Ready, set, run! Consider this your annual nudge from Apple to lace up and earn a little extra virtual bling on your wrist.
For Global Running Day on June 3, Apple Watch owners can unlock a limited-edition digital badge by logging at least a 5K (3.1 miles) before midnight. Road runs, trail runs, track workouts and treadmill miles all count. Apple says any app that logs workouts to Apple Health is eligible, though recording directly through the built-in Workout app on your watch is your safest bet to see the badge appear right after your run.
There’s no physical prize at the end — just virtual bragging rights in the Fitness app. But if you’ve been putting off that run all week, watching a shiny animated badge pop up on your wrist can be a surprisingly effective motivator. Ask me how I know.
It’s also a good excuse to explore some of the Apple Watch’s deeper running features. Though not a dedicated running watch, the Apple Watch is a worthy training companion with pace alerts, heart rate zones and advanced running metrics, like vertical oscillation, stride length and ground contact time, built into the Workout app.
The Race Route feature also lets you compete against your own previous performances on familiar routes, while Training Load compares recent workout intensity against the past month to help gauge whether you’re ramping up too quickly or going a little too easy on yourself.
Accuracy-wise, the Apple Watch took the crown for heart rate tracking against five other top-rated smartwatches in our 30-mile test, tracking peaks and valleys accurately, even through intervals where other watches fell flat.
Fitness Plus, Apple’s on-demand video workout platform, is also getting in on the occasion with running-focused collections, including Run Your First 5K, Yoga for Runners and treadmill workouts with hills and intervals.
The Global Running Day award is only available on June 3, so get the miles in before midnight. And if you decide to brag about it online, tag us. We’re building a little running day crew @cnet.
Now go run.
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