What did it take to get you running?

The Zombies, Run! app! It makes it like a game, which is appealing to me. Also I get to eat more calories for the day, which is definitely a motivator. :P

Before pregnancy and childbirth I was in excellent shape from boxing, pilates and 10 hour hikes once a week. I was relatively low weight before, but gained 67 lbs during my pregnancy. I'm a single mom and work full time so I found it impossible to exercise for the first year and a half. I had lost some weight naturally when she was born and right after, but once I went back to work I started gaining again. It occured to me that running was something I could do with my daugter (in a jogger) so I started with c25k. The thing that kept me going was that I was terrible at running and I hated it. I kept doing it though because I knew it was good for me and I wanted to show running that it couldn't beat me. Two years later, I love it. It relaxes me. I'm not super fast or anything but I'm now averaging 9 minute miles for shorter diastances and 10 minute miles for half marathons.

I started running in my senior year of college because I'd gained weight and wanted to lose it for graduation. Chose running because of the calorie bang for your buck. I was embarrassed by my inability to run for more than 10 minutes at a time, at a slow pace. My stamina is the first thing to go when I'm out of shape, but that also means it's the most dramatic thing to come back. I notice my endurance increasing before I see changes in muscles, or sometimes even changes on the scale.

I restarted running last December in preparation for my first 5K in May and to have that endurance feeling back. A high point was noticing that when I walk outside now, my body feels primed to run. I get impatient with myself for "just" walking. Yesterday, I did a 4.5 mile run, which is the longest run at a stretch I've done in about 3 years. It does slowly get easier, I built up mental as well as physical endurance, and the milestones (sometimes literally ) are fun.

I have always wanted to be a runner but I was always (in my eyes) too big to run. Even in high school and I was so self-conscious that I couldn't image trying because everyone would look and point. Yes, my high school years were horrible.... So, when I started heading to the gym 2 years ago and walking the trails around my house I finally convinced myself that it didn't matter what I looked like when I ran, it's something I've always wanted to do and I could do it. Until the last couple months I would never run during peak times of traffic because that small voice in my head would tell me how bad I'd look running and finally just said to myself, "who the hell cares, you're doing it more than them driving by are doing." I've even had "run dreams" if that tells you how much my body and mind were telling me to go for it. I'd like to say it was losing weight or health reasons, it was me just deciding that I shouldn't give up on my dream and it'll only get better and easier if I just do it...

signing up for a mud race AND turning 40. seemed like an interesting thing to do. finished the race and immediately starting looking up other races to register for. that was it. i was hooked.

I just lost my ACD and I'm still lost without her on my runs. I miss having my partner, they are awesome coaches.....you will love it!

It was the best cardio option for me because it works the whole body, and raises my fitness levels really effectively! Also love it for you don't need any equipment or gym, you just need a decent pair of running shoes and you're good to go! I also like the feeling I get after I run.. Makes it worth the effort to get my *kitten* off the couch!

I got roped into volunteering to run a 10k ..yes I was drunk...and yes I had never ever ever run before..i started c210k in November..i hated it...but I stuck with it...one nice day in December I decided to run to my brothers house..3.49 miles...I did it...I was immediately hooked...I ran the 10k in march 67 minutes..now I run 3 to 5 days a week...I LOVE IT! I ran outside all winter ( I live in buffalo, ny) I cant wait to see what its like to run when its warm! I don't believe that running is for everyone..i do however, believe that if I could do it..anyone can!