Good morning, my friends! It’s a little gray and drizzly here today, but my day started off on an awesome and sweaty note: with a friend workout date, of course!
My friends Mary, Chelsea, and I all met up bright and early at 6:10 a.m. this morning to get our workout on. The plan: run the 2.5ish miles down to the Lincoln Memorial for the November Project workout, then run back! Ambitious – I liked it.
It was pitch black when we met, and by the time we made it to Rosslyn/Iwo Jima the sun was just starting to peek up to say hello.
So beautiful with the clouds!
There were still a few treacherous spots on the path (black ice, not cool), so we made sure to watch our step and walk if necessary. When we made it down to Lincoln, the November Project workout had just started! It also started to drizzle a cold rain on us, but thankfully stopped after only a minute or two.
In case you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about, the November Project is a free, year-round, outdoor workout. It’s in multiple cities (it actually started in Boston), and came to DC in the fall (more locations are listed on their website). On Wednesday mornings here in DC, it meets at both 5:30 a.m. and at 6:30 a.m. for hour long workouts at the Lincoln Memorial. They also just added a Friday option, for which the location changes (and is announced on social media beforehand).
Mary and I first hit up the November Project in the fall with our husbands in tow, and I stumbled upon it again last week when I was out running and remembered I should make the push for it more often! Fun way to mix it up. The workouts aren’t too creative (usually about 40 minutes of stair running, but then they end with a fun group/team workout – would love to see more of the group/creative workouts incorporated), but the vibe is awesome and totally makes it worth showing up for. Everyone is really friendly and having a blast out there! This would be a great way to meet some new people, especially if you were new to the area.
Chelsea, Mary, and I had fun chatting about life while running the stairs – I always love catching up with Mary over workout dates and it was great to see Chelsea again, too! We first met at the National Press Club 5k in September and have been meaning to meet up again since. Finally made it work! 🙂
As the sun continued to rise, the colors got even more beautiful. We took a short stair-running break to snap a photo. Good excuse for a breather. 😉
That might be one of my absolute favorite early morning sunrise running photos yet. Man, I love this city. I feel so lucky to be able to run to views like this in the morning! As always, sooooo worth the obnoxiously early alarm clock.
The workout ended with a fun group exercise – we teamed up with another group and everyone lined up in a plank, then the person on the end had to hop up and jump over everyone one by one before settling back into a plank on the other side. Then the next person in the line went. Whew! Sweaty action shot courtesy of Mary:
The girls and I were definitely moving a little more slowly for our 2.5 mile (mostly uphill) run back home after all that! What a great way to start the day. Thanks for the inspiration, ladies! 🙂
What’s the best workout you’ve gotten in this week? And how are my Winter Shape Up friends doing? Week 4 – the final week home stretch! I can’t believe how quickly it flew by. Don’t forget to check in over on my Week 4 Meal Plan page with your eats and on Gina’s Week 4 Workout Post with your fitness updates to be entered into this week’s giveaways. 🙂 Thank you all so much for your participation – I hope you’ve found it helpful and inspiring!
Have a wonderful day! It’s a busy one for me as I’m sure it is for you, too. 🙂
p.s. Before I go, a couple announcements on behalf of readers:
- Blog reader Joanna will be biking across the US this summer with 30 other young adults from Baltimore, MD to Portland, OR (4400 miles total)! The ride will benefit the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, and during their journey they will serve the cancer community through support programs, too. If you’d like to help the cause, click here to find out more about the ride/program. Good luck, Joanna & co!
- Blog reader Allyn shared that Georgetown University Women In Leadership (GUWIL) is hosting its inaugural OWN IT Summit on Saturday, April 12. The goal of the summit is to bring together like minded women looking for ways to gain knowledge and leadership skills to amplify their personal and professional success. Attendees will primarily consist of undergraduate Georgetown students, but ALL are welcome and encouraged to join! Speakers include a Google exec., a CEO, the most famous woman in tech, the most well-known morning TV-show host, the highest ranking woman in sports business, an international policy maker, a peacekeeper, a female astronaut, and more. Ticket sales start February 28th at noon, and for more information, visit their Facebook event page.
