Were you tired of hearing the music fade and the sweet sound and a metal spoon hitting a pot this morning? Was there enough time in between each fire drill to make you forget that we were running a fire drill this morning? Well if the answer to those questions is yes or no we are still overjoyed with excitement you showed up this morning to run some stairs in this humid, hot climate and get some fresh, new #grassrootsgear.
Canada Day 2.0
WISCONSIN NOTES
- WHAT A WAY TO START THE DAY
- NEWBIES. Like new babies that were just birthed. Except we love these first timers more than new babies.
- Did you actually think we were going to run in between all those fences?
- Corners and a little hill
- DOGS, DOGS and more DOGS.
- Lots of Hoistee J’s
- One team collected 91 flags. One team had between 4 to 11 flags.
- Everyone now knows what a Bojan is.
- FLAGS, how cute are those flags. We can thank the nice offices of Catherine McKenna, Will Amos and David McGuinty for them.
- #positivityaward was handed out this morning to Stephen. If you have yet to meet this community fitness junkie head out to any local, free, outdoor event and you will surely be graced by his presence. We feel so fortunate to have such a positive, acti
ve, overenthusiastic and caring human join us each and every week. - We asked you to close your eyes and imagine one person who would be most likely to attend November Project. Who came to your mind? Why haven’t they shown up yet? What are you going to do to have there next week?
This morning was EPIC, outta this world BAT-SHIT AMAZING. To each and every single one of you that showed up, thanks for celebrating extra early with us. It takes a community to raise a child they say. We believe that a community makes November Project Ottawa that much more worth waking up for and showing up to. Here’s to growing that community and family each and every day.
COWWWAAABUNGGAAAAA!
COWWWAAABUNGGAAAAA!
Completing a full tour. CHECK
Completing two full tours. CHECK
Earning a PR. CHECK
It’s been three weeks. Three weeks since we have not felt the impact of the stairs. Maybe you were grateful for the time we spent in the Aberdeen Pavillion completing movements and running past giant tulips. Maybe, you found your groove in the #sunrise6k or maybe just maybe you have been counting down the days till we found ourselves in TD Place Stadium again.
Finding the Good
There has been lots of discussion about the stadium. Four weeks into our new home and we’re starting to get to know this beast. It’s the best but it’s the worst. It feels so awful, yet so satisfying. It gives you that feeling later in the afternoon when you stand up after a long time sitting and you quickly recall how many stairs you ran this morning, how many floors y
ou ran UP. If you have not yet felt these things, you can probably push yourself a little harder next time. But it’s finding the sweet spot. What about the people whose calves were tight for 6 days post stairs? Or who felt fatigued from the Wednesday before? You don’t know while you’re doing it how much you will hurt. You were tired and your lungs hurt and you used your hand to push yourself off your leg like it’s the only way to take the next step. That first time at the stairs is a killer, and same with the next one. And to be honest, they all hurt. It’s so hard, no matter what your athlete background, your 5km time, your Boston Marathon time, your age, your gender. It’s always hard. The toughest part is finding that sweet spot where you feel you are pushing as hard as you can, but you can keep one step in front of the other. But know that it’s hard for everyone, but that’s why having someone next to you huffing and puffing keeps you moving.
You’ve got more in the tank
WOW. BEYOND WOW. Holy GUACOMOLE Ottawa. That was unreal. Can you believe that we get to head back into that stadium next week? Can you believe that you will run that PR Day again and try to complete one more section or finish two full tours in 29 minutes and 23 seconds? Lots of firsts this morning, for some it was your first bounce, your first introduction to the culture and community of November Project but for every single person that showed up this morning it was yours and our first stadium PR day. Sharing this morning with you, the stranger beside you and the person you cheered on in the section beside you was undeniably the best part of our day and probably week, that is until next Wednesday. But before we head back into the stadium did you leave it all out there this morning? Was there anything left in your tank?
Guest Blog: I AM NOT A RUNNER
We had asked our friend, running partner, T-Rex yogi, Positivity recipient, Bytown Boy and a go-getter Stephen Bierbrier to share his experience, passion and outlook about November Project Ottawa and how he came to be part of this ever growing family.
Stephen we were overjoyed with excitement and jitters the first time we bounced alongside you. Here’s to the many more times we get to hug, high five and bounce along with you. Thanks for sharing your story and here’s to bringing soles together.
ICE ICE BABY
It happened! For the first time in November Project Ottawa history we made history. Actually this is a lie we have made a lot of history over the past 54 workouts, endless coffee gatherings, social events, cheer stations and connections. We skated, lunged, pirouetted and completed star jumps on skates.
YEG knows it, do you?
When planning out our workouts Lauren and I like to think ahead. We also like to think about the tribe and what will help grow this community more. What will entice people to get out of their beds and show up for 6:29am in the midst of a drop in weather and 20cm dump of snow. We also like to think about how these workouts will help improve your ability to be agile. How they will help you move faster and more efficiently or how your body will react to specific workouts including lots of lunges. Finally, how much fun can one have at a workout. There’s obviously more planning that goes into these 31 minute workouts but for now we’ll leave you with that to ponder.
You do know that Halloween is next week right?
So that was kinda a weird morning, or at least the past 31 minutes of it. We’re six days away from Halloween and a group of young and old adults, a child and one dog showed up in their full halloween get up. If you didn’t bother to wear a mask or dress up as T-Rex you owned your costume as a personal trainer, athletic enthusiast to a T. Now, we understand one or two of you that live for days like these. But why did people commit to working out in cowboy boots, a onesie or a tutu?
A blog about a blog
Hey ya’ll if you find yourself at work taking a break, in between classes or drinking your daily morning coffee and scrolling through your most recent facebook posts you may find yourself landing on the HUB WEBPAGE of all BLOGS. The November Project Blog page. Here is where you are informed. There is actually one every week! If you’re reading this, you probably already know that, so thanks for reading! As we continue to establish the norms and traditions in our young tribe, we feel it’s important to continue to connect and let people know what they may not know. How can you know you’re missing something, if you don’t even know that it exists? The blog keeps us connected outside of the workout time and is another avenue we are able to share news, events, wonderful thi
ngs going on and discuss important topics that we don’t have time to discuss to get everyone to work on time.