How to get motivated:
1. SLIM DOWN
How else can you zap 300 calories in 30 minutes? "A few years ago, I had ballooned to 230 pounds," says Odis Franklin of Coahoma, Texas. "I started running, and lost 50 pounds." "I run to stay ahead of the fat monster," says David Estrada of Murrieta, California. And the more you run, the more you can lose. But even if you'll never be as fast (or as skinny) as Paul Tergat, you can still appreciate looking sleek. "Photos of me 50 pounds heavier get me motivated," says Corey Pelton of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
"I've never regretted going for a run, but I have regretted skipping one." —Chris Beck, Columbus, Ohio
2. CALM DOWN
"Running hard erases the blackboard of my mind, almost like meditation," says Emily Gaudet of Sutton, Massachusetts. "I can go out in a terrible mood, angry at everything, and come back peaceful and content." And don't you feel better knowing that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff makes time for regular three-milers? "I start every morning looking at all the threats," he says. "It's quite stressful, and running is one of my stress releases."
3. FIND ENERGY
Strange but true: Most of the time, no matter how tired you are, if you go out for your run, you'll feel better afterward. "It's a given that I will feel revived, recharged, and remotivated when I am finished running," says Jeannee Diaz of Boise, Idaho. Doesn't matter if there isn't scientific proof of a runners' high-lots of runners swear by it. "Running is like a drug," says Anastasia Han of Walnut, California. "It makes you feel good, only it's legal."
4. BE WELL
The quest for better health takes on greater urgency when someone near you gets sick. When Bill Mack of Denver lost his parents to emphysema and lung cancer, "the light went on," he says. "My motivation comes from the desire to get as many deep breaths in this life as time will allow." Tony Crescenzo of Warrington, Pennsylvania, whose father died of heart disease at age 48, says he started training for the New York City Marathon to "stay alive." Mark Rutkowski of Staten Island, New York, says his wake-up call came when his wife died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. "I needed an outlet for my grief that didn't involve drinking or eating cheeseburgers," he says. "As the sole caretaker for my son, Jack, I had a responsibility to put my running shoes on, lest I suffer a heart attack and leave him an orphan."
5. HELP OUT
Since the launch of the Race for the Cure 5-K series in 1983 and Team in Training in 1988, runners have embraced the endless opportunities to raise funds through the sport. "Running for charity takes something that is inherently selfish and makes it selfless," says Ron Golub of Newtown Centre, Massachusetts, who ran his seventh Boston Marathon this April on the Run for Research team, raising $21,000. "Running for other people gets me out the door when it's 5 a.m. and 10 degrees out." For Brian Denger of Biddeford, Maine, running a marathon for charity was personal: His two sons have muscular dystrophy. "When the training got tough, I would just think how hard my sons work daily just to do physical things I take for granted, and I pushed myself harder," he says.
6. BE ALONE For people bombarded by obligations, running can provide rare time alone. "I have two young children, I work full time, and my husband takes college classes after he gets off of work," says Rikki Hambidge of Ocala, Florida. "Running before the crack of dawn is the only time I have to myself." The solitude is a welcome break. "Since there is very little privacy around here, I initially used the excuse to run just to get out and away from people," says John Lo, who is stationed with the Navy in Baghdad. "My run has become a refuge that is keeping me sane."
7. OR SOCIALIZE
Hook up with one of the 2,000 U.S. running clubs or a handful of like-minded friends. "Kim, Lyn, and Kasey keep me running," says Kathy Hokunson of Granby, Connecticut. "We run in the cold, in the heat, in the rain, and when one of us just doesn't want to." Knowing someone's waiting for you puts the pressure on. "The people I run with are waiting outside in the cold at 5:30 in the morning-that helps to guilt me out of bed," says Jeremiah Allen of Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. Commitment extends to four-legged friends, too. "I'm tired, it's dark, the pizza's been ordered," says Angela Weekly of Minneapolis. "But my dog Abbey has waited all day, and her gaze says, 'A run would be better.'"
8. RUN A RACE
A training plan taped to the refrigerator (or pinging your BlackBerry) keeps many runners heading out day after day. "I have to have a training program to keep me focused," says Chris Beck of Columbus, Ohio. "It's too easy to skip a run if you don't know why you are going out in the first place." Dan Hanton of Comox, British Columbia, tells everyone he knows that he's signed up for a race. "Training saves me from future embarrassment when my friends ask me about the results," he says.
"I taped my mantra to the wall: 'There will be a day when you can no longer do this. Today is not that day.'" —Laura Kloepper, Honolulu
9. GET OUT
Go out in a snowstorm, or a heat wave, or a downpour, and probably the only other person you'll see will be?a runner. "Running in 'adverse' conditions reminds me that this is my chance to play and goof off like I used to in my previous, carefree, nonadult life," says Aaron Stickney of Olate, Kansas. Plus, running in inclement conditions is a chance to freak out the sedentary set, says Anastasia Han of Walnut, California: "I enjoy running in the rain and the looks I get from motorists thinking, Are you nuts?"
10. RUN FAST
"I love setting goals and trying to achieve them-whether it was all-time personal records, postpregnancy PRs, or, these days, a post-40, post-foot-surgery PR," says Ceci St. Geme of Newport Beach, California, who ran 17:53 at the Carlsbad 5000 in April. Not just the superfast, either. "Through sacrifice, commitment, and sheer effort, I have improved myself and have experienced the benefits of patience, perseverance, and work ethic," says Will Hicks of Cambridge, Ontario. "That's satisfying."
1. SLIM DOWN
How else can you zap 300 calories in 30 minutes? "A few years ago, I had ballooned to 230 pounds," says Odis Franklin of Coahoma, Texas. "I started running, and lost 50 pounds." "I run to stay ahead of the fat monster," says David Estrada of Murrieta, California. And the more you run, the more you can lose. But even if you'll never be as fast (or as skinny) as Paul Tergat, you can still appreciate looking sleek. "Photos of me 50 pounds heavier get me motivated," says Corey Pelton of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
"I've never regretted going for a run, but I have regretted skipping one." —Chris Beck, Columbus, Ohio
2. CALM DOWN
"Running hard erases the blackboard of my mind, almost like meditation," says Emily Gaudet of Sutton, Massachusetts. "I can go out in a terrible mood, angry at everything, and come back peaceful and content." And don't you feel better knowing that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff makes time for regular three-milers? "I start every morning looking at all the threats," he says. "It's quite stressful, and running is one of my stress releases."
3. FIND ENERGY
Strange but true: Most of the time, no matter how tired you are, if you go out for your run, you'll feel better afterward. "It's a given that I will feel revived, recharged, and remotivated when I am finished running," says Jeannee Diaz of Boise, Idaho. Doesn't matter if there isn't scientific proof of a runners' high-lots of runners swear by it. "Running is like a drug," says Anastasia Han of Walnut, California. "It makes you feel good, only it's legal."
4. BE WELL
The quest for better health takes on greater urgency when someone near you gets sick. When Bill Mack of Denver lost his parents to emphysema and lung cancer, "the light went on," he says. "My motivation comes from the desire to get as many deep breaths in this life as time will allow." Tony Crescenzo of Warrington, Pennsylvania, whose father died of heart disease at age 48, says he started training for the New York City Marathon to "stay alive." Mark Rutkowski of Staten Island, New York, says his wake-up call came when his wife died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. "I needed an outlet for my grief that didn't involve drinking or eating cheeseburgers," he says. "As the sole caretaker for my son, Jack, I had a responsibility to put my running shoes on, lest I suffer a heart attack and leave him an orphan."
5. HELP OUT
Since the launch of the Race for the Cure 5-K series in 1983 and Team in Training in 1988, runners have embraced the endless opportunities to raise funds through the sport. "Running for charity takes something that is inherently selfish and makes it selfless," says Ron Golub of Newtown Centre, Massachusetts, who ran his seventh Boston Marathon this April on the Run for Research team, raising $21,000. "Running for other people gets me out the door when it's 5 a.m. and 10 degrees out." For Brian Denger of Biddeford, Maine, running a marathon for charity was personal: His two sons have muscular dystrophy. "When the training got tough, I would just think how hard my sons work daily just to do physical things I take for granted, and I pushed myself harder," he says.
6. BE ALONE For people bombarded by obligations, running can provide rare time alone. "I have two young children, I work full time, and my husband takes college classes after he gets off of work," says Rikki Hambidge of Ocala, Florida. "Running before the crack of dawn is the only time I have to myself." The solitude is a welcome break. "Since there is very little privacy around here, I initially used the excuse to run just to get out and away from people," says John Lo, who is stationed with the Navy in Baghdad. "My run has become a refuge that is keeping me sane."
7. OR SOCIALIZE
Hook up with one of the 2,000 U.S. running clubs or a handful of like-minded friends. "Kim, Lyn, and Kasey keep me running," says Kathy Hokunson of Granby, Connecticut. "We run in the cold, in the heat, in the rain, and when one of us just doesn't want to." Knowing someone's waiting for you puts the pressure on. "The people I run with are waiting outside in the cold at 5:30 in the morning-that helps to guilt me out of bed," says Jeremiah Allen of Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. Commitment extends to four-legged friends, too. "I'm tired, it's dark, the pizza's been ordered," says Angela Weekly of Minneapolis. "But my dog Abbey has waited all day, and her gaze says, 'A run would be better.'"
8. RUN A RACE
A training plan taped to the refrigerator (or pinging your BlackBerry) keeps many runners heading out day after day. "I have to have a training program to keep me focused," says Chris Beck of Columbus, Ohio. "It's too easy to skip a run if you don't know why you are going out in the first place." Dan Hanton of Comox, British Columbia, tells everyone he knows that he's signed up for a race. "Training saves me from future embarrassment when my friends ask me about the results," he says.
"I taped my mantra to the wall: 'There will be a day when you can no longer do this. Today is not that day.'" —Laura Kloepper, Honolulu
9. GET OUT
Go out in a snowstorm, or a heat wave, or a downpour, and probably the only other person you'll see will be?a runner. "Running in 'adverse' conditions reminds me that this is my chance to play and goof off like I used to in my previous, carefree, nonadult life," says Aaron Stickney of Olate, Kansas. Plus, running in inclement conditions is a chance to freak out the sedentary set, says Anastasia Han of Walnut, California: "I enjoy running in the rain and the looks I get from motorists thinking, Are you nuts?"
10. RUN FAST
"I love setting goals and trying to achieve them-whether it was all-time personal records, postpregnancy PRs, or, these days, a post-40, post-foot-surgery PR," says Ceci St. Geme of Newport Beach, California, who ran 17:53 at the Carlsbad 5000 in April. Not just the superfast, either. "Through sacrifice, commitment, and sheer effort, I have improved myself and have experienced the benefits of patience, perseverance, and work ethic," says Will Hicks of Cambridge, Ontario. "That's satisfying."
