Wednesday is the best day of the week. And that is a scientific fact. Sure, many people SAY they prefer Fridays or Saturdays, but they just don’t know the facts. Not me – I have been enlightened and know that Wednesday is the best day. Period. What makes Wednesdays so special? Two words: November Project. Well, four words to be more specific: November Project Kansas City.
I begin every Wednesday by working out with my November Project Kansas City (NPKC) tribe at either 5:29am or 6:29am (and sometimes both) in downtown Kansas City. The rest of my day is better – the next week of my life is better – because of what I did and whom I did it with on any given Wednesday morning. Working out with my NPKC tribe is like being shot out of a cannon – propelling me with tremendously positive energy through another incredible week of life. I love November Project Kansas City for so many reasons – but here are five good ones:
- THE PLACE: Our NPKC tribe meets every Wednesday morning at the base of the Liberty Memorial – a 90-year old limestone monument that stands 217 feet tall in honor of the men and women who served in World War I. This historic landmark is smack dab in the middle of Kansas City and can be seen from miles around in every direction. It is a signature of the Kansas City skyline. Below the towering monument, and our tribe’s bouncing feet, is a granite deck that serves as a viewing plaza. It’s also the roof of the National World War I Museum – an 80,000 square foot subterranean facility that houses countless historic artifacts that help tell visitors the stories of one of the deadliest wars in history fought a century ago.
- THE VIEW: There isn’t a better view in KC, and there isn’t a better view of People come from all around to enjoy the view, take in the sights, take professional photos for homecomings, proms, graduations, engagements, weddings, and more. Every Wednesday, we gather before or right around sunrise, when the view of the Kansas City skyline to the north is lit up like a Christmas tree. The American flag is always lighted and raised high in the north lawn between the memorial and Union Station. In the foreground, the beautiful and historic Union Station is almost always lit up in Royals or Sporting Blue, or Chiefs Red. Union Station is a historic train station that also houses theaters, exhibits, restaurants, and Science City. It connects to Crown Center in the east by an elevated above ground glass “Link” walkway. Crown Center, home to Hallmark Cards, also includes multiple hotels, restaurants, retail shops, plaza, ice skating rinks, and more. Approximately one mile to the northwest, you can see the Kauffman Performing Arts Center, one of the most unique and complex architectural designs in the world, and home to the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and the Kansas City Ballet. Rising behind that are the four plyons of the Kansas City Convention Center at Bartle Hall, each topped with distinct “Sky Stations.” Pan to the east and the Downtown Marriot greets us with 18-story high lights spelling “Good Morning KC – Have a great day!” and lets us know when it’s 5:29am or 6:29am – time to bounce and start our workout. The iconic Kansas City Power & Light Building, AKA “the Batman Building,” is nestled among the city’s highest sky scrapers. Seated in the middle of those towering buildings is the round Sprint Center with a completely glass façade. The arena features concerts, sporting events, and a wide variety of other shows. Just in front of that is another unique glass-enclosed building – the Kansas City Star’s printing and distribution plant. Pan further to the east and into the foreground just north of Crown Center – and you can’t miss the city landmark Western Auto Building, with a distinctive triangular shape and a multi-story neon-looking Western Auto sign atop it. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my favorite sights rising less than a mile to the west – the distinctive smokestack of Boulevard Brewing Company, one of the largest and best craft breweries in the Midwest. These incredible sights are just some of the highlights across our awesome Kansas City skyline.
- THE STAIRS: At NPKC, we do #StairsForBreakfast almost every week. And we have a lot of stairs on the menu! 668 Stairs. 80 flights of stairs, ranging from 2 to 18 stairs in each flight. Short stairs. Tall stairs. Deep stairs. Shallow stairs. Some are back to back, some are sharp turns, and we even have stairs on hills! Stairs are one of the most perfect exercises – working your quadriceps, glutes, calves, and even your core. They help you develop strength, power, and speed. Stair work improves your cardiovascular system and your VO2 Max, meaning you can breathe more oxygen and use it more efficiently. All these improvements help prevent injuries, too.
- THE WORKOUT: Are you a beginner? Then just walk the stairs. Ready for a tougher challenge? Run the stairs. That’s no sweat for you? Well then run those stairs 2 at a time! Whatever you do, keep moving for 30 minutes! Don’t stop! On our monthly PR (Personal Record) Day, each person runs as many laps up and down the stairs between the memorial’s lower and upper deck plazas as many times as possible. Each lap up is 9 flights of stairs (3+8+19+14+8+15+15+15+4) for a total of 101 stairs and approximately 65 feet of elevation. A person who walks may complete 6 laps for a total of 606 stairs (up) and 390 feet. Brent “The Blaze” Blazek is one of our fastest and his PR is a little more than 11 laps for a total of more than 1,111 stairs and 715 feet. And that’s just up the stairs. Don’t forget you get a workout going down the stairs, too. So just go ahead and double those numbers. Did I mention we do burpees that correspond to the number of laps at both the bottom and top? So a person who walks 6 laps will do 42 total burpees. And the fastest person who does 11+ laps will do more than 132 burpees. That’s a total workout!
- THE TRIBE: Does the workout sound hard? It is. It wouldn’t be a workout if it was easy. But it doesn’t seem that hard when you’re doing it with the NPKC tribe. Why? Because everyone in the tribe is exercising and getting their sweat on together, cheering each other on throughout the workout, meeting new people, getting to know each other, telling stories, telling jokes, laughing, and having FUN! Our tribe is strong. And everyone is stronger because of our tribe. We’re not competing against each other, we’re competing with each other, because we’re on the same team and we love and support each other. We aren’t just a group of people who exercise together; we’re a community. We are diverse. We have people ranging from age 3 to in their 70s. We have people of different race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, political persuasion, education, etc. And we like it that way. We bring people together, not just from the 2 states of Kansas and Missouri; but from all over the nation, the world, different backgrounds and cultures. We are sharing the hardship of an early morning challenging workout, and we are forging friendships through sharing those hardships. Oh, and we don’t shake hands. We give high-fives and hugs – whether you’ve been lifelong friends or meeting a new friend, you’re a part of our tribe and we treat you as such.
I’m telling you, even if you’re “not a morning person,” or think you need to get in shape before you can start working out with us – think again! Scratch that. Don’t think at all. #JustShowUp! Show up at 5:29am or 6:29am on any Wednesday – make it this coming Wednesday – at the base of Liberty Memorial in beautiful downtown Kansas City. You won’t regret it. You will love November Project Kansas City just like I do.
-David Strange
#NP_KC Tribe Member
Great article, I need to come join yall one day! Sounds like a great group of folks, stairs sound killer!
Hope to catch you soon!!