Do you love running? Hate running? or are you like me (and I suspect the rest of the active world) – you love to hate/hate to love running?
There's no question about the effectiveness of running on your mental & physical health, no matter how hard many of us try to avoid daily/weekly mileage, running is a huge part of our lives – or, at least it should be. I've been fortunate enough to be involved in running through directing events, announcing, coaching, racing, and even writing over the past decade; much of my 2013 book 7 Weeks to a 10k was dedicated to the lessons I'd learned – both good & bad – while running over the last decade.
Since the start of 2017 I've also been experimenting with my boundaries a bit by keeping up a #5keveryday running streak, and of this article I'm well over 430 miles in, having run for 137 consecutive days on my goal to pass 1 full year & 1100 miles. In about 50 days I'll hit the halfway mark of my quest, and I'm sure to post more and possibly tease an upcoming #5keveryday book too! The simplest lesson I've learned over the past 5 months is that staying active requires a commitment, but it only requires a small amount of activity per day. Yeah, some days you have to apply a little more effort than others to get out the door for some activity, but at least you know the habit is worth the effort you put into it. In my article I owned up to the fact that about 60% of the time I didn't feel like going out for a run, and over 90% of those times I was glad I did.
Just Do Something
Running is the easiest and fastest way to get fitter – at least that's what everyone says, right? “Pounding the pavement” is the oft-used measuring stick for burning calories, and while a high-intensity workout can burn more short-term, the 100-plus calorie burn per 10:00 minute/mile pace (more in-depth calculations from Runner's World here) is relatively cheap, convenient, and of course far more scalable than a high-intensity workout. Want to burn more calories? Run faster/farther.
Yes, I agree it is mid-numbingly glib to say “just run” as the answer to losing weight, getting fitter or faster – and of course running isn't the perfect prescription for 100% of the population, walking, swimming, biking, or any type of physical activity is extremely beneficial for health & weight maintenance. Can't run? Walk. Swim. Bike… “just (insert activity here)”. No wonder why Nike's “Just Do It” coined in '88 is still the best motivational fitness slogan in the world!
Whatever your activity* is, go ahead, and just do it.
*legal and/or healthy activities please.
Run With Someone, Run For Someone
I sincerely like the solitude of running alone, coupled with this silly little running streak it's my daily time to think about things either meaningful or entirely nonsensical and just unwind. Ya know, I've solved the world's problem a thousand times over during a run, I just can't seem to remember the formula once the endorphins wear off. Maybe some day…
While I enjoy the daily meditative effects of a jog, some of the best times of my life have been running with others – training partners, friendly rivals, fitness heroes like Dean Karnazes or Steve Bender, and even running events for fun versus trying to hit some time goal. As I covered many times over in my book (which had very little to do with the 10k distance and was really just a tribute to how running changed my life) I've seen the transformative effects or running on thousands of people as a race director and up close & personal with many of my closest friends.
Running's power may be in its simplicity and effectiveness as an activity, but at its heart running is about connecting people.
Run for yourself, run for the collective joy of a group, run in memory of someone, or to bring awareness or fundraising to a cause. Just Run.
In less than a week Global Running Day kicks off on June 7, and Mud Run Guide will be involved – will you? Take a few minutes to pledge your distance on 6/7, use the handy-dandy widget below:
What is Global Running Day?
Global Running Day is a day for people around the world to celebrate the joys of running. Participation is easy—just pledge to take part in some type of running activity on June 7, 2017. It can be a solo lap around the block, a long run with friends, or even a game of tag with your kids. The key is to share your passion for the sport and inspire others to get moving.
Run for Fun, Run to Win
On Thursday, June 7 run the distance you pledged, upload a quick photo to Facebook and tag #globalrunningday and #mudrunguide and we'll pick one winner at random for a Mud Run Guide embroidered trucker hat.
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