Author: Angelo

Men and women, we may have our differences, but one universal desire holds true.  Pi!  Delicious, sweet, CoolWhip-covered pie.  The great unifier.

…Aside from pi, however, we stand divided, raging in a constant battle of competition.  Who will win?  Who will conquer the Hill?  Who will impress who?  Who will lick their plate the cleanest?  Today, the answer was MEN!  We made up for our lack of numbers with fierce hill racing and even fiercer pie eating.  A clear case of quality over quantity.  Okay, fine.  Women, you did okay too.  We all love eachother.  We’re one big, happy family. Blah blah blah #girlsdrool read more

“It’s very rare in life that you do something 1 to 2 times a week for two years, and you still get just as excited to show up, like it’s your very first time.  And you find yourself the night before, making snacks to bring to 100+ people, half of whom you’ve never even met.” read more

4 racers per team.  4 transition zones. 4 laps.  2 miles. Dozens of fierce racers.  1 common goal: #behappy.

And all post a 20… wait, 25 minute workout of sprints, partner pushups, hoistees, and Bojans.  Between the early morning hugs, murderous whispers, dirty hands and knees, and erie fog cover, I’d say we had an alright morning!  But man are we a strange bunch.  Who else stands shoulder to shoulder in a cluster of friends and strangers (aka future friends), murderously staring down a stranger, only to burst out in laughter seconds later?  Who else gets fit by crawling under a partner’s sweaty downward dog?  Who else gains energy and excitement through whispering together?  Who else does made up exercises requiring you to shout the made up name of said exercise mid hop?  Can you name another group of adults who take pride in wearing a bright yellow cape in ordinary public settings (aside from the folks hanging around Gramens Chinese Theater in Hollywood)?  Who else hugs complete strangers at 6:29AM without hesitation? read more

This morning Ashleigh Voychick introduced herself and welcomed you all to November Project.  And before she got us all nice and warmed up for the jungle workout to come, she provided some wisdom about our NP culture.  A large handful of us set out in the month of January to get fastAF.  We centered this effort around improving our mile time.  Some hit their mark, others fell short.  You could view the results of this mile test in black and white, some succeeded, and some failed.  So, what was Ashleigh’s piece of wisdom?  Simply this:  who gives a shit!  No one cared whether or not you got faster, slower, or stayed the exact same speed (like a robot…).  Victories were celebrated, and failures, yeah, those were celebrated too.  All we cared about, all Ashleigh cared about, was whether or not we put in work, pushed ourselves, and encouraged everyone around us.  We all succeeded, no question.  All we can do with any goal, whether it’s the #milechallenge or a job promotion or math exam or “fill in the blank”, is TRY.  Put in every ounce of effort we have and TRY.  “Failure” is just a part of life, and sure as hell doesn’t have to be negative.  When you show up and put all of yourself into something, regardless of results, you’ve already won.  And if you come to November Project, that effort is all we care about, so #justshowup and TRY. read more

Here’s the deal, November Project San Diego, plain and simple:

THIS TRIBE IS FUCKING AWESOME.

Why, you ask?  What do we do?  What makes us so great?

-We cheer just as hard for first as we do for last

-We welcome EVERYONE.

-Our complaints are far and few between.

-Our positivity is borderline annoying (keep it up!) read more

BATTLE OF THE SEXES this morning was FIERCE!

With strong motivation to redeem themselves after falling short in the last Battle, the men held nothing back.  In the same light, the women, with intense focus, were not about to loose their title.  So who won, men or women!??

-Although levels of talent were high on both ends, the men managed to come out on top in the dance-off. read more

Holy shit, San Diego, your morning skyline is just RIDICULOUS!  This AM, as the rooster crowed, we huddled together, still breathing warm air into our frigid fingers, and we bounced.  We bounced to a view of our beautiful city, sky streaked with red, the sun stretching its arms out to greet us.  We bounced with 100 of our friends, new, old, yet to be, rubbing shoulders, exchanging silly grins, sharing something unique with one another.  How many other San Diegons do you think were doing anything even similar this morning , or any other morning, or EVER for that matter?  Acknowledge it or not, each of you who showed up this morning, whether is was you first time or your 95th, were a part of something big.  An idea that works, plain and simple.  Each of you who showed up this morning are a part of something more powerful that just a workout group, and you all play a pivotal roll in making this city happier, stronger, and brighter. read more

Tribe,

We’re entering 2016 on a high note.  You all showed up this morning, knowing it was going to be cold, knowing that you were going to have to put in work for PR Day, knowing you’d be racing your fastest mile tomorrow morning, knowing that this shit just doesn’t get easier (you just get faster!).  And still, with those odds stacked against you, you pulled yourself out of bed, put on a big silly grin, and threw down with 100 of your San Diego peeps.  Be proud of the effort you exerted this morning, and be proud of the incredible things you’ve accomplished this year.  The NPSD tribe has done some amazing things in 2015.  The value we’ve brought to ourselves, our neighbors, and our community can’t be fitted with a price tag.  So be proud of the light you’ve brought to your city, and the movement you’ve all been a part of growing. read more

This weekend, a number of you will be venturing up to San Fransisco to represent NPSD in the NorthFace Endurance Challenge marathon relay, marathon, and 50K.  Each one of you setting out on this mission are going to bring it!  And what is “it” you ask?  “It” is a mindset.  “It” will push each of you to leave it all on the race course, to power through the rough parts, to shut out the little voice in your head encouraging you to slow down and take it easy, to have no regret come finish line.  There will be no “I could have gone a little faster, or pushed a little harder, or dug a little deeper”. read more