Hash virgin no longer

In my desperation to find a suitable running group to fill the void I left when I left behind my friends at SDR, I tried a hash.

No, not THAT hash.

A hares and hounds run, organized by a local chapter of the Hash House Harriers. The hashers have a reputation for being a raunchy group (not my style, as I've mentioned before), but one local chapter claimed to be a "kinder, gentler hash-type club." The group's description implied that they are a rowdy, but not rauchy, bunch of running-lovers. It sounded like just what I was looking for, so I laced up and took the plunge.

I'll save the details for a later, when my head is no longer swimming with the after-effects of during- and post-run beers, and I can type without having to concentrate so very hard on making my fingers strike the right keys in the right order.

But I will say this: the East Hill Hare & Hounds Running Club gave me a warm and bawdy (but not R-rated) welcome to the group.

Hashing clearly won't replace any of my training runs (not sure "drink beer at mile 2" is on my training calendar) but it does promise to be a lot of fun.


A note about the photo:
To be clear, for those of you who have never done a hash or "hare and hounds" run... The chalk (shown above) is key to the run. Chalk and/or flour are used to mark a trail. Runners (except for the "hare" who marks the course) have no idea where the trail will lead them -- they have to follow the trail chalk/flour markings -- which is an integral part of the fun!