Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Renegade Run Club

You may have noticed that last year I stopped writing about USAFit, which was the running club I first joined in 2010, and became the organizer of for two years in 2013 and 2014.  I'm not running with USAFit anymore - there's a time and a season for everything, and my time with that particular group came to an end last year.  As a whole, you can't go wrong with joining your local USAFit running group - it's great to have a group of people to run with for your long runs on any given Saturday, plus, if you're lucky, you will become friends with some of that group - and that's what ended up happening with me.

Over the last few years, there has been a core group of us who've gravitated together, not only for running, but for breakfast afterward.  And then we started doing races together, with our first really big race being the Houston half marathon in January of 2015.  We traveled well together, which is not always the easiest thing with a group, but we made it work and had a great time.  So we kept doing more and more races and racecations together, and although we joined USAFit last summer, we still mostly ran with our core group.

Our name came about during that time; the routes would be posted for the Saturday runs, and one or more of our group would ask me to come up with an alternate route, so I did, and I started naming them "renegade" 6 miler (or whatever the distance).  Cristy picked up on that name and started calling us the renegades, and that stuck, so when we made shirts for the 2016 Houston half marathon, that was the name we chose to go along with the design.

USAFit stops meeting after their goal race, which is in December, but our group runs year-round, which continued to strengthen our bond.  So this year, it made sense for us to not join them because at this point, we've all been running long enough that we could come up with a training schedule on our own, which we did.  We also didn't feel the need to pay quite so much to belong to a running group - USAFit is a great organization and I give it a lot of credit for getting me to my first half marathon and beyond, but I think that as our core group grew together, we didn't need the support of our former running group.

While we could have continued to meet at the park where we've been starting our runs from for years, we didn't want to interfere with our former running group.  As luck would have it, Cary and Brian live really close to that park, so they offered up their garage as our new clubhouse, I redid our running routes to reflect starting from that point, and we were set.  We collected a nominal fee from everyone to cover water and Gatorade, along with some other essentials, and it's been working out great.  We set out water along our route, and usually Loretta is also out there taking care of us via her bicycle.  And afterward, we hang out at the clubhouse; we store our folding chairs and yoga mats there, so it's very comfortable to sit and stretch and cool down.

Because we mesh so well together, we aren't really open to letting anyone else in, which has been interesting, because while we've been out doing our long runs, people have asked about joining us, more than once.  It's weird to say "no, you can't run with us" so instead we're saying that we're just a group of friends who are running together...which we are - just pay no attention when you see us wearing shirts that say Renegade Run Club.  We've got a good thing going, and I think we all want to protect it.

Here's a collage I threw together, showing some of the races we've done together:
Renegade Run Club.  My peeps.  Good times, fun times, and much more of that to come!

22 comments:

  1. You have a fantastic group of running friends, can't say that often enough. It feels a bit like I am a part of it because of all the stories you share with us.

    I hope you and your peeps have many fun years of running together but there's not really a doubt that won't happen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very cool that you feel a part of the group; glad my stories are conveying the fun we have.

      Delete
  2. You guys were smart to break off and do your own thing. You still have the "group" going on but also flexibility and friendship! Do you accept "guest" runners once in a while? Like someone visiting from Connecticut? *cough* *cough*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course guest runners are welcome! You NEED to come out and experience our version of a Saturday long run/breakfast! :)

      Delete
  3. I think it is so cool that you have found/made your own running group simply the best!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's very smart to stop paying to belong to a group that you weren't really a part of anymore. And how nice that Carey and Brian offered up their garage as your new clubhouse! You guys really do know how to have fun--no wonder others are always asking about joining your group!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Having the Clubhouse has been awesome...hopefully Cary and Brian won't regret letting us meet there!

      Delete
  5. I love it! I love how your group gets along together and that you are the "cool kids" who won't let anyone else in :D

    You've come so far on your exercise journey? Could you have imagined writing this post 9 years ago?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, nine years ago, there is no way I ever would have thought I'd be a runner!

      Delete
  6. I totally, 100% get this! I was in a running club for a few years and found my peeps then realized I didn't need the club anymore. And like you said, that doesn't mean anything bad about them (of course, some clubs DO get all mad about it when you leave though...)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly. People do grow, and sometimes, it's apart.

      Delete
  7. I just finished my 3d annual no training half-marathon in Vancouver. I wish I could find the joy in running but truthfully all I like is when the put the medal around my neck at the finish. It was hot and I am recovering from a broken elbow in May but this 56 year old lady came in at 4704 out of 9300 with a time of 2:30 so I'll take that as a non-runner! I do agree tho find your tribe and whatever you do will be more fun. As for me here's to 364 non-running days before my next attempt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like running but there's no way I'd do a half marathon if I didn't train for it...I have a rough enough go when I AM trained! Congrats on your nice finish!!

      Delete
  8. I'll skip the run (maybe I could do the bike support), but I definitely will hit up Blue Baker with you guys :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like a good plan, especially the additional bike support!

      Delete
  9. This is great! I would wonder what the other people in the usafit group think of you all going out on your own? Do you ever pass them on your runs? I hope there are no hard feelings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We do see them, as we're running in the same area. We all exchange hellos, so hopefully there's no hard feelings.

      Delete
  10. Renegades make the BEST runners, right? Thanks for the explanation, because I did wonder a bit about where USAFit went. I need a running group, but have yet to find a good fit for myself. The one local group runs on Monday nights, and my schedule really works best for Sunday long runs. Oh, well, I'll keep goin' solo and keep my eyes and ears open - ould love to luck into a group like yours!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here's hoping you come across some like-minded runners soon!

      Delete

Comments are now moderated to prevent spammers from leaving, well, spam - but rest assured that as soon as I read a real comment, I will publish it. So please, comment away, even though the blog is officially closed. Thanks!