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Before making the announcement that most likely grabbed your attention, I just want to say how much I enjoyed running with Griffin during today’s windy, rainy, and badass Race to Brooklyn workout. He’s way faster than I am, but also way nicer. Our “race” ended as a tie.

It’s moments like these that remind me #WhyIRise. Regardless of how many reasons to stay in bed pour down from the heavens, we have a community that collectively shakes off the excuses. Some mornings we have two people. Other days we have ten. But you know when you show up, you’re going to leave that workout better than you were thirty minutes earlier.

This is true for every workout, but Hills are a special beast. We have blog posts as early as August of 2013 discussing the merits of running up and down the Williamsburg Bridge. It’s a long, steep hill that challenges your body and mind for every repeat you execute. But even though The Rise has been crushing it on the Willy B for 5+ years, our workouts haven’t always looked the same. Our Hills game has gone through several iterations:

Hills 1.0

Simple – repeats up and down the Manhattan-side incline for 30 minutes. The first iteration of our Friday Rise workouts was a lesson in how to build mental endurance and push it a little bit harder every week.

Hills 2.0

The first sprint workout – 45-second sprintervals x 10 – took place on August 13th, 2013. There’s even a video of it!

Eventually other workouts such as ladders (like this but by distance instead of by time) and obstacles (running mixed in with calisthenics) were introduced. Every week brought something new to the table, but awesome people kept showing up and that awesome bridge kept being a doozy! This when I joined the group (time flies!)

Good times!

Hills 3.0

The upgrade from 2.0 to 3.0 came in the form of a dedicated leadership team!

The national sensation that is Team Friday was born at the end of 2014. It must be mentioned that this era kicked off with Erin and Tiffany’s Risey remake of the French Prince of Bel-Air theme song. I wish I had video…

During the past five years we saw the addition of the “Race to Brooklyn” and “Anything Goes” (activities decided via a deck of cards) workouts. Since then, not much has changed! We’ve had some changes in our leadership ranks, and we’ve introduced a Donut Run and an annual trip to Rockefeller Center. But it’s been a while since we’ve really thought about how to revamp our Friday workouts. The first three iterations of Fridays all happened in the span of one year! It’s time for change: and that brings us to what comes next.

Hills 4.0: The Announcement

First thing’s first: Team Friday has decided to put Fridays into hibernation mode for January and February.

A lonely Willy B…

That’s right – we will not be at the Willy B at all during these months! Instead, we’ll be brainstorming ways to make Friday mornings better than ever. We already have a few ideas in mind. We won’t say much right now, but don’t worry – we’ll still have Donut Runs, because donuts are never not a good idea.

Of course – we’d love to hear your feedback about Friday mornings. What would you like us to try? Would you like more calisthenics with your hill running? Are you getting antsy to try other locations? Are you wondering how to keep yourself busy during January and February? Share your thoughts with us!

(We may have some special activities in store during the hiatus. Follow all our social media to keep track of any events that pop up).

One Last Reckoning

Finally, JOIN US for our last Friday workout until we come out of hibernation – it’ll be a DAAAAAAY OF RECKONIIIIIIING on December 28! Crush it up and down the Willy B with us. Celebrate the bridge that has nourished our legs since 2013. And feel free to wear a costume for this festive event.

RSVP here.

From Hills-oween 2014!

And of course, you can still find us 4 days a week:
Mondays: Washington Square Park
Tuesdays: Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn OR MacDonald Park, Queens
Wednesdays: Bryant Park
Thursdays: MacDonald Park, Queens

All at 6:30am. All free. All fun.

Oh, and remember the three rules:

Anyone can do this.
Everyone is welcome.
We will have fun.

RISE UP!