Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my running group at work. It’s been over two years since I began running with them, and they somehow still make me laugh so hard. But when Hannah suggested we go to the Tuesday group run from our local running store, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet new runners and try something new. Hey, a change of pace was in order! (Pun totally intended).

Since the run on tap was only going to be three miles, I decided to run at lunch, too, so I could get in enough miles for the day. Plus, I was pretty pumped to do a surprise double for the day. Win, win all around! We arrived at the store and hung out with a few of our Rodale coworkers before the run was announced.

You can imagine my confusion when a plastic cups were handed to us BEFORE the run. What were they for? One of the store’s employees then told us that we’d be running to the river (it’s about a mile and a half away), filling our cups with water, and running back with them. The challenge? Whoever returns with the most water in their cup wins. No walking allowed.

Alright, challenge accepted. This’ll be interesting…

We took off toward the river, running at what felt like almost tempo pace. Speed wasn’t a factor in this game, but since we only had to run a tad over a mile, we ran fast. We got to the river, filled up our cups to the brim, and began to slowly…carefully…steadily… retrace our steps. It didn’t take long for us to realize this game felt like a race water stop from a nightmare.

Some of the guys covered the top with their palms, but that proved ineffective thanks to my small hands. Running unbalanced with both hands on the cup was much tougher than holding it with one hand. I tried to run (more like shuffle) as smoothly as possible, but as soon as I thought I’d found a rhythm, the murky water would slosh out. Dang it! Ha!

The competitor within made me want to run faster, so we caught up with a few of the guys in the front. We all ran through the neighborhoods, passing people sitting on their porches. Don’t mind the weird runners carrying cups of water! We’re not odd at all, I swear.

We were all giggling (with a few swear words sprinkled in when the water spilled) and it was way too much fun.

After the run, we headed to a local bar for running trivia, which, despite my occupation, I’m apparently awful at. But the evening as a whole was so awesome. It introduced me to new runners in my community–always a good thing!–and I had a blast doing it. I think the Tuesday group runs will become a regular part of my running routine, that’s for sure!

QUOTE OF THE POST: “Running is a mental sport…and we’re all insane!” – Author unknown