The 2023 Turkey Trot is included free when you register for Holiday Hustle. It's a classic 5k fun run. You choose the day this Thanksgiving weekend to get moving with family and friends in your neighborhood.
Capture the fun with finish line selfies. Then check the national leaderboards to get your rank—all included with your Holiday Hustle registration.
Be sure to register today: Turkey Trot opens Wednesday, Nov 22 and you need to record your time by Sunday, Nov 26.
The best part? Turkey Trot is just the start. Holiday Hustle includes 4 bonus holiday challenges: Turkey Trot, Hanukkah Hike, Christmas Chase, and Kwanzaa Quest. You'll be celebrating all season long! Learn more and sign up
Already registered? The Turkey Trot shows up right in your app automatically. Find it on the Record page to get started.
]]>You can be the first to know! Sign up here to get a pre-launch email to get first dibs on the new merch before everyone else:
If you track your workouts with an Apple Watch, it's easy to upload those activities to the Run Across America app. Here's how it works:
💡Good to know: Only individual timed workouts can be uploaded to our app.
Step 0: Sign up for the current season:
Sign up for the latest Daily Distance season to get access to the Run Across America app and get in on the fun.
Step 1: Use your Apple Watch to log a workout:
You can learn more about logging workouts with your Apple Watch on this page:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204523
Step 2: Upload your workout to the Run Across America app:
Once you log a workout on your watch and want to transfer it to the app, you can start by opening the Run Across America app and going to the Record page. The, click the "Add Activity" button. You should see a row of icons near the top, with an option that says "Apple" on the right. On this page, you should see a drop-down menu of activities from the workouts you have logged that are available to upload. Once you select the activity you would like to upload, you can click the Import button and you should be all set!
Note: If this is the first time you use this function, you may be prompted to accept permissions to link Apple Health to our app.
]]>Keep moving on your rest days to maintain your fitness and streaks while your body is recovering.
Some of the many activity types you can record with Run Across America
]]>Sign up for the latest Daily Distance season to get access to the Run Across America app and get in on the fun.
Indoor mode of the tracker automatically tracks your time. You'll add distance and other details when you're done moving.
Whether you're on a treadmill, elliptical, indoor rower, or stationary bike—it's time to go the distance.
Once you've finished your effort, use the Stop button to pause the tracking. On this screen you can add your distance info from the machine, select your activity type, and even add a fun selfie.
The first Saturday of June marks the return of the flagship Run Across America 5k. These days, it's the first bonus challenge to kick off Summer Start. But what's the story behind Run Across America?
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To wind back the clock to the first Run Across America, we head back to spring 2020. Our company had specialized in making live event software to help event organizers keep track of all of the people and equipment that keep an event running smoothly.
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, live events quickly got cancelled as people stayed home to keep safe and healthy. The disruption to routines created new stresses for everyone, including a worrying rise in unemployment and food insecurity. Meanwhile, essential workers were risking their lives to keep us all safe. Our team was left wondering how we could help.
So we got together and created a new idea: a virtual 5k that everyone across the whole country could participate in outside together. It was the first nationwide race. We decided to partner with Feeding America to help combat food insecurity nationwide and offer free registration to Essential Workers.
The event was scheduled for the first Saturday in June: June 6, 2020. But how could everyone participate in all states? We built a new app where people could form teams, track their route with GPS, and log their results.
To make sure everyone had a chance to participate no matter their schedule, the event opened at midnight on the East Coast and ran for 30 full hours, ending Saturday night at midnight in Hawaii. Any time during that window, people could use the app to record a 5k—run, walk, or roll.
Even though it was virtual, the idea was to create the excitement and stakes of race day. Leaderboard results were verified and available by activity, state, age, and sex so that people could see how their efforts stacked up. To keep the race vibes going, registration included t-shirts and medals.
The response was beyond anything we could have imagined. More than 12,000 people ran, walked, or rolled in the event. 3,600 essential workers participated for free (and got free t-shirts!). And we raised more than $100,000 for Feeding America. For our small team, being able to create this impact was simply amazing.
Since then, Run Across America has evolved into a season-long program that has helped thousands of people log distance daily. Even as the app and program have changed, we still keep the flagship 5k spirit alive building community (6 million miles logged) and raising money for Feeding America (6.2 million meals and counting).
And the first Saturday each June, we continue to host the Run Across America Flagship 5K. If you're registered for Summer Splash this year, we'll see you there!
2023 Summer Splash challenges:
Did you participate in the 2020 Run Across America? What are your memories? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
]]>Sign up for the latest Daily Distance season to get in on the fun.
In the app, use the main menu to open the Pets page:
From here you can add a new pet:
If your pet has already been signed up by a co-owner, ask them for the Pet Code to add yourself as an owner, too:
As you record activities, tag your pets on the save screen. You can also go back and edit existing activities to add your pets if you forget when recording.
Pro tip: we know for a fact that pets love to be in your post-activity selfies.
That’s it! Track your pet’s total distance and streaks on the Pets page:
Happy moving!
]]>Through Run Across America, a site that launched last year, you can join virtual races with a buddy or a team that raises money for nonprofit organizations and track your progress toward a goal. You can even take a “sweaty selfie” with their app each time you finish a run.]]>
For Ms. Birney, taking that picture is key. When she moved her program online, she started asking everyone to share photos after finishing a run. Now, the group’s feed fills up with messy pictures from women like me. We post our pictures proudly and the likes and congratulatory comments roll in. That camaraderie may be the biggest motivator I’ve found yet.
Stay motivated with fun challenges timed to line up with holiday celebrations throughout the season. All four events are included with your Holiday Hustle registration.
Celebrate Thanksgiving with a classic 5k fun run, walk, or pedal. Opens Wed Nov 23, log your activity by Sun Nov 27.
Eight crazy nights mean it's time to get moving! This year's Hanukkah challenge: complete 8 activities during the holiday! Challenge opens on Sunday, 12/18 at 4pm ET and your activities need to be logged by Tuesday, 12/26 in the evening.
Whether you’re dashing to the store for a last-minute item, dancing around the tree taking it all in, or prancing around the block for a stretch post-feast any run or walk counts. Log your 2K between 12/23 and the end of Christmas day.
Seven nights of Kwanzaa and the seven Nguzo Saba principles mean it’s time to celebrate with a new challenge. Log 100 minutes of activity between 12/26 and 12/31 to complete this challenge. It’s the perfect way to close out 2022 and Holiday Hustle.
The 2022 Turkey Trot is included free when you register for Holiday Hustle. It's a classic 5k fun run. You choose the day this Thanksgiving weekend to get moving with family and friends in your neighborhood.
Capture the fun with finish line selfies. Then check the national leaderboards to get your rank—all included with your Holiday Hustle registration.
Be sure to register today: Turkey Trot opens Wednesday, Nov 23 and you need to record your time by Sunday, Nov 27.
The best part? Turkey Trot is just the start. Holiday Hustle includes 4 bonus holiday challenges: Turkey Trot, Hanukkah Hike, Christmas Chase, and Kwanzaa Quest. You'll be celebrating all season long! Learn more and sign up
Already registered? The Turkey Trot shows up right in your app automatically. Find it on the Record page to get started.
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Stay tuned for more updates soon. We'll reveal the rest of the artwork and details and open registration!
]]>Stay tuned for more updates this week. We'll reveal the rest of the artwork and details and open registrations soon!
If you are running semi-regularly, you may wake up some days feeling sore, tired, or mentally burnt out. That’s OK and it’s normal to experience these feelings every once in a while. If you feel this way more often than not, consider adding an extra rest day or a low impact cardio activity into your weekly routine.
Cross-training has been proven to help prevent injuries, mental burnout, and in many cases, can make you a stronger and happier runner! Here are some of our favorite low-impact cross-training activities.
1.) Low intensity biking
2.) Aqua jogging or lap swimming
3.) Rowing machine
4.) Elliptical
5.) Stand up paddle boarding
6.) Easy walking or dog walking
]]>Tip 1: Drink 8 to 16 ounces of water as soon as you wake up in the morning (BEFORE your morning cup of coffee) Add electrolyte mix, or a pinch of salt & lemon to your water for a natural electrolyte boost.
Tip 2: Try to eat foods high in water content like cucumbers, watermelon, spinach, oranges, strawberries, and grapefruit. Eating your water will keep you better hydrated and for longer periods of time. The water in plants is structured to absorb more easily into our cells.
Tip 3: Try to limit heavily processed and very salty foods, as these types of foods will dehydrate you quicker.
]]>Before getting out on the trail/road/treadmill, it's important to consider your current fitness and experience level. If you're completely new to running and cardio, it's a good idea to start with a walking regimen for a few weeks before breaking through to running.
A great source of motivation can be having a race to work toward. A date and distance as an end goal can make planning workouts a breeze - just work backwards from the race and get moving!
When you’re just starting out, your first race will probably be a 5k (3.1 miles). Once you’ve caught the running bug, you may decide to work up from there to a 10k, half-marathon, or even a full marathon (26.2 miles) one day.
If you're an avid walker already you can likely hop right in to running/walking intervals and build from there. Wherever you're starting it's best to plan for 20 to 30 minutes, 2 or 3 times a week. Once your body is used to that, you can start building up time, speed, and/or frequency, depending on your goal! The good news is that studies show even 30 minutes of movement can lead to fat burn, endorphin release, and better sleep.
When first getting into a routine it’s good to focus on going for a certain amount of time, out for 15 minutes and back for 15 minutes (or whatever your goal is for the day). Try not to focus on speed, instead focus on building endurance as you build up from a 20 minute workout.
As you begin interval training, equal length intervals are a good place to start. If you’re trying to get into running this would often look something like walking for 1 minute then jogging for 1 minute and repeating that 10 times – for a total of a 20 minute workout.
After your body feels comfortable with that you can start setting up distance workouts instead. Plan a 2 mile route and continue with your intervals/running/walking as before. It’s important to remember that your muscles will build up faster than your joints, so don’t be afraid to go slow!
As you progress, you'll get a sense of an achievable pace and what goal you might strive for. To boost speed and make progress toward your goal, here's an interval workout for you: train at your goal pace for 2.5 to 3 minutes then walk for 30 seconds. Repeat this 10-12 times for a full workout (don’t forget a warm up and a cool down though!).
For many people running in groups and with buddies is a huge part of their experience. Having a good group can help with motivation and can be a great way to meet or stay close with friends. People cheering you on and celebrating every personal record can turn running from a slog to something fun and exciting to look forward to! Let's get out and move together
Run Across America is a great way to get started running with our top-rated app that offers motivation and a running community. Learn more about our latest events and register to get started.
]]>I’m honored to write this post for the Run Across America blog, and even more honored to partner with a super accomplished competitive runner to help you STAY RUNNING! We couldn’t think of a more valuable topic than how to improve your workout recovery strategies to stay healthy, active and moving.
I am joined by Nancy Hobbs, founder of the American Trail Running Association (ATRA), chairperson for USA Track & Field's Mountain Ultra Trail Running Council and World Mountain Running Association council member. In 1995 Nancy organized the first women’s team for the World Mountain Running Championships. Nancy is a serious Master runner who competes in trail and mountain competitions around the globe. Her favorite distance to run is 5K (join her in the Run Across America on June 12!) and she runs and cross-trains 7 days a week.
An active and intentional recovery means going beyond merely giving your body a “timeout” rest day and applying products. Your mind and body are partners in this process, working together in a very thoughtful, intentional, and iterative manner. Your focus is on being pain and injury-free for each and every running workout by listening and assessing the weaknesses in your body and engaging in iterative improvement through active recovery practices. In other words, you’re on top of your game for every run!
To keep things simple for you, Nancy offers the following recovery practices as a starting point that makes sense for all runners:
Engage in secondary activities as part of your recovery process: Nancy leverages indoor cycling, ElliptiGO MSUB (Mountain Stand Up Bike) workouts, swim walking/running, foam rolling and slant boards as part of her active recovery practice. These are lighter-impact activities that activate the key muscles, ligaments and tendons used in running while also improving balance and strength.
Nancy also utilizes GO Kinesiology Calf Sleeves in her active recovery process, at times for 5-6 hours per day while engaging in secondary activities and while resting. The kinesiology strips built into GO Sleeves activate the body’s active recovery capabilities by accelerating blood and lymphatic flow to key ligaments, tendons and muscles resulting in an acceleration of recovery from lactic acid build-up.
Active Recovery with GO Kinesiology Sleeves
Focus on areas of tightness: intention is again the key. You’re taking an active role in assessing where your body is vulnerable. It’s a good bet that if you’re running regularly, you’ll find areas in your heels, Achilles' tendons, calf muscles or shin splints where flexibility could be improved. Given the interconnectedness of our bodies, we frequently find that tightness in a calf or Achilles will show up as an injury in the foot, such as plantar fasciitis.
For leg issues many runners can leverage “self-massage” through foam rollers, percussion massagers or seek professional massage and physical therapy. The therapeutic support provided by GO Kinesiology Sleeves is another mechanism that Nancy uses whenever she feels any tightness or “tweaks”.
Many of us also experience back and core issues which typically must be addressed with a combination of professional help and activities that increase core strength and flexibility. As a reminder, based on the interconnectedness of our bodies, back soreness can be exacerbated or caused by tightness in the hips or legs. Activities that can help those of us with back tightness include yoga (I particularly recommend hot, or Bikram yoga for flexibility), core strengthening exercises and stretching.
Slow down and listen to your body: we live busy lives. It’s hard to find the time to slow down and pay attention to our body. And yet, every day our bodies are talking to us and trying to tell us what they need. It requires slowing down and being willing to invest your time and energy in taking care of the body that takes care of you. If you’re able to invest in professional massage or physical therapy, you will find that you can provide a roadmap to help these professionals focus their attention on your body to maximize your improvements.
Nancy and I look forward to sharing more of her expert running practices and tips with you in the future. In the meantime, if you’re looking for help from a running community, please contact the American Trail Running Association or GO Sleeves. The GO Sleeves team in the Run Across America app is a great way to get in touch; just use team code GOSLEEVES in app or register at this link. Thanks to Nancy for the tips, and to Run Across America for the space to share them.
Darren Lancaster is the CEO of GO Sleeves. GO Sleeves was born out of necessity when Darren and co-founder Roy Carrillo got tired of physical breakdowns that weren’t being addressed by sleeves, braces, KT Tape and even pain meds. Together they are on a mission to help people stay active, achieve peak performance, and live a life that’s virtually free from being sabotaged by pain and discomfort.
]]>The blank space isn't a mistake. We left it there so you can add something meaningful to you for the race. You can choose a lucky number or your team name, but consider digging deeper:
Maybe express what the sacrifices that Frontline Workers make every day—in healthcare, delivery trucks, grocery stores, daycares, research labs— mean to you. Or a meaningful person in your life who's taken care of you or stood up for you during hard times. Or your joy at getting vaccinated.
Got an awesome bib? Share it with us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. #RunAcrossAmerica
Ben Miller is hosting a public team in the Spring Start. You can join him in the event and see exclusive updates on the team: https://nationwiderun.org/join/bensteam (team code BENSTEAM in the Run Across America app).
Ben is a disabled Navy veteran and creator of the Donate My Weight program, an international philanthropic movement that has benefited food banks around the world. Ben reached out to us after being introduced to Run Across America by his sister and we're honored that he has embraced our virtual races.
"I can walk my km where I'm comfortable and at my own pace, allowing me to reach my goals. Over the years, due to spinal damage, RA, and Meniere's Disease, I had to begin using a cane, so I'm really not fast at all, but I'm moving and hitting milestones I never thought was possible. I did a 5k at 430 lbs...THIS is the piece of the puzzle I've been missing and I AM going to finally finish what I started back in 2008.
I'll lose all the weight, make another donation to the food bank, and I do it through healthy eating and Run Across America's virtual challenges. I even bought a commercial treadmill from a local gym and had it delivered to my house to make sure I have everything I need.
I can't thank you enough for what you all are offering people with these virtual challenges."
Join Ben Miller's team (TEAM CODE: BENSTEAM) to support him and others on their weight loss journey.
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