We #justshowedup ready to prove our weatherproofness, but luckily the weathergods spared us this morning. Perhaps it was the influence of our ancestors, pleased with the oomph behind our hoisties, the perfect form of our push ups, the glorious dippiness of our dips, and the straight-up badass speed of our hill sprints. Not to mention some beautiful tributes to the totem pole that I witnessed; Herschell’s butt-tap was done with such elegance and grace that I was very nearly brought to tears.
Many Thanks to Our Ancestors (LAX)
You Rainbow Ninjas were prepped for a monster hill and instead you got monster stairs with a light sprinkling of push-ups, and man did you destroy it like it was any old nunchuck drill! Baxter is a bitch of a climb, but there’s plenty of opportunity for rest as cars often come precariously screeching by. The narrowness of the stairs however, forced continuous movement. If you stopped, it would be difficult for the person behind you to get around, so we all did whatever we had to do to keep moving. If we walked, if we had to grab our legs and lift them onto the next stair, that was all okay just as long as we didn’t stop moving. And even though those stairs looked literally endless when standing at the bottom, we all somehow eventually reached the top, pounded out push-ups like fucking champions (so much chest-to-ground action and I was super into it!!!!!) and turned right back around to fly down those stairs again.
Being a co-leader I’ve found that I leave each workout with a motherly pride glowing inside me from seeing you all kick loads of ass. I’m going to be glowing all weekend. Extra dessert for all of you kids. But only if you do your homework first!!!! And homework before any TV.
(psssst! Your homework for February is to give out high-5s and words of encouragement to strangers every time you go out to run/do yoga/crossfit/hike/spin/swim/skydive.)
DO GOOD, LA!
By 6:30 the rain had picked up but so had our spirits, as our early gang told tales of their voyage while warming their hands over a crackling fire. “The first lake is bad,” they warned, “but the second lake right before the turnaround contains Sirens who will lure you off course if you pause to listen to their song.” Luckily our fearless leader Ben defended the turnaround with such vigor that I thought he was a homeless man yelling at me and awkwardly avoided eye contact as I ran by.
The first wave of 6:30ians arrived to safety but knew that their PRs would be slightly embittered if their tribemates washed away to sea. Time after time I saw finishers venture back to help others swim to the finish. It warmed my heart in a way no beautiful sunrise ever has.
This morning will live on in legend and will be passed down from generation to generation of NP_LAXers. Hold close your PRs and photographs on Facebook, and gently stroke the fresh 6k tags on your clothing items (that you’ll get back eventually) and whisper to yourself, “that was not a dream.”
FUCK YEAH GUYS!!!!! YOU ALL BROUGHT IT THIS MORNING AND I AM SO PROUD!!!!! Do great LA!
And that’s exactly why we keep coming back. NP is “adult recess”, a place where we can shed the pretense of life in a complicated city with complicated jobs and just act like fools. It’s been some time since we’ve attracted so much attention to ourselves (both good and bad) and I’d be willing to be that we’ll have a few more newbies next time from today’s energy blast.
It was also a big day for newbie turnout, one of the biggest in a while. That either means that people are really starting to stumble over our social media pages or you guys are recruiting your butts off, which is epic to say the least. This movement won’t grow unless you grow it yourself so pound the pavement, get uncomfortable and remember how this has effected your life as a member.
Just remember tribe, we’re in this together. We’ve got each other’s backs and we’ll always be there to haduken each other into the muddy lawn when another person needs it. Today you all were stars and I’ll be damned if they aren’t the brightest I’ve ever seen (neon grassroots gear helps).
Do great LA.