Running by its very nature is an individual activity. Nobody can help you move from one location to another unless you move your own two feet. While it is an individual activity, it is not necessarily a solitary exercise. Running can be a very social activity when you run with a group.
I am guessing it was about 1980 or so when I tried to start the San Marcos Runners Club. The first meeting was at city hall in the council chambers. We had five people show up and I said, “It looks like this isn’t going to work. There isn’t enough interest.” The five people that were there said that they had friends that will join but could not be at that meeting tonight.
A few weeks later we met again, and had about a dozen runners show up. I wrote a “constitution” for a guide and wrote a “newsletter” for members that had a race calendar and the results of members who entered races. I was the president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. The primary purpose was to help put on races that were organized and well-run. We had monthly meetings and we usually had a speaker give us a talk at the meeting. The club continued to grow in membership.
For new readers, you have to realize that back in the 1980s there was no internet or cell phones. We advertised races by going to other races and handing out flyers, and by putting flyers in gyms, running stores and even grocery stores. I would put an information article in the paper and send a flyer to any local running club, hoping that they would print it in their newsletters. A few clubs charged a fee to put your race information in their newsletter.
The San Marcos Runners Club is still very active but the purpose has changed. Rather than organizing races it is now more of a social club for runners. The club has weekly group runs for members and anybody that wants to run with a group. They meet at Zelick’s bar on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. for a two-mile run and then some social conversation after the run.
On Sundays the group meets at Roughhouse Brewing, out Ranch Road 12 and off to the side about a mile. They meet at 10:30 a.m. for a nice run on county roads with very little traffic and then sit down for some social gathering. Roughhouse Brewing is very supportive of the running group and there are often musical groups playing later in the afternoon. And I think the “Christmas Lights Run” is still ongoing around the time houses start decorating for Christmas.
Another group meets at the Texas Health and Racquet Club on Guadalupe Street on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. This is open to anybody who wants to go for a two-mile run with a group. They usually have a nice crowd of runners. And the best part is it doesn’t matter if you are slow or fast, as there will probably be someone to run with.
For a number of years, Texas State University had a runner’s club that met and went for group runs. Most of the runs were around the campus. Since I am no longer teaching at the University, I recommend checking the Recreation Center for information about the club and group runs.
If a group is not available, the next best thing is a running partner or friend to run with. Over the years I have had several friends who met with me for a run. Jim Duvall and I met at 6:00 a.m. for several years. He had to be at work at 8:00, so that was the reason for the early start. It was usually a four-mile run. The most difficult running was with Ros Hill as he had a job as a disc jockey in Seguin that started broadcasting at 6:00 a.m. That meant we met at 4:00 a.m. for the run. Believe it or not we were not the only runners out at that hour. It was officially a morning run but it was still very dark outside.
Running can be a very social activity at times. The advantage is on days you don’t want to run you get up and run because the partner is waiting for you. They may not want to run either but both of you will be there for the run.
