59. Emily Saul, Co-Leader of November Project Boston

“When you show up with this army, this incredible mob of people around you who are willing to believe in you and tell you that you can do it… Who the hell are you to disagree?” Emily Saul is the co-leader of November Project’s Boston tribe, where she leads free weekly workouts for up to 1,000 eager Bostonians who are looking to get fit, enjoy their city, and form powerful human connections. Emily is a powerful force for positive change, and she’s all about bringing a sense of warmth and community to cities that may otherwise feel cold and distant. (November Project is currently in 45 cities worldwide.) Proof she’s crazy strong: Emily has set an annual goal for herself to do 40,000 push-ups a year. (And she’s done it the last two years in a row!) Emily is also a former collegiate rower, and works for the Life is Good Kids Foundation. Join me for Emily’s push-up challenge! Starting February 8, I’m committing to 50 push-ups a day for the next 30 days. Join the fun and share your daily push-up progress using the hashtag #alispushupparty. Here’s what you’ll get in this episode: • What November Project actually is & how it creates community (2:55) • What it’s like hugging and high fiving people at 5:30 AM (10:10) • How Emily found November Project (11:05) & eventually became a co-leader (14:05) • What the famous Harvard Stadium workout entails and feels like (22:00) • Emily’s best tips for working out in the very early morning (28:00) • How Emily fits workouts into her busy schedule (30:00) • Emily’s history with athletics and sports — including what it was like being a collegiate rower (32:00) • How Emily got into marathon running (36:30) • Emily answers: What’s the deal with the push-ups? (Plus her challenge for everyone listening!) (42:15) • All about Emily’s job with the Life Is Good Kids Foundation (50:30) What We Mention on this Episode: November Project: http://november-project.com/ Life Is Good Kids Foundation: https://content.lifeisgood.com/kidsfoundation/ Brogan Graham: https://www.instagram.com/brogangraham/ Bojan Mandaric: https://www.instagram.com/bmandaric/ Caleb Daniloff: http://www.calebdaniloff.com/ November Project’s Runner’s World cover story: https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/hugs-sweat-cheers Harvard University: https://www.harvard.edu/ How to start a November Project tribe in your city: https://november-project.com/how-to-start-november-project/ How Emily became a November Project leader: https://november-project.com/the-big-announcement-in-boston/ University of Tulsa: https://utulsa.edu/ Boston’s Run to Remember: http://www.bostonsruntoremember.com/boston/index.html Essex Half Marathon: http://www.essexhalf.com/ Chris Payne: https://november-project.com/no-payne-no-fun-bos/ Saucony: https://www.saucony.com/en/home Mizuno: https://www.mizunousa.com/ Chris Heuisler: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/2017/03/01/episode-6-chris-heuisler-national-run-concierge-westin-hotels-resorts/ Follow Emily: Instagram @emilysaulboston: https://www.instagram.com/emilysaulboston/ Twitter @emilysaulboston: https://twitter.com/emilysaulboston Follow November Project: Instagram @novemberproject: https://www.instagram.com/novemberproject/ Twitter @nov_project: https://twitter.com/nov_project Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NovProject/ Website: http://november-project.com/ Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1: https://www.instagram.com/aliontherun1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliontherun/ Twitter @aliontherun1: https://twitter.com/aliontherun1 Blog: http://www.aliontherunblog.com/ Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13333410 Thank you for listening to and supporting the Ali on the Run Show! If you’re enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love!