Motivations

Just being nosy really ... Why do you run?

I lost about 5 stone a few years ago and found that running seems to be the best way to keep it off! Plus I seem to have become addicted to the whole running thing ... nothing beats that runners high!

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Comments

  • me too!

    i started as a way to loose weight n keep it off

    now..... i'm addicted! 

  • Forgot to mention ... And chasing that elusive PB!
  • Same as you - started to help lose 6 stone, but now I run because I love it (addicted is a good word!)
  • I feel rubbish and suggish if I don't manage to get out running. I've been running on and off since I was 11 so can't imaging life without running now!
  • I run to beat cancer........if I ever need to.

    I lost both my parents to cancer at young ages, so I run to be fit enough to help fight off cancer if I should ever get it.  Of course, I hope to hell I don't.........but you never know  image  The upside is that I love running and it means I can eat cakes  imageimageimage

  • I've a high energy dog who I take dryland mushing about twice a week.  To help him get fit, as well as burn off some excess energy I thought I'd give canicross with him a try.  (I wear a belt around my waist, he wears a harness and is attached to my belt via a bungee line to reduce any shocks to us both through his pulling.)

     Added bonus is that it's helping me get much fitter than I was and I'm becoming addicted to the runners' high as well. image

  • I run because I can.

    I nearly died in 2005. I got to the point where I couldn't walk more than a mile, I stopped eating. I stopped caring. I choked on a chip and had to go to A&E before I turned blue and died.

    Then I got better, (ok - after a lot of intervention) I found that I could run and I ran and I ran and I ran.

    That's why I run - because I can.

  • Sheesh, tough post to follow.

    I run to give my brain a break from everything else.

    I also really, really like having an excuse to tell people how far I can run.
  • I run because, as I found out last year, if I dont I feel like shite and get fat which really doesn't suit me. Hardly recognise myself when I get like that. Cannot stand feeling bloated and I have to take care with my mental health.
  • Running is my sport. Many years ago ran towin on the track and  try to beat school records.

    Now run to enjoy it and get weight down

  • Keep weight off

    Mid-life crisis (reason I ran a Marathon and want to do an Ironman in the future)

    Wife is a Runner

    Son ..(although he is only two want to set a good example)

    Father in Law ex elite runner 

    Solitude (bit of a loner really)

    Cheap..ish (trainers,races,gear all exceptions)

    Bragging rights 

    Listen to Naff music when running (John Farnham the voice anyone ?? or Chariots of Fire)

    And lots of others ....image

  • Was fat, seemed like something fit people do.

    Now I've lost the weight, it's about enjoyment and competition. And speed.
  • I spent a long time trying to find something that would get me fit. I was a couple of stone overweight at the beginning of the year. Now I run for the love of it, dropped 2 stone, and being fitter than I ever have been (I'm 42) is an added benefit.

    I'm entering more and more races -- my first marathon next May, and another in July. And I'm inspired by tales of endurance and pushing against limits. I dream of running an Ultra one day. And I'll do it.
  • Running was one of the few things I was good at when at school, so I carried on running!

    I love the space; freedom; fresh air and keeping fit.

    More recently though - running is the one thing that makes me eat. A few years ago I was really ill with an ED, spent time in hospital etc and am still struggling with it, but I do accept that if I run I have to eat!

    Next year I'm 50 and want to run a marathon again to celebrate being 50!image

  • I run because the high it gives me soothes away all of life's issues.
  • TimeaJTimeaJ ✭✭✭

    I have a very stressful job - without running and exercise I would probably have ended up in a psychiatric ward by now with a mental breakdown. Running helps me focus on the here and now, live in the present moment rather than brooding over problems.

    I also enjoy being outside, I love scenic runs so with running I can combine my love for nature and my love for exercise.

  • To get away from the real world.
  • Began running to lose weight as I hated the gym.

    Decided to run the Race for Life and realised I completely loved it.

    I've met so many fantastic friends through my running club

    Love having toned calfs and managing my weight.  And just being outdoors and sorting my head out.

    Ran for a few years to chase PBs and keep fit.  Then found out I had cancer.  And my running meant that I recovered much much quicker from the surgery and treatment and now I run because I can and to remind myself I'm lucky to be alive.  And still because I love being outdoors and it sorts my head out.

    Keep running image 

  • Have run on and off the last few years but was never too serious about it until last November when I had an unplanned major operation. Only then did I appreciate how much being fit meant in terms of my recovery.  I almost went nuts during my recovery period and couldn't run intensively again until April this year. Since then have completed my first marathon.  I run now becuse I actually really truly do love it although others think I'm mad going out when the weather is rotten. And I love club nights because only other runners "understand" one another.....!!!!!   image

  • I started running out of bordem during the summer hols when I finished college. Then my brother twisted my arm and took me to a race with him: I've never been the same since!

    But seriously, although we can all get caught up in chasing pb's etc., the most important thing is getting out there, meeting great people, feeling good about yourself, destressing and being able to eat like a 20 stone bloke but only weight 9 stone!

  • Polly-Polly wrote (see)

    I run to beat cancer........if I ever need to.

    I lost both my parents to cancer at young ages, so I run to be fit enough to help fight off cancer if I should ever get it.  Of course, I hope to hell I don't.........but you never know  image  The upside is that I love running and it means I can eat cakes  imageimageimage

    I have seen healthy people still get cancer. A lot of people. Its in your genes. You can cut out certain lifestyle habits to limit your risk, but ultimately, shit happens. I dont run to keep fit, i mean its an added bonus sure, but really its a good feeling to be out there on the pavement, just pushing your limits, and cruising along. Nothing beats organised events, people cheering you on, and crossing the line. I just love it, that its a cheap hobby, you can do it anytime, anywhere. Its not for everyone though.
  • As I said earlier, I now run for many various, but a big one is because I can.  When I found out last year that I had cancer, I was sooo angry.  I'm under 40, I run 4 times a week, I'm a healthy weight, I eat well, no family history - for goodness sake I ran the London Marathon for Cancer Research last year.  

    As Ghostrider says - stuff happens.   For me, running meant that I'm more aware of how my body works so when I knew it wasn't right, I went to the docs early and therefore had a very early diagnosis.  And recovery for a fit(ter) person is much much quicker and easier.

    We can never completely stop it from happening, but I do think we have a personal responsibility to manage the things we have control over - ie looking after ourselves, keeping healthy, not smoking, eating well etc.  The rest is down to luck.   I used to get so angry when I saw people who blantantly don't care about their health and I'm the one who got sick - I'm (almost) over that now as it doesn't help me to think like that, but for me running allows me to take control over the things I can control.  And fortuately I love it too!

  • mr fmr f ✭✭✭
    I completely agree with that last post! One way I've looked at it too is that I'm a registered organ donor so would Like to hand some healthy and conditioned organs on when the time comes!
    Also, I've entered a 100 mile trail race in march so if I don't go out running I know that come race day its going to hurt heck of a lot more!
  • My younger sister passed away from cancer last year, and i thought what can i do to help others try to beat this awful disease. Truth was, not a lot.  aged 50+ and 19 1/2 stone, lazy and non motivational. Woke up one morning, said sod this, and went to ask advice from a work colleague ( established runner ) about running for charity.

    In 10 months i have lost nearly 3 stone and never felt fitter. Have several 5 and 10k's under my belt. Doing my first half marathon in March for which i will be raising money for Cancer Research. I know i will be tearful and the end, but some of that will be in gratitude and thanks to my sister for helping me find a goal in life.

    After the half, i fully intend to keep on with this running malarky. Love the meets, the sceneary, the competitions, the people, the solitude and what it does for me.

  • I am a hospice nurse so cancer is what i see every day. I have ran for my hospice, but it never was the incentive for me to start running. I ran 10 miles yesterday and i did it just for the pure love of it. I had my music on, i was in the zone, and i felt kind of at one with the world. I could never quit running i know that, unless my body quits me due to injury or some lovely carcinoma. Hence why i still can, i train hard, and when i run i know i am doing it at my best. That is why i do competitive running, since love half marathons, seeing other runners, etc. I drive my girlfriend nuts talking about running all the time, but when your out with others the same, you feel part of something.

    I also love that since i am getting a bit better runner, i can now help people who have just started running, and that is a great feeling, to pass on what you have learned, so they dont make the same mistakes i did.

  • I run to evade the pursuit. Maximum security prisons are not as nice as people would have you believe.
  • Apologies - I didn't mean to turn this into a maudlin thread.  Running is good for the soul, whatever your motivation.  Because of my treatment I have been a spectator at races this year rather than a participant and whilst it's amazing to see the elite and fast club athletes, it is just so fantastic to see all shapes and sizes out there achieving personal goals - whether it is raising money, getting a PB or doing the distance for the first time.  I'll even admit to a few tears whilst cheering the people at the back.   For example I watched my brother run his first half this year in Birmingham and was soo pleased to watch him achieve this - and in what other sport can you compete in the same event as a world chamption - in this case the great Haile Gebrselassie.

    I also love it when it all just clicks - the other week I was running along the river, the trees looking gorgeous in their autumn colour, the sky blue and the sun dappling through the leaves and the legs were, for once, just flowing.  Those moments are completely addictive.

  • London Marathon was on my bucket list - did that 2011 and now training in 2012

    weight loss

    competitiveness of getting better times than others in races

    social

    love going out for hours with my music on along the seafront and then updating facebook with how far i have run to get likes - yeah i know thats sad but the question was asked

  • Mainly weight loss, but now it is an integral part of my life. Whenever I feel tired in a race or training, I say to myself that I can't throw away what I have achieved that day, and in a sense, keeping running is the same over a longer time period: I've been running now for nearly two years, and four stone down, and so much fitter, I want to maintain what I have done so far.

    I love the idea that on Sunday, I will be running further than I ever have (15 miles this week), and I know I can do it: headphones on, in the countryside, and zoned out. At the end, I am properly knackered, but endorphins are kicking in, and I can feel smug all day!
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