Why I love the Amity Island Running Club

Reason 1: We laugh. A lot.
Reason 2: We make running fun.
Reason 3: We make each other better runners.
Reason 4: We make filthy jokes that my Aunt Clara would have been proud of.
Reason 5: A post-race beer is a given.
Reason 6: Celine Dion and 90s Hip Hop

We're not now and will never be these people:

We will ALWAYS be these people:

                     

This club isn't about fartleks, or interval training, or ultra marathons. We are about pushing ourselves, doing our damndest, starting races together and meeting up again at the end. We're the kind of people that challenge ourselves and may be upset if we fall short of a race goal but are far from devastated by it. 

This is more about friendship and camaraderie than about running a PR every time we lace up the sneakers. The running is a common denominator, but one of many. The most significant being laughter, music and celebratory 8 am Ragnar beers.

A benefit from all this is that we're each improving our running. A big portion of that is being a part of a group that is loosely focused on running. Other factors include knowing our teammates are counting on us but, more importantly, that our teammates are pulling for us. There is nothing but positive energy with this group. Being a part of this has taken this runner-hater to a place I never thought I'd be, loving running.

Ragnar Cape Cod 2014 - Part 1

What an amazing experience! From attaching a giant shark fin to our rental van in the Walmart parking lot to celebratory 8 am beers after our final legs, Ragnar Cape Cod 2014 was a huge success for the Amity Island Running Club. 

We began our run by arriving at what we believed to be the start with time to spare, only to discover we were actually 20 minutes away from the start. We got to Hull and walked briskly down the boardwalk past all the giant rental vans, towards the tents, flags, and inflatable arch, all indicators that we had arrived at our destination. After trying to sneak out of the safety briefing we all sheepishly returned to the holding pen, avoiding the eyes of the volunteer who now felt he had to keep a closer eye on the Amity Island crew. 

Our team got off to a great start, 15 minutes past our assigned start time, but we started! Amanda had the first leg and we stopped a few times along the route to lend support, a bottle of water, an a high five. We did this during each of our first legs, with the second round? "Van Support" became slowing the van down enough as we drove by to shout "You good?!" and keep rolling to the next transition area. 

We made it through the first 6 legs and settled in a Gallo Ice arena for some rest around 3-4 in the afternoon. A few of us grabbed a little (VERY little) shut eye in the field, surrounded by other runners cocooned up in their sleeping bags fending off the slight chill and blocking out the cloudy afternoon sun. 

Once we got word that van 2 was in the vicinity we herded ourselves over to the start line as Beth Ann came strolling in from her beautiful, albeit steep, run over the Bourne Bridge. Amanda took off down the Cape Cod Canal (which turns 100 this year) bike path towards Sandwich. 

To be continued.....