Eldred Returns (LAX)

 “I wanted to build a street that goes straight up,” – the city planner who designed Eldred Street.

Guys, it’s a good thing there was a portapotty there, because when I looked up at Eldred I just about shit my pants. The last time our tribe went there was two years ago. It was rainy, and the group that braved legendary Eldred Street was tiny and mighty. Jesse and I joked about going back there for awhile, but not really seriously considering it because you’d have to be nuts to want to attempt anything worse than Baxter. But lately our tribe has been looking deadly hills straight in the eye and saying, “HA! I got this!” and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. As we were leaving Griffith last week an old man emerged from the wilderness and approached me and Jesse wrapped in a velvet cloak. He bowed his head and spoke with a voice dripping with wisdom. “It is time,” he declared. “You must return to Eldred.”   A small and fierce 5:30 crew gave way to an impressive amount of 6:30ers ready to brave the beast. On a hill like this, it’s a challenge just to keep moving. You start out with your eyes on the top of the hill, and one minute later the hill has just gotten steeper and all you can see is the yellow road sign that says “END” and you’re thinking, “The end of what? The end of having functional legs? It can’t mean the end of the hill because there’s still 5 flights of stairs for me to climb up!” The words of encouragement and high fives were flying today, and thank goodness because we desperately needed it to fuel us to the top. Sometimes we gasped it through heavy breaths, sometimes we grabbed onto each other to keep ourselves upright, but no one today popped in headphones and decided to grind this out alone. You need a tribe behind you to bust out that amount of badassness all before work. But HERE’S THE THING THAT I’M REALLY SHOCKED ABOUT: at both 5:30 and 6:30 I made a joke about there being a burnout (the “burnout” being stretching + language club). Some people were like, “oh shit,” but no one was like, “NO, you’re insane, I can’t do this, I don’t want to do this!” Instead, Joey turns to me and says, “It better be push-ups.” WHAT KIND OF MONSTERS ARE YOU GUYS???? I mean I know your quads are sore but PUSH-UPS after that??????? Way to earn your weekends a million times over, tribe. I sat down to write this blog and now I don’t think I can ever stand up again. You may need to send help. PS. The man in the velvet cloak was Jonathan London. NEWS

  • WEDNESDAY is PR Day!!!! Bring 1 shirt to tag and get ready to #raceeverything!
  • SoCal Collision Course people!! Make sure you fill out this fancy google doc so we can finalizing planning: Joshua Tree link
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    Attitude of Gratitude (LAX)

    7 months ago I was dragging myself on a solo 20-mile training run along the Santa Monica bike path, and I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. Why?? Because I had to run 20 miles…because it was hot out…because I was tired…because I didn’t feel like running but had to train for the LA Marathon. My inner voice was a fairly constant track of whining. read more

    NP Magic (LAX)

    You know that magic feeling when you first start getting really into NP, and you can’t believe how positive everyone is and how much fun stuff we do and waking up early is soooo worth it because you spend your week looking forward to Wednesday and Friday??? It’s the best! And then, little by little, you began to get used to November Project, and even though the magic is still there, you don’t feel it as much. You might roll out of bed, grumble about how early it is, not pay attention when the newbies are singing their names, half-ass the bounce, crush the workout because it’s second-nature by now, and head off to the rest of your life. Maybe you’re not even reading the blog (!!!!!!!!!!!!). You’re taking your tribemates and November Project for granted. I don’t blame you; I’ve been there. read more

    COMPASSion is the Fashion (LAX)

    Let’s talk about a couple things that made my heart happy this morning:

    1. When the newbies seemed unsure of what singing their name entailed, Elias jumped in and sang their names for them. It was hilarious, it was a great welcome for them, it was just the best. I’m half-tempted to have Elias solo-sing all the newbies’ names from now on. PS. Elias got the positivity award and every time I remember that he has it I feel warm inside. He is always working hard, he is constantly encouraging others, and he gives the best damn hugs I’ve ever had. You think you give better hugs??? PROVE IT.
    2.  Rohan constantly amazes me with his ability to push his body to the limit, and today was no different. Just so you 6:30ers know, we had the 5:30ers run all the way to turnaround rock before coming back, not just the bridge. So people planking waiting for their whole team to come back were planking for a really long time. Personally, I have a difficult time planking if I don’t know exactly how long I have to plank for. Up to the last second, Rohan was holding a plank while his face dripped sweat and his legs shook. If his body gave out, he took a breath and popped back into plank. That amount of determination is inspiring, and it drove the entire spirit of the 5:30 crew. FUCK YES, Rohan!!!!!! You are strong as hell.
    3. At 6:30 a stranger came up to me and told me how glad she was that we were back because last time she ran at Griffith we gave her 23 high-fives and it made her day. Now she has the deets and she’s joining us. Or else we’ll sacrifice her to the gods.
    4. Kyle made a get-well card for Molly to sign, but to everyone’s surprise (although we should’ve known) she was like, “fuck resting, I’m gonna go work out” and showed up to 6:30 so we had to scramble to hide the card from her. Kyle is a teacher with beautiful hair, a beautiful voice, and a big ol’ beautiful heart. 
    5. I tracked down each of the newbies at 6:30 to make sure they knew where they were running and every single one said, “Yeah, <some NP-LAXer> ran with me and made sure I knew where to go.
    6. I got lots of puppy kisses from Zoe and Lou!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    7. That stranger at the end of 6:30 who took our group photo and got way up close and personal with the camera because why not. Then Lujan pretty much said to his face, “Are you a hot dad or not?” It’s early. We’re allowed to be inappropriate. Right? #getdateshere
    8. Ron Pearlman. I just love him.

    DO GOOD, LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    NEWS

  • THIS FRIDAY: Tongva Park. Here’s the tracker baby!
  • SUNRISE 6k: Friday, August 18. #raceeverything
  • SoCal Collision Course (+ Phoenix):
    • September 16th – 17th we are heading out to Joshua Tree to meet our friends from NP San Diego and NP Phoenix.
    • Once there we will race Ragnar relay style into the night!
    • YOU MUST RSVP BY JULY 28TH, either on the event page or talk to bucknolting.
    • read more

  • ¡Chingazo! / fuck yeah! (LAX)

    ¡Hola! Yesterday, when I was texting Maggie about the workout she lead me to an epiphany. I told her I wanted to do the vocabulary workout and she asked if we could throw in some Spanish words. During Summit, when we were doing leader things, we discussed how we stay true to our cities. Considering our city’s name is in Spanish and once was a part of Mexico, Maggie’s idea was a no brainer. Instead of some words though, we made all of the words Spanish. On the flip side was the English translation so that everyone could learn something new today. Except for Juanito, who is calling his mother later to refresh his memory. The workout was simple in nature. Pick a piece of paper out of the bucket, spell the word out through exercises, and run a lap after each letter. read more

    Just Show Up: Inside and Out – Guest Blog by Max (LAX)

    There’s a gem of a human named Max Snell who embodies everything that November Project is about. This man is dedicated – he drives further than you do to every workout and he pushes himself and encourages others constantly. He has your back whether he’s known you for years or whether you’re brand new. Max rocks!!!!! This is his tale: read more

    Summer Ready (LAX)

     The summer solstice is fast approaching, and with that comes a lot of talk about summer bodies. While I personally have never been inspired by the phrase, “GOTTA GET BIKINI READY!” I am entirely inspired by watching a strong-ass tribe of rainbow ninjas beast their way through 35 minutes of the steepest hills on the westside, followed by a brutal last lap burnout. That is what makes me want to be strong, and fast, and to keep pushing, not the looming threat of bikinis. read more

    A Life Improved (LAX)

    For most people, there’s a point during November Project that you can’t help but wonder, “how did I get myself in this bizarre situation?” Maybe you’re a tourist from Miami who just came to Griffith Park to run trails and now you’re singing your name in front of 50 strangers. Maybe you’ve never gotten up before 8 am and now it’s 5:30 and you’re grinding up the dirtiest bitch you’ve ever met. Maybe your workouts are usually confined to the gym and now your head is pressed against two other people’s as you leg lift simultaneously. I had that experience several times this weekend at Summit, most notably when I was being passed across the backs of several co-leaders as they sprinted down the blocks of Boston waving rubber chickens and hollering at the top of their lungs. read more

    A Wild Babysitter’s Club (LAX)

    A Wild Babysitter’s Club

    Babysitter’s club was a success! We woke up before the sun, met up with some of the city’s best huggers, got sweat running down our faces and earned our weekend. As babysitters, it’s a challenge to find the balance between being a cool, fun alternative to Mom and Dad, while also giving a badass workout. The kids got their candy, but they worked damn hard for it, and we as babysitter’s could not be more proud. read more

    You’re the Top (LAX)

    Today is #GlobalRunningDay and we celebrated it the best way we know how – by running (or biking or walking or cartwheeling, etc.)!!!!

    On Global Running Day 2 years ago Jesse told me if I were a type of salt I would be the kind that’s really, really exfoliating. I barely knew him and was scared of him so it took me about a month to be like, “that was really weird,” and by then, of course, he denied that he ever said it. But you guys know the truth. read more