I took a break from "The Hash" for a couple of months. Just like going to the gym or any other exercise regimen, it is really easy to stop going, and very difficult to get back into the swing of things.
Please note: "hash" in this group has nothing to do with the drug
However, I joined the crew yesterday and while I did pretty well, I honestly should do better than I perform considering I am around 20 years younger than most of the people out there.
We had a decent crew of around 25 people in today's relatively cool trek. The area appeared to be relatively flat, which is always a plus, but it didn't stay that way for long.
We found ourselves faced with small hills, which eventually became near ravines that we had to be quite careful when getting to the other side. Hashes rarely take place on roads, so you can expect the elements to be a bit of a factor in how crazy difficult this can all be.
Most of us slow to a walk at the hills and this is because none of us are elite athletes. The motto of the HHH is that we are "drinkers with a running problem" and it shows. But I think it is definitely good for all of us because well, you ever met a hardcore drinker who is like "ok, gonna go run near 8 km in the jungle now!"
That's exactly what we did yesterday. The reason why I say this run is a dangerous one is because of the deceptive nature of some of the trails. There are large stones in the path that can trip you up and at the minimum mess up your ankles when you don't see them coming.
Go ahead, run on this, I dare ya!
A few weeks ago, one of our more established "FRB" (front running bastard) members tripped up on exactly this kind of terrain and busted his head open, it was merely a flesh wound thank goodness but it later involved 16 stitches and quite the impressive loss of blood. I admire this man because despite that, he was back out here yesterday with still-visible scars and was determined to still be one of the front runners. He achieved this goal and was well celebrated at the circle at the end.
Plenty of booze and merriment was had at the end of the run and personally I had 6 beers which almost certainly negated the 862 calories I burned on the run.
I have to say though, that this is my kind of exercise. It is so much more fun than running on a treadmill in the gym and since almost everyone loves a beer in the crew, you are surrounded by people that have achieved balance in the force. We all drink in a rather irresponsible manor, but we all are still very capable of exercise.
The camaraderie is second-to-none as well and in the year I have been a member I have made many life-long friends.
As always, i highly recommend you look to your local area to see if they have a local chapter of Hash House Harriers as this is a global organization that is pretty well-organized.
Happy Hashing and I'll see you at the "on on."