Why I Run FBR - Andrea Castro

I moved to Philly 2.5 years ago from California. I’d gone to grad school in upstate New York and found a job in Cherry Hill and, after driving around Philly for the first time after the interview, figured I could live here (Philly of course, not Jersey ha ha). I underestimated how hard it would be to create a sense of community and make new friends.  In the Philly area especially there are a lot of people who grew up here, went to college here, and now work here.  So I felt like people can be a little reluctant to let you in and you really have to put yourself out there, which can be intimidating. I joined FBR to make adventurous friends, and it took some time but every week I was excited to explore and get to know the city a little more by going somewhere new, meeting adventurous people with similar interests - I met my rock climbing buddy at FBR, friends that I’m training for my first marathon with right now, and my boyfriend, and all on a Thursday!  It was comforting to know that I’d know where to find everyone each week so that relationships could develop naturally. So, I basically love FBR because it makes a small community out of a big city and it’s sorta like Cheers in that you can go to the bar where everybody knows your name. As for why I run, there are a lot of reasons. I care about being active and living a healthy lifestyle, and running makes me more aware of my overall health (you can’t really run comfortably hungover or after you’ve eaten a greasy meal ha ha). -- Andrea Castro  Editor's note: Would you like to share you story for "Why I Run FBR"? E-mail me at fishtownbeerrunners@gmail.com