Yuuuuuup. 36 degress. Weather app says “feels like fuckin cold, man” and you’re already lacing up your shoes. The pre-workout-dump is gone, you just need to figure out which of the 3 layers you laid out the night before you’re going to rock. You throw on the necessary #weatherproof gear on to keep you warm and run out the door–roommates still sleepin’ like idiots. You jump outside, and step right in a big ol’ New England puddle mixed with snow, ice, and an old Dunkies cup. You look up and smile.
Monday is here.
Hit your phone and tell your #accountibilibuddy you’re “running late, but I’ll be at comm and [insert some other street here] at 6. We should still make it in time.” You take off. Running on sidewalks and roads, blitzing through red lights, green lights, jumping across highways, always asking for forgiveness–not for permission when running in front of cars.
Your friend texts back, “All good. It’s not like it’s 30 fuckin degrees out and I’m standing here in the rain.” Next text flies in, “Just get here, we can make it if we hustle.”
You creep down the streets of Boston. Starting slow and trying to wake up as you run. Wiping the rain (or is it sweat? can’t be sweat already…) off your face. Droping a soft “mornin” at the dude walking to his car–the lady out walking her dog. They both look miserable. You can tell they weren’t exactly ready for your peppiness and fuckyeah attitude. It’s all good, they don’t know our secret yet… that starting your week with November Project is always funny, fun, weird, and hard af.
You meet your friend. You hug that shit out. You apologize for showing up a few minutes late. Your friend is a G about it, “It’s alright, the bounce’ll probably just be Payne fucking up the words to some song anyway…”
You start hoofin’ it together. You pass other runners going the opposite direction. You wave, or high five, or tell them they’re “going the wrong way!!” They’re fuckin’ badass like you. They know that getting your workout in before the day starts is where it’s at. They just haven’t figured out that doing it with a hundred other idiots makes it that much better. They don’t know it’s possible to do an entire workout on top of an on-ramp in Somerville.
You arrive at the on-ramp in Somerville. You ask your friend, “What the crap do you think we’re gonna do here?”
“Who the f*ck knows,” they laugh back.
You grab a hug or two. Everyone is covered in just as much water and Boston grime as you are. The best part about all of this, everyone’s here for the same reason. Everyone said “fuck no” to the rain, and “fuck yeah” to running through it.
It’s kind of like when you’re at a music festival, and the audience area is starting to get muddy, and the best place to dance is right in the thick of the mud, but everyone’s sort of avoiding it ’cause they got these sweet new shoes that they don’t want to get muddy. So you just roll up your pants, take your shoes off, and dive in.
We know that the fastest way to the best time is through that snowy, shitty, mud, and we chase it down as fast as we can.
Y’all crushed it this morning, on an on-ramp in Somerville no-less, with cars driving by thinking each and every one of us was an idiot. Little did they know, we’re all freakin’ awesome and they missed out hardcore by not being on the other side of that jersey barrier.
It’s true, not a single one of us left the workout dry or clean, but everyone left with a smile, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Monday was earned.
Much Love,
– C. Payne
this is well written, entertaining as fuck, and I wish i was there