When I started running several years ago, I joined a local running class though Run On!, a local running store. I started out in the 5K group in January and by the end of the year I was running 13.1. After I got injured and stopped running I missed it terribly. I just never was able to get back into the swing of it. I missed the fun of a group, but didn't have the money to sign up for classes, and didn't feel enough like a "real" runner to meet up with the local hobby clubs. So, I basically stopped running. I still had running friends on Facebook and I followed them and their races/training/adventures with a ping of guilt.
One day Facebook's big brother algorithm spybot saw fit to suggest the Hogwarts Running Club to me. Being a big Harry Pottery fan, I checked it out of curiosity and was hooked in a matter of seconds. I joined immediately, got myself sorted into Ravenclaw and haven't looked back. Within a couple of weeks of me joining HRC the brilliant minds behind it launched the Whovian Running Club, a group for Doctor Who fans. Of course, I signed up, joined Team Doctor Donna and I'm a runner again!
These groups are amazing. They are for everyone: walkers, joggers, marathoners, those just starting out and those who qualify for Boston. There are Facebook groups, sub-groups, chats, and meet-ups. There groups and chats are closely monitored, which is actually very nice because it keeps things positive and relaxed. Especially here in America it's really nice to have a place to go to escape the political insanity that's surrounding us. There's a great sense of community in these groups and a common sense of purpose.
What purpose you ask? Not just running. It's all about charity and doing #somuchgood.
Each group (Hogwarts and Whovian) have teams on the Charity Miles app and our subgroups have teams, too. Charity Miles is an awesome free app that hooks you up with corporate sponsors who donate 25 cents for every mile you run/walk/shop while logged into the app. All you do is download it to your device, create a free account, and whenever you are out and about you log in, pick a charity and then go about your business. If you follow me on twitter at all you've seen me tweet after a workout with a shout out to Charity Miles and whichever corporate sponsor had my back for the run. I am also sure to log in when I'm grocery shopping, walking the mall, walking the dog, or even cleaning my apartment.
The running clubs have raised a crazy amount of money for different charities and we continue to do so everyday. Knowing that there are charities out there depending on the money we raise is just one more thing that motivates me to get out there and get in a run. On top of Charity Miles each group also hosts virtual runs every year. Each run you sign up for supports a specific charity. We're kind of charity junkies. You can run/walk/crawl the races whenever you want and break it up into as many chunks as you need to. There are even medals for those who are bling addicted.
I can't recommend these groups enough.
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