If you scroll through social media on Global Running Day, you already know exactly what you’ll see. It’s a wall of GPS watch faces, sweaty post-run selfies, and captions about how running “changed my life.” And I love that. I’m cheering it on every step of the way. But for me, it goes just a little deeper. After all, this is a day that celebrates two things that mean the world to me: the community and satisfying the craving for adventure.
Building A Village
Running has a reputation for being a lonely sport, but the reality is that none of us truly do this alone. Even if you do prefer to run alone, there are familiar faces on our local routes. We see the same teams organizing and volunteering. And we thrive on the strangers that cheer us on from the sidelines at the races we attend. No, runners are never really alone. And that village is what makes it all so beautifully worthwhile.
Seeing The World In Finish Lines
As a lover of travel, one of the greatest gifts this sport has given me is enabling me with my exploration goals. There is a very specific kind of adrenaline that comes with packing your race day essentials into a carryon, flying or road tripping to a new place, and exploring a brand-new city entirely on foot. It’s one of my favorite feelings.
Chasing 50 States
That love for runcations is exactly what fueled my goal to race in all 50 states. Every single time I pin on a race bib in a new time zone, it’s a reminder of how big the running world actually is, and yet how small it feels when you’re standing in a start corral with strangers, sharing the same nerves and excitement. Celebrating this day means celebrating every single state crossed of my list. These running shoes are easily the best passport I own.
The Balancing Act
Once again, it all comes down to balance Without the unwavering support of the community, the lofty goals and adventures would be out of reach.The community gives you the strength to show up, and that fuels the need to get out and explore the next destination. It’s really the best of both worlds.
Celebrate It All!
So, when you see the flood of running posts today, look beyond the metrics. Global Running Day is a celebration of the miles that connect us, whether that’s a loop around your neighborhood with your best running buddy or a half marathon across the country. It’s about the whole map, the local faces, and the endless horizons ahead.
What does Global Running Day mean to you?
Link Up With Tuesday Topics
Welcome back to Tuesday Topics, as Jenny, from Runners Fly joins Jenn at Runs With Pugs to co-host this link-up! Please join us every week for a new topic! Write on our weekly prompt or choose your own topic! Make sure to add your post to the link up, link back to your hosts, and comment on the other shared posts!
Over the years, running has brought so many wonderful people into my life. It’s a solitary sport, but with a community of like-minded people. There’s a big Global Running Day party in Chicago tomorrow, but I always work late on Wednesdays and have to miss it. But i’ll still be celebrating!
What Wendy said. If it weren’t for running, I wouldn’t have met both in person and virtually so many wonderful women.
I love the social aspect of running which is why I probably race so much.
I will probably skip tomorrow as I am resting a sore foot.
Running has brought so many people into my life over many years from the people I coached to my very best friend! Even though I can no longer run, I still keep in touch with a few different groups. I never set a goal to run in every state, but it sounds so fun!
Even though I usually like to run alone, I still feel like a part of the running community. All my online friends who encourage me, support me, and give me amazing advice are the BEST. Plus, there’s nothing like showing up to a race with a bunch of “strangers” and realizing you’re actually BFFs for the day.