Gretch Runs

Ok everyone- it's official..I'm training for my first triathlon!  Not going to lie- I'm kind of terrified and very intimidated.  I'm still not a great swimmer, and I'm learning to be comfortable on my bike.  But, I know how to run, so I'm already 1/3 of the way there, right?? I decided on a local sprint triathlon in August, so training starts now.  There are a few good things about this race- the swim is in a pool, and the course is right by my house so I can practice the bike and run as much as I want.  I have about 11 weeks until race day, so it's time to get myself in gear! I'm following a beginner triathlon plan, and will also be training for a half marathon in the middle of July.  Should be interesting to mix the two, and I'll be sure to talk more about my plans for both sometime soon.  For now, here's how week one of tri training went! Monday 1 hour SUP Honestly, my plan for the day was to go for an easy swim.  But, the wea...

Summa, summa, summatiiiime .  I hope that song is now stuck in everyone's head, because I am in full on SUMMER MODE, just in time for Memorial Day weekend!  The weather has been so beautiful lately and I've been enjoying outdoor time as much as possible the past week.  I'm looking forward to a relaxing and chill long weekend while I plan out my next adventure!  Let me know what your plans are, and enjoy! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five Song Everything Country!! To me, country music is the perfect summertime music.  I love the messages of being outside and drinking a beer on the water (sounds like a perfect day to me!).  Some of my recent favorites are Zac Brown Band, Luke Bryan, and Florida Georgia Line. Shows  Westworld Once again I am way behind the times, but I'm finally beginning my quest through the wild world that is Westworld.  I'm still early on and keep hearing...

Hi everyone!  Sorry for a bit of radio silence on the blog the past few weeks, but if you've been following me on social media, you know that I was on a bit of a vacation!  Back in August, I found a great deal on Groupon for a trip to Scotland and Ireland- two places on my dream travel list.  I have to say that both places exceeded my very high expectations, and I'm excited to share my trip and some pictures! Today I'll be talking about Scotland, which was the first stop on our trip.  We flew from JFK to Edinburgh, where we picked up a rental car and set off for a 300-year farmhouse-turned- Bed and Breakfast nestled in the Carron Valley between the two biggest cities in Scotland (Glasgow in the west and Edinburgh in the east). source From there, we were able to venture out for day trips and beautiful drives throughout the Highlands!  It's definitely a trip that I'll always remember.  Here are a few of my favorite places that we got to see- Edinb...

Hi everyone!  What a week this was...I got to run my first race of the year and had a great trip with friends!  This was the race where I was originally planning on doing the full marathon, but doing the half was so much more fun.  Here's a look at how my week was and a quick recap of the race: Monday 3 miles / 9:44 pace I got to do this run with Dan!  We just went around the neighborhood, and ended up with a nice negative split run (our mile splits were 10:01, 9:41, 9:31.  Not bad!) Tuesday 1200 yard swimming I did another breathing workout for my morning swim.  Here's what it looked like- 200 yard warm up 200 yard with no breath at the wall 4x100 yard breathing every 4 strokes 4x50 sprint 200 yard cool down Wednesday Rest Day! Thursday 3.30 miles / 9:10 pace I was working from home for take your kid to work day (NO THANK YOU) and got to run at lunch.  It was such a beautiful day and I was just smiling and waving ...

TGIF!  I am READY FOR THE WEEKEND.  We released a new app update this week, which meant a lot of late nights working and some stress.  But it's over now, and I have a great weekend up ahead, including my first race of the year!  I'm so excited, even if it's not the full marathon that I had planned.  I'll be going with some friends, so I know it'll be a blast. Here are my favorites this week, which are all over the place but I think really interesting!  Be sure to tell me what you're loving this week, and I'll see you all on Monday with a race recap! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song Willy Wonka - Macklemore This entire week I've been listening to Macklemore's latest album- Gemini- over and over.  My favorite song is Willy Wonka, which has a really cool beat and is just fun to listen to. It's a great running song or just sitting around the house song! Podcast Sandra I o...

Hi everyone!  Guess what- you won't hear any weather complaints from me in today's post because the weather this week was GLORIOUS.  It finally feels like spring is here and might even be around to stay for a bit!  My cherry blossom tree is even starting to flower: This was a bit of an odd week for me- I was very active, but didn't do much running.  I tried out some new Class Pass classes, went swimming and biking, and just ran twice. I love the variety and I feel great!  Here's a look at my week: Monday 1000 yard swimming Went for a morning swim!  The pool was super crowded so I ended up sharing a lane with another woman who was swimming SUPER FAST.  I tried to keep up for just one length of the pool and she left me in her water dust. Barre Code / 1 hour After work, I headed to The Barre Code for their signature class (Barre Code).  It's a 50 minute class, and this one used ankle weights and small dumbells.  The class wa...

Happy Friday everyone!  Wow, has this felt like a LONG week.  It was packed full of activity and some stressful days at work, so I'm really looking forward to the weekend.  This is my last free one for a while before I have some races and quick trips happening, so I'm going to try to enjoy it.  I have some work to get done around the house as well, so here's to hoping I have enough energy to be productive instead of just having a Netflix marathon. Here are some recent favorites, since I haven't done one of these posts in a while!  Have a great weekend! linking up with  Erika ,  Heather , and  Friday   Five   Song Revamp - Elton John One of my favorite things is seeing a classic album or collection of songs being redone by current, popular singers.  Sometimes it ends in a trainwreck, but it always makes me think of a song in a new way or appreciate a new style by one of my favorite singers. SO- I was really excite...