This Wednesday will be the 2nd annual National Running Day. It's an informal day meant to encourage everyone to run, walk or do some other exercise. No registration is required. Just lace up your shoes and get some exercise. Many towns and cities across the U.S. and in some other countries will be hosting special events related to National Running Day. Some have short races. Others have fun runs, group runs or other social events. The day is not focused on racing and elite runners. It is focused on widespread participation in exercise, particularly in the form of running, which is a relatively simple and accessible form of exercise. The U.S. currently spends hundreds of billions of dollars a year on avoidable healthcare related to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. I say "avoidable" because many of those problems arise or occur decades sooner in people because of inactivity, poor diet and smoking. National Running Day is just one small part of an ongoing attempt to have everyone live healthier lives (and save the country from getting bankrupted by Social Security, Medicare and other medical expenditures that should not be nearly as high as they are). Type II diabetes (the most prevalent form) has a genetic component but its onset is largely related to obesity, usually caused by inactivity and poor nutritional habits. The risk of heart disease and early onset of heart disease skyrockets when one is obese and inactive. If you have been looking for motivation to get started with a regular exercise program, you can use National Running Day as a starting point. If you don't want to run or walk by yourself, ask some friends or relatives to go for a walk or easy jog. Or visit the official website of National Running Day for an event in your area. I generally follow an annual training plan for my triathlon racing. I normally don't alter the daily plans except for races, weather and important personal events. Fortunately I have an appropriate workout scheduled for Wednesday, a bike/run brick workout. A brick workout is simply two different activities done back-to-back on very short rest. The usual triathlete brick is a bike/run workout, to simulate the stress of the transition from the bike to the run during a triathlon race. I plan to do a shorter brick on Wednesday, probably one hour on the bike (including some time at tempo or race pace) followed as soon as possible by a 15-minute run. (I'll do a longer brick on the weekend.) I won't be running too much on Wednesday but I'll be doing some running. I hope you can find the time to do the same. Or at least find the time to walk or swim or bike.