When the weather begins to turn colder towards the end of the year, most active people will opt for the comfort of an indoor workout rather than braving the elements outside. Two Northeastern alumni faced the same decision just over a year ago in early November. Brogan Graham '06 and Bojan Mandaric '06, both former members of the men's rowing team, wanted to stay fit without the expense of gym membership.

So began what is now known as the November Project. The pair realized that in their time at Northeastern they were both committed to practice day in and day out, in good and bad weather, by their teammates holding them accountable.  Now, just a few years later, they would be held responsible by only each other; workouts were scheduled in advance and before work—no excuses. They called this a “verbal commitment.”

As the weather worsened into December and through the winter, the two continued their regimented schedule, relying on staples from their workouts on the rowing team. Every Wednesday they would complete a full tour of the Harvard stadium in Allston, 37 flights of roughly 31 cement stairs. Fridays racing was devoted to hill running; they would run four or more trips up Summit Avenue in Brookline, a 0.4-mile hill with up to a 17 percent grade toward the top. Most importantly for the pair, however, was that these workouts were totally free.

As they made it through the winter, they recruited some of their friends along the way. Graham, the marketing manager for Hubway, and Mandaric, a web technology specialist at Merida Meridian, were able to convince peers, coworkers, and past teammates to come out and join them before work. The November Project grew rapidly, from two, to 12, to 20, and eventually to more than 100 members by the early summer. The pair vowed that should the group grow past 300, they would each get tattoos to mark their dedication to the project, their tribe. Late in the summer they reached that goal.

As grassroots movements often do, theirs has taken root in Boston. Since the addition of a Monday circuit workout called the #DestinationDeck, the November Project was recently the subject of a front-page story in the Boston Globe, and was also featured on WBUR's (Boston's NPR News Station) “Common Health,” which covers topics concerning personal health and wellness, as well as on the program's blog. In mid-November, the Globe graced the group with a front-page feature. They've been joined in their workouts by some noteworthy faces, most notably Andrew Ference of the Stanley Cup-winning Boston Bruins, Esther Lofgren, who rowed in the gold-medal winning US women's 8+ in London this summer, and Northeastern's own Olympians, Dan Walsh and Will Miller. Walsh rowed to a third-place finish in the men's eight event in Beijing in 2008, while Miller earned a tight fourth-place finish in the same event this past summer in the London Games.

In addition to their respective preseason training, both the Northeastern men's basketball and women's rowing teams have joined November Project workouts. The men's basketball team showed up to take on the #DestinationDeck circuit on the NU campus during its rigorous preseason training. The women's rowing team, looking to continue its CAA dominance, attended multiple stadium workouts during the fall season.

Graham and Mandaric explained that they never expected the November Project to flourish and grow into what it is today. “We'd hoped to build a small-ish group or a regular pack of competitors at some point but what November Project has become is something pretty special. The reason that NP's grown so much with the right kinds of people is simple: most Bostonians want to be fit and would like to have a better sense of community. At November Project, we offer a pretty intense dose of both at each and every workout we host.”

Northeastern's director of sports performance, Art Horne, agrees with their assessment and their focus on the community dynamic, especially for ex-athletes. “It emphasizes the one thing that all college athletes enjoy but seldom ever experience again after leaving their friends and coaches after graduation—a sense of belonging to a group motivated by a single pursuit.” Horne, who has also participated in these workouts, adds “instead of chasing championships in team sports, November Project members chase down their personal-best times while running stadium stairs and conquering the steepest hills in Boston.”

The co-founders stress the importance of self-actualization, of intrinsic motivation, of accountability, commitment, and passion. And in their words, what is the November Project? Graham breaks it down to basics.

“November Project is simple. It's all about getting out of bed and showing up. That's it. The race from your alarm clock going off to the time you walk into the swarm of early morning smiles just before the 6:30 a.m. start. That is the hardest part. If you can beat your alarm and those voices trying to coach you back into your warm bed, you'll be all good. 'I'll run after work,' or 'I'm not feeling too good,' or 'I'll go to the gym later,' are just a few of the lies we sometimes tell ourselves. November Project is simple. Get out of bed and show up.”

To connect with the November Project and it's co-founders Brogan Graham and Bojan Mandaric, check their website www.November-Project.com, follow @Nov_Project on Twitter, or like the group on Facebook. Or, in their words, “just show up.”