Courtney runs stairs , trails and beyond
I’ve lived in Baltimore for about 10 months now, but I’ve been holding the city at a distance. I hadn’t quite decided if I liked it enough to fully commit. Recently, I realized that’s a stupid way to live my life. So I began my “summer of yes”. I would say yes to things when it was easier and more comfortable to say no. I would be curious. So when Jana, Tammy, and Lerman, were asking around for a fourth team member after a sweaty Wednesday workout, I said yes. I blame the post-workout high. You know that almost manic euphoria you feel after a tough workout? That temporary amnesia when you tell yourself you could totally run a marathon next weekend even though you almost puked doing half a set of stairs not even five minutes before. Without the “summer of yes” and dehydration-related delirium, I never would have agreed to do my first trail run (not race, RUN) on a mountain somewhere in Massachusetts. But I did.
I am not by nature a “Just do it” sort of person. I’m a “Do what? Why though? How long will it take? Are you sure?” kind of person. So it took a lot to “say yes” on Friday morning when I was asked if I would be running the four miles to the stadium with my housemates. I did this despite being fully aware that Lyft and Uber are things that exist. I entered the bottom of the stadium hesitantly, and as I walked out into the early morning sun my eyes widened. This was something truly incredible to witness. All those hundreds (thousands?) of people were there for the same thing but for all different reasons. Being in a group of that size, I felt small, but also mighty. I thought, “maybe it actually is a cult.” But the workout began before I was able to fully consider that possibility. Holy shit was it hard. My legs began to wobble almost immediately and I often had to grab the ledge and physically pull my body up onto the top stair. It was tough, but it was good. I was lapped often. by children, by older folks, by women carrying babies, but it didn’t matter. We were there together. Grinding it out. Sweating it out. Yes.
Saturday was a beast. I had spent most of the day if I could really do it. What if I hurt myself? What if I got lost and had to live among the trees for the rest of my life? Both equally serious and plausible concerns. But as time clicked along and my leg got closer, my nervous jitters were replaced with a strange calm. Everyone said it was tough. Everyone had survived. I would be fine. As I took off, I felt relieved that the waiting was finally over. I was finally doing it. Holy shit it was hard. I walked when I needed to, I ran when I could, I scooted on my butt and used my hands. All of those worries about embarrassing myself or being too slow went away. I joked and chatted with folks I passed and who passed me. I even found myself smiling alone on the trail like an idiot. I kept repeating to myself “It’s tough, but it’s good” and it was. Eventually, I stumbled my way back down the mountain and into that final open stretch. In those final moments, that same post-workout high that got me to Summit washed over me. There was the relief of completing a seemingly impossible challenge, but there was also the excitement of knowing what was waiting for me at the bottom. A small clump of smiling Baltimore faces cheering me on. Folks I had been too nervous to speak to at Rash Field became people I would run at full force with a crazed smile on my face. These were folks I was now elated to see. These people were family. Having folks to run to and share this experience with was magical, better than the shiniest medal or coldest post-race beer. And I got all that because I said yes to summit. S/o Team Fresh Bananas and Hardware (a name I still don’t fully understand). A team full of badass women. I’m so thankful for Tammy, Jana, and Emily for reassuring me up until the very moment I started the race. They answered every question I had, they kept me calm, and they were supportive when they saw how worried I was. I feel really lucky to say I was on their team and feel inspired to be a more confident and fearless runner. K that’s enough sappy shit for a lifetime.
Elizabeth Harasty’s Take on Summit
Summit was ok I guess. Climbed up rocks and hugged some people, you know, the usual.
Just kidding! It’s going to be difficult to say something new about Summit that hasn’t already been said. It was awesome, we were all really sweaty, and I received some of the best hugs and laughs I’ve had in a while. We also “ran” a race up this small mountain and it was super easy and I probably could have done it twice you know? (Just kidding again). At the core of Summit, though, was a movement that I didn’t fully understand until I saw two new tribes being welcomed into the family—two tribes that are 9400 miles away from each other (or so the internet says so)! The leaders of Buffalo, NY and Miri, Malaysia hugged as everyone cheered and stood for them and I felt this genuine sense of love in the stadium. I know, cheesy, but I really did and that’s the point of NP. Love one another and share that love because we are all brothers and sisters. We may not always see eye-to-eye and we may argue and avoid each other for a bit but hey that’s what families do. And then we run. We just run and run and don’t stop and then stop to drink milkshakes and then run again. It’s good times.
I was hesitant to sign up for Summit because I didn’t want to “drink the Kool-Aid” that November Project was making for this crazy framily picnic. Why did I think that? Am I nuts? Was I in denial? The point is that I had already drank the Kool-Aid when I joined almost two years ago and Summit was just a reminder that it’s the best-tasting Kool-Aid in the world! Embrace it! Embrace each other! Say yes to five minutes of burpees with a smile on your face! Say yes to going on a run when you’re wiped out from work! Say yes to life! Come to November Project because it’s not a cult! (#itsacult)
Summit experience: Jess Lewis
I have been coming to November Project Baltimore for just over a year and this was my very first Summit. The experience for me was both humbling and overwhelming. NP_BAL has become a family for me with some of the most passionate and compassionate people I’ve ever met. But I’ve never been to another tribe. I’ve never met the other tribe leaders, and I don’t know what the tribes do at their workouts. Not surprisingly, they kick ass just like we do. The fervor that we feel for our tribe, our community, and our city is shared by over 40 tribes around the world. And I’m not sure what other organization can say that.
The race itself was an experience I’ll never forget. In late 2016, I was faced with a life threatening health scare that required surgery, bed rest, and NP rest, and gave me an ambiguous outcome of what the rest of my life would be like. After what I thought was ample rest, I tried to get back into running and was immediately met with aches and pains I had never experienced before. I was told by a PT and sports physician I would simply have to rest more, but was given no indication if I would ever go back to running again. After a long and arduous road, I emerged with my first day back to running, at none other than M&T stadium, back with my NP fam. With help from doctors and friends I slowly regained endurance, strength and confidence in distance running. My first race back after surgery was the Massachusetts North Face Endurance Challenge. And humbling and overwhelming it was. This experience inspired me to sign up for two future races (with further distances) and I owe it to the positive reinforcement I received from complete strangers at NP Summit 5.
