Way to push yourselves and get some PRs this morning! Extra congrats to the newbies who completed their first PRday and, of course, PRed as a result. We promise not every week is quite as miserable. We gave the Positivity Award to Lily at 0530 this morning for coming and being a consistently positive and friendly ray of sunshine in our mornings. Way overdue, we hope you have fun with the wooden oar this week! Pacin’ & Racin’: PR pals coming by Sunday..!
This weeks blog post comes from long time member Mercedes on her THIRD ANNIVERSARY with November Project Baltimore! Take it away, Mercedes….
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May 28, 2014: I was tired of seeing pictures of this so called group called November Project show up on my news feed every Wednesday and not be a part of it (I’m looking at you Amanda Stecco). Today was finally going to be the day where I would witness what this all was about. As soon as I arrived, I saw some of the fittest people. I saw muscles that I never knew existed; why don’t we learn about #wookiethighs in anatomy? Immediate regret washed over me. What had I gotten into? Was I crazy? What the heck is a PR and what does PR Day entail? Who the heck is Sally?! Is there still time to run back to my car? That day, I remember Nick talking about accountability. Once you’re in, you’re in. I guess there was no turning back now.
May 31, 2017: Fast forward to three years later (thank God for yearbook photos), I’m in awe of all the things I have gotten involved in these past few years due to NP. I’ve volunteered, ran in multiple running festivals, ran stairs in M&T Bank Stadium, visited the NP tribes of Washington D.C. and London, and most surprisingly, convinced my mom it’s completely normal to spray paint clothes.
November Project has changed my way of thinking and has changed my life ambitions. I went from shutting down ideas because I didn’t think I was strong enough, to signing up to run up the tallest mountain in Massachusetts this June. I went from dreading a 5k to conquering a half marathon. Every time I run in Baltimore and pass a runner, I can’t help but wonder if they belong to the NP community. November Project has made me a morning person (yes, I am the person dancing in her car blaring music down Light Street at 7:30 am). My classmates are always asking me how I get out of bed so early to run. Getting up at “zero dark thirty am” was a big deal before, but it’s no longer an option for me. It’s a need. A need to relieve stress and feel accomplished while watching the sun rise with my workout friends. It’s about seeing where you started and feeling proud of how fast and strong you’ve become. And trust me… that moment will come sooner than you think. I truly don’t know what I would do if NP wasn’t around.
November Project is the warmth and encouragement that may be lacking in other parts of our lives, from our workplaces, classrooms, or homes. It has been the cure for mid-week blues, breakups, bad exams, etc. On Mondays, rather than counting down the days until the weekend. I count down the days until Wednesday. Why? It’s my happy place.
Our lives are constantly changing. As I look back at NP_BAL group pictures from 2014, many of the tribe members have moved around the U.S., pursuing and chasing their life goals and dreams. Even with our lives constantly changing, November Project has been one of the few constant parts of our lives for the past few years. This group is full of inspirational people, both on and off the track. I’ve been so happy looking at how pictures have been getting livelier with more neon-wearing, sweat-drenched, endorphin-rich people. It’s crazy how the #NP_BAL community has evolved and expanded from meeting just once a week, to twice a week, to now meeting for Track Tuesday, 100-10 Saturdays, move crew, and any excuse to drink together, aka Libation’s Club.
Thank you, NP, for motivating me and pushing me in ways I never thought possible. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet the craziest people that run from Monument to Monument, that run shirtless in the middle of winter, that streak every day for a year, that run from Harlem to Washington D.C. to support women’s rights, that push their personal limits every day, that get out of their toasty-warm bed to run in the snow and sleet, and that would build a replica balloon person of me when I was traveling so I wouldn’t miss any of the action (see above). Y’all are the best <3
Nick once said once you’re in, you’re in. I couldn’t agree more. I don’t see myself leaving anytime soon.
