Category: Austin, TX

News from Austin, TX. Connect with us via Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Posted on

Sharing in the Suck: Building Community (ATX)

Guest blog by: Jessica Carroll

I’ve been thinking about community lately – how we as humans are holding on to whispers of ancient tribal bonds. I recently read “Tribe” by Sebastian Junger, which dives into the idea that modern society has created isolation within the human populations that live within it. That isolation is correlated to emotional struggles, anxiety, depression, medication prescriptions, suicide, and alienation from society. Junger counters this observation with how areas immediately develop close-knit community in times of natural disaster, war, and overall shared difficult situations. The shared bond in suffering breeds a stronger unit.  read more

Posted on

A Peek Under The Hood

November Project Members embrace at Pre-Boston-Marathon workout

In the past few weeks, we’ve made an announcement about adding new sponsors to the global November Project family. We also stated that November Project will start accepting donations as we are now a non-profit organization. Since then we have received requests for more details regarding how we will allocate the funds donated. Hopefully, the following breakdown will help answer those questions:

Leadership Support and Training:

Our leaders are our most important assets. Their willingness to selflessly wake up before dawn and lead workouts is the only reason that this movement keeps growing and prospering. It’s vital to us that we continue to provide them with support and resources so they can continue to excel in leading their city. One way we do that is by connecting them with other leaders at our annual gathering we call the Meeting Of the Minds, or MOM for short. At MOM, the leaders have the opportunity to share stories, learn from each other’s successes and failures, and foster relationships that transcend geographical boundaries and time zones. We discuss everything under the leadership umbrella such as creative ways to recruit new members, how we can improve inclusivity, ways to plan an efficient workout, as well as addressing ‘Corporate’ topics with strategic decisions that we at NP HQ are working on. We also bring in specialists who have a unique perspective on diversity and inclusion to challenge us to shift paradigms. And even though the hashtag #safetythird has seen its fair share of usage on social media channels, we take the safety of our members very seriously and offer CPR certification classes to every co-leader interested.

Day-To-Day Operations:

November Project, Inc. has two full-time employees, Brogan Graham and Bojan Mandaric, and one part-time contributor, Laura Green. This trio is in charge of all non-workout leading operations including, but not limited to, designing and executing NP strategy, planning and operating an annual budget, communicating with leaders, growing the new and existing NP locations, and collaborating with our sponsors, partners, and local communities. As we move into this new space, the job description is now expanding into the growth of the non-profit/youth program and fundraising that may require bringing on more hands on deck.

Administrative Cost:

And finally, the not-so-sexy yet extremely valuable tools associated with administrative duties which include website hosting and maintenance, accounting, legal expertise and compliance, mailing, and printing, just to name a few.

We hope this gives you a more transparent view on how your donations are used to grow the movement we all love and appreciate. If you’re interested in supporting November Project, click here.

Posted on

Brooks x November Project = Awesome

Today we’re proud to announce Brooks as the official footwear and apparel sponsor of November Project. Brooks has been woven into the fabric of NP Seattle since the early days. From the CEO down to the newest hires, they celebrate the culture of bettering the world through running and movement. Based on these shared core values, it didn’t take us long to get excited about the potential of our combined reach. The Brooks influence will be multifaceted, including financial support, access to new footwear and apparel, resources for our leadership training and the annual November Project Summit, entries into Brooks-sponsored running events, and activations on a local and global level. We’re ramping up to do some very cool things together and couldn’t be more excited.

#NPSUMMIT
This year’s annual gathering of all November Project members from around the world will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 15-18 at The Rock’n’Roll Las Vegas. The races on Saturday (5K) and Sunday (10K, 13.1M, 26.2M) actually shut down the iconic “Strip” and don’t start until the sun sets. There is so much more to come, but for now, plan to partake in various activities that will kick off with the workout on Saturday morning and conclude on Sunday night. We will be sharing NP-specific registration codes soon but if you’re so excited that you HAVE to register immediately, who are we to say no?

We’re stoked about all the incredible things that are ahead of us but for now, please join us in welcoming Brooks to the global November Project family!

Posted on

#RecruitEveryone – January recruiting challenge (ATX)

Let’s kick off 2019 by spreading the word about November Project!  Your co-leaders are challenging you to #RecruitEveryone in January! Tell your neighbors, your coworkers, your friends, strangers, we mean everyone about our awesome community.  Work on your 30 second elevator pitch and get new folks to our workouts! In addition to the rewarding feeling you will have seeing these folks smile at 6 am and crush their goals in 2019, we have some incredible prizes for top recruiters from our friends at the North Face & Jaybird!
How you win:

  • 10 points for someone new you recruit to November Project Austin who lives in Austin.
  • 8 points for someone new you recruit to November Project Austin who is not local.
  • 4 points for each unique social media post about November Project with photo/visual.  Make sure to tag November Project Austin so we see it!  (Max twice a week, 8 points total per week.)
  • 7 points for bringing a guest that has not attended an NP in the last 6 months. We miss them!

    • read more

    Posted on

    Ch-ch-ch- changes (ATX)

    We had a big announcement this past Monday at our Labor Day workout! For those who missed it, starting October 1st we will be giving you back your Monday mornings. We will no longer be holding regular Monday workouts.

    For those of you who love our stair workouts, fear not! On October 5th we will be moving our Friday workouts to the Frank Erwin Center. You will still get your weekly dose of stairs & ramps!  read more

    Posted on

    NovemBern Contest

    Dear November Project Universe, the time has come for another NP Homework, and this one is going to be stellar. It involves bicyles, the great outdoors, painted #GrassrootsGear shirts, and of course, awards for the best submissions. This year, our friends from Bern Unlimited will reward 10 of the funniest, silliest, most creative, or as we call it “The X-factor’est”, submissions from around the world with Bern Helmet of the winner’s choosing. To be selected in the exclusive group of 10, you have to follow the rules below:

    Post a photo on Instagram between Monday, August 6th, and Monday, August 13th. Photos posted after midnight EST on August 13, will not be considered eligible.

    You must:

    1. Be wearing #GrassrootsGear
    2. Have a bicycle somewhere in the picture
    3. Be Outside (spin bikes will not work, sorry Casey Winkler)
    4. Tag @novemberproject @bernunlimited #NovemBern #StayOutThere

    Phone filters that alter photo color, brightness, etc are allowed. Tools that can add or remove items that are not in the original photo (photoshop or bunny nose/ear filters) are not.

    The winners will be selected by the panel of esteemed judges, whose identity shall remain anonymous to prevent any attempts at meddling. Our 10 winning photos will be posted on @novemberproject Instagram on August 16 and the winners will post photos with their Bern Helmets after they arrive.

    So folks, get out, get on your bikes, and get creative. As of right now, the NovemBern week is officially open.

    Posted on

    Exciting New Direction

    Over the last six and a half years, the co-founders of November Project, Bojan & Brogan, have been expanding the movement while it continues to grow organically through passionate and dedicated volunteer leadership, weatherproof workouts, and supportive communities, all at the cost of zero dollars. But with expansion comes evolution and November Project is proud to announce the next chapter of the movement, as a nonprofit organization. This year, with the support of everyone in our community, the structure of November Project (NP) will be one that involves more than simply two co-founders.

    The goal of NP as a free fitness movement will remain the same. At our future and existing
    locations around the world, we will continue to work hard at cultivating a culture of inclusivity, and will never stop proving that fun, fierce, free, and efficient morning workouts have the power to positively change the places we live in. The new arm of the NP nonprofit is one which we are incredibly excited about. We aim to use the spirit of NP to host our first community outreach plan that aims specifically at youth. After all, the NP rulebook for accountability, human connection, intense fitness, and support for all fitness levels could make an even larger impact if we use these tools to train a younger generation, creating healthy habits from an early age.

    Financial resources to support the efforts of the NP nonprofit, the ongoing movement, and to keep great humans in the NP family at an organizational level, will come from personal
    donations, grants, in-kind donations, and strategic partnerships. One of those partners, The North Face, has been powering November Project movement for the last three years and will continue to support NP at a global level through access to outdoor training gear, storytelling via various media outlets, leadership gatherings, and the annual November Project Summit. NP will pursue other partnership that will broaden the opportunities to bring free fitness to more people, but The North Face will remain the exclusive apparel, footwear, and equipment partner, and just like the last three years in this partnership, will be the reason November Project is able to continue the growth. Details on how you can directly support (aside from just showing up) will be revealed in the weeks to come.

    The November Project team and the Board of Directors are ecstatic to progress this movement into the nonprofit space and set even bigger goals to achieve in the years to come. Hold onto your hats, folks, it’s about to get even crazier!

    Posted on

    November Project ATX turns Uno!

    We became an official part of November Project on May 10, 2017. Our first year has brought us many new faces and experiences.

    We’ve learned how to be #WeatherProof. Hey, it does get cold here for a month or so and a Texas thunderstorm can rival an East Coast snow storm. 

    Edwin, Rachel and I could not be more proud to have led & to continue to lead this tribe. The sense of community y’all have helped us build is overwhelming – y’all have seen my tears of pride & appreciation for it many times! You fill my heart.

    This morning over 80 of you joined us to help celebrate our first birthday. You verbaled, you showed up and you brought energy and love like you do at every workout. Thank you!

    The workout courtesy of November Project Madison:

    Uno:

    Draw two cards, do the exercises and then take a lap around the Capitol. Repeat.

    Red: 10 tricep dips

    Blue: 10 plank taps

    Green: 10 heel raises

    Yellow: 10 step ups

    Draw 2: 20 of exercise assigned to color 

    Reverse: Run the opposite way around the Capitol

    Skip: Skip to row of cones and back 

    Wild: 10 of exercise of choice 

    Customizable Wild: Follow directions on card. e.g. 10 Squat-pliments, give out 5 hand hugs etc.

    Burnout:

    Head, shoulders, knees and SHOES! Winner of the face off: 5 jumping jacks

    Partner: 5 burpees

    We get to get up and have adult recess 3 times a week. We get to laugh and get our workouts in before most of Austin wakes up. 

    We’ve seen y’all set goals and crush them. The support and this community is not possible without each and every one of you. As BG said “Own this human experiment that continues to prove that people do actually love one another.”

    “If we build it, they will come”

    – Gina 

    Announcements:

    WE MISSED YOU: Penley, Tanna & Kakalina! Broken verbals break our hearts. 

    Join us at our birthday happy hour today at the ABGB: 1305 W. Oltorf. We will be there starting at 4.

    Sign up for Austin Runners Club Daisy 5k on 5/19 at Camp Mabry! Or #JustShowUp to help us cheer on the runners! Use code “NP” for a 10% discount

    https://austinrunners.org/events/daisy-5k/

    Posted on

    The light at the end of a 450 mile tunnel – Guest blog by Leo Martinez (AUS)

    Before I begin, I just want to say that I’m not comfortable talking (or typing) about myself. It’s not that I don’t see myself worthy of it; I’d just rather see the praise and attention go to another tribe member or the tribe itself. But one of my tribe members asked if I’d share this part of my story, and if it helps the tribe or November Project in any way, I’ll gladly oblige.

    My job as an 18 wheel driver has me usually working overnight. Many a night, my shift begins anywhere from 5pm to 10pm, and ends right around 6am. Most of the time I drive from Austin to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex; other nights I head down to the Corpus Christi area. I’m putting in anywhere from 415-520 miles on my odometer, any given night. It’s not that it’s physically taxing work, I’m just in charge of a huge vehicle in a time at night where drivers may not be in the right frame of mind for the circumstances. Once I get back to the depot I still have to do paperwork and put away all the equipment I’ve used. Then comes the part that brings a smile to my face – running to my personal truck. Depending on what time it is I’ll either change in my truck, at my work parking lot, or I’ll drive to the workout and change there. I have a choice when I leave: I can either turn left and head home to my comfy bed, or turn right and go join my November Project tribe in a grueling workout. And believe me, it’s crossed my mind to turn left, but then I remember how great it is to spend an hour with – what I consider my second family – my Austin tribe.

    When someone tells me that they are not a “morning person” or that they don’t like working out first thing in the morning because they haven’t had their coffee, I’m a little jealous. I’d kill for a 30 minute nap and a large iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts. I may be exhausted from being up all night, but I would not want to be anywhere else in the world other than bouncing, dancing, sweating, and working out with my tribe.

    One morning at breakfast I accidently told Gina – one of the co leaders –  what I go through at work to make it to the workouts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I was a little embarrassed at the time because she told those seated at the table that I worked all night and came straight to the workout without any sleep. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my story could have an impact on the tribe. If I can forgo any sleep and still give what I have left at our workout, maybe folks will give that a thought and  roll out of bed when their alarms go off. I’ve learned a lot about what the human body can withstand and still be okay, while being part of my tribe.

    The best part of driving 450 miles overnight is the fact that I get to see my November Project Austin tribe in the morning. I wouldn’t give it up for anything. Not even a 30 minute nap. – Leo.