Today, June 6, is National Running Day. In the last two decades, runners have raised over a billion dollars in charitable running events around the world–good causes and setting personal goals go very well together, and seemingly every other charitable organization has a run event on their calendar. One of my closest friends just took up running so she could raise money for Team in Training and help fund the fight against leukemia and lymphoma (support Laura’s run here). She puts her running shoes in the bathroom sink so when she gets up every morning, she has to confront them and is more likely to get out there on the road instead of crawling back under the covers. Every day she is bettering her distances as she builds up to her 5K event distance. Running for a charity tends to make our commitments stronger and our feet trudge through rough schedules and inclement weather a bit more easily than if we were just doing it for ourselves. It’s that whole making a commitment thing. Saying “I will do this, not solely for me, but also for you. That makes it matter to me even more.” It is what inspires us to volunteer, to give our valuable dollars and hours, and to make a difference.
Are you logging miles on foot (or in a saddle—bicycle or horse—or in the water or on the dance floor or skating rink or any other event with a purpose? Tell us about it in the comments below, so more people can learn about your cause)
Change by Doing 