This entry written the night before her last workout and into the morning of (not as planned) and that was completely par for the course—via Sierra Asplundh.
All hugs by yours truly. All photography featured in this blog post by Sebastian Gollings – find him on IG under the handle, @sebastiangollings
Tomorrow morning, I get the privilege to say the words, “Let’s get a little bounce going,” alongside my two co-leaders who will be bouncing and leading for many Wednesdays to come. I had this whole idea in my mind that I would only step down if I was moving or if I got a new job, or some other ‘life changing event’ that is suitable for health insurance updates. read more
We have created this blog post to give you the skinny on the newest queen crowned to lead November Project Brooklyn right here in Kings County. Most (read, all) of this information is provided to you by your previous duo to let you know how we see and forever hold this highness in our hearts, and hopefully, yours.read more
This blog is a little bit about being in the work from ‘me’ to ‘we’and what I’ve had the privilege of witnessing behind the scenes at the helm of November Project Brooklyn. The snippets below are to give glimpses from all angles, yet will never reveal all:
November Project Brooklyn – Day One Workout, May 2017
sangha (n)– originating from Sanskrit: the word has evolved from referring only to devout yogi practitioners to talk about overall community. It’s one thing to bring people together, to do that activity on the agenda, and call it a day. It is another to hold the space for people to come together who are, “engaged in serving and bringing joy to one another, and who inspire each other to contribute…the contribution of every individual to the community, and of the community to the greater world.” Bringing it back to a blog of yesteryear, every interaction matters. Not just your intention, not just your gooddays, and knowing we all are in this work together. read more
Growing up, I had to learn how to protect myself from a young age. I came from a humble background in what would be considered a bad neighborhood. Early on, I had to be taught what streets it was safe to walk on and which areas you wouldn’t want to walk alone. Look around for anything that could potentially be used as a weapon when you see a group of people walking towards you. Getting from point A to point B without stopping in between. Majority of you reading this may not have been taught this or gone through this at a young age but that was my reality. This was common in my area and I thought it was going to be my whole life. However, I decided to take another approach. I had some major adversities growing up and I lived an unhealthy lifestyle when it came to health and people I hung out with. I had it in my head that everyone was out to get you, that you couldn’t show fear and you always had to confront anyone who you felt looked at you the wrong way. I wouldn’t be the same person I am now though if I hadn’t found the world of running. read more
Thoughts by the writer in both first and third person, from one of the co-leaders of November Project Brooklyn—Sierra.
“Hello, Blog Post, my old friend…” Sierra here, with a little bit of STORYTIME to get you through your most recently updated, ‘slightly delayed,’ travel commute. This blog brought to you by the month of January and the saying, just show up.read more
All views are my own, and are malleable, and inspired the current blog from 4 years of life experience in or around November Project.
Sierra here, NOT reporting live, and attempting to recap my thoughts on the power of showing up.
There’s a separate blog forming that pertains to more personal context, and I’m going to spell it out here as mere possible suggestions with a, “How To Show Up For Yourself And Your Community In Just Three Ways.”read more
The Breakdown: this guest blogger wears many hats for our tribe locally and globally (Tara should write blogs for days, THAT’S just our unbiased opinion). Below is a bit of her go-to sharing power, her “tools of the trade” if you will, on HOW or WHAT to include while you are telling someone new about November Project.read more
This blog post is dedicated to those who have leaned into the characteristic of accountability to grow this movement (Read: November Project) that we are lucky to have.
Accountability.
According to Meriam-Webster’s dictionary, accountability is defined as the quality or state of being accountable: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’sactions.read more
My time at November Project has been like no other. All the way back to July 19th 2017 was my first workout at November Project Brooklyn. It was PR Day. I remember not talking to anyone but 1 person. I remember my first bounce… I vividly remember being totally mortified by these crazy people who are surprisingly social at 6:28. I went through the whole workout without saying more than 10 words to each person who attempted speaking to me. But yet when I left that day, I knew I wanted to go back.read more
A Guest Blog by Erica Silbiger:
Pictured here: the mental boost when you see November Project.
What many people don’t know is that the November Project is a registered racing team through the New York Road Runners (NYRR). This means that no matter where you are from or what tribe you workout with, if you select November Project as your team affiliation when registering for a NYRR race, you are considered a member of the November Project Racing Team. By being a member you have the ability to score points for the team which are tallied up at the end of the year and awards are handed out to the top teams in the city at a massive party called Club Night.
Yes, these points are based off of speed, however, there is one other award which is my personal favorite. The Team Spirit Award. This award is presented to the team that #justshowsup. And what other team just shows up more than those who also #wakeupthesun? That award has our name on it. This award goes to the team that has the biggest and loudest cheer squad with the highest participation during the race. We’ve won this award two of the last three years of this team existing (mic drop). Additionally, the Women’s Team has consistently placed in the top 3 in the Open B Division while the Men’s Team were recently moved to the Open A Division. This means that the Men’s Team now competes in the most competitive local club series =&0=&
By the end of 2017 we had 758 registered members of the November Project Racing Team making us one of the largest teams in New York City. None of this would have been possible without Captain Myles Fennon who started this racing team three years ago, not realizing then how big, fast, loud, and amazing it would become. I am humbled to have been chosen as the next Captain when he retired last December and happy to announce that the Women’s Team is now in first place after placing second at the Team Championships last weekend.
What does being your Captain mean? It means that I represent you at Club Council meetings and give you a voice. These meetings give every team a chance to have a say in what happens in the NYRR running community. It means that I can answer any questions you have about racing with NYRR whether it’s a Club Points Race or non-Club Points Race (what is a club points race?). It means that I make sure things are running smoothly behind the scenes so that your race day is flawless and hopefully without you noticing. It means that I am your go-to rep if you’re coming in town to run the NYC Marathon or even better, to cheer for the NYC Marathon. I manage the racing Facebook page that gives you all of the race day essentials like pre-race photo op, the bounce, course strategy, cheer squad location, etc. There are also tips and tricks on how to get faster or how to run hills or as Captain Emeritus Myles used to say how to “run the tangents!” It means that I am so proud of what this team has accomplished and can’t wait to see where it’s going. After 5 years of working out with the November Project, I have seen this incredible movement morph and evolve into the beautiful creature that it is today. But being Captain of this team has been, by far, the most humbling experience of it all.
All too often I get emails and messages asking if someone should sign up for a race if they are “slow” and feel like they will bring the team average down. No such thing as being too fast or too slow. My response is always and will always be that I don’t care about your speed, I care if you are there and doing your best. The best thing about being a NYRR racing team is that it gives us a chance to spread the love and positivity to the local running community. So if you’re already in NYC or you are traveling to NYC, you already know that our motto is #justshowup and whether that means showing up to score the team points, to run your own personal best (whatever that means for you that day), or to cheer your face off in the most neon outfit you can find, just. show. up.
