Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
He woke to the sound of traffic floating through his open window. He could feel each passing car deep within his skull. They were angry at each other for the inconvenience that comes with living in the suburbs and commuting to the city. And, whether they knew it, they were angry at him for his sins. Each honk of a horn reverberated off of the backs of his eyeballs, each squeal of the brakes sent a shudder up his spine.
I don’t even know where to begin with regard to today’s workout. Perhaps describing the actual workout itself would be nice; or the smiling, bouncing faces that dotted the trails surrounding the buttes, awash in golden sunshine. But I should first probably address the stencil situation over the past two weeks.
We celebrated the Persian New Year today, and have asked Ahmad to round out his guest leader duties by writing a blog. Here it is.
wait
Before we get to Ahmad, an IMPORTANT REMINDER: next Wednesday is #sunrise6k. Meet at the West Buttes lot south of the amphitheater, NOT the amphitheater itself. Ok onto the good stuff. -Ed.
As much as we like to tout #WEATHERPROOF here at November Project HQ, the simple fact is that we humans cannot escape our natural physiological response to outside stress. We scurry for cover(s) as darkness spills over us like a ravenous, massive, flying bear* has blotting out the sun. We spike our alarm clocks into the carpet when they shriek at us at an offensive hour. We cower under North Face fortifications in a desperate attempt to defent against the siege of bitter winds. We choose flight over fight, as evidenced by a not-insubstantial drop in numbers during “cooler” months.
I must open this soliloquy with a confession, dear reader: I don’t like Christmas music. But Trevor! you’re likely shouting into your computer screen, Your Christmas playlist was without question the halcyon that soothed the raging waters deep within my being! And while I begrudgingly agree that it was quite the opus, I must also admit that my original plan was to only blast the One Good Christmas Song for the entirety of our workout. That’s right: Maria Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” nonstop, as both a celebration and an objection to the holiday season. Now, this doesn’t mean that I don’t listen to Christmas music. No, quite the contrary: I have a decent collection of holiday vinyl that fills the house with holiday cheer for the entirety of December¹. But it acts as filler, something on in the background while I go about bringing good tidings to you and your kin. No, I prefer my usual music selection, which consists of mainly Wu-Tang, Childish Gambino, Die Antwoord², 90s boy bands and show tunes³.
Yesterday, December 5, was Repeal Day, celebrating the repeal of Prohibition. Many people use alcohol to get a buzz.
December 6, today, is the 340th day of the year, with 25 days remaining. There are four Wednesdays in December. 340 – (25+4) = 311. The shortest (generally agreed-upon) ultra marathon distance is the 50k, which is 31.06 miles, rounded up to 31.1.
Ed. Note: Today’s blog is written by Rick, a Phoenix regular who crushed the ECSCA 50k this weekend despite having to literally drag another of our tribe members (Ahmad) for a portion of the race. I actually saw (and ducked away from) both of them at the mile 20.5 aid station, as I was waiting on a ride to the finish. That’s a story for another time. Phoenix represented with 22 people in San Francisco this past weekend.
I have a confession: I’m heading to San Francisco for a 50k(!) and a lot of time with leaders I don’t get to see nearly enough. It’s called the “November Project West Coast Summit” for a reason, and the weekend would normally be the highlight of the winter, with people flowing in from nearly every tribe in North America and abroad. But it can’t compare to the surge of a saguaro sunrise on the steps of Sun Devil Stadium.
Did you know that the ancient Babylonians based their mathematical system on the number 60, as opposed to the decimal system we use today? And that bees build their honeycombs using hexagons (aka six-sided figures)? Or that carbon, the basis for life as we know it, has an atomic number of 6?
If we so desired, we could use a heximal system, based on the number six. Further, making this system modular (or circular, like time shown on a clock) would effectively create a world where sixes become tens and tens become meaningless. In this case, 4+2=0, just like 12=0 on a clock. This is a fitting representation of the madness that is running in circles.
The stairs, they are always softer
When you are not running up
You dream about sleeping in yeah
While the sun is coming up
But this group it will infect you
Out among the red-rock buttes
Such wonderful things around you
Where else would you rather scoot?
Out at NP
Out at NP
Darling It’s Better
In Cooler Weather