Before you read my ramblings, read these notes on Sunrise 6k. If you’re still interested afterwards, then go ahead and indulge this blog post.
WHAT!?: (Use this for your instagramz today) A 6k race for everyone. Seriously…everyone.
WHERE?!?!: HERE, DRUID HILL PARK! Yes, that exact location.
WHEN?!?!: 6:30 am-7:30am. Rise and Shine. Let’s race. (We will be ending the race at 7:30 but please if you’re another 10 minutes away from finishing, get yourself in that group photo and then we’ll all get together and help you finish the race).
WHY?: Because racing is surprisingly fun. About twice a year we like to toe the line and race as hard as we possibly can because we feel that it’s an experience everyone should have. Slow, fast, it doesn’t matter. Races are a blast and regardless of where you finish, we know that there is a racing bug to be caught. At the end of the day, November Project is all about community support, so regardless of how fast or how slow you are, there is a collective experience for everyone…even on race day.
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The other day I woke up like I do every other day. I sat bolt upright, grabbed the cold brew coffee I keep at my bedside table next to a large stack of books intended to make me look intellectual, rolled out of bed already in my running clothes and sneakers and sprinted for the door. On the way to my front door I grabbed a kale based shake I had prepared a weeks worth of , hammered it, did a round of 200 pushups to get the blood pumping and did a quick downward facing dog…you know, just to set my intentions.
Ok, my mornings don’t look anything like that, obviously. I stumble out of bed searching for a caffeine fix , completely forget important things like socks, roll into November Project with 2 minutes to spare ( while my co-
leaders get there on time to keep the trains running), and for the most part spend a good portion of my day scrambling to remember what it is i’m supposed to be doing (writing a blog…that’s what I was supposed to do…yesterday!). But you know what, somehow ( mostly thanks to Pat and Sydney) we’re pushing 3 years of November Project. So despite my best attempts to sabotage it with sheer accidental negligence…November Project is going stronger than ever. If today was your first morning, you’re basically hitting November Project at its strongest point ever.
But the REASON I sat bolt upright a few weeks ago ( I’m exaggerating…just roll with me) is because 2.5 + years of November Project is no small feat. Pat, Sydney and I have missed a total of 4 days in the past 3 years. THAT’S FOUR! As in, during the last 900-1000 days of life, 200ish workouts (I’m guessing, Sydney probably has the exact numbers) we have needed subs 4 times! I am not saying this because I want to brag about how consistent I am ( because consistent is most definitely not what I am) but because I want to make 2 major points.
- I don’t get out of bed for anyone. Ask my girlfriend…it takes a lot of special people to get me up at 4:00 in the morning. You people have been doing that for almost 3 years.
- OUR IDEAS GETS OLD!
Let me address #2 very quickly. Sydney, Pat and I have become very good at leading workouts. Not tooting our own horn here, but we have got this down to a science. We know what works, what doesn’t work, what will never work and why that idea you had is a pyramid of disaster. HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come to us with ideas. I know, I know…it looks like November Project is perfect in every possible way, but for us, it’s prime time to shake shit up, reach for new goals , reach for new people, make #NP_BAL better than ever before.
Could we do that without your help? Maybe. Do we want to? Hell no!
So this is a mass mobilization. Are you an epic video-maker-dude-or-dudette looking to sharpen your skills? Send us a message, make us a badass video. Do you work for WBAL and think you can get us on TV? Please, make that happen (Thank you to Jess for doing just that). Do you have an amazing idea for a workout but you’re too afraid to tell us? Write it on the back of a box of Wheaties and mail it to us. We’ll think it’s funny and probably follow through on your idea. Do you have an event you really want to see done but need 200 people to pull it off? TWEET AT ME!!!!
The worst thing that happens is that we say no, or that we need to think about it. At the end of the day (and I have said this hundreds of times) November Project is for you. YOU have great ideas. WE want to hear them because more likely than not it’s something we would never have thought of. We want November Project to be for everyone because we believe we have a lot of good to do in this city. Help us do just that.
Nearly 3 years of NP has made me value this community a lot. At the end of the day I wholeheartedly believe that we’re having more fun than just about anyone else. So keep that ball rolling. Get crazy with your ideas. We’re waiting for them.
As always, Take Big Bites Out of Life,
Nick
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