Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
As is traditional ’round these parts, we took part in the annual December 21st urban backpacking festival. And I think, as is traditional, the best way to describe what took place is as follows:
‘Twas the morning of the 21st, when all through the city
About 50-odd creatures were stirring as they prepped to get fit-y;
Their backpacks were donned on their backs, by their hair,
And they hoped they’d soon get to take those off of there;
Welcome to the club all you diehards! The single digits club was bumpin’ today in Indy with awesome showings at both workouts! Indy’s first good snow of the season brought with it our first deep freeze. But that didn’t stop the masses from #justshowup – ing.
7 degrees (that’s -14 in whatever wacky temperature measuring method you Canadians use up there; I mean, what kind of sense does it make having 0 mark freezing?!?! 32: much more logical) was the consensus on a couple phone apps, but we’ll go with 3 degrees (-16 Can-a-dia) because Howard Monroe says so; he’s got that direct weatherman connection. Either way, that’s one WinterWeatherProofSingleDigit Tag earned for everyone at the workouts today!
Four simple words. Numerous iterations of a classic. Maybe you’re a purist and love the Dean Martin version, maybe you’re more contemporary and dig the Jessica Simpson version — or maybe you ABSOLUTELY LIVE FOR the Will Ferrell-Zoey Deschanel version from Elf.
I’m not here to tell you which version is the best (it’s the Jimmy Buffett one, OBVIOUSLY). I AM here to present you with an alternative to this holiday classic. Suspend belief for five minutes, imagine I have a good singing voice, and listen to the NP version:
Well, the workout was tough this morning, not because of the burpees, not because of the wall-sits, not because of the heft of the flannel, not even because of the cold. It was tough because so many of us were dressed up like lumberjacks that the ESPN cameras and onlooking diehard fans and folks needing trees chopped down just kept getting in the way. We did our best to alleviate that problem, citing Mr. David Chappelle: “Just because I’m dressed this way does not make me a [lumberjack].” Appropriate person/stand-up act to cite here? You be the judge . . . but the answer is definitely no; I’m not even going to hyperlink the feed to that clip, though if you were to look it up, the word lumberjack may or may not have replaced the words “police officer” . . . maybe, maybe not; I won’t say. Aaaaanyway, the important stuff is below.
-JoeyMac rockin’ to the rhythm of the rain like a true Judd-
“Well the weather outside was frightful, but the fire J-Keys lit under everyone’s asses was so” . . . well, that was frightful too, but it sure as hell got us moving (looking at you Ja’Shawn . . . nice work today)! Wrong holiday, right idea. Thanksgiving too often gets overlooked in stores and themes, so it’s comforting to know that Shaw can always dish out a soothing festive song like “The Gobble”, which inspired the below “piece” . . . .
The results are in . . . fun was had by all at NP here in Indy this morning (and at a hell of a good price I might add)!
We had plenty of groggy faces still recovering from contentious races, but we made due with heightened energy, hugs upon hugs, and of course free as can be fitness! Despite the economy, despite the rhetoric, despite the political mortal combat, NP always stands firm based on a solid, unshakable platform of free fitness and a sense of community for the masses! I think that’s a platform nearly everyone can stand on.
Aaaaaoooooooohhh!!! The Tribe* really brought it today! We got warm by huddling up with a little Warren Zevon inspired Halloween-ish bounce, then hit the steps for some stellar Race Day performances!
We had one of our fastest Tribe members absolutely bring it today by setting his Race Day PR, had some newer but consistent Tribe members really push the envelope (and by envelope I mean co-leader) during the workout, and we had a couple newbies get a taste for what we’re all about! Plus, the Halloween costumes were a graveyard smash!
We laughed a few laughs, cried a few cries (or was it just raining? . . . or did we just have a bad day as young superstar wide receivers who get beat up by kicker practice nets? https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/780132865556242432/photo/1 ), jockeyed a few invisible horses, and burpee’d a few burpees. It was another solid Race Day.
Today we start our #weatherproof journey into the cold darkness. By start, I mean pick up where we left off in May, and by cold darkness, I mean weather-that-seperates-the-bitches-from-the-badass. No matter what comes our way, we will be there, racing each other, pushing each other to be the best versions of ourselves, and murder whispering sweet nothings to each other and into the cold, dark, most probably wet, air. Amsterdam is not known for it’s sunny climate, but November Project is known for being #weatherproof, and we have the power to bring the light into each others Wednesdays every single week. All you have to do is show up.
It’s hot. That’s become the common descriptor for our workouts. And somehow we still managed some PRs, despite the the best efforts of that goddamn sun and its nigh-unbearable heat. In fact, Jamil nearly managed to repeat his Herculean sub-11:30 (in a taper week, no less), and #FastAnnie shall henceforth be known simply as Fast after her 15:30.