21 Reasons to Start Running

You Won’t Regret Joining the Running Community 

By Laura Clark

Remember back in early March 2020 when everything was normal? Until it wasn’t? Oh sure, we knew that there was yet another flu outbreak in faraway China. But that had happened before. But here? And then life as we knew it abruptly ran up against a wall. Everyone, and not just runners, was faced with the unknowns of their own personal marathon on an unmarked route. 

And here we are, on the one-year anniversary of the day the world locked down, still grappling with shutdowns that were originally only supposed to have lasted a few weeks or months… A year is a long time so choose whatever reasons below that resonate with you and reboot!

1. Reframe the Covid anniversary by doing something positive. Shuck off the victim mentality and make lemonade out of lemons, instead of watching the TV action from your couch cocoon. Depending on where you were and where you worked, the shutdown began sometime mid-March. For the Saratoga Springs Public Library, our last day of normalcy was March 17. That’s right, St. Patrick’s Day. Visiting a bar is still an iffy proposition, but you could begin Covid Year 2021 by donning your green clothes, going for a run, and then having a virtual Zoom meetup with your buddies.

2. Speaking of buddies, running is a great way to expand your horizons beyond your small pod. We all know outdoors is safer than indoors right now and running sure beats sitting in an outdoor restaurant patio wearing parka, gloves and hat! To meet fellow exercisers, check out your local running club’s website or Facebook page. For instance, the Saratoga Stryders plans socially distanced workouts, as well as Zoom trivia meetings and book clubs to keep members involved. Other area clubs like Adirondack Runners, Hudson Mohawk Road Runners, Albany Running Exchange, Clifton Park Beer Runners, and the area’s triathlon clubs offer similar opportunities.

3. Bikes, kayaks, skateboards, and other outdoor equipment may be challenging to find. Feel smug about already owning a bike? Think again, parts may be in short supply. In contrast, all you need to run is a good pair of sneakers. Do visit a specialized running store to get help selecting a pair of shoes that work for your feet. Four thoughtful choices are Fleet Feet in Albany Malta and Albany, iRun Local in Saratoga Springs, Fallen Arch in Lake Placid and the Sneaker Store in New Hartford.

4. Keep it simple! Have sneakers, will run. No need for a mechanic’s degree, expensive equipment, or racks to haul aforesaid pricey toys. 

5. Trying to fit in an online work schedule around your kids’ virtual schooling requirements? You can run solo at any time that works for you, without organizing team players or waiting for the gym to open up again.

6. Notice how empty the roads are lately? This is the perfect time to become a road runner without risking life and limb or breathing in excess fumes.

7. Don’t want to exhibit your born-again running abilities on the open road? Then opt for a neighborhood tour. Take some bonus photos of interesting landscaping ideas to adapt to your own homestead. Meet those neighbors (socially distanced, of course) that you never had time to notice before.

8. Hesitant to race? This is the perfect opportunity to sample a virtual event or a mileage challenge. You get a sense of community, posted times, and some swag to boast about. Connect with a long-distance friend and enjoy a different route together, connected by your cell phones. Join Erie Canalway’s “Canalway Challenge,” Freihofer’s Run for Women Training Challenge, or the One NY Safe Virtual Challenge. If you’d like to mix it up, you can also walk, bike or paddle some of these challenges.

9. Money tight? For a nominal membership fee, many clubs offer free virtual or in-person race options. Saratoga Stryders posts weekly workouts for its members that can be completed alone or at their Wednesday night runs. This is non-threatening way to move to the next level. If you make it through the workout on your own, you will gain confidence to explore socially-distanced ones.

10. Interested in a “real” event? Today’s staggered start races combine starting line excitement with the no-pressure feeling of knowing that your mates might or might not be faster than you depending on the initial lineup. You might finish last, but that doesn’t mean you were actually last – no stigma attached! Plus, experienced runners are more relaxed and less well-trained than they might have been. Everyone is just happy to be outdoors, among others, and acting in a pretty much normal fashion. See the Calendar of Events for a variety of races, whether they’re larger, meticulously organized events or smaller, more casual options.

11. Heading outdoors is a great way to avoid “restless kid syndrome,” and get them off their devices and out of their bedrooms. You can run and kids can also run or bike. Pick a circular neighborhood route so that younger ones have an escape hatch when they get tired. At the very least, they will get worn out. At most, they might actually talk to you.

12. The above also works for your dog – except possibly for the talking bit!

13. Score one for the environment and get an early start for Earth Day on April 22. Organize your group for a trash treasure hunt around your neighborhood. This is a great way to socially distance. Consider offering some small prizes for most trash, yuckiest find, most unusual object.

14. Guilt-free rewards. Take the occasional run to the local ice cream stand and bank some family memories.

15. Maintain a base of fitness so you can get back to it when life goes back to “normal.” 

16. With running gear now being the acceptable outfit of choice for errands or in-home work spaces, you probably have more than enough outfits to get you started. But this time your gear comes with bragging rights. You will no longer be a pretender, but a guilt-free participant.

17. Take your cue from time-stressed entrepreneurs and philanthropists like Bill Gates. According to Malcolm Gladwell, noted author of Outliers, successful folks realize they have only so much decision-making mental energy in a given day so they simplify by wearing basically the same wardrobe with color variations. This is your ticket to a guilt-free shopping spree. Select a four-season outfit combo that can transition from workout to work to errands.

18. Explore new places. Hit the trails where the chief goal is enjoyment of nature. If you need motivation, download an animal tracking guide to discover who has passed the same way. Or listen to some bird calls and see how many birds you can identify without actually seeing them.

19. If you are new to running, be inspired by the fact that you can only get better. In fact, studies have shown that the improvement curve remains consistent for 10 years. So that’s a lot of reinforcement right there. And even if you hate it at first, you will discover that physical exercise is addictive, and wonder how you ever functioned without it.

20. In the typical team sports, you have to keep up with everyone else, but running is one sport where it is perfectly acceptable to proceed at you own pace. You are competing more against the weather, the course and yourself.

21. And finally, you can run year-round, unlike more seasonal sports. Even in winter, there is always snowshoe running. You will discover that some of your most memorable adventures are not when you aced a race, but when you perservered over obstacles. You will acquire a never-ending source of tall tales to relate to your kids and grandkids, or over a beer with your running buddies.

It’s a fun sport so get out there and enjoy it!

Laura Clark (snowshoegal133@gmail.com) of Saratoga Springs is an avid trail runner, ultramarathoner, snowshoer and cross-country skier. She is a children’s librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.