Today we celebrated International Migratory Bird Day. Sure, it started off as a poor excuse to spend a whole day bar hopping and drinking during the inaugural celebration in 2017 (it also coincided with Stay Up All Night Night… yes, that’s a thing). But at November Project this morning, we used it as an opportunity to add some flair to a typical workout format and also to help people practice some valuable lessons.
Comfort Zone Expanded
Today we have a guest blog post from someone we all know and love very much. She’s the one who’s doing crazy handstand burpees during our PR day. And she’s someone who will tell you to quit what you are doing… but strategically, with purpose.
Anyway, without further ado, Lynn Marie Morski, MD, Esq., and Professional Quitter.
Just keep smiling.
Today in honor of May, we hosted a boyband themed workout. We made jokes about Lou Pearlman’s revenge, talked about the highs and lows of being in a boyband (or girlband, or coedband, or gender-fluid band). And as dialed in as we planned it, much like boyband careers and interband relationships, we came across some unexpected roadblocks and unforeseen circumstances…
The Des Effect
Des Linden was the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon last week for the first time in decades. You would think she committed months ago to winning, toed the start line with a winner’s mindset, and plugged along the historic 26.2 course strictly taking names. Yet in all her post-race interviews, she tells us that wasn’t the case at all.
When Shalane Flanagan commented on her all-black-shoes in Hopkinton being slick, Des responded by saying, “we’ll see about that.” When Des got to about mile 6, she was strongly considering dropping out. As the race went on, she started helping Shalane and Molly Huddle run their best races and was no longer in it for herself. She slowly realized that the brutality of the wind, rain, and cold was hitting her competition hard, and she was actually able to fight through to the finish line first. Des says that as she broke away from the pack, she still didn’t believe that there was nobody in front of her; it was only when she saw the American flag waiting for her down Boylston Street that it hit her that she had, in fact, fucking won the 122nd Boston Marathon.
What does this have to do with us amateur group of weirdos? This is EVERYTHING November Project is about; #weatherproof-ness, encouraging others to achieve their goals, and by doing so, just maybe surprising ourselves by what we are all capable of.
Maybe you PR when you put your head down and grind. Maybe you PR when you run alone. Maybe, though, you PR when you push others, stick out your hand for those extra high fives, let go of your outcome goals, and just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. When you show up for yourself, you show up for those around you, and conversely, sometimes when you show up for those around you, you end up showing up for yourself in ways you never thought possible.
THE BUSINESS
Sunday, 4/29 at 9 AM is our NPSD Tourmaline Beach Cleanup. Come join us to keep our San Diego clean! Details here.
Immediately following the cleanup is an NPSD Beach Day Social! We’ll have some prizes and games. Check out the details here.
SUMMIT in September. It’s a great opportunity to meet people from other tribes and to recognize just how big and awesome this COMMUNITY is. We’re more than just a workout group. So grab a team, and sign up for the race – we get 20% off! Details here.
What does this have to do with us amateur group of weirdos? This is EVERYTHING November Project is about; #weatherproof-ness, encouraging others to achieve their goals, and by doing so, just maybe surprising ourselves by what we are all capable of.
Maybe you PR when you put your head down and grind. Maybe you PR when you run alone. Maybe, though, you PR when you push others, stick out your hand for those extra high fives, let go of your outcome goals, and just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. When you show up for yourself, you show up for those around you, and conversely, sometimes when you show up for those around you, you end up showing up for yourself in ways you never thought possible.
THE BUSINESS
No(vemberproject)chella
You know, sandwiched between Weekend 1 and Weekend 2 of Coachella, you can’t help but plan your own little mini fitness festival.
Coming back from Coachella, I kept thinking about a phrase that kept coming up at our camp – “This isn’t No-chella.” Aside from being a terrible double negative, it’s a good reminder to reflect on what experiences are about and to understand that every experience is different for everyone.
Too much is never enough.
I think we can confidently say we showed up today. We co-leaders often wonder (or at least some of us do) how hard we can push you and how far you’ll push yourself, tribe.
Trails, hills, endless pushup, and sit-ups. We throw these kinds of workouts at you because most of you walk away pleasantly surprised. All of you non-runners, those of you who never thought you could do 10, 20, 50 pushups, going out there and busting out 200.
OGs, Newbies, Dads. Show Up.
This morning was one of those days in which love seemed to permeate every crevice of the concrete and every hair of Eugene’s beard.
You showed up. OG co-leaders showed up. Dads from La Jolla showed up, and a dad from Milwaukee showed up. Hell even Brian from Bird Rock showed up. As a result, there was even more positivity that spread through like contagion throughout the tribe.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever experienced as much excitement from people telling me they did NOT get a PR. You folks are the best of the best, and we’re so glad you decided to #justshowup this morning.
Have a fucking fantastic rest of your day.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Monday we’ll be at Mission Trails Regional Park. The exact location will be dropped in the tracker and on socials soon!
Four Seasons in Third-Summer San Diego
Spring has sprung, on this 21st of the month, but the seasons don’t really change here.
At NPSD, we’ve begun our summer #3, with a season-themed sweat sesh sans beer.
We welcomed some newbies,
We schwung Sean into his forties,
And we couldn’t be more glad that you’re here.
For the Small, yet Mighty…
… We’ll keep it short and sweet.
This morning was FREEZING (well, 7 degrees away from it). And those of you who came out really put in a grind. Here are some things I heard about today:
The crew was small, but mighty. And the vibes were strong. If you didn’t make it this morning, you missed out. But there’s always next Monday, Wednesday, then the next… then the next… Just show up.
