Pick up and go

Sacramento is a runner’s utopia, blessed with sunshine and miles of river trails. You can even pound pavement to Folsom along a 32-mile stretch of the American River Parkway if you’re a master of endurance. Whether an ultra-marathoner or a beginner, plogging is a fun way to engage with the environment as you run. The word derives from a Swedish concept urging joggers to “plocka upp” (pick up). Simply collect litter as you jog your way to cardio euphoria. And nowhere would benefit more from plogging than the American River. You’ll need a bag and rubber gloves to gather discarded bottles, wrappers, cigarette butts and doggy poo bags strewn along the trail (dog owners: really?!). Bring friends to compare garbage pile bounties, and whoever plogs the least buys the celebratory beer. The American River thanks you.