Number 9: 2011 Harborthon 5k

I have been running consistently lately, and it is in large part due to the folks in the photo below. I found a local running club on Meetup last fall, but it was mostly inactive. I emailed the organizer about allowing me to post some runs because, well, I was going to be running anyway, I might as well see if anyone wanted to go with me. There were about five of us who got together semi-regularly in the fall to run (or have drinks...kinda the same thing, right?), and a few who stuck it out during the cold and very, very snowy winter. Spring time came, and suddenly I was getting half a dozen emails each week from new folks asking to join our running club, The Quincy Running Dawgs.

Our numbers are growing slowly, and we now have about a dozen folks that run with us on a regular basis, a few of whom have quickly moved from running buddy to friend. I keep telling people that my favorite thing about my running peeps are that they meet me at my grossest - struggling through runs and sweating up a storm - and they like me anyway. They also seem to think I'm funny, which doesn't hurt! ;)

I have two friends (both runners, but not from the running club) who run the Harborthon 5k on Long Island together each summer (I say that like this year wasn't only the 3rd annual race...it's a new tradition, but it's a tradition all the same), and they convinced me to sign up this year. Then, of course, I posted it on the calendar for the Running Dawgs and convinced some of my running peeps to do it, too! Come on - great race location followed by free b.good burgers, free Sam Adams, and an 80's tribute band? If that's not the perfect recipe for a super fun race night, I don't know what is!  Bonus: this also checks off number 9 on my Summer To Do List - visit a new-to-me Boston Harbor Island (even if I didn't realize that until three and a half days after the fact). Double bonus: it's an island that isn't regularly open to the public!

The Harborthon was Matt (in yellow) and Carla's (in white) first race ever, and they both kicked butt, despite a nagging injury of Matt's. Post race, we had an awesome time watching the sunset, eating tasty food, and listening to awesome music. If only we didn't have to wait another year to do it all again!