Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
I’m proud of my tribe. When I scan the group in front of me at the end of the workouts each Wednesday and Friday I see the faces of people who have gone outside of the realm of what’s expected and what is “normal” and have shown up consistently for themselves and for each other. This group has grown from an amalgam of strangers with nice smiles and good hugs into a like-minded force of goodness and positivity.
It’s a very well documented fact that I am a proud nerd. I love video games. Star Wars and I have what you call a “more than friends” kind of relationship. That’s the way it’s been since I was a little kid, and it’s the way it always will be.
This means I also love to gamify my workouts. I’m always keeping an eye on my score whenever I’m in that indoor cycling studio that rhymes with “Triwheel”, and I keep track of certain strava segments and always push to topple the previous record I had held on it. Sure it’s extra motivation, but it’s also really fun to push yourself through a game and see just how far you’ve come.
13,000 people walked through it’s doors within the first 5 days of opening back in 1935. It’s been featured in countless movies and photos and has been the site of dreams, heartbreak, and a marriage proposal or 200. This morning we made the Griffith Park Observatory our playground. From the trail to the steps, LA was amped up and ready to play.
PR day was today and it was mad fun. People killed it, the sun was nice in some of the photos and there were some solid newbies. Seeing newbies always makes my heart warm and we’ll be letting you know about some ways that we’re going to embrace our virgin tribespeople in the near future. It was also super cold. Colder than it was in NY on Monday.
Yesterday we feasted so today we fasted! No, wait. I don’t think we did that. That’s not what that means. We have too many leftovers for that. But today we WERE fast! Like SUPER fast!
Even though the turkey, tofu and stuffing was still heavy in our bellies, we had a gathering of some Super Friends at Pan-Pacific Park to shake out the much of this city and strike fear into the hearts of criminals everywhere!
Sometimes November Project feels like magic. It’s this incredible force that motivates us to work hard and have a lot of fun. It’s a place that’s safe and silly and inspiring all at the same time. But that’s not all of it—that’s not even the most important part of it. NP is a many-layered thing: not unlike a turducken.
I know it’s not Thanksgiving yet, but Ben and I are officially off duty for the next two workouts so I’m gonna go ahead and pretend like it’s tomorrow. Close enough, right? Part of the beauty of being able to make up the rules.
Anyhow, something you may or may not know about me is that I love Thanksgiving. It’s actually my favorite holiday, which I feel is a very rare thing mostly because it falls between Halloween and whatever current PC phrase we’re using these days for the holiday season, which are the go-to favorites for most people I know. While Christmas (for me) is always special and I’m starting to come around on the spooky stuff, Turkey Day has always been the one I look forward to most.
Gotta love a good old fashioned Couples Retreat with a not-so-old twist to it.
Last week was a lot of running. Friday was a lot of running. So we changed things up a little bit this time – quicker runs, less exercises to cycle through, all of the speed.
As always, the tribe stepped up to meet the challenge. Today was hard. Today hurt a little bit. But we did it together and we’re all better for it.
Hill repeats are good for two things: sore quads and high fives. Thats kind of it.
We all know that running hills is important but why do we hate it so much? Oh yeah, because it’s hard. That’s why Doheny is a good Friday spot, because it’s sneaky hard AF. That gradual incline feels nice toward the bottom but come Elevado, you’re taking down some serious elevation and by Sunset the the fun is done….set. Even the decline is lackluster because it’s kind of too gradual to actually be gratifying and give you a break. Great spot for a Friday, right?
I guess Florida took the option for California to be “the sunshine state” because I always get it confused as to which is which, until I remember the other option is “the golden state” and I remember that THAT is California. As you ride around this place, especially here in the south, there is a kind of golden feeling, a feeling of richness and a feeling of warmth. I think of a perfectly toasted marshmallow, sandy beaches, rocky mountains and of course that wonderful sunshine.