Today’s blog is brought to you by the always-lovable Jon Pressimone. My friendship with Jon started over a burrito after Baltimore Bike Party over two years ago; if you know Jon, everything about that start to a friendship makes sense. This past weekend, Jon and the equally-lovable Lilly Siems ran their first marathon in Disneyworld. Here are his thoughts on NP, running, and everything in between.
It was somewhere between mile 0 and mile 26.2 that it hit me: I love running.
I’ve had a long and interesting relationship with running, especially long distances. If you’ve ever talked to me at November Project you’ve probably heard the words “I hate running” come out of my mouth, but it’s all been a lie. I mean, I ran track in high school and college, I do track workouts for frisbee (which itself is a sport that involves tons of running), and I even have a wing tattoo on my ankle because “I figure I can always run.”
Every time I uttered those three words, I would see Nick shake his head and consider whether or not he was able to kick people out of NP. It wasn’t quite the ambassadorial statement. I don’t know why I thought it was the right thing to say. Maybe it was because it made my legs hurt, and I’m a baby. Maybe it was because if I said I hated it, it would make me feel like I had accomplished something more impressive (like how I feel when I eat vegetables). Maybe I said it because I didn’t know my potential.
I’ll admit, I originally showed up to November Project because a talented ultimate player from Boston told me it would help me get / stay in shape for the season. That’s what I do. I play Ultimate. I breathe it. I sleep it. I talk about it non-stop. Every now and then I run a 5K, but I am not a runner. Or at least that was what I thought. November Project has changed me. Here is a small list of things I used to say before NP.
- “I’m not really a morning person.” – I have now grown accustomed to going to 5:30am NP so I can workout before work.
- “I don’t like making a scene.” – I have participated in multiple runs through the city in various clothes (or underwears) and created quite a spectacle.
- “I’m not a runner.” – I have, since joining NP, run not only a half-marathon, but just completed my first full marathon. I didn’t even hate it. Before I was done, my girlfriend, Lilly, and I were talking about running another one… eventually.
The thing is, the change happened because of all the amazing people that have encouraged me and pushed me week in and week out. Whether it was a word, or a text, or a snapchat, or a video about how to avoid pooping mid-marathon (thanks Bryson), you’ve shown me the incredible things that a person can do. There were many times during the marathon when I was tired, or sore, or hungry, or thirsty, but thinking of the tribe back here in Baltimore kept me moving.
So here I am saying it; I LOVE RUNNING. I’m going to do it probably until my legs fall off. I’m going to run more races and see what else I can do. I’m going to try my best to support and push all of you in the same way that you’ve done it for me. I’m going to do all of this because not only do I love running, but more importantly, I love you!
