Being a Rand Road Warrior

When my running partner, Frances and I had just started running, we sat on the fence regarding joining a running club for quite a while.  Mainly because we weren't quite sure yet whether we were going to commit to this running thing, but also because when the group of eight to ten year olds from the local school are collecting their 'thanks for participating' medal before you in the 5km 'fun run,' you don't exactly want to be wearing club colours!  We were just starting out, we were painfully slow and we still looked at everyone who ran for a club like they were 'serious runners.' It was only later on that we realised you don't have to be a great runner to belong to a club! So in those first few months, Frances and I ran in our own colours of pink and black.  Eventually we became known at races as the 'ladies in pink' and so after having run a few half marathons, we decided it was finally time to choose a club! For most people, the choice is a simple one - join whichever club is closest to you so that you can attend weekly Time Trials and club runs with ease.  However, when you're a skin and bones, pale blonde girl (as both of us are) there is a whole different issue to consider! Colour! Lets face it - runners spend a lot of time in their running kit, and call us shallow, but we wanted to choose a club with a flattering kit (forget about the fact that we are red faced and sweaty after a race, so colour probably doesn't really matter).  There are a number of running clubs in our area and we had been attending the Time Trials of the club that was the closest to us.  The few times we had been, we loved it! The people were social and friendly, the TT route was flat and the whole club just seemed to have a good laugh when they got together.  The only problem...their running kit was canary yellow! Not the most flattering colour for anyone, least of all blondes!  So we put our decision off for a little longer.  But the more time we spent with the people at RRW, the more we became attached to the club.  It's a small club and everyone seemed to know everyone.  The fact that Thursday evenings start on the road next to a field and end around a full dustbin of empty beer cans, made the club so much more appealing.  They are generally a fun group of people, most of whom are brilliant runners! We were made to feel so at home at this club that eventually there was no other choice but to close our eyes to the bright yellow and join! We've been Edenvale Rand Road Warriors for over a year now and I think I speak for both of us when I say we've grown quite attached to the yellow and will continue to be proud RRW for as long as we are runners!