A rather long update...

It's been a busy week! Here's a quick summary of my training and fundraising progress...

Tuesday: Hill workout- 'pushing the hill' (4 reps, 4 miles). In this workout we were asked to run up the hill at near maximum effort (E4), to help us strengthen our muscles and improve our running form. It was impossible to talk on the uphill portion of the run, and for a fair part of the downhill recovery!

Wednesday: Getting my paint on! I have a rather large pile of blank canvas stacked up in my apt and there are now less that 2 weeks until my fundraiser at the Brooklyn Indie Market (come see me there on September 12th), so this evening was spent working on a hot chocolate rose. Here it is!

Thursday AM: Tempo run (about 4 miles). After sleeping through 2 alarms I finally made it up and out of the apt, and headed over to the park to work on my speed. I used the ~1 mile over there as a warm up period and then ran the lower loop at a fast (for me!) but maintainable pace. It felt good to move a bit quicker than usual, but my shins still aren't appreciating the speed!

Thursday PM: Fundraiser at Banshee Pub! I only have a month left to reach my goal of raising $3,900 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and what better way to do it than to guest bar tend?! My teammate Megan and I were behind the bar for 3 hours pouring drinks. We also held a 50/50 raffle, with the winner generously donating his half back to the cause! Thank you to everyone who came out to support us! It was so great to see all of our friends and teammates who made it out!

Friday: REST DAY- possibly my favorite! :)

Saturday: George Washington Bridge run- 12 miles. The team met at the base of the GW bridge run path and headed across the bridge in the single file- a long line of purple people! The views from the bridge were absolutely stunning, ruined only slightly by the cyclists screaming at us to 'keep right' on our way over! After crossing the bridge we ran on to Palisades State Park, with amazing views over the water, and even more amazing hills! Luckily we had a fantastic story teller (and birthday girl!) in our running group to keep us motivated up those hills and entertain us over the long haul! We rewarded ourselves and celebrated K's birthday after the run with brunch at Kitchenette. I thought I'd share a photo of my 'Lumberjane' (eggs, sausage and french toast with strawberry butter) with you...

Sunday: Yoga.  Every Sunday, lululemon holds a free yoga class at their 66th St store from 9:30-10:30- a great chance to stretch out after a long run!  Despite the stretching, my legs are still a bit sore today.  I think it will take a while to recover from those hills!