Wednesday, June 5, is the ninth World Running Day, an international event that encourages runners of all ages and levels to go running.
you do not need Do something special for World Running Day 2024 besides putting on your running shoes and hitting the streets. You can tag your run with “#GlobalRunningDay” on the social media app of your choice and probably get some love from other runners. Simple!
For those motivated by challenging other runners, rewards, medals or other gifts, we are here to help. You can find many organizations, fitness watchesand running applications who treat World Running Day as a serious event.
This is how we recommend making the most of Global Running Day 2024!
Run (or walk) a virtual 5K
New York Road Runners (NYRR) holds the “official” event World Running Day 5K Event. At that link, you can register for the event (it's free as long as you don't want to pay for an entry fee to the Brooklyn Half Marathon) and sync your Strava account.
Once you're registered, you have until June 9 to run the 5K and upload it to Strava; Your name and result automatically appear on the leaderboard and will rank up if you complete a faster 5K in the contest window. Now you can compare your best effort to runners around the world, which is incredibly motivating!
Another important aspect of this event is fostering a love of running in children. You can also find a Virtual Rising NYRR Global Running Day Kids Run That encourages you to “pledge” to run or walk a mile with your child between now and the end of June. He can then print out a bib for his child to wear and a certificate of completion for him to hang up afterwards, as a reward for his hard work.
Find a local running club or event
We can't list all the local running events out there, but many organizations use World Running Day as an excuse to get together and participate in social runs. They are generally open to newcomers and will be run at a reasonable and commensurate pace.
Check social event sites like Eventbrite or Meetup, or search for local clubs on Strava, where they might post World Running Day meetups. Then do a quick search for local running, sports, or shoe retailers in your area; They often have running clubs that meet periodically at that store. Even if they don't, store workers may have rumors about local racing events that you may not know about.
Otherwise, I recommend just Googling “Global Running Day (the name of your city)” and seeing what comes up.
Get motivated with digital rewards or audio scares
If you're more of a solo runner, you may still feel a rush of endorphins when you clock ticking or the app offers you a reward for reaching certain fitness goals. If so, you might be interested to know that some brands reward you specifically for exercising on World Running Day.
apple watch Owners who run at least 5K on Wednesday will earn the limited-edition prize pictured above, to see on your Apple Fitness prize rack.
garmin watch Owners will earn a limited-time “World Running Day 2024 badge” simply by logging any running activity on June 5. It's not a “Challenge”, so you don't need to participate in anything to get the badge.
I didn't find any other specific badges related to World Running Day other than the aforementioned Strava NYRR challenge badge. But you can still look motivational apps for running or walking as Walk the distance either fantasy walk that turn your steps into progress toward a goal, or Zombies, run! missions that will turn your 5K run into a potentially deadly race against zombie enemies that will feel more meaningful.
Make World Running Day a habit
Everyone worries about making New Year's resolutions, but it makes more sense to start fitness goals in the middle of summer, when the nights are long and warm. Can begin a fitness renaissance on World Running Day and then try to keep the momentum going after work is done.
A simple goal that almost anyone can achieve (with dedication) is walk 10,000 steps a day for a month, like I did last summer. You can set your personal goal of 6,000 or 8,000 steps; The number is mostly arbitrary, according to doctors, as long as you're generally moving and standing during the day. But walking constantly is the starting point to be able to run more consistently.
Another objective is improve your VO2 max., or your body's ability to convert as much oxygen as possible into energy during exercise. Most fitness watches estimate your VO2 Max or “cardiovascular fitness level” based on your activities, while Polar allows you to test your VO2 Max directly.
Regardless, improving this stat encourages you to make your runs more purposeful. Max effort intervals, hill training, or sprints can help you improve, but you'll also want to mix in low-level aerobic activities at about 55-75% of your maximum heart rate, to improve your body's ability to move freely. delay. working your heart too much. Watches like him Garmin Forerunner 965 either CHORUS RHYTHM 3 can help guide you on the right training to constantly improve.
If all of this seems a little overwhelming, remember this: World Running Day 2024 is not intended to be a gatekeeping event for runners, but rather a way to inspire everyone to join in the experience. If you want to treat this as a one-time workout and leave it at that, then that's totally fine.
Now, get out on the nearest trail, track, or treadmill and enjoy the day!
