DENVER NOTES:
- With the flexible nature of facts these days, I’m stating it as truth that Denver was the coldest city in the NP Universe this morning.
- Ready-Go’s that ended with barrel rolls on the ground were met with fewer than expected grumbles.
- I still miss Molly Thayer’s lady growl for Ready-Go’s.
- If you use the word “less” instead of “fewer” in front of Christine Gallager, she will curb stomp your shitty grammar and proceed to hug you until you admit you were wrong.
- Never, ever, EVER run away from Chad Christoff. He will straight up form tackle your ass into the dirt, then step over you yelling something about “how we do it in Iowa.”
- Phone number workout is a classic. Text your buddy the dumbest joke you can think of.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever set your alarm for NP, woken up, then decided to slap your snooze button and slide back beneath the covers. {sips coffee waiting for entire group to raise hands} {raises own hand…then both} {spills coffee on crotch}
At some point or other, we’ve ALL wanted to say “Shut the F up!” to our alarms, or maybe we never even set them in the first place, because we just wanted sleep more, or it was too cold, or too wet, or too early, or too hot, or just too whatever. Don’t get me wrong, there are some days when our bodies need the rest. I’m talking about those days when everything is fine, but for whatever reason, you’re “just not feeling it.” For those days when you’re just not feeling it, let me give you a working list of why #justshowingup is the best thing you could do.
- Dogs. We have easily the highest per capita dog population in the NP universe. If you don’t like dogs, I’ll kindly invite you to stop reading and Google live puppy cam.
- Starting conversations at work with “Did you catch that sunrise this morning?!” is a lot cooler than “Hey, Jim, how was your weekend?”
- Human contact. Here’s an experiment: Ask someone who doesn’t go to NP when was the last time they hugged or high fived a stranger?
- Getting a little weird: Take #3 and insert “talk like a pirate or dinosaur, yell FUCK at the top of your lungs in a fit of joy, murder whisper without being immediately run away from, recite 90’s hip hop or Disney movie lines, or Black Eyed Peas lyrics”, etc., etc.
- The Bounce (see: #4)
- Making new friends
- Reconnecting with old friends: If you know Matt Anzur of DC, he and I have known each other since our freshman year of college (15 years, woof). Our relationship has done nothing but grow since we’ve started going to NP.
- Learning new exercises that you didn’t know were exercises. Eg. Supernova Donkeys, Komodo dragons, Baby goats
- Exploring your city and other NP cities
- NP vacations: holler if you’ve been to Summit, Summit.5 in Cali, or any Endurance Challenge Series weekend #DansVans
- Awesomely bad prizes for random trivia or crushing your PR.
- Laughing multiple times before 7am.
- Pooping multiple times before 7am #humblebrag
- Getting involved in your community
- Julia Griffeletti’s playlists {fire emoji x3}
- Yearbook pics: Speedos, bikinis, and arm floaties before 7am.
- Double Dare at Christine & Erick’s house – whipped cream sensual face diving.
- Learn the subtle art of shaming your friends into accountability
- Voodoo Doughnuts. Because you don’t know when that diabetic-inducing goodness is coming to a workout!
- Positivity: It’s infectious in the best way. No matter what side of the bed you wake up on, I guarantee you walk away from the workout feeling better about life, and maybe your heart is smiling just a little bit.
See? All of that and I only mentioned fitness once. And this is just the tip of the iceberg!
This morning I got form tackled, my grammar was corrected in a large group, I wore too little clothing, and partially lost my voice. I loved every fucking second. There are some mornings that, as a co-leader, are more difficult to show up for than others. If I’m honest, some mornings it feels as though I’m obligated, more than privileged. The truth, which some of you already know, and some of you will learn, is that the thing that keeps me, that keeps US coming back is each other. YOU make me better. YOU make me happier. YOU make me more aware of how my actions affect others. YOU make me more socially conscious. YOU make me fitter and faster. YOU have done all of this for me, and mostly without knowing it. I’ve just hung on for the ride.
The next time you’re ready to slap your snooze button, I hope you keep this list in mind. Maybe your reason isn’t on here. Comment on the FB post about what helps YOU to #justshowup when the morning is too early, too dark, too cold, too whatever.
FRIDAY: Wash Park 530/615, exact location TBD
SUNDAY: Rock n Roll cheer gang
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