This year I had the joy of keeping up with my yearly tradition of a birthday run. Okay, three years does not a tradition make, but it could be the beginning of one!
Two years ago I ran my favourite 8k loop along the Brisbane river with a beautiful friend for company.
One year ago I ran a 5k race in Rockhampton.
And this year I did my Tuesday morning training session.
Not everyone thinks getting up at 4.30am to run sprints is a great way to celebrate their birthday, but I beg to differ! So I've decided to list my top 5 reasons for running on your birthday.
5. Lung capacity - the candles on the birthday cake grow in number every year, but our lung capacity is at risk of diminishing as we age. Don't fall to the fear of not being able to blow out all the birthday candles on your cake! Running improves lung capacity so you'll be able to blow them all out in one go, whether you are turning 27 or 97! (Spit also works in extinguishing candles, but is not the preferred method when sharing a cake).
4. Stress reliever - birthdays aren't all roses and balloons. If the thought of turning another year older makes you feel clammy, or if you've planned the party of a century and are seriously hoping that nobody inserts the adjective 'worst' in there, you may be stressed.
A run is a great way to work off that stress so you can sit back and enjoy the actual day.
3. No planning required - if you're like me and don't like planning parties at all, then a run is a great alternative. Both you and your fellow runners are sure to enjoy it, and they're dedicated/crazy enough that chances are they'll show up rain, hail, or shine. (Note: only works for people who enjoy running to begin with).
2. Birthday cake - this is the obvious one. Chances are your birthday will involve eating lots of birthday cake. Not only will a run help you avoid the dreaded next day bloat, but you can fully enjoy that third slice of cake and second glass of wine because you know that you've already burnt off the calories. Or so you can keep telling yourself.
1. Friends - because a birthday is only as awesome as the people you spend it with. When you've been running with a running group consistently for a long time, you become very close with a lot of people. Your other runners get you. They understand why you go to bed before 9pm on a Friday night, and why you say "I'm just running the half marathon" without irony. They may be a diverse group of people from every walk of life, but they all share two things: a love of running, and a heart of gold.
I tell everyone that birthday cake has no calories if it's your birthday. A birthday run can almost make this statement true.
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