Training Update

I haven't been posting weekly updates on how my training is going, but thought it was about time I posted something :).   I have been attending our weekly group training sessions and as of last weekend we were up to about 8K on our Saturday morning runs (next week should be over 10K as we are running for 75 mins!)   It has been really great getting to know everyone and I am enjoying both the runs and the post-run coffee and visiting!  

Last week, I started both speed training and hill training.   Both will help me build the strength in my legs to go for longer at a more consistent pace, while the long Saturday runs are to build up my endurance.   I am going to be honest - I HATE SPEED TRAINING lol.  Or maybe I just hate pick-ups - interval running where I go as hard and fast as I can for 2 mins and then recover for 2 mins.  But whenever the going gets tough, I am reminded of one of my favourite Steve Prefontaine quotes "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" and I keep going.  I am capable of doing it and I should give it my all or it isn't worth doing it at all!  It's not easy, but it will be worth it when I cross that finish line in October. 

For my first hill training session I dropped the twins with my sister in law for an hour and headed out into Fish Creek Provincial Park in the deep south of Calgary.  There are some nice rolling hills on the paths there and it gave me a chance to tackle them while on a decent length run.  It is so pretty down there that I ended up going for 20 mins longer than I had planned!   This week I will be running hill repeats (basically running up and down the same hill over and over) with a group of friends who will also be running in San Fran, though not with Team in Training.   I'm really looking forward to it.

On the fundraising front, I should break the $3000 mark sometime this week, as the money comes in from the silent auction.   And on Saturday, we had our first group fundraising meeting with our mentor and decided that we will hold a group fundraising event in the next few weeks (tentative date: June 30).  We're aiming for a Pub Night and Silent Auction - so I should be making an announcement about ticket sales soon.  Also - if you have anything you would like to donate to the silent auction, please let me know! I will likely be allowed 3 items and I may put in a couple of things myself, but I would definitely be open to donations of great items :)   All of the money from ticket sales and my silent auction items will go towards my goal so I do hope to have my cheering section in attendance :)  If you are interested in Tickets, please let me know and I will keep you posted on the event details when they become available.

I am also very happy with how the magazine sales are going!  I just checked my profit totals tonight and it is already at almost $150! Thank you so much to everyone who has subscribed through my site!  It doesn't give me a list of who has been buying, but please let me know if you have so I can thank you personally!  If you know of anyone who would be interested in magazines (either new subscriptions or renewals), please send them the link to my website.  37% of the sales goes directly to my fundraising!  http://www.magfundraising.com/runningforacure

I have also posted a couple of PDF flyers on the homepage of this site (right column).  There is one about my donation site and another about the magazines - each with tear-off tabs with the web addresses on them.  If you have a bulletin board at your office and would be willing, please print one off and post it for me to help spread the word!  Thanks!

Until next time - thank you all so much for your support!  I am so touched by your caring and truly appreciate everything you all have done!