We belong to a local running group that meets on Wed. evenings. . . the KC RUNNING CO GROUPIES! This past Tuesday we hopped in the car and headed to the grand opening of the retail store of the KC RUNNING CO!!!
Pictured below: frt. seat: L to R Me (Dana) and Karen
back seat: L to R Fritzi and Mary!
The store had officially opened that morning, but during the evening it hosted the inaugural Tuesday night run. . .and a cookout!
What a fine turn out!
The four of us opted not to run that evening. . .Karen, Mary and I had done a 5K the day before. . .but instead got a jump on checking out all of the great offerings that were awaiting us inside the store!!!
Mary and I are making our purchases!
We loved the great food at the cookout, too!!
When I first started running, four years ago, I totally ran alone. I didn't mind it cuz I didn't know what I was missing. . .until last year when I'd meet up once a week with a few other ladies to train for the 1/2 marathon we participated in that October. I knew from that first run with them that running with others was much more fun than plodding around by myself!! There were so many benefits to having others around. . .the time passed faster, we had lots to jabber about on those long runs, and having others around meant lots of support and encouragement.
This spring/summer I'm still meeting with some of the ladies from that group on our weekend long runs. . .plus a new running friend now joins us!
Also, this spring/summer we have included the midweek group run with the GROUPIES. What makes a larger group like this so great is that there are all age groups and paces. There are many who come to run and many who come to walk! And all come to enjoy being in the company of others who have the same interests.
Jana, our leader, almost always has something "special" for us each week. Also. . .she LOVES to take lots of pictures which is great as all of the photos in this post (except two) are ones she's taken!!
In the picture below she had brought us our official GROUPIES shirts!!
On this evening she'd encouraged us to dress in patriotic attire as it was July 2nd!
On NATIONAL HOT DOG DAY she arranged for someone to prepare Chicago style hot dogs for us to enjoy after we returned from our runs!
Pictured here are (L to R) Jana, (our leader) Karen and me. Hmmmm that was a mighty fine hot dog, too!
I thank my lucky stars that I took up running cuz if I hadn't I probably would not have found these great new friends nor would I have acquired such an extensive collection of running shirts! :)
THE STONE RABBIT loves all of the new shirts I've added to my wardrobe since running with the GROUPIES. He is seriously thinking about getting special shirts for himself and his little yard ornament buddies to wear when they meet up for hops around the neighborhood!!
Now it's time for you to head over to Beverly's blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND! You will find a lot of other bloggers with PINKS to share with you this weekend, too!!
Happy PINK SATURDAY!
DANA
Happy Pink Saturday, Dana.♥ You have thrived with your running endeavors, and having special friends with similar interest always makes life better.
Posted by: Beverly | September 05, 2014 at 12:42 PM
Howdy, stranger! Long time no see!
Girl, I am impressed with you running! That is great, and I love the bright pink shirt you shared and the other patriotic ones, too. Glad that you met a fun group of running buddies. I could see that it would be a lot more fun as a group.
Keep up the good work! Big squishy Pink Saturday hugs to you and the Stone Rabbit!
xoxox
Sheila :-)
Posted by: Sheila (Mrs. Magpie) | September 05, 2014 at 01:42 PM
Hi Dana, We are in FL and today was a Gator game. We sure beat the heck out of Eastern MI. I hope this is a sign of games to come. We will stay with our dtr for the week to catch another game next Sat.and then home on Sunday. It is a long drive so staying is the best plan. We loved seeing our grands Cody and Ashley. They are in their sophomore year now.
I really enjoyed reading about your journey about your running friends. I agree that running buddies are the best way to keep each other going. I am so glad you have made new friends that all have common goals. Your group photos and the awesome shirts you wear for different occasions are terrific. Most importantly, the health benefit is endless. You go girls, I am your number 1 fan.
Time for bed after this long day.
Happy pink Saturday.
Love, Jeanne
Posted by: jeanne, backyard neighbor | September 06, 2014 at 08:35 PM