Like many great things in my life, it was a friend who introduced me to The Dash & Dine Run Series. We went on the final night of the series in 2015. It was darkish outside and rainy and cold and it seemed that only the “serious” people were out that night. I mean really, if you had to choose between your couch on a night like that and running a 5k in the rain with a bunch of strangers, wouldn’t you choose the couch? I’ll cut to the chase. It was so much fun and it was so gratifying that I waited all the next year for the series to start again. I wasn’t going to miss out.
A 5k. It’s a nice low number and if you convert it to miles, it’s even lower; 3.1 miles. It can be a tougher distance for long distance runners but for the REST of us, it’s completely manageable. Like, even if you walk/run or run/walk or mostly walk with a side of running, it’s manageable. And when you’re done, there’s food waiting for you. And there’s the lovely feeling you get when you realize you could’ve stayed home to watch Netflix or make dinner or clean our your kid’s lunchbox but you chose to go for a group run instead. It’s like the best feeling. Way better than the one you get from cleaning out the lunchbox.
Is it a race? For some. Is it timed? Yes. Do you have to race? No. Here’s how you do it; you show up, you run and at the end of the race, you’ll know how long it took you. What you do with that information is up to you. Me? I try to get a little faster. I compete with myself. No matter how long it takes me, I feel proud of myself. At the end of the day, I pushed myself for a small window of time mostly with strangers mixed with a few friends. And someone fed me. It really is awesome. Come on out this year. Don’t be like me. Don’t wait until the last night in the series. And it is fun. It’s not serious. It’s only running. It’s just you, your feet and your (elevated) heart rate having a little Tuesday night date night.
Plan Now
Tuesday nights at the Boulder Reservoir. Series begins April 11th. Don’t wait to see if it fits in your life. Sign up and tell your favorite (or least favorite) friends.
Next time we’ll talk about what to wear (whatever you want) and what you can expect. We’ll also be talking about the 5k distance and I’ll give you some completely novice tips. It will be like a Food Network or HGTV show except no one will cry and you don’t have to make big decisions.
See you soon!
Cheri Felix has been running for three years. Once she got over the “I’m not a real runner” bit, she fell head first in love with everything from 2-10 miles. She plans her spring around The Dash & Dine and her three kid’s schedule. When she’s not running, she’s life coaching people and contemplating the never ending pile of laundry.