Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
It was a beautiful fall day in Nepal’s Khumbu Glacier Valley on October 6th, 2017. Just starting our hike south from Gorak Shep around 10am (the last teahouse settlement before reaching Mount Everest Base Camp), I came across a familiar blue object wrapped around the head of a female. This blue object was a November Project Buff.
Nobody really counts 2011 as the first year that NP was around, I know my wife doesn’t.
November Project began when people began to show up for a workout in the Spring of 2012, right? That first month, with that first morning in November, that began exactly 6 years ago today, marked the beginning of an odd adventure for Bojan & I, but NP was born when it began to include others… right?
When you come to November Project, in most cities around the world, there is a physical gathering of humans (and sometimes a dog or two), usually a tightly packed bounce, which becomes a larger physical experience in the form of a group workout. The human contact that comes with many partner workout moves, the supportive high-5’s, and then the signature hugs, are all a part of what you should expect. I’ll admit, in this human experiment we’ve taken “I’m not a runner,” and proved them wrong over time as NP became the vehicle to the starting line of first races. We’ve taken “I’m not a morning person” and we’ve proved them wrong as consistency in rising & shining made a pattern for many (Bojan & I included). And we’ve taken, “I’m not a hugger,” and turned them… BUT WAIT, Is this all the same? Can we force human contact on people because we know what is good for other people? It is time we look closer at this piece of our culture and the below anonymous post will help us all do just that. Read this with an open mind for all experiences on all sides of this topic. Remember, we should be in this community to push ourselves and to push our fellow NP’ers around us, but never at the cost of making anyone feel unsafe. This blog is from any of us, this post is from all of us…
The Sunrise 6K this morning on our Pacific Beach Boardwalk was fucking awesome. The group was strong, fast, fun, and all things November Project.
The finish line was alt the way out at the end of Crystal Pier, hanging out over the seal-shaped surfers, while catching our breath with guls overhead. It was so classic San Diego it would make you puke and search for airfare deals at the exact same time.
Derrick is a great friend of Boston’s, a friend of NP worldwide, and a close friend of Bojan & I. He’s a solid runner, a great sprinter (first off the line this year in the Marathon Relay at Wachusett), and now a proud father of two. When this whole NP thing began he was none of the above. Like many of us, he showed up wondering what would happen next. He’s watched the growth of the entire movement and was proud to stand with all of us at the largest NP gathering a week back at the NP Summit. Without further blah-du, I give you longtime NP’er and today’s birthday boy, Derrick Shallcross.
Antonette trains at November Project San Diego. She’s in love with her dog and her boyfriend and her job and knows tons of the history of this sunny city. If you ever join “NPSD” on a Monday or a Wednesday morning you’ll meet her. She’s upbeat and funny and acts like she’s been a member of November Project for 5 years or 5 minutes at the same time. Her trek across the USA to get to the NP Summit last weekend was partially about the gathering, but was driven by a race, a marathon to be exact. Without giving too much away, I’m proud to introduce to you, Antonette Hrycyk.
David has been one of those members of the NP Boston tribe who has been around for a while… but when you begin counting up the winters, the years, the… wait a minute!!! David Souza has been training at NP since 2012!?!? A gentle father of two, this dedicated husband is also a scary good runner. He’s the kind of runner who shows up at the starting line in Paris, an annual BQ Boston racer, and races across the deserts around the world all in the same calendar year. As many of us take to social media to talk about our race, our training, and how it all went down, this humble soul simply learns from his races and moves onto the next adventure. I was proud to see David as we passed on the trail last Saturday at the Endurance Challenge in the new location in Massachusetts. He was wearing paint on his chest and a smile on his face, the way he has as long as I’ve known him. This community, ultra & NP, is lucky to have someone like you man. You lead by your actions, not by your words, and you make it all look easy. Ladies & gents, I give you ultra runner and NP Boston member David Souza…
From the planning that started over a 6 months ago until the day-of execution, these are the people and the companies that made NPSUMMIT 5.0 go down as our best gathering yet! Please reach out to some or all and tell them that you appreciate their support of the worldwide free fitness movement that has no intentions of slowing down.
This email serves as a pre-thanks to the two DJ’s who are going to be holding it down for the NPSUMMIT. Number one is local legend Laura Ingles of Boston. Number two is new-kid-on-the-block and Co-Leader of November Project Virginia Beach Barry Clark. Laura will host the rise & shine beatdown inside the Harvard Stadium that will open the weekend early Friday morning and Barry will bring down the house at The Lawn On D Street on Saturday night, which will close the weekend. If you’re thinking, “I don’t know much about all of this that you speak of, this “N..P.. Summit” and I really wish I could click here and find out more details.” I hope that you go back and click there. If you already know what’s up, continue onward/below.