There is something great about training in the rain. The rain, wind, cold, snow, and ice all combined? Well, that is another topic that we’ll tackle in a few months. That topic in one we call “weatherproof.” For now, we’ll talk rain only.
We’re standing outside of the gate this morning with 60 or more “newbies” at their first and last “Newbie Meeting” talking about this movement known as November Project. As usual, we asked that they all go through an odd number of exercises as ice breakers. Strangers became smiling friends with a few interactions and suddenly we were ready to jog back into section 37 to take on the half tour (on the first day at November Project you’re assigned only half of the workout that the “big kids” are doing – help spread the word on this piece, we’re recruiting more people for huge things on 11/5 and all levels truly are welcome) and it began to rain. Subtle at first, then more, then steady. Never was it soaking us to the core, but throughout the entire workout it was there. Fucking rain.
On his way to completing his 40 sections with the 6:30AM group, Elin Flashman and I exchanged a laugh as we remembered some of the rain workouts in the past seasons that we’ll never forget; the monsoon conditions at the Harvard Stadium in the fall of 2012, the mud burpies on the banks of the Charles River during the flash-floods of Hurricane Sandy in 2013, and many more that continue to stand as trophies of extreme times. You’ll always remember the rain and the workouts that seemed impossible because of this simple added element of falling H2O.
For those who did show up today, you’ll always have the memory where, yes, fuck yes, you were standing there as a contributor to the mob ready to bounce, ready to line up, ready to train, and ready to push yourself harder than most people you’ll see all day, all as the rain came down. Getting there, physically to the workout, seemed hard but once that was behind you, the hard part was over. In the dark, in the rain, you stand there ready to go with your equally weird family, fuck yeah, you’ll remember the rain! The silly condition that co-workers complain about around the water cooler with their perfectly dry shirts tucked into their perfectly dry pants. This is the same condition that seems to slow the whole city by 20% for no good reason. The rain. You’ll always remember the rain and who it bothered the most and who noticed it the least. Fuck, this morning was awesome and I appreciate every last one of you who shored up to share the rain with us.
For another dose of amazing this week, please join us on Friday at the top of Summit Ave in Brookline no later than 6:25AM.
Onward.
-BG
