Great work to everyone crushing the stairs today in the rain! We are #WeatherProof and you showed that today! In classic race day fashion you pushed yourself to the limit you had today and many of you go a PR – great work!
The rest of the blog today is super special. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jess for a long time. Like pre beard Rob long….
Oh ya high school grad photo haha. While we never ran in the exact same circles I am really grateful to have stayed connected over the years and into our adulthood. Through November Project, Run Collective, the occasional beer mile etc.; it’s always great to see a familiar face. When I saw Jess cross the finish line of the Old 96er last week, after knowing she had be striving towards this for years, it was a very obvious ask to get her to write about her experience. My dear reader I want you to meet Jess and when you see her on the stairs next time make sure to say hi….
November project has always been a seasonal event for me. I am not #weatherproof. The older I get, the more I #justshowup for my sleep. #Hillsforbreakfast really are best after a few cups of coffee. Even though I did tend to have a list of excuses, when Commonwealth Stadium opens their doors at 5:58 for the season, I still lace up my shoes every Wednesday and make the drive out. As with any great workout, there are never any regrets.
I still remember when Sarah Platero invited me out to the first November Project workout probably sometime in 2016. The first time I went to Commonwealth, I thought it was such a cool opportunity to work out in something typically off-limits to the general public. One workout was all I need…. I was hooked on stairs! There is no better workout. It never gets easier, beats you up in a short period of time, yet you feel like you can do anything after conquering all those stairs. As the years went by and life and work got in the way, Commonwealth stairs was always a workout I made time for. I literally started scheduling my work around being able to attend these Wednesday mornings.
When the Old 96er was presented as the ultimate challenge, I knew this was something I had to do. Being young and believing I was invincible; I would attend year after year with no change to my training and get a little further each time but never really got close to completing. I would walk away, okay with my attempt and promising to try again next year.
If anyone knows Sarah and Cynthia, they know how good they are in connecting people and building their #runfam (I believe they are secretly always recruiting for their next great adventure challenge). During one early morning set of stairs, I met Donny. My god, he was like a rabbit up those stairs. He made it look so effortless, and knowing he had finished the Old 96er, I knew we had to be friends. I just have to keep up with this guy and I’ll make it, I told myself. Little did I know, Donny would turn out to be my militant stairs coach. After a disappointing attempt in 2022, missing my goal by only 2-3 ups, we set out to make 2023 my year. Every event I did was a mental training event. There was no negative self talk allowed. It was not if, but when. Monthly, I received my David Goggins inspirational post or speech. As a result, any event I did, I would set a PR. Over and over. Even if it was small, I was constantly besting my best. I knew that a lot of this was due to a shift in my mental game. Regardless, Donny was still there to make sure I was staying on track.
Wednesday July 19 was announced as game day. First attempt of the year. Donny and I both believed I was ready and this was my event. The event started out great. My pace was perfect, I could control my breath and I was running the flats. And then we hit the upper bowl – It does not take long for the mental game to start to mess with you. Self-doubt creeps in and “oh, I will just get it next time”. Unfortunately, when Donny is chasing you up those stairs, you don’t have much choice but to keep moving. The Upper- West bowl, the last leg of stairs, is where you realize what NP has created. As I dragged myself up the stairs, thinking I couldn’t finish, you see all the people that came out to cheer and support. Making sure everyone is doing their best on that morning. To call them out by name. To take pictures. To remind them to believe in themselves. With Donny literally pushing me to the end and the #runfam cheering and documenting my finish, I finally crossed off a bucket list item…. I completed the Old 96er in 57 minutes and 35 seconds. It was so surreal to finally complete something I have being trying to accomplish for almost 6 years.
Reflecting on my accomplishment through the day, I know that this would have never happened without the community that is NP. Nothing brings people together like overcoming an impossible task. Even though I am proud for achieving my goal, I am more thankful for all the people that I have met through NP. Huge thank you to Donny for never giving up on me even when I wanted to give up on myself. Thank you to Sarah and the entire #runfam for being an amazing support system and such great people. Thank you to Rob and Lazina who have kept the magic alive of such an amazing crew of people. Lastly, thank you to Jen, Andrew and Nadim for starting and cultivating what so many fitness groups, businesses and teams dream of creating: community.
Jess
