Catching Up

Because of some non-running related things (well, I did run on my lake vacation), I didn't make that National Running Day Donation.

And then, on June 13, I ran the inaugural Downtown Dash in Oklahoma City.

So that's a5k plus a 10k.

We'll turn that into $15* for the United Way, a group that helps in all kinds of ways, and that my wife strongly supports through her employer.

Positive about giving to United Way: You can designate it for local groups.

Negative about giving to United Way: A 3.5 percent processing fee.

*That's right: Normally, a buck a mile. In this case, a buck a kilometer. (And if you're going fully continental, you could even do a euro a k!)

Running Day Run

I got a nice 3.4 mile run in at lunch to celebrate National Running Day. (25:03, 7:21 pace, thanks for asking).

I plan to donate $5 (that's a buck a kilometer, in this case) later today.

Who will you give to on this new holiday?

National Running Day

Today, June 3, is National Running Day. (Though, as some people have pointed out, every day is running day.)

But a group trying to get people to hit the road put up a website and wants some attention.

Whether you make a special effort today or just hit one of your routine workouts, maybe this is the right time to make your first A Buck A Mile donation.

I'm not sure when I'm going to fit in some miles today. But when I do, I'll think about where I want my money to go.

Train To Give

For most runners -- and triathletes -- races only come a few times a year.

If you want to give something back using the Buck A Mile philosophy, you can still do some good with your training.

During training for a long-distance race, you could designate one long run a month as your donation run.

If you feel very generous, you could even donate for every mile you log. Can't afford that? Try a buck for each day you train.

Remember, every buck helps, and you don't have to be racing to help out.