Gretch Runs

Training time is finally here!  I just finished my first week of training for the Seawheeze Half Marathon.  Even though I have a really far way to go, I'm feeling really positive and excited.  I ran my first race in months this week as well.  I'll be talking more about it on Wednesday.  Until then, here's my week one recap! Monday 4 miles / 34:55 / 8:43 pace First day of training!  I could tell that there was a storm coming, so I tried to get my miles in before it started to pour.  I made it about half way before it started to sprinkle, and the last mile it was really coming down!  Luckily I love to run in the rain and brought along a hat, so it felt amazing.  It also made me run a lot faster! Tuesday 3 miles bike ride Nice and easy bike ride!  I didn't time this ride, but I think I might start just to see if my times are improving. Wednesday Rest day! Thursday 5 miles easy I took this r...

Hi everyone and happy Friday!  I'm running a little slowly today...that Pens game!  I'm a little excited for the season to be over so I can get my normal sleep cycle back, but who doesn't love playoffs? Linking up with  Mar ,  Cynthia  and  Court  as well as  Heather  and  Momfessionals I hope you all had a great week and are ready to have a fun weekend!  I'll see you next week! SOMM : Into the Bottle I'm a huge fan of documentaries, and I loved watching SOMM last year on Netflix.  It follows a few guys who were studying for the Master Sommelier exam, and also taught a lot about how wine is made and sold.   I loved learning something new, but the story line was also really interesting and kept me completely captivated. Recently, a follow-up to that documentary was released, that tells a story about ten different wines.  It features a lot of the same people, and it's really interesting. ...

Hi everyone!  It's training plan day!  I'm so excited to be training for a race again, and I'm going to be tell you all about it today.  I'm going to be running the Seawheeze Half Marathon in Vancouver, and I'm so excited!  This is definitely one of those bucket list races that I will probably only do once in my life, so I'm hoping to make the most of it. Today I'm going to be going into all of my plans and goals for this race.  Settle in, because this is going to be a long one! Training Plan Once again, I'll be using the Runner's World 10-Week sub-1:50 Half plan .  I used this plan when I broke 2 hours for the first time (at the Towpath Half ) and it was definitely my best race to date.  Never before have I felt so relaxed and strong during a race.  The entire time I felt comfortable and relaxed, and I definitely think I could have easily taken a minute or two off my time. I decided to use this plan again since it worked so well....

Happy Tuesday everyone!  It's my favorite time of the week, when I get to link up with Show and Tell Tuesdays .  Today's topic is a fun one..we're all sharing what's in our bags! I'm going to be talking about what's in my work bag every single day.  Sometimes I'll bring more things, but these are my essentials.  I hope you enjoy taking a peek in my bag! - Liebeskind Black Purse  : I bought this purse years ago as a splurge, and it is still in amazing shape.  I love how basic this is but love the attention to detail.  It's a perfect size for me and I love using it as my work bag! - REI RFID Travel Wallet : This wallet is perfect if you want something lightweight that is perfect for traveling.  I love this little guy! - Bullet Journal and Pens : I always have to have these by my side!  The size of the notebook is perfect to throw in a bag, and these pens are my new favorite.  They look really cool and I love how sm...

Lookie here...I'm actually talking about running today!  It's been over a month since I stopped training for my full marathon (that I eventually DNS), and I'm finally getting back into running regularly. My next big race is the Seawheeze Half Marathon in August, so training starts today!  Each Monday, I'm going to recap my workouts, starting with week zero.  On Wednesday, I'm going to talk more about my training plan and goals for this race.  For now, let's see what I did in my final non-training week! Monday : "Rest" Day I didn't run or exercise at all, but it definitely wasn't a lazy day!  I finished cleaning up my old apartment, moving out the rest of our stuff, and helping my parents with their renovations.  I would put this day in the strength training category! Tuesday : 3 miles Nice and easy run around the neighborhood.  I moved to a really hilly area, so I see a lot of hill repeats in my future! Wednesday : 4 miles / 3...

Hi everyone!  This week seemed to fly by thanks to a holiday on Monday, but I'm ready for the weekend!  I have a few things going on so I should be busy once again.  I can't wait to let you all know what I'm up to on Monday! Linking up with  Mar ,  Cynthia  and  Court  as well as  Heather  and  Momfessionals I have lots of goodies to share with you today, and I would love to hear what you're loving lately in the comments.  Have a great weekend everyone! Brookside Crunchy Clusters   I love having some kind of chocolate treat at work just in case I get a craving or need a snack, and randomly picked up a pack of Brookside Crunch Clusters at CVS this week.  I love the combination of dark chocolate with the dried fruit and nuts.  So delicious!  The chocolate is really rich too so I can only have a handful and satisfy that sweet tooth for a while!  I also found these on Amazon if you're i...

Hi everyone!  It's that time again where Kristen and I ask the question "so...what's new with you?"  I absolutely love reading your life updates and seeing whats new each month, so be sure to link up!  Remember- the rules are simple..just add any recent post (life updates are preferred so we can keep up with your life!) and just link back to your hosts.  We also recommend checking out the other people who link up!  That's it :) Have fun! Now, onto what's new in my life (hint, a lot!) I got married! Last month, Dan and I took a trip to Belize to get married. I was being really sneaky because I was actually there during the last WNWY linkup, but didn't want to say anything!  The trip was absolutely amazing, and married life is great so far!  I've shared a few posts on the trip so far (with a few more coming up). You can see pictures from the ceremony here , read about San Pedro here , and look at the creepy caves we visited here ! We...