Global Running Day
National Running Day
Normally I don’t post twice a week (“Normally? What is “normal”? Before this, I’ve posted exactly three times in the two-week history of this blog!) But
today is a very special day. So you get an extra post this week. Happy Global
Running Day!
Today, Wednesday June 7, 2017 is Global Running Day. Global
Running Day is a day that celebrates the sport of running. It is
held annually on the first Wednesday of June.[1] Participants
of all ages and abilities pledge to take part in some type of running activity
by submitting their names through the Global Running Day website, https://globalrunningday.org/.
This year is in fact the 2nd Annual Global Running Day. Before
2016, Global Running Day was known as National Running Day. Taking the name
change into account, 2017 is the 9th annual National/Global Running Day.
Here are some fun running facts to celebrate Global
Running Day:
DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor! The following paragraphs simply describe my
own personal experience with asthma. You can attempt to adopt such habits if
you wish, but you do so at your own risk.
FACT #1
How many people enjoy warning you, “All that running is going to ruin your knees?” Or, maybe you have some of those sarcastic, self-righteous friends that tell you, “I want to run, but I actually like my knees.” Well, here’s a fun fact for you to tell them the next time you hear that annoying knee cliché: Running is actually GOOD for your knees! In a report published about a year ago, an eight-year study of 2,637 participants in the Osteoarthritis Initiative resulted in the opposite of what researchers expected, forcing them to conclude: “A history of leisure running is not associated with increased odds of prevalent knee pain, ROA (Radiographic evidence Of Arthritis), or SOA (Symptoms of Arthritis). In fact, for knee pain, there was a dose-dependent inverse association with runners.” This means that the people who ran more had less knee pain. Additionally, the participants who were still running had less knee pain than those who had quit running, who in turn had less pain than those who had never run. So I keep running to keep my knees healthy. (reference: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acr.22939/abstract)
How many people enjoy warning you, “All that running is going to ruin your knees?” Or, maybe you have some of those sarcastic, self-righteous friends that tell you, “I want to run, but I actually like my knees.” Well, here’s a fun fact for you to tell them the next time you hear that annoying knee cliché: Running is actually GOOD for your knees! In a report published about a year ago, an eight-year study of 2,637 participants in the Osteoarthritis Initiative resulted in the opposite of what researchers expected, forcing them to conclude: “A history of leisure running is not associated with increased odds of prevalent knee pain, ROA (Radiographic evidence Of Arthritis), or SOA (Symptoms of Arthritis). In fact, for knee pain, there was a dose-dependent inverse association with runners.” This means that the people who ran more had less knee pain. Additionally, the participants who were still running had less knee pain than those who had quit running, who in turn had less pain than those who had never run. So I keep running to keep my knees healthy. (reference: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acr.22939/abstract)
FACT #2
I was “that kid” in elementary school who had a note from the doctor saying I couldn’t run and play at recess because I had asthma. Sadly, the treatments they had for asthma “back in the day” were not very effective at long-term control. Science has progressed a great deal. But sometime in the last 20 years when my allergist told me that my asthma was destined to become COPD as I got older, something clicked inside me. I said to myself, “Oh, no it won’t!” That reminds me of this billboard:
I was “that kid” in elementary school who had a note from the doctor saying I couldn’t run and play at recess because I had asthma. Sadly, the treatments they had for asthma “back in the day” were not very effective at long-term control. Science has progressed a great deal. But sometime in the last 20 years when my allergist told me that my asthma was destined to become COPD as I got older, something clicked inside me. I said to myself, “Oh, no it won’t!” That reminds me of this billboard:
To make a long story short, that same allergist now tells
me that my Peak Flow Test indicates that I have the lungs of a person 10-15
years younger than I actually am. (Or five inches taller than I actually am; Peak Flow norms are
based on averages for your height and age. I'll take "younger").
So, I keep running in part to keep my lungs healthy.
FACT #3
Last story… Many years ago I went to the doctor to discuss my bloodwork. My cholesterol was close to 300, and the doctor reached for his prescription pad. I said “Wait! I want to try reducing it with diet and exercise.) At that point, my now ex-doctor literally rolled his eyes at me and told me that I had three months, but insisted it was not going to work. I was to come back in three months for a retest. Well, I went to visit My Friend the Internet and started doing some research. Then I started doing everything that was supposed to be good for lowering cholesterol, and I stopped doing everything that was supposed to be bad for cholesterol. Three months later, my number had dropped to 226. The doctor asked me “What the hell did you do?” I said “I’m not tellin’ ya” and I left, never to see him again. After a number of years as a vegan, that number is now right around the magic 200 mark. So, I keep running in part to keep my blood healthy.
BONUS FACT:
I find that stuff starts hurting when I am too sedentary. Running makes stuff stop hurting.
Last story… Many years ago I went to the doctor to discuss my bloodwork. My cholesterol was close to 300, and the doctor reached for his prescription pad. I said “Wait! I want to try reducing it with diet and exercise.) At that point, my now ex-doctor literally rolled his eyes at me and told me that I had three months, but insisted it was not going to work. I was to come back in three months for a retest. Well, I went to visit My Friend the Internet and started doing some research. Then I started doing everything that was supposed to be good for lowering cholesterol, and I stopped doing everything that was supposed to be bad for cholesterol. Three months later, my number had dropped to 226. The doctor asked me “What the hell did you do?” I said “I’m not tellin’ ya” and I left, never to see him again. After a number of years as a vegan, that number is now right around the magic 200 mark. So, I keep running in part to keep my blood healthy.
BONUS FACT:
I find that stuff starts hurting when I am too sedentary. Running makes stuff stop hurting.
So, now it's time to get away from your computer and go out
and run for Global Running Day. But first, visit https://globalrunningday.org/ and
pledge your miles. THEN go run! Then come back here and comment how many miles
you ran. If you’d like to tell us why YOU run, you can do that too.
Until next time,
The Plant-Based Plodder
I ran 7.85 miles today. How about you?
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