This blog comes from two summit newbie co-leaders so bear with us as we use a lot of words to describe all that we experienced this past weekend and stay tuned for further actions..!
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In a word summit was REFRESHING. It felt like being dunked in a dunk tank reaffirming all the wonderful things that November Project does. Refreshing because I had the chance to meet so many other people who were passionate about this movement and equally jazzed to connect with me. Refreshing knowing that now we have the chance to continue to do that here in Baltimore. Summit was refreshing just like each time I show up to November Project it is refreshing. It shakes your day up and, when you’re new, maybe it changes the way you think working out should be. It’s why I love it so much. Starting my day with a group of people who is willing to get up at dark o’clock in extreme humidity, willing to get out of their comfort zones to move and sweat together. YES this is definitely refreshing and it’s important to remind us of that. So this weekend, summit was refreshing like jumping into the ocean in February, at the northern most tip of Canada without a wet suit with 1500 of your soon to be friends from all over the globe.
How do I sum up the intensity of 1500+ human beings in Harvard Stadium where this movement was born? How do I explain the weight of bringing on two more cities after that workout, the 42nd and 43rd tribe: Miri, Malaysia (!) and Buffalo, NY. Ridley, the co-leader from Miri traveled from Sunday-Tuesday to get Boston…talk about commitment! How should I describe the warmth and enthusiasm that I was met with by the other co-leaders from all of the cities. It is pretty remarkable that what started with two friends in Boston is infectious enough to inspire and energize people in all of these cities to show up to a free workout to connect with others. The connections forming between all of these people, these cities and these countries was the overarching theme I took from the weekend.
Having never been to summit before but having experienced November Project in a handful of other cities, the feeling of having all those people at Harvard Stadium was like drinking 2,000 espressos and it was infectious. The energy was simply incredible, people quite literally tearing ass to get to the end of 37 sections in the time period allotted. I spent the workout trying to organize the flashmob of humans and cheer for people at section 31 as they ate the monstrous stairs for breakfast. I greeted people from more tribes than I can count and gave out as many high-5’s and hugs as I could. I high-fived professionally sponsored athletes, parents with babies strapped to their chest, Maida the woman I wrote this we missed you for, Meg Giunta’s mother and so many more that I have never met before who were as excited I was that they made it to the top of section 31.
On Friday the co-leaders spent the day together getting to know each other while learning from and with the more experienced in the group about leadership, social media, recruiting, playfulness (and actually how important that is!) to name a few. As I reflect on that day some of my favorite parts were painting the face of “Father Ice” who leads the tribe in Iceland, with his daughter while explaining whether I’d ever used someone else’s toothbrush***, crowdsurfing professional ultrarunner and generally awesome human Tim Olson while sitting altogether (yep, 100+ photo for proof) in a tiny extremely smelly room waiting to watch the Dooster film that dropped after the workout and throwing rubber chickens at other co-leaders while running back to the Boston University Dorms where we bunked up (literally up as in lofted high enough that we climbed ladders to get to our beds each night…) and when we took the time on Friday to talk about how November Project is inclusive and how it could be better in that respect. It meant a lot for us coming from Baltimore to broach that subject on the November Project global scale and I look forward to seeing the conversation take more shape in the months to come.
Saturday at the North Face Endurance Challenge Series at Wachusett Mountain I can’t speak for the hypefest that was the start/finishing line because I was busy running/climbing/chewing Nick’s ear off about who knows what/listening to him sing Monty Python songs for 7+ hours. You can experience that by clicking on this link to the bounce. It speaks for itself. What I can share with you is that the raw emotion after completing something as challenging as that 50K is intense! And nothing made me more happy and proud than having a troop of the Baltimore crowd there at the finish. For the 15 minutes after the finish we were being congratulated and hugged by Baltimoreans and other November Projectors from all over.
If you read none of that OK, I get it it’s long…but the action item is here:
- November Project is built on creating real human connection through workouts. Engaging with each other to get through a tough workout together. Together everything is easier. Together a stair burnout gets easier when you get a cheer and a high-five from that person you met at the beginning of the workout.
- So what does that mean? That means in order to build this movement we need to take the headphones out, talk to the person walking/biking/dancing next to you, the person standing behind you in line at the coffee shop. We also need your help!
- Because I think and I hope you guys also think that November Project is something special we need to spread that to infinity and beyond. We are going to establish a recruitment committee to help us engage with people who may have not heard of November Project and spread it in Baltimore. We want to hear your ideas! Stay tuned on that front..!
***I have, incase you’re curious, and so has he!
Happy Wednesday!
Bryson
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Views From the Summit
Travelling to the Summit 5.0 was always going to be an epic experience, but I couldn’t have had a better portent of the four days ahead of me than my armchair buddy on my flight; Sydney. She was almost as excited for me as I was and supplied a lot of positive energy to drive down any uncertainties. I don’t know what exactly I was expecting, but I knew we were heading to the mothership and that by itself was a dream destination. The number of firsts I wanted to check, Harvard Stadium stairs, the Summit races on saturday, seeing Boston for the first time and maybe if I was lucky a trip to historic Fenway. Then there was the opportunity to experience all this with all my tribe mates and represent for our city.
All those thoughts were chased away when i entered the mini-reception for the leaders. The only thing that comes close to describe it is an avalanche of warmth, enthusiasm, welcome, sweaty hugs, excitement and unadulterated passion for what brought us all together. I could recognize it in their eyes, that same thing that I see everyday in Nick and Emily’s eyes when we talk about the baltimore NP community. That passion was swirling in that room from Brogan and Bojan as we exchanged giant hugs with me. Their words and intensity left no doubt how much they loved having me there. That scene was repeated another eighty times as I met leaders from all the sister cities of NP. Recognizing people from Instagram posts and Facebook feeds was as surreal as feeling a kinship that had been kindling without my knowledge. I now understood what it was like to be part of a worldwide movement.
Even more gratifying was seeing the respect shown to Nick, my co-leader. It’s easy to forget how integral he was to building the tribe in Baltimore, but seeing him in action on a larger scale made it even better to stand with Baltimore on my chest. I won’t bore you with the details, but I can tell you that Nick led the charge on what I considered to be one of the most important parts of the weekend.
Bryson was an additional host, being a Bostonian. Her love for her city was in her eyes and steps, but her spirit really shone through as she blasted through a 50K. She makes it impossible to see limits and she definitely did us proud out there.
Saturday was the best day to be from Baltimore. I saw a sea of tribes, but mine came in mass and in strength. To see our teams, filled with people who began running journeys with the tribe a year ago get on one of the most difficult trails you could imagine. They didn’t complain, well they kind of did but with that “I don’t give a shit” swag. When it was their turn to make that run, they raced to it with their well stenciled shirts and made it to the summit. Their spirits seemed to resurge as they came back smiling, conquering any doubt about whether they had it in them. All our guys finished, regardless of fitness level. It was no wonder I came back hoarse after yelling as each team crossed the line together.
Summit 5.0, I really enjoyed you,
Kaye
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