I didn't learn that today is National Running Day until after a finished my morning run.
Had I known, I might have done something special to note the event. Oh, I don't know, a moment of silence? A rebel yell? Maybe, like the judo guys at my gym who bow before they enter the dojo, I'd bow to the road or something? Nah, I'd probably throw out my back doing so.
For runners, every day is National Running Day. Yes, even those days we take off. (There has yet, to my knowledge, been a National Cross Training Day.) For us, running is more than a hobby; it's a lifestyle. No, check that. It's a habit. It's like brushing your teeth. (So, would that make speedwork like flossing?)
As with anything you love, there are days when it's not so pleasant. You've got some nagging injury, or you struggle through a creaky recovery run at 5:45 a.m.
But, if you're like me, the good days outnumber the bad, and you live for those sublime moments of transcendence where movement seems effortless and your breathing and stride in perfect sync.
The point, of course, of National Running Day is to spread the gospel of the roads (and trails) to the masses. I know it all sounds a bit too preachy, too cultlike, to openly promote running to non-followers. Running is a secular activity, of course, open to peopel of all faiths or no faith at all.
How about this as a gesture of goodwill: If you're out driving around or walking tot he store today -- or, heck, on your own run -- if you see an obvious newbie runner out there huffing and puffing, give them a thumb's up signal or maybe a "Way to go" exclamation. But don't say, "You're almost there." I hate when people say that to me at races.
In any event, to celebrate NRD, maybe I'll make a cake tonight... and use GU vanilla bean energy gel as the frosting.
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