Happy National Running Day! This relatively new “holiday” is celebrated annually on the first Wednesday in June. The purpose of Running Day is for runners across the country to declare their love and passion for running.
Today, runners from coast to coast will take part in running in all its forms. Fast, slow, long, or short, its all running and it means so much to all who lace up their shoes. Today is the day to celebrate and perhaps reaffirm a passion that has gone dormant or even begin a life-changing experience.
Runners are grabbing “badges” from the RunningDay.org site and filling in their response to “I Run…”. Facebook and Twitter are full of great responses like:
“I Run… to get out of my head.”
“I Run… Because it frees me.”
“I Run… even though no one is chasing me.”
“I Run… Because I can.”
Running really does bring people together. It can be bonding. We all have our shared experiences as a beginner, as we train for a new goal, and even as an injured runner. Continue bonding and celebrate this day with your fellow runners and those who have always wanted to become a runner.
The great people behind National Running Day came up with ten great ways to celebrate:
1. Declare your passion: Tell the world why you run. Use a badge from RunningDay.org and let everyone know. Whether you run for charity or for the race T-shirts, let everyone know.
2. Bring a “runway” to work: Wear your running shoes and gear to work today and run at lunch or run home.
3. Morph your friends into running friends: Invite a new friend or two for a run. Everyone knows it just take a few runs to get hooked.
4. Change Happy Hour to Running Hour: Ditch the 5PM cocktails with co-workers. De-stress with a post-work run.
5. Strike new ground: Seek out a new running route and head somewhere completely new today.
6. Give the gift of running: Donate to a charity that uses running to help people’s lives. There are many to choose from locally and nationally.
7. Make running run in the family: Take a run around the neighborhood with the kids. Got a competitive spirit in the family? Make a short race out of it.
8. Choose a running resolution: Use today as a good starting point for a new fitness goal. It could be small, like adding just 5 more minutes to your run. It could be big, like committing to train for a new distance race (consider Warrior Dash or Tough Mudder).
9. Take advantage of the great outdoors: Get off the treadmill and soak up the sun.
10. Treat yourself like a champion: Indulge in your favorite post-run snack (like our post-workout ice cream sandwiches) or treat yourself to a brand new pair of running shoes.