Global Running Day: how to run a mile right now... even if you haven't in years

Today should have been the day when runners around the world put on their trainers and headed to their local park for a communal jog.

Designed to get novices into running, Global Running Day is held on the first Wednesday of June, with - in normal times - group events marking the occasion. But like virtually every public event this summer, the pandemic has put a stop to all that. Instead, organisers are encouraging participants to ‘go virtual’ instead. Joggers are being encouraged to run a mile by themselves “for someone that inspires them” and post their photographs to social media, tagging a friend to do the same through the #Run1Tag1 challenge.

Some participants have even taken to printing their own bib templates and finish line tapes. Runners are also being encouraged to join a ‘virtual leaderboard’ on the run-tracking app Strava. Those who are shielding due to age or poor health could even just run around their garden, organisers say.

It is hard to know for sure whether more people are running during lockdown. One survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by Yorkshire Cancer Research last month (before lockdown was eased), found that Britons were doing less exercise than normal due to the restrictions - the typical adult was doing one hour and 32 minutes of physical activity a day in early May, down from two hours before lockdown was imposed. One third of Britons had put on weight as a result, the study found.

But anecdotal evidence suggests that many have indeed used lockdown to take up jogging for the first time - especially in the earlier stage of lockdown in late March and April, when exercise was one of the only reasons we were allowed to leave our home.

“The majority of people I speak to are doing it, and not just getting out doing exercise but also doing it indoors too, doing online dance, yoga, pilates and exercise classes”, Dr Mike Holmes, vice-chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners and a practicing GP, told the Telegraph last month. One of his patients saw their resting heart rate fall by 10 beats a minute after the introduction of more regular exercise during lockdown, he added.

Either way, now is a better time than ever to put on your running shows, even if you haven’t jogged in years. So, how do you do it?

Born Barikor is CEO and Founder of Our Parks, which runs free group exercise classes around parks. He offers his tips:

1. Take a brisk walk to the park or where you are going to run, as a warm-up

2. Do some dynamic stretches before you run. These include leg swings, opening and closing the gate and running on the spot. Mimicking the action will get you ready for the actual run

3. Set yourself a target: either a distance or a time

4. Start off at a pace that you find comfortable. You should be able to hold a brief conversation while running

5. If you are running a mile for the first time, use an app to track how far you have run and turn on your notifications so it tells you your pace and time every 400 metres (1 mile =  approximately 1,600 metres)

6. When you have finished running the mile, it is important to cool down and bring your heart rate down with a slow walk followed by static stretching. Try holding hamstring, quads, and calf stretches for 30-60 seconds. Repeat twice on each leg.

7. Finally, take your sweating selfie and share it!