Wednesdays are awesome
SAN FRANCISCO NOTES:
by Laura McCloskey
Beats were BUMPIN’ this morning. The tribe was so amped about the workout; they didn’t want to rest so kept chatting while air squatting. This went on for an uncomfortably long period of time. I am actually still air squatting while typing this. We celebrated the birth of our girl Jessica Huffman. OUR NEWBIES CAME BACK.
BOSTON NOTES:
by Bojan the Serbian
Why do we do 40 sections? Because we race 37 and doing more before the race day will make your racing distance seem “easy”. Why do we throw in the spice of #firedrill? Because we don’t want to you to focus on your time keeping devices too much. We want you to focus on your form and strategy of attacking steps to minimize the down time. We want you to practice things that you can’t practice when you race against the clock. So when BG and I whip out those cowbells and start yelling like someone is pulling the skin of our backs we don’t do it because we think that throwing in 50-60 pushups will make you faster at running stairs, we do it so the time you spend doing pushups is not being spend obsessing over your projected final time. However, next Wednesday when we race for our personal record a.k.a. PR over the course of 37 sections, the only thing you will be thinking about is how to beat your previous best time. It’ going to be awesome!
Today is Sara Wild’s birthday!
Our newest member is 81 years young.
On Friday we will be quiet and polite to our Summit ave neighbors while doing our #4Full workout. Remember to observe the Chris Marshall rule which states no vehicle should be obstructing our running path when on Summit ave. Keep in mind that when doing #4Full we will be on the Brighton side too so plan accordingly. If you don’t follow Chris Marshall rule BG and Bojan will gladly t-bag your windshield. Thank you for your co-operation and understanding.
WISCONSIN NOTES: coming soon…
Novemberprojectitis – AKA Fucked-In-Your-Head Disease
I’M BACK! For those of you who are wondering who the fuck I am; I’m the guy who’s photos of November Project workouts you haven’t been seeing on facebook in the last few weeks. I’ve been away on vacation and one thing that I noticed is that my mind has been infected with very interesting and incurable disease officially known as Novemberprojectitis, better known among common folk as fucked-in-your-head disease. Some symptoms may include urge to think about any hill or a mountain as a potential Friday workout location and view any combination of more than 20 steps as a replacement for a stadium stair running. One gets infected with Novemberprojectitis as early as one week after becoming a member of the tribe. Scientists haven’t been looking for a remedy for this illness as they have smarter things to do – So dear friends since we’re all suffering of fucked-in-your-head disease – Let’s have some fun with it. Next time you’re on location that reminds you of your tribe’s training grounds, take a photo and share it through your social media channels (facebook, twitter, instagram…) as we are doing scientific research on the severity of this illness. Just so we can track all those photos please use hastag #Novemberprojectitis. We want to see all those cool locations as well as make you type #Novemberprojectitis (which is a hilarious amount of characters to use up). All in the name of science!
Our #DestinationDeck workout in Boston this morning was pretty sweet. We got together in front of Henderson Boathouse for some pushups and leg throws (100 of each) just so we can top it off with “Sebastians” – 7 minutes of all out burpees. We also gave a proper nod to Northeastern University Men’s Crew team that’s training for Henley Royal Regatta in England this summer. Those young lads are currently in the best shape of their season and we’re hoping that they’ll continue to get faster in the offseason with the tribe in the hills of Brookline, stairs of the Harvard stadium, and other amazing locations around Boston.
Speaking of Harvard stadium, you’ll find few hundred of your closest friends there on Wednesday at 6:30am (early group starts at 5:30am). Our friends in Madison will take on Bascom Hill, while San Francisco crew will go fast at Kezar stadium. Happy Monday ya’ll!
David Willey (NP BOS Newbie) & Dan Graham (NP MSN Leader) Share Their Thoughts
Before we get into this groundbreaking post I’d like to give two important NP BOS plans for next week…
1. Monday AM: We’ll be meeting at 6:29AM at the Henderson Boathouse in Brighton. Take the Charles River path for the safest route. Remember, safety 3rd.
2. Monday PM: We’ll be meeting at 6:29PM at the Dance Complex (Map) for a FREE breakdancing class instructed by Lino “leanski” Delgado of the FloorLords. You must wear #GrassrootsGear to get in. Bring non-street shoes, pants, funk, and rhythm (or some of those items).
Now, here’s your NP NEWS!
I had the pleasure of meeting David Willey on Thursday as he and his team from Runners World Magazine were in town on business from NYC. The next day, Friday, he was standing proud on top of Summit Ave with November Project in the rain. We hugged, we ran hills, and we shared a connected community experience. Here is what David, Editor-in-Chief of Runner’s World, thought of his first day at NP as a newbie.
BOSTON NOTES:
Because I am lucky to work at a company where health and fitness are part of the daily culture, I often get to run at lunch or at reasonable times before/after work. So I rarely have to wake up before 6 AM for a workout. But on my first visit back to Boston after the marathon bombings, I was psyched to set my phone to summon me at 5:30 this morning so I could finally experience the November Project for my ownself.
I had heard about it from RW colleagues and friends at New Balance (nice work, Claire Wood, somehow “landing” in the foreground of that giant photo in Outside magazine–have you no shame?). They set expectations very high, and those can be hard to meet–especially in the pouring rain, especially when the half-mile hill you know you are about to run multiple times has a grade of 17% near the top.
Summit Ave was silent and slick when I arrived at 6:15. Before long I was hugging people I’d never met before, remembering (yet again) how many reasons there are to be grateful and glad I am a runner. Five times up and down, trying to do my talking on the downs and my quivering on the ups. But this was one of the best runs I’ve done in a long time. Not because I nailed the workout (I certainly did not) but because it was so easy and instantaneous to plug into a cool, unique community vibe–especially now, especially in Boston. By the time we were done, the Summit Ave denizens were just heading to work. I love that. This winter and spring, I have too often run alone and too often forgotten to have fun. Thanks, NPers, for welcoming this Newbie and for the wake-up call. You’ve got something really great going on. I look forward to next time and will blame Brogan if I start sweaty-hugging my RW colleagues on the lunch run.
-David Willey, November Project Member (Boston)
I have one brother. He is the best dude I’ve ever met. He is in charge of creating and leading the group in Madison that goes by the name of November Project Madison. He had the balls to start the group in the middle of the coldest part of the winter. Here is his take on the first frozen steps of NP MSN on a day where they’ve just posted 65 members in a single workout. Without further anything, my future best man, Dan Graham.
WISCONSIN NOTES:
‘What is November Project?’ It’s a question that I still struggle to answer even after attempting to more often than I can count, ‘It’s a workout group, my buddy Bojan and his friend started it in Boston and then I, well, I guess I should start at the beginning,’
Day One. 6:30 am February 18th Madison, WI Bascom Hill. Ghost town. But November Project Madison was there. Ma Nature had put together a perfect test of our ambition. The wind was blowing as it had been since Christmas and the snow on the ground had turned to rocks. Katie Kocher remembers that it was zero degrees on the dot – and it only cooled off all day. I don’t remember what we wore, but we must have worn a lot of it.
The group that day was three bad-ass females and myself. We stiffly ran the hill 8 times and then sprinted to the coffee shop. We laughed at ourselves and considered the fact that this might just be a one time thing. Maybe we’d try again when it got warmer?
But, wait! Wasn’t that exactly the point? Weren’t we trying to prove our toughness against elements that would push against us again next year, and the year after. We weren’t going to hibernate another winter away, we were getting out of the cave to hunt. The next week seven mammals met me, and so far they were all humans.
Since that frozen day we have grown as a group and individually. The Mountain that once was Bascom Hill has shrunk, as our legs have swollen. Our group has topped 60 athletes. People have brought their dogs, their babies, their moms and their hangovers. Everybody sweats and everybody smiles.
-Dan Graham, November Project Leader (Madison)
Wisc.Coast & West Coast: Building The Tribe with Weird/Harsh Workouts
SF NOTES:
Words from Laura McCloskey… SF leader, chalk artist, NU Track & Field Alum, November Project Uganda…
“Only one stadium employee yelled at us today. We learned that “mean muggin” isn’t a specialty of ours. ‘Deck of Cards on Speed’ was a wild success which will have people walking funny til Friday (Possibly Saturday, but hopefully Friday). The tribe is incredibly fucking strong.”
WISCONSIN NOTES:
Workout words from Dan Graham, DG, Bojan’s brother, and NP MSN leader…
“30 Min. on the clock, Teams of 6, 3 rounds with your team, ‘Jungle’ because every round is based on an animal, “McCloskey” because that’s the she-beast (Laura McCloskey) who is running the NP SF group on her own right now.
Round 1 – Leap Frog up the grass hill, then down the Back stairs and Bunny-hop up.
Round 2 – Stick-Bug Hurdles (Stick Bug is push up position) then Bunny-Hop the stairs
Round 3 – Bear Crawl Slalom (should be Obvious…) Then Bunny hop the stairs
After the 3 rounds with your team it is an, “individual,” “all out,” “All you got” run up and down Bascom Hill or “Lincolns.” The total score is how many “Lincolns” you get. Top score was 3. This shit was brutal. Brutal like the jungle. With the early-birds and the 6:30′s combined we had over 60 people today, which is our new attendance high.”
BOSTON NOTES:
Boston was on freakin’ fire this morning. We did a workout called #RobotMan3 as the rain was calming down. That’s a 1/2 tour of the Harvard Stadium from section 37 to 19, done three times with active rest between the three. Once at the top of section 19 we went up and under the wooden bleachers above and ran back to start our next “set” or 1/2 tour. This is our highest volume that we do at a competive pace. It also puts us all in a smaller area which is good for making noise and hyping one another. We are all excited about #BetterThanBedtime2 – Sunday, August 4th.
Results Are In: Monday Is Funday (SquashBusters)
November Project Boston is the only sub-tribe of the three-city powerhouse that holds a Monday morning workout. What started strictly as a Monday #DestinationDeck has morphed into many more things. In the winter we met on, near, or under icy cold bridges on some days, and did deep snow sprints on others. With Monday being the hardest day of the week to rise & shine we’ve always seen that only our most dedicated members choose to run to the weekly location and join their fellow badasses for whatever is on tap at 6:29AM. Today we met outside a Northeastern University building called Squash Busters. A cool building, cool program, and an all around great workout as the rest of the city snoozed “one last time.”
We hope that all of you reading this blog, near and far, were able to get your November Project required homework completed by this morning. You had a full seven days to do it… so if you didn’t… not cool man… not cool… but lucky for you few who (you-few-who? in a box, with a fox?) didn’t get it done, we accept late work and more importantly, multiple assignments. Consider this homework assignment one that will gladly be accepted any day of the year for the rest of your entire life. Tweet or FB post the words “HOMEWORK COMPLETE” at any point along the way and we’ll be happy to know you’re still out there making an impact and controlling the good in this town.
Monday’s will always be special. Its always my favorite NP day of the week.
Big ups to all the fast, fun, and healthy racers in Madison & SanFran! Sending love your way and can’t wait for another big Wednesday as one.
Weekday Warriors USA.
SF NOTES:
My phone is ringing with calls and texts from the West Coast – odd. Our NP SF leader, Laura McCloskey, has been chalk-bombing the streets of San Fran with “November Project” and “FREE, grassroots, RacingFit, 6:30AM” with her young, but clearly committed band of foot soldiers. Runners and friends I haven’t talked with in months, or even years, are seeing SF’s chalk work and are taking notice… and letting me know that the November Project is in full force in the West.
WISCONSIN NOTES:
Working our way back to America’s Dairyland we see the kind racers of Madison, Wisconsin also getting their butts on the map. They’ve broken their record of attendance each week and are now up in the mid 50′s for a single workout. A giant, “Hip, Heeeeyoo, Hep, Chep, Hip” (Did I do that right BVS?) to Dan Graham for keeping things in motion with both the Wednesday and Friday workouts. And lets not forget an even larger “Hip, Hep, Horay!” for our lovely mother for shooting such amazing photos at Friday’s workout.
BOSTON NOTES:
Which leads us back to the mothership here in Boston. We had some rain today at the hill workout that we called “No One Runs Alone.” This is exactly what you’d think it is. Fast or slow, you had to be along side at least one human for our “Full-Frontal-Five (Hill Repeats)” on Summit Ave. Today’s #PositivityAward went to a guy named Ron. He may be having more fun at NP than anyone else in the group. He didn’t stick around for the award but won it anyway, presentation and all. Congrats Ron (there is a 0% chance he’s reading this post).
HOMEWORK: Most of you know what it is. If you don’t know, now you know. You don’t even have to be in one of our three cities to do this assignment. You must do this assignment. You are allowed to do more than one assignment. Go have fun with your homework that is due at 6:30AM on Monday. Feel free to make this kind of thing a standard in your weekly warrior lifestyle.
SF, MSN, & BOS UNITE: The run to beers summer social know as #BetterThanBedtime2 will be in the afternoon of Sunday, August 4th. This event will take place in all three cities at the exact same moment. Plan to clear your afternoon, your evening, and maybe even take Monday as a “sick day.” #BetterThanBedtime2 is coming soon.
MONDAY’S LOCATION (BOSTON): “SquashBusters” at 795 Columbus Ave. Go to the field. We’ll meet on the baseball dirt at 6:28AM.
Stand Up Boston! Stand Up San Fran.! Stand Up MadTown!
Our three cities are not to be fucked with. We are proud, we are strong, we are changing the way people think about fitness and community. November Project, for many of us, is the best part of our already awesome week(s).
Please make your city better by recruiting more racers to your tribe and by going out and having real connections with more strangers. Your homework, as many of you know, is due this Monday… and its required. Please do your part and get your homework done.
You’re going to begin hearing more and more from our sister cities. You’ll see the SF NOTES and the WISCONSIN NOTES growing. Find the other tribe’s FB pages and see what they’re up to.
In Boston, we’ll hope to see you Friday and know that your homework will be amazing. These tribes are strong.
WISCONSIN NOTES: (coming soon)
SF NOTES: (coming soon)
Better Than Bedtime (event): A three-city, Sunday afternoon, group run/race to FREE local beers. Must wear your #GrassrootsGear. Must have an upbeat vibe. This event will start at the exact same minute in SF, MSN, and BOS. Its going to be… yes hipsters/surfers, EPIC! August 4th. Full details coming soon.
BE THE CHANGE – Do Your Homework
In 2002 as Bojan and I were only a few months into our first decade here in Boston we both had the exact same feeling as we worked to get to know Boston; the city isn’t that friendly. I remember calls back home to my brother DG in Madison where I’d say just that, “Boston isn’t very friendly.” Both Bojan and I were on scholarships for making boats move for the Northeastern University Huskies so we had no choice to go anywhere else. Looking back, this was a very good thing as we had to work harder to make new friends. Over the years this city has opened up as we continued to interact with people we didn’t know, high-five unsuspecting runners during our river loops, and crack mid-level jokes at bars, bike racks, and even urinals/bathroom stalls hoping to get a laugh or even a smirk out of those serious faces.
Fast forward to 2013 and we have come to a place where November Project, the hugging, racing, and community building tribe, is ON FIRE. The good vibes that kept us warm during Boston Nor’easters, Madison winters, and San Francisco cold rains, are undeniable. The friendly faces and interactions that have taken place around our many workouts, events, and races are unparalleled. But then last Friday for a brief moment I lost my faith in what I/We are doing when my most valuable personal belonging was stolen as I was moving into my new apartment. And man, was I pissed… at the person that did it… the whole city of Boston… the world. But then I decided that instead of focusing on negatives I will make a positive change. And this is where your homework comes in to play…
REQUIRED HOMEWORK: (not for an extra credit, this is for your final grade)
In the next 7 days, yes 7 days, you need to complete at least one random act of kindness. But not just any random act of kindness, it must be an UNSUSPECTING RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS. Holding doors, giving up your seat for the elderly, and picking up trash on the street does not count as completed homework. You should do those things all the time! An example of a UNSUSPECTING RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS could be paying the toll for the vehicle behind you, picking up a round of coffee for people you always see in the morning on the way to work, or giving your jacket to a runner that looks cold during early morning hours. But please do not Tweet, post, or brag about anything you do for this homework assignment. Bragging about doing nice things defeats the purpose of that very same act. If you would like to post on our wall or send us a tweet with a simple “Homework Complete” note – that’s cool but only two people will know the exact details of what you did and that’s YOU and the person that you surprised. Now go make your city and the world a better place!
the shortest post ever
BG is moving, Bojan is leaving his job – no access to the internet all day – posting this shit at 1am. BG will be online on Monday, Bojan is looking for a new job. This is going to be the shortest post ever.
Fuck Yeah, Heck Yeah, Potatoes, Hot Dogs. If you weren’t in the hills of Brookline this am, you don’t know what we’re talking about… or do you?
Monday’s #DestinatonDeck is at Pine Street Inn. Don’t ask questions – just show up! Be ready for a #RacingArt2
WISCONSIN NOTES
We broke 50 athletes for the Square Stomp. It was rad! #TheTribeIsTurboStrong
| Name | Square Stomp |
| Sam Keepman | 7:22 |
| Bryan Z | 8:13 |
| Marya McIntosh | 8:19 |
| Karl Richters | 8:19 |
| Jack O’Keefe | 8:20 |
| Soren Hughes | 8:22 |
| Jesse O’Keefe | 8:24 |
| Andrea Noeske Jr | 8:31 |
| Dan Graham | 8:36 |
| Logan Funk | 8:38 |
| Ben Bauch | 8:53 |
| Jeff Lowe | 8:54 |
| Jake Remington | 8:57 |
| Emily Keepman | 9:03 |
| Kate Konkle Jr | 9:06 |
| Brian Hildebrand | 9:09 |
| Lisa Redepenning | 9:18 |
| Mark Retzlaff | 9:20 |
| Adam Mertz | 9:22 |
| Shannon Buttchen | 9:22 |
| Margaret Korb | 9:40 |
| Gabby Waclawik | 9:50 |
| Ted Gurman | 9:52 |
| Aileen Cole | 10:03 |
| Joanna Donovan | 10:05 |
| Kelly Winckler | 10:07 |
| Emily Schwabe | 10:07 |
| Amanda Ellmaker | 10:12 |
| Cyndi Honey | 10:17 |
| BVS | 10:30 |
| Tom Kuplic | 10:42 |
| Sarah Lindstrom | 10:45 |
| Abby O’Brien | 10:56 |
| Matt Rock | 11:15 |
| Tess Forrest | 11:27 |
| Renee Arcand | 11:39 |
| Katie Kocher | 11:40 |
| Elle Meinholtz | 11:40 |
| Stina Staberg | 11:52 |
| Leanne Johnson | 13:20 |
| Kailey Bender | 13:57 |
| Pat Bauch | |
| Hannah Dornbusch | |
| Leigh Vierstra | |
| Dan McAlvanah | |
| Kelly Nawrocki | |
| Maddy O’Keefe |
BOOM, BIFF, POW, CUPPOW!!!
Nice work today. Racing in the rain is fun… once you show up to the starting line. Today was a great example of how a little rain can hold back the giant crowds EVEN on raceday. For those of you who made it we were happy to award you each one wide-mouth CUPPOW to take home and own for life. The CUPPOW/Geekhouse gents have been in the mix for some time and we were happy to get their locally made, always hip, and usually useful product to your hands and lips. These CUPPOW’s & GEEK’s are your people, your members, and one of your many local area businesses. No need to go out and buy a truck load of these toppers, just use the FREE one from today, LIKE them (FB), and listen to the rhymes they’re spitting each and every day on Twitter. CUPPOW. The lid you didn’t even know you were longing for.
We’re hoping that you guys are proudly posting your PR times on the NP FB wall today. Personally, I’ll not be on the wall today. 20:15 (today) is about 100 seconds off where I hope to be in a month. I guess I’ll just train harder at Planet Fitness until the last WEDNESDAY of June and take yet another crack at it. Also, make sure to stay tuned to the We Missed You page throughout the day – New faces coming soon. Very soon. (Hint: 2 from 88)
FRIDAY: We’ll be on Summit Ave for some “earn your weekend” work. Plan to get your shoe code card from me after the workout if you still need it. We’re not going to have the cards at every workout after this week so please make sure to seek me out and get your kicks.
MONDAY: We’ll be returning to the deck and its going to be real. Prepare for the return of #RacingArt in an all new location. For those who missed out on last fall’s episode at The MFA you’ll want to do your video homework. The location for #RacingArt will post on Friday. Until then, hold onto your butts.
WISCONSIN NOTES:
SF NOTES:
