This is a guest blog post from the mother of the tribe, Jennifer L.H. Grasse. It comes at the perfect time for us Midwesterners… winter is coming. Soon.
Say goodbye to bright, balmy mornings. Adios tank tops and shorts. Sunlight? Ha. Clear pavement? Sure. Right.
Next up in our part of the hemisphere will be bitter winds, icy, salty sidewalks (perfect for burpees) and all the fleece you can wrap around your body. For months and months and months and months. Just show up – but remember your two layered mittens.
Sounds pretty dire, right?
But I have a SECRET for you.
A smidge of backstory – I showed up at my first November Project (Milwaukee) workout on a balmy August morning in 201_. Not a cloud in the sky, It was fun. I went back. A few weeks later I innocently asked the group with whom I was wall sitting: “So, what’s the cut-off low temperature for cancelling a workout?”
They looked at me with a mixture of compassion and pity.
And now, with three NP winters under my belt, I know the look.
I love heat. I hate being chilled – my particular body feels most comfy in about 79 degrees (with sun). And YET the challenge of winter’s discomfort brings things that the ease of summer never can.
It kinda comes down to WHY are you doing this? Why not stay snuggled under the covers until spring? I’ll bet for a lot of us it’s the challenge itself that makes it worthwhile. And the sweaty hugs, high fives and the ENDORPHINS (I’m a fan). Lose yourself. Find yourself. Find someone else. NP is a perfect shortcut to all these.
As humans we most sharply experience things in comparison to other things. How can we feel happy if we’ve never experienced sad? Satisfied if we’ve never felt hungry? Cozy if we’ve never been un-cozy?
I’ll bet those who were there will never forget the Sunrise 6K when it was 36 degrees with pounding rain and wind gusts off Lake Michigan that could knock you down (and did). The one where our Fearless Leader – who will remain nameless for liability reasons (DG), led us happily down to the very edge of the lake to run loops. The conditions were SO bad that they transcended bad – right into funny. And fun. And badass. In short, we all won that day. That whole year, probably.
So. The Secret.
Besides the practical tips (put out your layers of clothes the night before, hop out of bed when the alarm goes off, don’t think too much JUST GO) know that all the Good Stuff you find at NP is intensified and enhanced when the challenge is enhanced. The harder something is to achieve the greater the satisfaction when you achieve it. True fact.
In the summer, we earn our Wednesdays. In the winter we CRUSH them. To smithereens.
(Just don’t forget your neck warmer).
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