My First Run Club Experience

My friends have been raving about run clubs for a while now.  In theory, they're a phenomenal idea - you get to meet new people and try out new routes in a fun, relaxed environment.  In practice, it's almost impossible for me to make it to one - most run clubs around me are at 6:30pm (or earlier) on weeknights, which isn't compatible with my work schedule most weeks.  This past Wednesday my schedule and my friend's reminder that I still hadn't come to run club aligned perfectly and I had a chance to run lululemon Bethesda's run club.

I should probably mention it was raining Wednesday.  Pouring, actually.  I figured there wouldn't be many people there, since most people tend to avoid being out in rainstorms.  I figured wrong.  I love running in the rain, and apparently these folks do too:

Photo courtesy of lululemon Bethesda's Facebook page

Before arriving at run club I worried about a couple of things: 1) that everyone would already know one another and be a bit clique-y, and 2) that I would have no one to pace with.  As it turned out, I had no need to worry.  I already knew four people there, everyone else was really friendly, and I was able to find other runners to pace with pretty quickly.  As we ran we talked, laughed, accidentally splashed through some big puddles, and generally had a good time.  We ran only 3 miles, but that was more than enough in the rain and puddles.  After the run, everyone hung around the store and caught up.

The best I can liken my run club experience is to being at happy hour... a happy hour that's free and actually good for you.  While I may not be able to go back every week, I'm certainly going to make an effort to go back more often.