lots of people out and vendors setting up for the game.  The women ended up winning 8-0!   It was my Grandma's b...

This was the first official week of my half marathon training!  I am really excited to kick off training because I feel like I've built a really solid base.  I felt great heading in to this week after a rough week last week and skipping a race, and I was ready to start pushing myself!  Thank goodness, because there's no easing into this plan- even week one is intense! For this training cycle, I was inspired by a blog I recently found called JT Running DC .  I really love infographics, and love how she incorporates these into her posts.  If you haven't checked out that blog, I highly recommend it!  She's and amazing masters runner in DC with a great blog.  Now, let's get into the details of my first week of half marathon training! Monday 4 miles easy / 40:00 / 10:00 pace I felt absolutely amazing for this run!  Dan ran with me for the first 2.5 miles through a hilly neighborhood nearby.  Our pace was around 10:30, and I stea...