Six Ways To Celebrate National Running Day

Written by Jennifer Squires and L.A. Chung

National Running Day is Wednesday. It's a time for runners everywhere to celebrate their sport and show their passion. 

There's no shortage of runners in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. You see them chugging up the oak-studded pathways or around town. Los Altos Hills fields a pretty mean team at the annual Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in downtown San Jose each Thanksgiving.

So for all the runners around town—and those who wish they had the motivation, desire or ability to join them—here are ways to celebrate National Running Day.

1. Go for a run (d'oh!). 
2. Need a goal? Register for a local race. This is a great motivator, whether you're an experienced runner who has grown bored with the usual workouts or someone looking to be more athletic. If you want to do good while doing yourself—and your entire family—some good, don't forget the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital is having its 2013 Summer Scamper and you can raise money while you run its 5-kilometer or 10-kilometer course (or sponsor a runner). There is a kids' fun run and a family festival as well, so you can make a day of it.
3. Read about running. Try Born to Run, the 2009 bestseller by Christopher McDougall that inspired a lot of people to hit the trails—many of them barefoot. Want local expertise? For a blast from the past, check out Runner's World founder Bob Anderson's books that rode the first running wave, The Complete Runner and the Complete Woman Runner, written and published here, in Los Altos.
4. Find a running group. If you work in Los Altos, Adam Kemist, the proprietor and resident expert of On Your Mark store, leads a group run of three to five miles every Wednesday at noon. Early risers: They also have weekly runs of the same length that leave from the store Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 a.m.  Team In Training almost always has a group training for an event. Both are good options if you're looking for a coach to guide your exercise. Join Bob Anderson's Ujena Fit Club to log your workouts, share with other runners and gain points. There's a handy age grade calculator
5. Be healthier. Getting adequate sleep, eating your vegetables and drinking lots of water will make you feel better, which translates into better running. 
6. Download some running jams. Rocking some tunes can help you through the lowest moments of your run. Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run," Michael Jackson's "Beat It," and "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor are classics.