Pink Friday

7 faithful gathered on a crisp morning to burn some post-Thanksgiving calories.  They were introduced to a new type of running “game.”

The rules:

1. Split into 3 groups: slow, medium, and fast based on typical running pace.
2. The boundaries of the game are Commonwealth Ave, Grove Ave., Monument Ave, and Malvern Ave.
3. The goal of the game is to catch the slow group.
4. All groups can run on any of the streets within the grid in any direction.
5. No turns mid-block are allowed.
6. No groups are allowed to make a U-turn at an intersection.
7. Groups must stick together.
8. If the med or fast groups catch the slow group they join them to form a larger pack.

Game Start:

1. The slow group heads right into the game grid.
2. The medium group runs around Mary Mumford School and then heads into the game grid in pursuit.
3. The fast group runs all of the way around the block of Mary Mumford and then into the grid in pursuit of the slow group.

Game End:

1. All running groups will meet back at the school in 45 minutes, whether or not the slow group is caught.

COT.

Moleskin:

Game recap:

In order to make the slow group more visible, Honeydo was given the honor of wearing a hot pink runners belt with a flashing red, dangling orb.

The fast group (Sippy Cup, Saab, and Marv) got a bead on the slow group (TYA and HoneyDo) after about 15 minutes, and after a several blocks of cat and mouse caught them on the north side of the grid.  Marv’s knowledge of the neighborhood and outstanding eyesight proved to be quite helpful in spotting the slow group from several blocks away.  On the other hand, Saab, who runs without his glasses, is nearly blind to distant objects.  Fortunately, his speed came in handy in tracking down the slow guys in the half-block sprint.

The medium group (Toga and Offshore) was unsuccessful in finding the merged slow/ fast group until the very end when we all converged on the school.

We all agreed that this was a fun way to make the 45 minutes of running go by and was a good change of pace.  The grid seemed to be about the right size too, and the consensus was that the fast group was fairly lucky in catching the slow group in just 15 minutes.  It was a good change of pace.