This is Chris Payne! He’s been with BOS tribe for less then a year, but we feel like we know him since we were still peeing in our diapers (circa 2011). CRPayne is a solid dude. You should come and meet him!
If you had asked me a year ago if I wanted to wake up early and work out at 6:30am I probably would’ve said something like this! It just wasn’t even something I would consider. However, in the summer of last year I ran into a few like-minded amazing people, Rebecca Berger and James Broad, and between the two of them (though they both still claim to be responsible for my recruitment) they convinced me to just show up.
It all started for me on Summit Ave in Brookline 7 months ago, and have been doing my best to ‘just show up’ every chance I get. I have to admit there were a few times that I’d roll over in bed when my alarm went off, and think “What the hell am I doinng!?” Heck, sometimes I’d say it out loud to myself. But most of the time, I’d roll over AND out of bed and off to NP for the workout de jour.
Before 2013, the most I had run in one session was 3 miles, and I was a little intimidated to join this group of people who seemed to be in outlandish shape. When I started out I thought the suggested workouts were insane. I used to laugh to myself when Brojan would say, we’re doing 4 Full hills or 37 sections.
37?!?
Yeah f*#$in’ right! I’ll do 17 sections thank you very much! But I kept my head down, and 17 sections turned into 20, which turned into 25, 30, 37. Yesterday I had a personal record at 45, and have consistently been ripping off 5-7 mile runs to/from Monday workouts.
A lot of my friends ask me, “So… Chris, how much kool-aid do they have you drinking?” I still haven’t figured out if the correct answer is “a lot” or “none at all,” but I do know I’m having a hell of a lot more fun at 6:30am than most of the people asking me that question, and I’m faster and fitter than I’ve been my entire life.
I’m not going to sit here and say it’s easy to get out of bed early and come to NP 3 times a week, but it isn’t as hard as you’d think to get started.
Pick a day.
Come once.
Just show up.
As soon as you start meeting the people, and that WILL happen on the first day, it’ll get a little harder to miss the next one.
After a few, you might even feel like you’re becoming part of this crazy Tribe.
One thing I’ll guarantee is if you stick it out, and start stringing them together, you’ll be part of our family.
Every now and then I still say to myself “What the hell am I doing?” when I wake up, but it’s now quickly followed by an “Oh that’s right… Going to see some of the most positive, got-your-back-type of people in the world,” the getting-in-the-best-shape-of-your-life is just an added bonus.
See you Monday NP. #JustShowUp #TheFamilyIsStrong
