Running With Dave

 It was another great weekend of running. I was able to log about 21 miles between Saturday and Sunday. I followed Sunday’s long run with a strength training session led by @jbarringerfitness. He put me through a nice workout tailored to my ability which is always great. There’s nothing worse than a PT that wants you to lift heavy weight even though you have shared with them that you don’t lift often. This trainer didn’t do this which allowed me to get much more out of the workout. Follow @jbarringerfitness on Instagram.

Saturday was amazing, the Philadelphia chapter of Black MenRun hosted this month’s Tri-State Run. We had a very diverse group, which was the goal when these runs started back in January. Runners of all levels and walkers joined us for routes ranging from 1 to 7 miles. We had everyone from Carl Ewald, the race director for the ODDyssey Half Marathon to the former Eagles 2000 2^nd  round  draft pick, who later won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens, guard Bobbie Williams. Runners and walkers from JF Fitness came put in some miles. Of course the members from the Delaware and Jersey chapters of Black Men Run were out representing in great numbers.

This was our 3^rd installment of the BMR Tri-State Run and since it was happening here in Philly it was important that we accomplished the goals that I had in mind when I shared the idea for these runs with the brotherhood.

•   Run in a different city that has a BMR chapter. 
•  Allow time to fellowship after the run   
• Invite others from the running community
• Spend money with a African-American owned business

While each of the previous group runs reached at least three of the four goals, Philly was the first time we were able to accomplish all four. It’s good to be able to get out the city you’re from and run pre-planned routes, free of charge, with other runners. By inviting the running community, it allows others to see what BMR is all about in a way that they may find less intimidating. However, the goal that was dear and near to my heart was bringing an economic boost to a local black eatery. It’s funny, trying to find a black owned diner that will seat 30 people isn’t as easy as you’d think; however, we found a spot in the newly opened A’s Place. There were a few snafus that I won’t get into here; however, all in all we had great food and the service was second to none. If you get a chance I suggest you go show them some love.

Getting the runners together for brunch allowed us to get to know each other and share all types of stories; some running related, others not so much. One of the topics that came up was about runners who like to run the same race(s) year after year. While speaking with one of my runner friends Saturday, they shared a conversation they had some time ago with a fellow runner. In that conversation the fellow runner was grilling my friend on why they’d continue to run a specific race year after year. The person was very emphatic in their questioning; they really couldn’t understand the reason behind running the same race. The questioning almost reached the personal attack level In fact the person later apologized to my friend for the incident. I personally don’t understand the one and done mentality as far as races are concerned, unless I didn’t enjoy the event. If the race has an enjoyable expo, a good course, great volunteers and good swag, why not continue to support the race when you’re available to do so? From my stand point it’s a no brainer, especially with local races where I might meet the race director or have ties to the local charity they’re supporting. I’m more inclined to support things to which I have some type of connection.  I’d love to hear you’re thoughts on the subject below so leave a comment.