Author: Eugene

Ugh. Crappy day here in San Diego… Butts, 69 degrees at 75% humidity…

Despite the terrible conditions, the tribe showed up and had an epic Monday. We had an incredible warm up with some Surf, Swim, and Sharks! If you don’t know what it is, you need to show up more. Ran a tough workout, a beach run burnout, and yes, we brought back the cowbell. Oh, that cowbell. Too… much… power… read more

Guest blog by tribe member, Sam Lee You’ve heard it a lot from the leaders this week but, in case you’re still unaware, this weekend is Pride in San Diego. If you’ve never been, I encourage you to head over to Hillcrest for the parade, or to check out the festival in Balboa Park – you’re guaranteed to get lots of hugs (and, come on, we all know NP’ers can’t get enough hugs!), to laugh and smile lots, and maybe even find yourself busting out some sweet dance moves to a refrain of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Be prepared: there will be glitter, there will be boas, and there will be rainbows. Pride celebrations are an awesome opportunity for the LGBT and ally community to embrace our diversity, as well as to tout the many accomplishments that have been made in the fight for equal rights. We are fortunate to live in a city where it’s easy to take for granted being out and proud without the fear of being discriminated against, yet we were reminded by the shooting in Orlando that this is still a fight worth fighting and needing to be fought. The good news is that each of us has the power to shape a more positive future for our country and planet by welcoming others’ uniqueness with open arms; spreading kindness and love in the face of those who want to limit our capacity to do so speaks louder, resonates more fully, and lasts longer than any hate speech or act of violence ever will. That outpouring of love and compassion is why the community that we’re each a part of matters the most to me. We all know that the leaders never fail to give us a great workout, but for me it is the positivity, acceptance, and unconditional support that each of you brings to the Tribe at6:29AM on Mondays and Wednesdays that keeps me coming back to November Project. This ranges from small words of encouragement up the PR Hill as time is winding down, to that crunch-time extra boost that you get from a race cheer station, all the way to the bigger-picture, often unsaid push to live your life to its fullest potential – yea, y’all truly are that inspiring. To its core, NP is about fostering a community that truly believes in and empowers its members, and you all never fail to deliver on that principle. I think that the love that we share with our fellow Tribe members, both within and outside of the context of workouts, has a bigger domino effect than we all probably realize; just by starting our days with a hug and some meaningful human interaction we are creating ripples which grow into waves that are reshaping our city in some really cool ways, and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of that. And speaking of being proud, I encourage you to take a little more time each day to show yourself some love and pride in who you are, and who you are becoming. The more that we love ourselves, the more that we are able to give and spread love to others, and even the smallest acts of kindness have the power to change a life. For those of us who identify as a member of the LGBT community, Pride is a special time to reflect on and celebrate who we are and the freedom we have to love who we choose. Being proud about who you are and loving fully and freely, though, shouldn’t be limited to a handful of days a year – we owe it to ourselves and the better world that we aspire to live in to always feel and share those vibes. Life is far too short to go a day without striving to show compassion to ourselves and those around us just a bit more.

Just like the spectrum of colors that were painted across our chests this week, you each represent one unique hue among hundreds that make our rainbow complete, and for that I could not be more thankful. Be bright, and be proud, San Diego. Happy Pride!

SUPER IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Next Monday, OB Pier. Just Show Up.
• Next Wednesday. Do you have to ask? Ok… Balboa Park.
• COSPLAY 5K NAMASTE – Next Friday. More details to come!

What happened? When did San Diego get this strong? For a last day at Mount Soledad, we did it pretty epically.

Angelo and I planned a workout that we thought was HARD and high-five worthy, yet here we are pleasantly surprised with how fierce and strong our tribe is. So, when we asked the tribe to do half-mile hill laps plus 200 pushups and 200 sit-ups, we didn’t expect what we saw. Halfway through, I’m hearing teams say, “ok, we’re at 210 and 180.” What? Ok. Awesome! read more

It. Was. A. Scorcher.

That’s right, ladies and gents. By 6:29 AM, we had already hit a whopping 70+ degrees here in beautiful San Diego. But regardless of how bad the conditions get, our spirits are never dampened at NPSD.

Jokes aside, the group was intimate, but the energy was fierce.

Like the animals that we are, we bear crawled, bunny hopped, and of course ran some signature Soledad hill repeats with penalty burpees in the sprint zone. DON’T GET TAGGED! read more

Guest blog by NPSD member, Stefanie Sullivan. You can find this little firecracker running 5 to 30 miles before our workouts start. And she’ll be putting on a special pop-up on Tuesday, June 14 at 6:29 AM. So ladies, listen up.

—

Hi there.

My name is Stefanie, otherwise known as the short one in the front. Normally when I read guest posts on NP blogs I get all emotional and basically cry my eyes out like a three year old who tried to lick their ice cream and ended up pushing that sweet, delicious mound of chocolate chip cookie dough goodness right off the cone and onto the sidewalk. Not this time! read more

Here are a few highlights from the day:

• We asked the tribe to bring dogs. They obliged. 7, I believe.
• Today was leg day – and this tribe CRUSHED the workout, despite many running a half or full marathon this past weekend at Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego.
• We had visitors from Baltimore and Denver, with our Denver visitor stating, “this workout is way harder than I thought it would be.” Yeah, we’re FAF (Fit. As. Fu- you get where I’m going).
• Our lawyer, Jeff Boman, can do a lot of pushups.
• Despite spending $10 on printing waivers and buying a fancy clipboard, none were signed (McCloskey, I’ll have expenses in to you by COB).

Today was another reminder of how amazing this community is. When we ask people to bring dogs, they listen. When we tell people to bounce up and down and go bananas, they listen. This isn’t because our tribe is obedient. This is because the people in our tribe are down for whatever. No egos. No judgement. No overthinking. Just amazing human beings ready to have fun and not give a care in the world. We’re adult-sized children. And we’re here to play. read more

“We are awesome. We are strong. We. Are. A. Cult. Wait. What?” This morning at NPSD was epic. Of course it was. Every morning is epic. But there was something about working out by the giant cross on the top of the hill and chanting about being a cult that made today a little different. Sure, we charged up some hills. Like every other day, Mark busted out some jams from his backpack. Not surprisingly, BG cheated off the line to beat Luke in a race. Of course, OG Chris drew cards in the sexiest fashion. I insisted we have a newbie orientation for one person. Oh, and we did a lot of burpees. But what keeps bringing us back each Monday and Wednesday morning is deeper than the sweat pouring off our skin. No, I didn’t fuck up the chant during our bounce this morning. Because there’s something about these people in whom we’ve found a community and in many ways a family. Like other social groups, or religions, or cults, it’s the support and human connection that keeps us coming back and looking forward to more. We won’t be having a group Kool-Aid party any time soon, but I can promise you that every Monday and Wednesday will start with big hugs, bigger smiles, and a hell of a lot of sweat. And what’s better than starting your day with that kind of human connection? Stoked to be a part of this tribe. Stoked to be a part of this global community. Let’s make it a little brighter every day, San Diego. Kisses, E Super Duper Important Biznass:

WEDNESDAY – You know where we’ve always met at Balboa Park at the Bea Evanson Fountain? We’re meeting at Balboa Park at the Bea Evanson Fountain. 6:29 AM.

SIGN UP FOR SUMMIT – Renew those passports, or get one. Because we’re hauling out to Ontario, Canada, North America. Details in this blog post. And members are already actively planning stuff in this Facebook group.

Congrats to everyone who raced yesterday at the Rock’n Roll Marathon and Half Marathon!

Shelby, we’ll miss you. Now start a tribe in Portland. Or don’t go. Hahaha. Seriously. JK. No really.

read more