Monday, June 9, 2014

Big Boss Run Club

Running and Beer. At one time in my life I considered these to be two vastly different entities.

Running is a form of exercise, improves heart and cardiovascular health, strengthens leg muscles, burns calories and can aide in weight loss.

Beer is a tasty beverage created via brewing and fermentation, is alcoholic, consuming it does the opposite of burn calories and can aide in the emergence of the 'beer belly'.

But as I've grown to enjoy both beer and running separately, I see how they are actually pretty similar in a lot of ways. Both are used to de-stress and clear the mind, both are pretty healthy activities in moderation, both promote social interaction and spawn mini communities that come together specifically to enjoy their chosen interest as a group.

I wrote an earlier post about experiencing the running and beer loving communities overlap at Durham's Fullsteam Run Club. Recently I decided to check out another brewery-based running meetup, Raleigh's Big Boss Run Club.




March through September the club meets at Big Boss Brewery on Tuesday nights, with the group run unofficially starting at 7 PM. On the run club Facebook page, there are maps for four official routes (3.1, 4, 5 or 6 miles) all using a nearby greenway and connecting neighborhood streets. 

I glanced at the maps beforehand, but pretty quickly forgot what turn went where once I was out on the road. Fortunately, using a pack of more experienced Big Boss runners as my guide, I successfully found my way out and back from the 5 mile loop. 
It was a scenic route, starting out along the greenway and looping through house-lined streets. My girlfriend, who took an alternate route, went mostly along the greenway/creek for her run, and said it was very pretty and peaceful.


View from the 3 Mile loop
Back at the brewery, the group of running enthusiasts slowly morphed into beer enthusiasts, as the bar filled up with runners clamoring for a post-workout pint. Big Boss has even created a seasonal brew specifically for their group of dedicated runners: Tail Wind IPA.

To replenish food stores, Deli-icious was on hand serving up some darn tasty sandwiches to pair with your chosen beverage. I went with Smokey and the Bandit: a delightful melting of Swiss cheese, smoked chicken, avocado and tomato.



As the sun set and the brewery's front lights cut on, runners in athletic garb chatted about life, family, races for the future and in the past. It was really no different from the conversations that would take place over a round of beers on any other night, except that everyone was a little sweatier.

As I sat with my sandwich and girlfriend, I couldn't help people-watching the crowd of runners/beer drinkers catching up with old friends, sharing a laugh, or being introduced to someone new. This is the quintessential example of what's great about running as a group and enjoying beer as a group. Meeting new people, staying in touch with ones you already know, and just generally engaging in local community businesses through enjoying a shared interest with others.

Big Boss Run Club is a must-try activity for any Triangle resident who likes running, enjoys local beer, or can appreciate the confluence of the two.


Big Boss Run Club infohttps://www.facebook.com/groups/bigbossrunclub/

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