Wisconsin Notes: (of whole dang summer)
-3rd birthday on da radio
-Summit 5.0 in BOSTON
-MEC Races 1,2 &3
-Canada Day Capture the Flag
-Bombers Stadium & goodbye Tam (tear)
-Goldeye’s #stairsforbreakfast
-Manitoba Marathon #raceeverything
-Dragonboating!
-Sunrise 6K
-NP BBQ
Wow, my dudes, what a summer it’s been! We have raced all the things, got sweaty all over this city and hugged all the people! As you can see from the highlights above we had a jam packed summer at NP YWG, from races, to special workouts and social events (and not to forget that special magic of any regular old Wednesday or Friday workout) we made it count!
I was thinking back over the epic few months that we just had and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to adequately convey what this summer has meant, so I reached out and asked the tribe to share with me their favourite NP moment from the summer and the thing that they are most looking forward to this fall. And share they did:
Simon Garfinkel:
This summer was great, definitely one of the best and NP was a huge part of that that for me. After a cold winter being able to just enjoy so many scorching hot and humid workouts was such a joy. Its tough for me to pinpoint one moment this summer that I would categorize as the best. Something that I would say is notable is the level of connection I felt among the tribe. There wasn’t one moment when this happened but progressively I just felt everyone getting closer. This workout group turned into a friendship group and workout/running buddies turned into close friends. The support within this tribe is like nothing else and I am incredibly grateful for that. Cheers to an amazing summer. Looking to autumn the days get short, school gets crazy. My goal is to just keep moving. The runs may be slower, shorter and less frequent but I want to hold myself accountable to at least try to keep getting out there when I can and not be too hard on myself if I can’t!
Mark Alward:
My two highlights were the Dragonboating and having a bunch of people to my (And Sara’s) cabin. Dragon boating was awesome since I made a number of new friends and it was just an awesome day where everybody had such a great time. At the lake I got to know a lot of friends much better in a more social setting, getting to know everyone away from the time they spend getting sweaty. NP also gave me the opportunity to start running and racing this summer. Finally, for me the best part of the summer was recruiting friends. I had a handful of friends come to their first NP workouts this summer, including two, Will and Kelly, who have become regulars. To me, that has been the most rewarding part of NP, getting to share it with those who were friends from something else and seeing them fall in love with it the way I did over two years ago.
Leaslie McPhail:
I am new to NP and I have only been out to 4 workouts, the best one was at the forks 3 weeks ago, I totally enjoyed the community, the inspirational motivation that everyone brought out in each other. Everyone cheers and applauds the attempts by all. It inspired me to try harder, I am coming off of injuries and feeling down but this group so inspires me to try and not give up. I have volunteered for 2 races I was supposed to run in but couldn’t because of injury and this group has inspired me to cheer for my fellow runners and others struggling. In the fall I hope to be stronger and inspire others along the way and to not give up. This group is amazing.
Jenny Parisian:
Jenny’s Wisconsin notes:
-summit was cool, my tribe is even cooler.
-I ran a lot and made many friends.
-Going to keep it up, want to be friends?
There were way too many fun things that happened this summer to just pick one: Manitoba marathon, all the MEC races, NP BBQ, random adventures hiking or picnicking with NP friends, random nights out that turned into watching the sunrise with NP friends, canoeing, dragon boating, and stand-up paddle boarding, and the best part, making friends who I know are going to be in my life for a long time.
It would be super easy to say that summit was the highlight of my NP summer, but even better than summit was coming home to my tribe, hugging all my friends and realizing how damn lucky we are to have each other and our leaders. (Seriously leaders, y’all are incredible and I’m thankful everyday). The first workout back after being away for 3 weeks left me with a smile that lasted all day. I don’t know the last time I felt that happy. So that was for sure one of the best days of my summer.
My goal for the fall is to keep running as much as I have this summer, and maybe hopefully sign up for a half marathon next year????? 
but my bigger goal is to continue growing this community and welcoming as many newcomers to social events, add them to the community page, and make an effort to get to know more people every week. I love this community and the relationships I’ve made because of it, and I want that for as many others as possible.
This year, I celebrated my one year of running. Years ago, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol and my weight was too high and I smoked a lot. I was on medication to maintain my blood pressure and cholesterol level.
Derek Page:
What I’m looking forward to this fall: – the first snowy day workout, and feeling that shift from fall to winter. November Project in the winter is even more fun than November Project in the summer for me.
Huge thank you to everyone who contributed, I appreciate you! We have some special stuff coming up to encourage you to leave your warm beds as the mornings get colder and darker, so stay tuned! I heart you all!
