5 Memorial Day Weekend Reminders for Runners

Memorial Day Weekend is often considered the official start of the summer, though let’s be honest, it’s been summer here in Central FL for a couple of months now.

While you’re enjoying an extra day off of work, time with friends/family, and cookouts galore, here are a few things all runners should keep in mind this weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend Cookout

5 Memorial Day Weekend Reminders

• Remember to Stay Hydrated: Lots of beer, grilled meats, finger foods, and all of the other Memorial Day Weekend types of fare will leave you dehydrated if you don’t drink enough water over the weekend. And if you’ve got an early morning workout on Tuesday like I do, it’s important to make sure you’re balancing your beer with plenty of water.
• Look Twice: If you’re running this weekend, remember roads are busy this weekend. And even if you’re just running in your town, there’s a good chance that there will be some out-of-towners driving around that may be unaware of one-way streets, 4-way stops, or where runners tend to be. We always need to be careful when running on the streets, but make extra sure to look both ways, and double check both ways, this weekend.
• Have an Extra Burger Guilt Free: When you’re at the cookouts and surrounded by friends and family this weekend, enjoy yourself. And that means that if you’re wrestling back and forth about whether or not to have an extra burger, drum stick, or brat, just fricking do it. You’ll be fine, and you don’t even have to run an extra two miles because of it. Just indulge and be ok with it.
• Go for a Run: Whether you’re staying in town or going to visit others, go running. If you’re out of town, there’s no better way to explore your surroundings than spending an hour or two pounding the pavement. But with an extra day off, you really don’t have any excuse not to run this weekend.
• Remember Why We Have a Three Day Weekend: As nice as three day weekends, cookouts, and mattress sales might be, there is a much more important thing we must keep in mind this weekend. Memorial Day is a day to remember the men and women that have lost their lives in service to our country, and too many of us fail to take a minute out of our daily lives to remember that fact. So this weekend, whatever you’ll be doing, I hope you’ll pause for a few moments and remember to give thanks for those that have fallen for us to be able to enjoy cookouts, running, and time with loved ones.

Reflect on the Meaning of Memorial Day Weekend