NP_BOS Guest Blog: Katie Caponera

Ladies and Gentlemen, Katie Caponera.  Her amazing guest blog below is going to move you.  She’s going to tell you more about herself and why NP?  Which is cool, since she doesn’t say a lot at workouts.  We’re all different, after all.  Some are loud while others are quiet.  Some of us never shut up, but Katie isn’t going to get all up in your grill to tell you about her recent accomplishments or what’s frustrating the hell out of her, or even to tell you that you took your costume a little too far for the workout.  Thankfully, she’s letting us in on the heart and the drive behind her fierceness.  Unquestionably, she is a badass who is going to work just as hard as anyone else out there, and she loves this shit just as much as you do and I do.  There’s a reason she received the Positivity Award recently, and we’re really glad she keeps showing up to make this whole tribe better.  Here you go, this is Katie.

Hello, my name is Katie and I am an introvert. I also am generally not a fan of hugs…or touching other people at all. I also, currently, run an 11 minute mile. These facts beg the question, “Why November Project?” and I’m going to try and articulate my answer to that question in this guest blog.

I started at NP in the spring of 2014 when a friend encouraged me to try it for a new physical challenge. I was in the midst of a personal transformation at the time committed to losing weight and becoming more physically fit after having topped off at 300lbs and unable to walk up the three flights of stairs to my office without becoming winded. I also was a smoker. So after having to ask for a seatbelt extender on a flight in January of 2013 I had begun to change things. During this time I moved from Worcester to Boston, took up running, lost 100lbs and started going to NP stadiums. I admit, NP freaked me out a lot at the beginning – like I said at the start of this I’m an introvert and small talk and strangers are not my thing. But I reluctantly joined in, gave a lot of half-hearted, one-armed hugs and kept my headphones in the whole workout, every workout. New people are nerve-racking to begin with, but a group of people who all already know one another and have this secret language that you don’t yet know is even harder. I didn’t talk to anyone – for a year.

During this year other things in my life changed and my commitment to weight loss and pushing myself physically waned a bit. I lost my Aunt Kathy, whom I was extremely close to. She was one of my best friends and had been filled in so many of the gaps that had been created by the loss of my dad, 1o years prior. I still ran, but without the speed and dedication I previously had. However, I still kept coming to NP. Its consistent presence was grounding. I knew (mostly) what I could expect and that it would be there every Wednesday morning. While so many things were shifting, NP was constant.

I pushed myself to try Destination Decks and Hills and committed to talk to other people. I left my headphones at home. I remember the exact moment I talked to two other NPers – Mary Anna and Erica – which started me down the path of making new friends. I pushed myself to attend social events and NP-adjacent workouts. Since then I’ve made a lot of friends. Friends that push me and support me both at NP and beyond. Friends I can message at all hours and with all manner of questions, complaints, or ruminations (shout out to Kelly, Oriana, Sarah, and Laura 🙂 ). A community that supported me this past year as my mom was diagnosed with and underwent treatment for breast cancer. A community that span age and experience and background. A community that I can count on and that can count on me. A community that celebrates each others’ accomplishments and consoles during each others’ challenges. NP provided the space for all of that.

NP is still a struggle for me at times. I know I am slow and I am okay with that fact – but that doesn’t stop it from being discouraging. During partner workouts I am constantly worried that I am holding my partner back. Whenever we race, I have to give myself a pep talk – my internal dialogue goes something like this “You know you’ll come in last. You’re still here trying, that counts for something. Someone has to be last and it’s okay that it’ll be you.” That pep talk doesn’t always work and at times I fight back tears of frustration and embarrassment during a workout. Logically, I know that I should only be racing myself and trying to get faster, but that doesn’t stop it from being demoralizing when I lose every heat of a Black Falcon workout or finish the Sunrise 6k to a quarter of the crowd as when I started because most folks have finished and left. It can be really hard and I get really embarrassed, but I keep coming back. I keep wanting to push myself. Even when I am the last one doing burpees during a circuit that everyone else has already completed, I want to finish the whole thing myself – to prove to myself that I can. I am sustained by the words of encouragement and support from members of this community, even when they also make me feel slightly mortified. I am inspired by members of this tribe who do incredible things.

So “Why November Project?” Because of the community and the friendships that have developed. Because it will always be there on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It will take you as you are no matter your size, speed, or ability. Because it pushes me out of my comfort zone. Because it taught me to appreciate full-on bear hugs. Because it lead me to believe I can run my first marathon (239 days away as of the writing of this blog). Because it makes me feel like a badass that can accomplish anything. Because it’s usually the best part of my week. Because I love it.

MONDAY DESTINATION DECK

For the 4th and final time in February, the deck will be at LoveJoy Wharf.  You can find the exact location and verbal on the tracker: HERE.

Share via socials: