Gretch Runs

Third week of training is done, and it was a doozy! It's never easy coming back from vacation, and I was definitely struggling getting back in my routine. I managed to finish all my runs, but slacked a bit in the gym. I also had a quick weekend trip, so I'm feeling it! Let's hope starting today I'll be back on track. Monday 30 minute racquetball I was SO tired since it was my first day back at work, but Dan and I still wanted to jump right in with our 5AM gym date. I was kind of out of it this entire time, so I definitely need to make sure I eat before the gym next time. 15 minute basketball The court was open after our game, so Dan and I played a bit of around the world and did some shooting. I must have been REALLY out of it because I missed about 99% of my shots. Still was fun though! 2 mile run After work the weather was perfect, so we set out for a short and easy run. As soon as we started though, the rain poured down and felt like ice hitting us! ...

A few days late, but Happy March to you all! The month is off to a pleasant start with some sunny days and easing back into work (JK- my first day back I had 8 straight hours of meetings with no break for lunch. HELP).  This month, I want to start something new with my usual goals- sharing a highlight of the month! This way, I can look back and see the coolest things that I did. For February, that would definitely be my trip to Cancun at the end of the month with 7 of my favorite people. We had such a fun time that we didn't even think to take a picture as a group! The weather was beautiful, our poolside chats brought us closer, and the drinks were great . Would highly recommend and hope to do make it more of a tradition! Now let's see how I did on my February goals! Start a Book Club Done and we had our first meeting! Book #1 will be The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. I actually finished it while I was on vacation, and it was AMAZING. Can't wait to chat...

Hi everyone! I'm back from a great and relaxing vacation with some friends to Cancun. I skipped a week of training (which was smartly built into my training plan), so here's a look back at 2 weeks ago and my workouts. Now that I'm back from the beach it's time to get back in gear! Wish me luck :) Monday 3 mile run I had the day off for Presidents' Day, which meant I could sleep in and still get in a run before dark! It was a gorgeous day out, so I took advantage by heading to a park that I've never run in before- Hartwood Acres. I forgot how hilly it is there and took this run nice and slow! 3 mile walk I still had a few hours left in the day so I headed to another park with Selma for a walk. Tuesday 15 minute racquetball Little warm up to get woken up at 5AM! I wasn't really in the mood to play, so it wasn't too much of a workout and mostly just lazing around the court until I decided to lift. 20 minute arms Luckily, I was ...

Hi everyone and welcome back! Today I'm posting part three of my Cooking from Blogs series (find the others here !) with a blog that was completely new to me- Lazy Cat Kitchen . This was sent over to me from Alexa, and as soon as I checked it out I became an instant fan. The recipes were interesting and sounded so fresh! I was so excited to try it out. Once again, I'm going to share a full day of eats with all of you. I tried a breakfast and lunch for the week (sharing my food prep tips in there reviews below), along with a three part dinner.  Keep reading to see how I liked the week of eats! Breakfast :   Healthy Date Bars Author's Photo : My Photo :  I have mixed feelings about this. It was very easy to make and used up a ton of ingredients I'm trying to get rid of in my February pantry challenge, and worked great as a snack after my morning workout. I also appreciated the fact that there wasn't a ton of sugar in this (just some maple sy...

It's officially training time! My goal race (Capital City Half Marathon in Columbus) is 10 short weeks away, and with a few trips in between I know it'll be here before I know it. Once again, I'll be following the Kara Goucher half marathon plan and training with my friend Jessie! This was a good first week for me full of lots of cross training and quality runs.  Here's how it went! Monday 30 minutes racquetball This entire week I tried to make it to the gym or run before work, and today Dan joined me. We started out with a game of racquetball to warm up before our main workouts, and it's also a great way to start our day! 3 mile treadmill run I did about 15 minutes easy, then steadily picked it up. Treadmill isn't my favorite, but it was nice to get miles in before work since it was a pretty nasty day outside. Tuesday 30 minutes racquetball This was the first day that I felt like everything was clicking and I managed to take a game...

Hi everyone and happy Friday (and Valentines Day!). Today I'm going to be sharing the next part of my trip to Portugal- the last time we left off I just got done drinking my way up and down the Douro river in the beautiful wine region. Our next stop was in Lisbon, but before that we wanted to stop in the nearby town of Sintra. I heard a lot about Sintra before the trip and knew I had to squeeze in a stop there. Luckily, it's located about a half hour from Lisbon and was an easy drive (apparently it's also a quick train ride, which would make it an excellent day trip if we had more time!). Known for its picturesque hills and lavish palaces with over the top gardens, it's been considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. After parking near the Sintra train station, we grabbed some food and coffee at the first cafe we saw (I got a Portugese specialty called pasteis de nata, which is a custard tart) and set out for a hike around town. Our first stop ...

Another week down, and one more week closer to official training season for me! This week was a whirlwind of weather, going from a balmy 60 degrees down to below freezing and lots of snow. Just take a look- And now let's look at how the week of workouts went! Monday 5 mile run It was a gorgeous day out, so I ditched my normal spin class for a run outside with friends. It was a ton of fun and a good workout! Tuesday 25 minute abs I had dinner plans with my family after work, so I just squeezed in a quick strength workout after work. Got the job done! Wednesday 5.10 mile run Met up with my friends early for some speed work. We did a ladder workout of 1 minute, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 at an 8:00 pace. The first few felt hard, but I settled in to the pace and had a great run and catchup with my friends! Thursday 45 minute racquetball Dan and I woke up super early to make it to the gym before work (right when it opened at 5AM!) We played racquetball for a...