“I’m so glad you’re here!”
Hearing Greg Bennett say those words to me mid-workout last July 11th meant the world, especially as my upper body was being beaten to smithereens. About six weeks prior to that first blitzkrieg to my body, I had done the Run Across Haiti alongside 24 other runners, including 4 gals from November Project Philadelphia. The way they had supported each other through the training and how NP Philly had in turn supported them all throughout the journey made a huge impression on me. Reading about the November Project in Runner’s World a few years back was one thing. Witnessing how this community could help propel some of its own do something as crazy as running 200 miles in 8 days was another. Hearing Greg’s genuine words of kindness meant I had moved from sight and hearsay to experience, all before the burnout burpees!
Experience. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then experience can be worth ten thousand. Over the next few months, the experiences came in spades and I felt welcome to be unashamedly me. High fives, hearty AWWW YEAHS, sweaty hugs, and looking forward to the weekly shenanigans made it easy for this non-morning person to wake up early on Wednesdays and #justshowup. So when Greg, Satkartar, and Stuart approached Morgan and I about guest leading for a week, there was no hesitation.
I could not have had a better partner in crime than Morgan. Our shared ultrarunning mentality of “Go BIG or go home”, coupled with a desire to help break up the winter blahs, birthed the idea of Hotter than Hell Week. Having never worked with each other before, it was an unexpected joy to see how our talents complemented each other so effectively. Morgan wrote of much of the craziness, including the nerves that come with planning a fun, welcoming experience for such a cool community here.
For me, the week was exhausting, but unbelievably worthwhile. More and more faces from the group became names, and while we dubbed it Hell Week, the building of community was anything but. Finding the energy to get crazy, especially during the last workout’s bounce, was easy for y’all.
It is hard for me to convey my appreciation for the immense and continuous effort that our leaders pour out to build this NP community. One of my past experiences was leading a Run for God couch-to-5k/Bible study group at my church for about 5 years. As the years went by, that group became very tight knit, helping each other tackle huge challenges, inside and outside of running. But due to personal weariness, the group wound up taking a break 3 years ago. At that point, my batteries were so drained that they never really recharged, and the group largely fell apart.
What I have experienced at November Project Columbus these past 8 months is special. I have seen people come together and lose their voices and minds cheering for complete strangers. I have seen birthdays celebrated in ways that just love big. I have seen a group come together and brainstorm ways in which we can give back to this city we call home. I have become connected to so many whose lives would not connect to mine outside of NP. So when Morgan and I were asked to guest lead for a week, I saw it as an opportunity to provide Stuart, Greg, and Satkartar with a much-needed break, the type of break that is needed in order to keep the energy needed to keep November Project Columbus growing sustainable.
There is something special happening here. I missed this week’s workout due to my body simply needing the rest. It was the first time I had missed outside of Christmas since August. But by the time I made it into work this morning, 5 people, including Satkartar, Stuart, and Greg, reached out to me individually, making sure that all was okay. That. Is. Freaking. Amazing. That shows the type of community that I tell others about, even moreso during this month of recruiting. So take your awesome November Project Columbus story and share it with your friends and co-workers. Soon enough, you’ll have them singing “I Got You Babe” over and over too!
Until next week fellow idiots!
Next week will be Couples Retreat, facebook event will be posted shortly. So bring a friend to ensure that your #team stays in the lead!
Love,
#teamSTARSkartar, #teamStuNuts, and #teamVolfiesNinjas
