Drinkers with a running problem

<p>By Peter Teske

Lagniappe staff

<p>Sit down and think of three reasons you might, all of the sudden, find yourself motivated to run a 5k (3.2 miles for you miscreants who are still boycotting the metric system).

Done thinkin’ about it? If you happened to make it past the always tempting and ethereal idea of being accompanied to the afterlife by 100 beautiful ladies/studly men and one of your three more feasible motivations included the words discounted beer, well, you’re probably a drunk. If your second and third reasons, in no particular order of course, included exercise and discounted pizza, good for you! There’s a group in Midtown that’s got all the bases covered and it’s not Alcoholics Anonymous. In the beginning, not only was there a whole bunch of beer, but about 60 people, a number 10 times Mobile Mellow Milers founder Heather Grubbs’s initial expectations. In fact, it seems as if every Tuesday the group is growing in size without losing sight of its primary goal, which is to provide the people (and some drunks) in Mobile with a chance to exercise regardless of the level at which you may run, walk, stagger or crawl. You might also attribute this growth to the fact that there’s a virtually endless supply of really good discounted beer. People seem to be finding out about the Milers and their drinking habits, as that initial 60 people has now steadily grown to 110 participants. This growth is not occurring at the expense of diversity, however. The Mellow Milers are far from a cookie cutter group and it’s not uncommon to see a guy running sub-six minute miles, couples walking their dog and moms pushing their babies in strollers all along the streets of Midtown Mobile on Tuesday nights. Did I mention there’s discounted beer at the end? Richard Leonard is the President of Mobile’s Port City Pacers and has found that like many running groups, the Mobile Mellow Miler’s provide a great chance for people to not only exercise, but also socialize. "There’s a whole bunch of splinter groups around Mobile and everyone felt like Midtown was a pretty good meeting point and they’re (Mellow Mushroom) throwing out some pretty good specials. You know, half-priced beer..," said Leonard over a cup of discounted Sweet Water Blue. Leonard added, "Our mission statement is to promote running in the community, and this is something they’ve started that we wholeheartedly want to get behind." Not a member of the Pacers, but certainly no stranger to an ironman, triathlon or runs of various lengths, Laura Jelf wasn’t able to run this past week, but that didn’t stop her from coming afterward to hang out with friends and have a beer or two. Despite a fairly serious spill on her bike during a half ironman in South Carolina that left her with a sprained wrist and some nasty road rash, Jelf wouldn’t miss the weekly post-run party for anything. "It’s fun because it’s a great community of people. It’s more social than the usual strict workout mentality of other groups and the beer is great. I do more cycling than running and this way I get to meet more people with my same interests in and around Mobile," said Jelf while sipping a Blue Moon. The social aspect of things can be taken a step further as Doug Carlton, a runner for four years lists the reasons he enjoys Tuesday nights at the Mellow Mushroom. When Carlton gets out of his day job in Mobile’s commercial real estate sector, running is usually one of the first things on his mind. "Running with a group is just more fun, you meet new people, there’s girls to meet….And, you can’t beat the specials," said Carlton, who likes Newcastle English Brown Ale. He claims it just "sits right" after a run. Given the chance to spread the good word and convince more people to come out, Carlton said, "It’s just a lot of fun. You can’t go wrong with exercising. I know sometimes you don’t want to, but that’s the joy of the group. Everyone else is out here killing themselves too. I passed by an older lady tonight and she said, ‘Excuse me, I’m old, what are you doing?’ I told her ‘We’re exercising. You can come too!’" Of course, all of this makes Heather Grubbs supremely happy, but there’s no limit to those who can attend and she wants people to know. "Even if you’re not a big runner, we have a lot of walkers. If you just want to come up here and get started we have a lot of experienced runners who can give you tips. Everyone’s really nice to talk to," Jordan said. "The best part is it’s a free club. Once you’ve attended 10 weeks you get a t-shirt." And while Grubbs didn’t mention discounted beer at this point in our conversation, surely you wouldn’t be bothered with another reminder. There’s discounted beer, people! Everyone is thankful to the Mellow Mushroom staff at the end of every Tuesday night, some a little more than others, but that’s OK. They address the needs of drunks and fitness-minded people better than anyone in the greater Mobile area. Grubbs praises the staff’s willingness to help her every week by getting plenty of cold water ready for dehydrated runners so that right before dehydrating themselves again, they can recoup for a minute or two. On the business end of things, Chad Hicks, owner of the Shroom, says all is well on Tuesday nights. "Besides Friday night, it’s right up there. We offer a $30 gift certificate raffle every week to encourage people to come back in, and they do. Business is good. Come run," Hicks said. You can find more information about the Mobile Mellow Milers and the groups running and drinking schedule on mobilemellowmilers.com.