Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
For all of us that have had a first day of something, school, work, swim practice (so…like, all of us), the tendency isn’t to think about the last day of it. We don’t enter into a new job, starry eyed and energetic thinking “man, the last day of this is going to be really, really sad.” Although life is structured that way and endings are inevitable, when you’re doing something you love you definitely aren’t counting down the days until you don’t get to do it anymore.
And so commences our annual re-post of the weatherproof post. We wrote this thing a few years ago to talk about how to be weatherproof, and now, due to tradition, re-post it every time the weather starts to get bad. We can’t promise it’s good, we haven’t read it in a few years, but we did take out all mentions of City-Glow 2017 to avoid any confusion.
A quick note about today and why, after nearly 5 years of November Project Baltimore shenanigans, I still look forward to Wednesday morning like a child looks forward to Christmas morning before they have been beaten down by American consumer culture and black Friday hysteria.
This morning, Kay and I watched over 100 people of varying ages and backgrounds all agree on one very simple fact…becoming a wizard is indeed better than being stuck as a chicken.
Not to spoil anything for anyone, but there is a moment towards the end of the film in which a videographer from the show is interviewed about the “true nature” of Mr. Rogers; was he actually as nice as he seemed? The videographer himself was very much a study in contrast to Mr. Rogers (long hair, tattoos, a bit rougher around the edges than his sweater wearing boss) but answered with a definitive “yes,” Fred Rogers was indeed that man. However, it was his next comment that struck me most.
“Back then it didn’t seem strange to have someone that kind around, or on television.”
What he seemed to be implying is that in the year 2018 it seems bizarre to have someone so genuinely interested in spreading a message of love and acceptance. Fred Rogers’ demeanor and absolute commitment to those ideals makes him feel strange, a creature from another time, largely irrelevant in a time that seems so fueled by anger and hate.
I don’t try to wrap everything in this blog back to November Project. In fact, this particular blog isn’t about November Project at all; it’s about the people that comprise it.
I just spent the last 5 days in the woods, with 100+ other co-leaders from around the world, all of whom do the same thing every Wednesday. Wake up before the sun, put on some running shoes and go attempt to make someone’s day better. At those workouts they are met by people who have just done the same thing, up early so they can be in a place where joy and happiness can be (albeit not always) a reality. I like to think the Fred Rogers would like November Project and all of its goofy accessories that drag us towards even a small dose of happiness. It’s not perfect, but it’s something. I think Mr. Rogers wanted us to seek out things that bring us joy.
The point is, what that videographer said saddened me. I don’t want to live in a world where people like Mr.Rogers are an exception. I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by people that want to make the world better and strive valiantly to do that every day. They aren’t always happy, they aren’t always perfect, but they wake up because they know someone is waiting on them. Some of those people are November Project co-leaders, some of them are teachers, doctors, artists or just great parents. But all of them, in some way, and dedicated to kindness as not just an idea, but a lifestyle.
Today I decided to use this blog and the off chance that you’ve read this far, to remind you that we should let those people know. Mr. Rogers was likely constantly told that his kindness was a gift…the man had a nationally syndicated television show that ran over 1200 episodes. But for everyone else who isn’t a nationally known figure, they deserve that recognition too.
Do me a favor. If November Project got your day off on the right foot, pass that on to someone else. Tell someone who made your day brighter that they did just that. Reach out to someone who maybe doesn’t normally get to hear it, and let them know that their kindness is needed and to keep passing it on.
I don’t know how else to make the world a kinder place besides reminding each other that it’s necessary. So..Thank for YOUR kindness, and go ahead and pass it on.
As always, go out be nice, say kind things, and take big bites out of life.
Nick
Cigna just released a report
that suggests nearly half of Americans feel lonely sometimes or always. This puts loneliness at epidemic levels in the United States. Yes, I just started an NP blog post with a statistic. I’m wrapping up a Master’s in Public Health, so I have no clue how to start a piece of writing anymore unless it’s with epidemiology.
The fact of the matter is that we know the Gin Riot is bigger and tougher than anything we’ve thrown out there yet. It’s going to be a tough race for everyone, no matter how fast you are. But if watching everyone’s perseverance over the last several years has taught us anything it’s that, no matter what you =&0=& you’re capable of, you’re =&1=&capable of a great deal more. The Gin Riot is meant to be conquered, and it’s meant to be conquered by you.
It takes a village to pull off fun events and we are super excited to be partnering with Caledonia Spirits (Barr Hill Gin) to co-host this event, ending it with some Gin cocktails at Johnny Rads on Eastern Avenue. Notably, it sometimes takes more than the three of us to pull off fun events. If you have been thinking “DANG, The Gin Riot looks super rad but I have this nagging injury,” or “I would love to do it but this isn’t the time for me,” =&2=& =&3=&to help us with the logistics on the day of. If you want to be involved but can’t run for whatever reason, reach out to Bryson, Nick or Kaye or let us know at one of the workouts this week. If you have an awesome skill like cheerleading at a water stop, or photographing runners in the wild, or want to test out your new videographing equipment, NOW IS YOUR TIME! Hit us up.
LOGISTIC DETAILS: The important stuff
We will open our super serious registration at 4:20PM at Rash Field where you can come, learn the route and get your shiny bib. There will be a car there to transport gear that you can pick up at the end (Please keep it small…it’s just one car and it’s a subaru). We will begin explaining the race at 4:50, bounce at 4:55PM and the race will kick off with the first 5 burpees immediately after that. We don’t plan to putz around so don’t show up late. There is an after party to get to, afterall!
This 8.8 mile route is fairly simple but we do want to point out a few spots:
At the end of my block there is a bar. It’s a nice little spot, mostly filled with neighborhood folks talking about whatever it is we all talk about. Beer and wine are the only things served at this particular establishment which, from my limited experience, seems to suit everyone who hangs out there just fine. There is also a good amount of free karaoke offered to anyone who walks through the door, whether karaoke is your type of activity or not.
This bar is owned by a very pleasant couple who welcome you with a Koozie as soon as you come in. The first time I was there I got to speaking with one of the owners who gave me a brief rundown on why he decided to buy the place. At $2 a beer I’ll give you a hint…it wasn’t to get rich quickly. ” I don’t know, it just always seemed like fun to own a bar,” he said, ” it gives you an excuse to hang out with your friends. No one really likes to come over to your house, but hey, if you have a bar everyone’s there! It’s just a place to have fun.”
Four years of November Project has left me with a lot of time to think about the what, where, why of this “movement.” When we started there were only 7 others cities in North America; now there are 44 cities across the world. When we started there were only about 5 of us on average on top of Federal Hill. Now it’s pretty hard to know how many people come through our workouts. We’ve thought about NP in just about every capacity we could, from every angle we could, through every lens we could. Yet, no matter how much I think about it I usually come up with the same thing, something very similar to what the owner of that bar told me.
This morning was a good reminder that ultimately, November Project is just about being around people you like. I got in my car after today’s workout, found a pen, and cheesily wrote on the back of an envelope “NP is simply about creating joyous moments.” November Project is about not starting your watch, yelling “wazzup” up at strangers, about having fun simply because we can. I left this morning on a high and felt that I needed to write it down, right away, before adult responsibilities ruined it for me.
Kay, Bryson, Sydney, Pat and I ( all the current and former co-leaders) have spent hours coming up with new workouts, discussing how different workouts can be more inclusive, debating how we can reach more people, arguing how long a particular part of a workout would take, sketching routes through the city for annual events. Sometimes we over plan, sometimes we under plan but there is always some sort of plan. What I know now (and this morning proved it) is that the best moments are the unplanned ones. They’re the moments when a small group of committed individuals show up despite the snow, never bother to turn their watches on or track their workout, roll down a hill because it’s fun and basically throw out every perception of what being an adult should look like.
What i’m most happy about is that four years later I can still say, in the same tone the owner of the bar said it to me, ” I don’t know, it just always seemed fun to have a ‘workout/morning recess exercise group thingy.’ ” For me the overarching lesson of every snowy, rainy, joyous morning is simply to spend more time with your friends.
Don’t worry about what it looks like.
Don’t worry about whether or not you planned it.
Don’t worry about whether you recorded it or not.
Don’t worry about where it is or whether you brought the right jacket for it.
I can tell you, that after four years, I’m still 100% sure that more time with the right people is always, always a good thing.
To everyone that has ever bounced with us early in the morning, no matter the weather, thank you for allowing November Project to be a place to have fun. With all of its flaws acknowledged…It’s still one hell of “an excuse to hang out with your friends.”
As always,
Take Big Bites Out of Life,
Nick
P.S: Don’t forget. Gin Riot on January 28’th. Bring friends. Race hard. You get the idea.
https://www.facebook.com/events/287372625119814/
In 1808, as tensions built between the American colonies and The British, a Baltimore based vessel named the Sophia was intercepted by the Brits as it crossed what I can only assume was an ocean. The Sophia was carrying a whole bunch of gin, which of course the British naturally decided to tax. When the Sophia gets back to Baltimore the good folks of Baltimore are livid….who are they to be taxing all of our GIN!? A good deal of stomping around and huffing occurs before the Baltimoreans decide enough is enough and set themselves to destroying all of the gin…which seems like a questionable protest if you ask me but hey, who am I to judge the Baltimoreans of 1808.
The Baltimore Gin Riots are what followed as thousands of sailors and civilians stormed to Hampstead Hill (which guess what, is the same damn hill we run on Fridays! That’s right…Hampstead Hill is Patterson Park!) and burned over 700 gallons of gin. BURNED IT. ALL THE GIN!
I can only presume that after all of the Baltimoreans burned all the gin, there had to be a few individuals that may have regretted the action a bit. I mean, yes, we get it, you really disliked the British, but now you dislike the British AND you have no gin. Regardless, it was four more years of protest and Atlantic Ocean tension before we actually declared war, but the Gin Riots were a pretty big part of getting this whole War of 1812 thing going.
AND THAT’S RIGHT….IT HAPPENED RIGHT AT PATTERSON PARK!?
So you’re probably wondering why we are telling you this!?
We’re really excited to be bringing you a new race on January, 28th. In honor of this little bit of Baltimore history as well as the location of the race we’re bringing you a really tough, really awesome event called The Gin Riot.
The Gin Riot is a race loosely based on Boston’s #WOAHman, we’ve designed a race intended to challenge everyone, regardless of how fast you are. We will gather at 5pm on January 28th at Rash Field. Everyone will be given a Gin Riot bib and we’ll kick off the race. Here’s how it goes.
In fact, i’m not sure I took a single decent photo today. Correction, i’m 100% certain that I didn’t take a decent photo all morning. I’m going to post every single one of them however just to make sure everyone understands how crappy I am at taking photos.
-Here are a few other notable things that happened this morning. I took photos of many of them but you can’t make them out anyway:
Recently, I started taking dance lessons. I’m ok admitting that. They’re Lindy Hop lessons and in fact, the lessons were my idea. For my girlfriend’s birthday I decided to get us dance lessons as if that was something she either wanted or would enjoy, but it seemed like a fun thing we could do together. And for the most part, besides being a pretty weak birthday present, that has been true. We have both enjoyed dance lessons and frankly, now that these dance lessons are coming to an end, I think we might be a little sad to see them go. We had a good time and I think there’s a fairly good chance we might keep dancing
HOWEVER!
While I might seem super outgoing at November Project, I am not particularly good at operating out of my comfort zone. November Project is my comfort zone, somehow dance lessons most definitely are not. So each week Wednesday night rolls around and it’s time for dance lessons, and each week I try to find a way out of said lessons. Then each week my lovely girlfriend Jana talks me into it with the pleasant reminder that I tried to back out last week and It turned out I had fun. Oh, that’s right.
If Jana wasn’t there, there’s a %200 chance I would have quit after one Lindy Hop lesson, because I hate looking like i’m a rookie. I get uncomfortable when i’m bad at stuff and frankly, being uncomfortable is just plain uncomfortable.
Quick Pivot:
I’ve been thinking about dance lessons all day because I had one of those “other people are awesome mornings” when I watched a whole lot of people crush their P.R Goals (Also because it’s Wednesday and i’m already thinking of my reason to ditch class). In particular, at the 5:30 am workout I jogged for a little with my friend Neha, before she told me that her goal this morning was to hit 4 at P.R day. I told her she could definitely get it but then didn’t see her again for about 15 minutes. By that point we were down to the wire and Neha was just finishing up 3.9 when I caught her with about 2 minutes to go. I won’t get into details, but with Kay counting down from ten seconds Neha made it to the first set of steps, finishing her goal for the day in all sorts of style. If you haven’t met Neha, she’s Madhuri’s roommate, another positive force at November Project.
After the workout I couldn’t stop thinking about Neha’s final push to get to 4. That moment made me feel really awesome and I think Neha would say the same. But there were all these moments that lead up to that moment that made it special. Maybe Madhuri had to wake her up to get there ( or vise-versa), maybe a bunch of people cheering her on helped her get there, maybe Monica working her tail off at 5:30 gave us all a little extra energy.
At the end of the day, we don’t get special moments, new friends or shiny p.rs without showing up in the first place. A lot of the time just showing up can be uncomfortable. We ask you to hug and high five, be loud and work hard. All of that might not sound awesome first thing in the morning. November Project isn’t a trip to the movies; you don’t get to sit in the dark, not talking to anyone, eating your favorite snack.
Going into the winter months our workouts are going to be dark, the mornings are going to be cold and every great moment is going to be a little harder to earn. However, you don’t get to watch someone set a goal at 5:30 am and reach it at 6:10 if you stay home. We’re going to keep working hard to make November Project as exciting and dynamic as possible, but at the end of the day if you’re not there to create those moments, they won’t ever happen. The best part of my day, possibly my week was created because Neha hit 4 and woke herself up so damn early this morning.
Long story short, apparently you don’t get better at dance by ditching it, no matter how much you might want to. So, maybe i’ll skip the excuses tonight and just see what happens.
As always, take big bites out of life,
Nick
Reminder: We’re on the road Friday, not at Patterson Park. Stay tuned!