Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
Trevor and I have been excited for the NP loves AZ challenge since we started it, but we haven’t seen the tribe get so excited about it until we mentioned that this month’s NP loves AZ challenge would involve BEER. If you weren’t there for the awesome Race Man Meets Hype Man workout not only did you miss out on a really good workout, but you also missed seeing the tribe jump for the joy at the thought of beer.
I can’t believe that it has been TWO WHOLE YEARS since November Project Phoenix was born. Time seriously does fly when you are having fun! It feels like just yesterday that I basically forced Ashely, Kendra, Christine, Stefanie, Rick, and this chick Kailee (who totally “slept through her alarm” on Wednesday) to run the stairs with me for weeks on end as I started the pledge process in the months leading up to the birth of NP Phoenix. I think they were ALL pretty pumped when Trevor just showed up a few weeks into it on one glorious day in May and started adding a little SPICE (technical term in the NP world) to our workouts and started leading with me. Granted I was running alongside them, but in the beginning (and before Trevor rightfully talked me down) I made them just run stairs from start to finish. NO bounce. NO tags. NO sweaty hugs. NO high fives. JUST STAIRS. And much to my surprise, they are all still around today.
Wisconsin Notes
RECRUIT EVERYONE. We are trying to get 100 people to the workout for our TWO YEAR anniversary the first Wednesday in July.
MONDAY. Come to the Monday Hill Workouts. You will not regret it.
Arizona Rocks
One of the most important parts of November Project is Community. A community doesn’t just refer to the group of people that come to the actual workouts, but the greater community at large. Being actively involved in your community isn’t just about giving – although that is awesome and something I hope this group continues to explore – It can be an exchange of skills, friendship, and experiences that instill a sense of fellowship that can be just as rewarding for the giver as for the receiver. It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, what your background is, or what you believe in; there are contributions that you can make in your community that will make a difference. This year we are going to look to the community at large and how we can reach out to others, explore what cool things our community has to offer and give back.
This has been a great week! We crushed a hard hill workout Monday morning before hiking up Camelback Mountain and followed it up today with our new and improved (and harder) PR workout. Congrats to everyone who PR’d today and to our new PR champs! If you have not noticed it is starting to heat up here in the Valley and we are already starting to hear the frequent summer news stories of people overheating and needing to be rescued from the mountains and trails. Please be smart out there.
Watching JD during the bounce this morning was one of the highlights of this morning. If there was a crushing award specifically dedicated to the bounce it would go to this guy. Dude is always the first one to get into formation and sometimes when he is super excited for bounce time he’ll even call the tribe to order for the bounce. Week after week, he is the only person we do not have to physically pull in closer to tighten up the bounce. There is nothing we can throw at this guy that will throw off his bounce game. Whatever we call, he responds. Dude just gets it! He is louder than everyone, taller than everyone, and bouncier than almost everyone. If you missed watching JD with this huge smile on his face yelling MUSHY. MUSHY. MUSHPOT. at the top of lungs this week, then check him out next week and every Wednesday after that. Don’t check him out on Mondays though. He randomly stopped showing up to Mondays.
Today was bittersweet as we celebrated the life of a dear member of our November Project community, Ben O’Meara. All 36 tribes across the global NP community rocked hockey gear and green shirts in remembrance of Ben and in support of all of those he held dear. You didn’t have to know Ben personally to know what an impact he had made in our community. It was palpable today.
It’s that crazy time of the year again: Wedding Season. The every joyous few months when it seems like all the people you have met in your entire life have picked the exact same time to get married and your social calendar is just filled to the brim with wedding related activities.
Since we were NOT all invited to Ais and Dustin’s wedding as I had originally thought we might be, we decided to help them celebrate a few days early with a little wedding inspired spin on our most classic workout. When we weren’t running stairs, we sent paired members in the tribe through the relationship stages. We started with a little hand holding during partner sit-ups, moved onto the engagement phase with down on one knee lunges, and ended with speed skaters disguised as the choreographed first wedding dance. It might have been a bit of stretch, but it worked.
Days are getting longer, the air is getting warmer, and the tread on your running shoes is getting worn down. This can only mean one thing – It’s racing season! We are right in the thick of it and I can’t tell you how proud we are of all the training you guys have put in preparing for the season.
Ran across this gem today and thought I’d share it with you.
Seemed appropriate given that this morning was one of those mornings that reminds you why you live here. I know we will be eating crow in a few months, but it was hard not to think how lucky we were today when several of the other tribe’s were working out in freezing temps and struggling with that whole daylights savings thing making their workouts suddenly a bit darker than usually when we finally got shed those light but restricting layers and watch the beautiful sunrise in our shirt and shorts.
Wisconsin Notes:
Monday Morning: See you at 56th Street and Camelback for some hills at 5:55 AM.
Valentine’s Day isn’t just about your love for a significant other, it is about all kinds of love, including that of family and friends. We consider you all to be like family and we were excited to spend time doing what we love with people that we love (that’s you).