The kickball girls and I decided to run the Ragin Cajun Run which is a team event. We partnered up and met at the Blind Pig Bar on West 6th Street. The organizers let us out one group at a time and handed us a card with five pit-stops. We were free to run the streets, alleys, and grassy knolls of downtown Cleveland to get to each destination. First, we headed to the Free Stamp next to City Hall on Lakeside Ave. After we picked up some beads, we then ran to Pacer's Bar on East 12th Street that is attached to the Embassy Suites. There we received a toy trumpet to carry with us. On to the next destination of The Clevelander on East 9th Street where we had to wait in line for a Hurricane drink and glass. I took the glass sans drink. There is no requirement that you drink. I heard the drink tasted like cough syrup anyway. The last place before the finish line was the House of Blues. This was a fun location. I had never been in the House of Blues (which I will now make a better effort to stop at soon). We ran in through the side door, past all the people eating dinner, and to a room where one partner had to drink a 1/2 cup of beer and the other partner had to blow up an inflatable saxophone. Again, we tossed most of the beer. On to the home stretch, we ran straight through Public Square and parking lots back to the Blind Pig. Even though we did not come in first place, we had a fantastic time running through the streets of Cleveland. Here's our victory picture:
Not only are 5K plentiful in CLE, but I like that there is a variety that include scavenger hunts and different charities. We will probably do this again next year if we do not have any time conflicts. A 5K is a good way to get some exercise and see the City at night. And for you wieners that complain about safety, I felt completely safe at all times running through Cleveland. It's no different than any other city. We just have more complainers. Get out and run because you'll be see the VBB Girls again this running season.
