Author: Jason Shaw

Happy Monumental Marathon Week everybody!!! There is racing through the city, there is hype, and it’s November….the Monumental Marathon was pretty much made for November Project. So whether you are running or just want to see what the scoop is, here is your guide to marathon week in Indy:

Friday – November Project Indy on the banks of the White River! We will be meeting at Celebration Plaza which is where we held the FIRST EVERY NP INDY FRIDAY WORKOUT!! Even if you’re running on Saturday, still #justshowup. Get the legs moving, shake it out, we won’t wreck your legs for the race, we promise. read more

Over the past couple of years, NP Indy has grown so much. From the size of the morning workouts, to the involvement in the community, we are making a noticeable impact in our city! It’s all because of the amazing people that show up, help out, spread the word, and keep this movement going!! With the growth of the tribe comes growth of the leadership and it is with great pleasure that Casey and I welcome on Nick Nelson as a co-leader to help take this tribe even further. A few words from the man himself! read more

The Issue: A majority of the stairs of our beloved Indiana War Memorial have been closed for months as they renovate and repair the memorial. While we have a love/hate relationship with those stairs, we’ve longed for that “stair workout” that has become a staple of our Wednesday mornings.

The Solution: When you don’t have a lot of stairs to run a few times, you find the few stairs you have and run those a shit load of times!! So…that’s what we did!! It was hard, it kicked our asses, and it made us question why we ever said we missed them in the first place. But, in the end, it is all of those things that we have come to love about those steps. Today we did “mini stair runs” which was just repeated runs (Starting at 10 or 9 depending on which workout you attended) of each set of stairs on each landing, followed by 3 reps of an exercise on each landing. After a lap, you reduce the amount of stair runs and increase the number of reps. In the end…it’s a lot of stair running, which, let’s be honest, we all needed. read more

Today:

No #stairsforbreakfast this morning as they were blocked off (and apparently will continue to be as they put a new roof on the War Memorial) so we took it to the streets…well, sidewalks anyway.  A rainbow running pattern (around the block) and then 6 exercise stations each corresponding to a color of the Pride rainbow. A good way to kick off Pride weekend in Indy!!

Friday’s Motor Speedway Deets:

(Turn 2 of the IMS – the site of our NEXT WORKOUT)

We will be working out in Turn 2 – the Southeast Vista to be exact.  You will want to enter off of 16th street like you are going to the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course. Once you turn in the entrance to the golf course, turn left and park in the spots next to Gate 4.  You should see us with a table and some signs.  Please don’t park right next to the golf course clubhouse as that is for the golfers.

When you get there, you will need to sign the IMS waiver.  We will be stationed in front of the gate so that nobody can enter the gate until they have signed a waiver.  We cannot distribute them ahead of time as they are all individually numbered.

Get there at 6am to get your waiver signed and all that.  The workout will begin PROMPTLY at 6:30am.

No Coast Deets:

While the actual events are going to remain secret – the plan for the day is set.  The official #nocoast event will begin at noon (12pm) right outside of the Indiana State Museum. If you want to pay to park you can park below the Indiana State Museum (our meeting spot is above the lot) or try to find parking on Washington St. Otherwise, just walk, run, ride, fly, uber, or teleport there. Either way, give yourself plenty of time as downtown will be beaming with pride (seriously though, downtown will be crowded so give yourself time to figure it out).

(See this green? Yea, meet here at NOON on Saturday)

This is a November Project event so assume some activity/sweating will be involved but we won’t be “working out” the entire time.  It won’t be a 4 hour NP workout, it will be fun…but wear running shoes is all I’m saying. Also – bring a phone if you can…I’m sure most people will do that anyway.

The activities will wrap up around 4pm. At which time you will be able to go shower, maybe grab a bite to eat and chill before the after party.

After Party – We have secured a “private” room at Sun King Brewery starting at 6pm!! The “premier” brewery in Indy and the OG when it comes to microbreweries! We assured them we could fill the room, so we HIGHLY encourage anybody and everybody to come to the party.  Can’t make it to #nocoast during the day?  No problem you and all your friends are still invited to party down at Sun King.  There is a small “deli” there but I would advise eating before or after the event as it isn’t exactly a meal. The finger food they do have is Goose the Market, however, which is FIRE. So we highly recommend it if you are feeling a bit peckish.  We have the room from 6pm until about 9pm and will likely have plenty of momentum to continue to explore the Indy scene after that!

We have no official plan yet for those who will be here Friday night, but we will get something together and find a good spot to all rendezvous!! It will likely be downtown so STAY TUNED.

Finale:

Next Wednesday we will be shooting our annual Yearbook Photos!! We only do this once a year and you don’t want to miss out, so show up.  The theme is simple: November Project – so wear an NP tag and NP gear.  All the photos from all the tribes from around the world will be dropped on June 28th!!

(#combineready)

It’s gonna be a great weekend, y’all!! I can’t wait!

• Shaw

May in Indy.  Boom!!  Spectacular start to a spectacular month that ends with the greatest spectacle in racing in the most spectacular city. And to make this month even better….May 2nd is officially Andrew Peterson Day in Indianapolis!!

Today’s Planter workout:

Half the group starts with an up and around, the other half goes to a planter and does sets of 15 dips, decline pushups, and sit-ups (with feet on the planters). The kicker is that there must be 3 people on a planter at all times, so once you finish your set of exercises, you don’t run until you get tapped out. Makes for some great chatter and empty promises.  Finish it off with a “hypeman-esque Burpee Chipper Burnout” and you have yourself a morning.

Mini Marathon Meat:

Looks like we’ve got a good number of people running in this year’s Mini!! Here is what you need to know:

Pre-race: Photo and Bounce with take place at 6:40am at the Bicentennial Plaza right next to the Statehouse. A little earlier than past years, but this allows those running the 5K to join in the fun as well as make sure that everybody can get staged, stretched out, and prepped for domination.

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The buzz and energy were at a high this morning as NP Indy wanted to show the world just exactly how we do!  With ESPN filming the workout as part of a documentary on Andrew, we tried to hide the pain in our faces and keep them camera ready as we partook in the infamous “Hot Mess”.  Exercises were burpees, “stir the pot” sit-ups, and hand release push-ups with a superman while a partner completed three “laps” of touching the south side gold door and coming back down.  And because we were burning up those stairs, we had a few “fire drills” which consisted of a 30 second plank hold.

WE are November Project Indy:

I mentioned this at the end of the workouts, but it is worth reiterating.  With ESPN filming this week’s workout and PBS here last week, Andrew’s star is shining brighter than ever.  I will let the professional story tellers relay the entire story of Andrew and his path to where he is today because I would not be able to do it justice.  One thing I will say, however, is that his story is so remarkable and inspiring because it shows the strength of the human spirit. We are able to overcome obstacles that we never thought were possible, and accomplish goals that, at one point, seemed like pipe dreams. But, in order to do this, you must do two things – 1) set those goals and face those obstacles, and 2) don’t think that this needs to be done alone.

November Project, to its core, is a community.  Each and every person who chooses to #justshowup is a part of this team that will do anything it can to help raise that person up. We take such pride in the accomplishments and success that each member of this tribe achieves, and we exist to help you get there.  Each person has a different goal, but another thing that makes the November Project so great is the diversity of backgrounds and talents that we have in our team. Whether it’s to run a distance you’ve never attempted, beat a personal record, or enter a challenge or race that you’ve always wanted to try, the key is to allow your team to help you get there.  Let us join you in your effort and celebrate with you when you crush it!!  We have so many avenues of communication from our community facebook page, group me, text message, DMs….REACH OUT!! Let us know what your next goal is and we will be there to help you achieve it. Don’t have a goal?  MAKE ONE.  Fitness related or otherwise, it may seem daunting, but it will be worth it in the end.

Andrew has been a great example of somebody that has been a part of our community for some time and we have taken such pride in his achievements.  We are so proud to have Andrew as part of our team, just as I know that Andrew is so proud to be a part of it.  We awarded him the Positivity Award today because of the energy and excitement that he brings to our workouts and our community. But, we also awarded it to him because he is a reminder that we all need to set goals for ourselves. So do it! And let us know what it is…because we will get you achieve it.  And once you do achieve it, we will be there first to give you a hug when you cross the finish line!

Announcements:

Friday’s workout will be at The Tent on the south side of the Canal Walk.

Sunday – CaseDawg and I will be leading plogging run for Yelp where we will be announcing the November Project Plogging Series in partnership with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.  Stay tuned for details on the series, but join us for a nice kickoff on Sunday!

Next Wednesday is #raceday and we will be tagging (weather permitting) so bring your gear and get is #grassrooted.  Especially if you’re running the Mini Marathon!

DaDaDa DaDaDa,

• Shaw

For those who said the buffs came too late and we wouldn’t have a chance to use them until next winter…then you’re welcome for today.  For all others, I hope you are having luck attaching the skin back to your face after it blew off.

Using the top of the North Stairs as a home base today, we used a modified #mustache flight pattern taking us to the West doors (open leg ab circles), North Landing (tricep dips), and East doors (standard push-ups) with exercises at each one. Every time brought you back to the top middle where you held a wall sit.  Burnout with up-and-over and there you have it.

SUMMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Main announcement is that the Summit 6.0 location and date has been released and we are headed to Wisconsin from September 14-September 16!!  For those of you who don’t know what November Project Summit is – it is the annual congregation of ALL November Project tribes, their members, and their leaders from across the globe.  It is EPIC. And, this year, it’s SUPER close to us.  Still need an explanation?

It starts with a Friday Morning Pop-Up workout.  Here is last year’s when it was in Boston:

And from two years ago just outside of Toronto:

Then there is the race Saturday in which you can run anywhere from a leg of a marathon relay (10K), up to a full trail marathon, to a 50k ultra, to a 50 mile ultra: Here is a summary video from TWO YEARS ago in Blue Mountain, Ontario:

After the Saturday race, there will be an after party/giant reception (NO VIDEO EXISTS AS IT IS TOO EPIC TO CAPTURE) that will be held somewhere in Milwaukee.  Details on that to come.

So what do you do now?

Mark that date on your calendar – Thursday, September 13 (evening) – Sunday, September 16

If you are in or interested, add your name to this SPREADSHEET.

Check out the registration and get signed up. Want to get a team together for the Marathon Relay?  Good – start the discussion on the Facebook page or start talking to people at the workout!  Get a team signed up

Find a place to stay in Milwaukee. Either group up with some Indy people and get a block of rooms, an air B-n-b, or find a friend and crash on the couch.  Or, you can  even camp at the Kettle Moraine State Park where the race is held.  (Note on camping: The park is about 45 minutes from Milwaukee where the post-race shindig will be held).  There is a global spreadsheet going around as well where you can find more information on couch surfing, camping, teams, etc.  CHECK THAT OUT HERE

GET HYPE!!!

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I have a feeling that a good number of blogs east of NP_PHX and north of Orlando are going to be pretty similar.  Mother Nature continues to give us a high hard one as the calendar says spring, but she says….”nah”. But, on the bright side, we can continue to prove our #weatherproofness well in to the month of March. And, from a fitness standpoint, it turns out that trying not to fall and bust your ass going around a corner is a hell of a core workout!!

Speaking of workout we did have a brand new one today. Starting and bouncing FROM THE TOP of the south side of the war memorial, we employed the new “Neck Tie Formation”.  Around the top of the memorial, down the south stairs, and back up.  While Partner A did that lap, Partner B was doing exercises on the (what turned out to be a lot higher than we thought) ledge.  Alternating lap, exercise, lap, exercise…and so one.  The exercises:

• One Leg Step Ups (or, use your hands to propel your one leg up step-ups)
• Ledge Leg Raises
• Incline Push-ups w/Clap
• Burnout Throughout: try not to slip on the ice while a Game of Thrones scene is being filmed all around you.

Side Note:  While the 5:28am group was fairly balanced, Maayan was the only female in attendance for the 6:15pm. Which means the early bird doesn’t always….never mind.  It also gave me a chance to recycle my “Hear it for the Boys” playlist from the Top Gun workout last year. JoeyMac –if you’re reading….there is your answer.

Announcements:

Friday – we will be meeting a couple blocks north of the War Memorial.  On the Plaza on North St. between Pennsylvania and Meridian.  Basically on the north side of the Obelisk Fountain (Roughly HERE).  There is a lot of the word “north” in this paragraph.

Next Wednesday is Race Day and we will be tagging! Bring your gear and bring your PR!

Think Warm Thoughts

• Shaw

They say March is in like a lion and out like a lamb.  Well, if that’s the case then good news for Race Day this month which should be a perfect 60 degree day with no wind. The snow was blowin’, but we still showin’.

Today’s workout consisted of an “up and over” pattern with dice stations placed on the north and south landings. Each person rolled a die (sounds morbid) and if it was even they did one exercise, if it was odd, they did a different one.  Each station had different exercises and the reps for all were 20.  And to keep with the theme of the month, when traveling on the top of the memorial, you marched (AKA high knees).

The exercises included, but were not limited too:

Incline Push-Ups or Bicycle Crunches

Tricep Dips or Flutter Kicks,

“Core Thrusts” or “Butt-ups” (which was clearly everybody’s fave)

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Spring in Indiana?? Well it sure felt like it!!!….yesterday.  This morning, on the other hand, was wet and cold, but that’s why we have our brand new NP buffs right?!?!  Kudos to all those who threw on their slickers and decided to still #justshowup.

The Workout:

The “Chipper Workout” that we have employed before (mainly in our Slumberjack workouts) but since there was so much water we can refer to it as a Bail the Boat workout. Each team of four had a total number of exercises to complete.  However they got through all of them was their choice…all numbers were divisible by 4 so that it could be split evenly should the team want to.  The exercises were as follows:

 

Notations:

Mother Nature – such a tease. Yesterday, while windy, was a pretty phenomenal 70° day. Now it appears to be back down in the cloudy 40s for the foreseeable future. Bless the Midwest….although it will make those days in March when we hit 60 and sunny just THAT MUCH SWEETER!!

We have some fun things coming up with Special Olympics in March!!

• First is the Polar Plunge at Eagle Creek on March 3^rd. NP Indy is going to help with set up and tear down of the event.  So – if you are available on Friday, March 2^nd during the day to help set up, please shoot me any email – jasashaw@gmail.com.  Shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours starting at about 10am.
• March 8^th we will be helping spread the group fitness love with the Special Olympics in Johnson Co. We have been asked to help with their Unified Fitness event which is very similar to an NP workout!! Just get together and sweat. They need us to help coach, partner up, and cheer with their athletes as they get their group workout on.  Please let us know if you are available for this.  It will be after work (it’s a Thursday).

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