#RunChatHunt

I have always enjoyed doing scavenger hunts, but have me do one while running is even more fun.  I have done a couple in the past and I have found that I pay attention more to my surroundings while I look for things.  Like many people, when I run, I tend to stay in my head.  Thoughts come and go, like wondering what I will do today, or the races I have coming up, or why have I been so slow lately, or why am I running, this sucks, or it's really hot (or cold).  But these running scavenger hunts make me focus more on what is going on around me.

This time I have participated in Run Chat's bi-annual running scavenger hunt.  They have a list of ten items that you can possibly see on a run and all you have to do is take a picture of it then post them to Twitter with the #RunChatHunt tag.  Each time you post one of the items, you are entered to win one of several prizes.  So far I have found nine out of the ten items.

 The items are as follows - with one caveat.

• Basketball hoop
• Banks of a river/ocean/lake
• Garage sale
• Picnic table
• Election sign/bumper sticker
• State/local/country flag
• View from the “top” (mountain, hill, etc.)
• Letters to spell #RunChat (* see note below)
• Donut shop
• Selfie with a police officer/fireman/EMS

* Each letter found can count as an entry + a final collage of your images can count as an entry. That means this item alone could count as 9 entries.

Most of the letters that make up #RunChat were found on my first run around my neighborhood.  All these signs that I have never read, got read many times as I tried to figure out which was best for each letter.  As for the pound sign, I kind of cheated and used the bib that Brooks sent me to use on National Running Day.  I didn't wear it as a traditional bib, but I did bring it with me so that technically I saw it on my run.

The basket ball hoop was super simple for me as the kids across the street have one up that they play with all the time.

A lot of the rest of them I was able to get on my first run with the Richmond Marathon Training team.  Our route took us through a park.  While this particular park is really kind of boring as there is not a lot of stuff to look at except mostly trees, I kept my eye out for a couple of these.  I was sure there was some sort of river or lake there and there was.  And of course there was a picnic table there.

In the neighborhood area of the same run, I did find someone having a yard sale as well as a very nicely decorated door for Memorial Day.

As I came back to our meeting spot, there was a group of bikers (as in motorcycles, not bicycles).  They must have been starting to put together an event and there were a couple of police officers there.  I knew I was in luck as I had no clue if I would be able to find that one or not.  They were very agreeable to pose in a picture with me and thought the whole idea of a scavenger hunt was fun - but not the running part.  I'm very grateful for their cooperation and of course their service!

On my long run Saturday where I did many miles around my neighborhood, I knew I would have to run the dreaded hill.  While I have many hills in my neighborhood there are two that are long and steep.  This one I run every so often hating it just as much as I know it is helping me.  As I say, what goes up, must come down.  And it's always fun to run down it.

A couple weeks later with my run through the city, I was able to find this election sign.  Not sure what it was for or why it was in the trash, but I could now check off one more item.

                                   

I still have the donut shop on my list.  It's probably best that I don't see a donut shop on my run.  I'd never be able to finish my runs.  As Homer would say, "MMMMM, donuts!"

Have you done a scavenger run before (while running or not)?  What was the hardest thing you have had to find?