Competitive distance runners can be reduced to two basic categories.  First are those who train and race regularly and are addicted to and giddy from the rush they feel from running.  The other group is the incurably miserable “walking wounded” who are eager to tell any unsuspecting stranger just how much pain they are in from their running-related injury and how much life sucks because of it.   I found myself somewhere in the twilight zone between these two worlds recently, and that is the inspiration for this entry.

Until recently, I had never sustained a running-related injury in my 30-year competitive distance runing career, and was always happy to boast about that reality.  But that unblemished track record developed a big “pimple” at the end of May – a severe inflammation of the sacroiliac joint in my lower back, which caused excruciating pain to radiate from my lower back to my hip, groin, and knee, and also caused me to lose coordination in my left leg.  Forget about running – I could barely walk.   I struggled to find a comfortable position while sleeping, and even sitting was relentlessly uncomfortable.   I was miserable.  It appeared that I would be taking up residence in the “hating life” camp described above for an indefinite period.  To add insult to the injury that this condition caused me, the prognosis was slow recovery, with likely recurrence.  Great.  Just shoot me now.   The rock band “The Who” and their legendary mantra, “Hope I die before I get old,” has a distance runner’s twist on this sentiment :  “Hope I die before I get injured.”

People around me almost seemed to derive some sadistic pleasure in seeing my training get derailed.   My son, Alek, said that the injury indicated that I needed to improve my lousy running form, expand my virtually non-existent stretching regimen, and lose my gut and do some ab work to take unnecessary strain away from my back.   Why not tell me that I’m a waste of human life while you’re at it, Captain Tough Love?  One of my uncles, whose Boston-qualifying dreams imploded when he blew out his knee many years ago, had these comforting words for me upon learning of my injury:  “How old are you now?”   To which I replied, “47.”  And his response was, “What did you expect?”  Call me crazy, but I think I would have preferred a warm embrace with a gentle and understanding whisper in my ear telling that everything would be all right.   Nah.  Smack me around some more, please!   I would love to add a few more names to the (ever-lengthening) list of people who laugh at or doubt with all their heart my plan to run the “holy grail” time of 3:30 for my age group to get back to Boston.  What’s life without having an uncompromising purpose to conquer an impossible dream, right?  Maybe I should stop watching Don Quixote re-runs.

But with just over four months remaining in my training for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 20, this injury was the best thing that could have happened to me.  I never thought I would say such a thing, but it’s true.  In every crisis, there is an opportunity, right?    There are two basic reasons why this injury was a blessing.  First, it forced me to rest, which is something I’m apparently incapable of doing on my own accord.  I work around the clock in my career and in my training – always have and always will – and that’s simply not sustainable.  I was logging my highest mileage in more than a decade, month after month of 100+ miles in 2010 and 2011, topping out at 150 miles in May.  And I was reaping some encouraging rewards from those efforts in my race results.  But here’s the problem:  logging higher mileage is playing with fire when you are my age and my size.  You must proceed with caution and be sensitive to your body’s needs.  “Caution” and “sensitive” aren’t in my vocabulary when it comes to training, howver – it’s just push, push, push.   And that unsustainable approach to training finally caught up with me with a nagging lower back injury that first appeared in April the week before I ran the Jacksonville Symphony 4-miler.  It was a loud and clear wake-up call to slow down.  Not surprisingly, I ignored that wake-up call and continued to train hard (with lots of punishing training on concrete bridges) throughout April and May.  Shortly thereafter, while bending down to pick up something in the end of May, I stood back up and felt Sir Lancelot’s sword in my lower back.  I turned around and didn’t see Sir Lancelot, however.

I now had my first running related-injury and had succeeded in stabbing myself in the back by not being more cautious and sensitive with my training.  So, rest I would take, whether I liked it and not.  I expected the mandatory sentence of rest to last no more than a week, but I was wrong.  The pain waxed and waned but didn’t start to consistently improve until the end of June.  I had rested an entire month from the date of the injury and had only run 8 miles in June– my lowest mileage month ever.  But when I did finally feel liberated from this pain, I felt like a thoroughbred bucking to break through the stable door – my running was exhilarating and effortless, and my runner’s euphoria was back.

Second, and more significantly, my injury prompted a significant lifestyle change.  As of June 1, I transitioned to a vegetarian diet as a way to fight back against the loss of control I felt from my injury.  It was something I had considered for many years and somehow this situation seemed like the best time to give it a serious try.  I also have vowed to eliminate, or at least significantly reduce, my consumption of coffee.  I’ve succeeded in both undertakings and it was much easier than I anticipated.  I plan to consume fish about once a week, but I have eliminated everything else – beef, pork, lamb, veal, and poultry.  I have only had one cup of coffee since June 1.  Eliminating coffee has significant co-benefits, too — fewer Dunkin’ Donuts cups in landfills and fewer massively caloric donuts in my belly.  The biggest advantage of the vegetarian/no coffee lifestyle for my running career, however, is the weight loss.  Eating smarter was all I needed to do to be able to shed pounds effortlessly.  I dropped 10 pounds in June.  And I didn’t feel hungry and didn’t crave meat or coffee.

So, I’m back — injury free, pain free, lean and mean, and ready for action.  I registered for the Philadelphia Marathon today.  Yo, Adrian — cue up the theme song to Rocky.  I can hear my Boston Qualifier destiny beckoning.

Find more blogs at: http://bostonorbust330.wordpress.com/

The schedule for Sunday is:

12:30 ~ Clinic Opens, mingling, vendor display, paperwork,
~ We provide water, light snacks
1:00 ~ Introduction/Opening comments
1:15 ~ Keith Brantly~ Staying motivated and goal setting
1:45/50 ~ Break
2:00 ~ Core class with BRETT from Timed Exercise
2:30 ~ Latest and greatest Summer running clothing/tech
2:50 ~ Break
3:00 ~ Powerbar Rep to discuss latest updates to sports nutrition line
3:30 ~ Rachel Perez to discuss the latest on running form and injury prevention.
4:00 ~ Break
4:10 ~ Stride/Form Drills
4:45 ~ Gender focused discussion groups on nutrition from Keith Brantly and Kim Pawelek
5:15 ~ Closing remarks
5:30 ~ Small social with wine, beer, food

Please spread the word about this awesome and informative event.  We can’t wait to see you there!

That one mistake resulted in my not being able to complete my goal of finishing the Try To Be Tough Challenge and attempting my first marathon in Spring.  I take pride in my ability to achieve my goals so “failing” was difficult for me. I did my first half with the Marine Corps in October but ended up just doing 6K at the Outback and was a spectator at Jax Bank, giving my number to a friend – everytime I get the brightroom photo emails I giggle as he looks nothing like me.  Friends and Coach told me, “There is always next year.”  Unfortunately not a lot of solace in that.

Oh I tried to keep running and pretending that there was no problem with my hamstring, until I had no choice but to take a break because the pain was ridiculous.  That was a hard lesson to learn and I will try to not make that mistake again.  I took about 2 months off from running and in the beginning of my hiatus did some spin classes and the arc trainer at the gym but it didn’t give me the same feeling as running and so I just stopped going.  Sleeping in was great!  I had my afternoons free and Saturday morning became a totally different experience.

Whoops…..I started back sometime in February and the first run was a Saturday group run at Town Center/UNF.  It was acually not bad!  I did 8 miles and it was a little hard but I thought that I had somehow escaped the dreaded slip that comes from not training.  Flash forward 5 months to today and I am sad to say my moment of glee was rapidly replaced with reality.  I am still not back to my former self - not in pace, endurance or motivation and it really stinks.  I had a fleeting moment of personal greatness when I ran 6 times one week and then the next struggled to do 2 runs.  Presently averaging about 4 runs a week, I am nowhere near the 35-40 miles I used to run, closer to 15-20 and boy do I feel it. 

Now the alarm goes off sometime between 4:15 and 5:30am and whereas before I would get up and get the running shoes on and make the hour drive from Palm Coast to meet people to run, now I live 5-15 minutes away from most of our routes and I can’t get my sorry butt up – “Oh I’ll run this afternoon!” I tell myself and pull the covers up over my head.  Of course something inevitably comes up and I miss yet another run.  My legs feel like I am in quicksand and my lungs hurt, new pains appear in my knees and my right ankle and wait…is that a shin splint?  I never get shin splints – what the heck!  Did I mention it is freaking hot outside and there are a crazy amount of biting bugs and and and and – I’m sure there are plenty of other excuses out there.

Truth is, I am scared.  Scared that I will continue this backslide into sloth and demotivation and then have to go up a size in clothes, or worse, have to answer questions from people about how the running is going (shudder). 

The other truth is that even though I am not where I was at the time of the injury, I am nowhere near where I was when I started in January 2010 and I take comfort in that.  I CAN go out and run 6 miles if I want to…the key is wanting to (which I do…in principle) AND making myself do it.

A plus is that there are a bunch of new people in the running group and it is really motivating to see their achievements and successes and although I am back at the back of the pack, the new peeps are great and I am truly enjoying getting to know them and cheering them on at track and at races.

I know the key is consistency and that I just need to keep getting out there and I will start to see improvement in my endurance and pace soon.  I also know that I can’t beat myself up when I slip up, it is going to happen and is part of the process.

Just keeping it real.

Dear Paul,

As promised a while ago, here is your free advertising in Tanzania.
Have you received any communications from Tanzania?  

The first photo is an action photo from the second day, as we climbed
through the forest and heath zone, from about 8500 feet to our camp at
11,500'.

Jeff Funderburk

I am always amazed at our amazing bodies in which we live! We are given only one throughout our lifetime, and throughout this lifetime we put it through many trials and tribulations. 99% of the time we do not even need to think how our body works, but occasionally we are put in situations where we learn all too easy about how fragile our bodies acutally are.

Many of you may have heard about the earthquake in Christchurch New Zealand just recently. Just now the death toll has risen to 145 people from over 20 different nationalities, with more than 200 people still missing. In Christchurch which is New Zealand’s second largest city the number of rescue and aid workers working around the clock against time to save people still stuck under the many demolished buildings has risen to over 3200 people. One of my friends who moved to Christchurch lost her house in the tragedy, but as she says – it could have been worse off, me or my daughter could have died. Officials say that the death toll will reach over 300, very sad indeed.

Out of tragedies of this magnitude there always rise stories of human strength and courage. Out of devastation of this scale the true goodness in people, groups, neighbours, and foreign countries shine in the support of help in all shape and form. Although there are many stories worth mentioning, I thought I would pick one as it is related to the true epitomy of the sport I love so much.

Tonight in Wellington our best runner Nick Willis should have recieved his 2008 Beijing Olympic Silver Medal after a drug scandal to the first place recipient at the Christchurch International Track meet, one of our best track and field meets in the country. This track meet of course was cancelled, however Nick Willis has pulled all of this top competition to a makeshift meet in Wellington in an attempt to raise money for Christchurch. Nick Willis recieved his medal, won his Mile race in 3mins and 58s, and apparently raised over 15,000 New Zealand dollars (approx 75,000kr). The sign of a true champion is not only what one does on the track but during all aspects of their daily life. So Nick you deserve that silver medal, you deserve all the success and support because you have a heart of Gold…

By the way – I know Lisa has written about me in the past, so I wanted to add a special post for her also, remember to smile while you go about your days, because we live in a wonderful world.

Run Happy

If you are like me then sometimes finding the motivation to just get up off the couch and take that first step is the hardest. Check these tips out that I found while looking at runnersworld.com. This list is of 101 tips to keep you motivated. If you want a daily motivational email from runners world check this link out: www.runnersworld.com/motivate

1. CREATE A BLOG where you post your daily mileage, then give out the Web address to your friends and family. Do you really want Aunt Ellen to ask why you skipped your four-miler on Wednesday?

2. MAMA, GET A NEW PAIR OF SHOES. Two-time Olympian Shayne Culpepper puts new gear she receives as an elite athlete to good use. “It’s fun to break in a new pair of shoes,” she says. “Sometimes that’s enough to get me excited.”

3. RUNNING COMMENTARY “Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, ‘Are you going to be a wimp, or are you going to be strong today?’” –Peter Maher, two-time Olympic marathoner from Canada

4. GO SOFT. It’s hard to stay motivated with shinsplints, so get off the pavement for a few days and run on a cross-country course or unpaved bike paths.

5. LOOK TO THE PAST Emil Zatopek, who won four Olympic golds in his career, was a tough-as-nails athlete known for his intense training methods, such as running in work boots. Competing with a gland infection and against his doctor’s orders, the Czech won three distance events–including the marathon–at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. That stuffy nose doesn’t seem quite so bad now, does it?

6. FORGET TIME. Shane Bogan, who coaches distance runners in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area, advises leaving your watch at home once in a while. “It’s liberating not to be worried about pace,” Bogan says.

7. SIGN UP NOW for a winter marathon in a warm state. Every training mile you log takes you closer to that winter getaway in toasty Phoenix, Florida, or Las Vegas.

8. THINK FAST. The runners Christy Coughlin coaches in Wilmette, Illinois, always get a boost from this simple negative-splits workout: Run for 20 minutes as slowly as you want, then turn around and run home faster. “The long warmup helps you feel great and run faster on the way back,” says Coughlin.

9. GOOD-TO-GO PLAYLIST
Classic Rock
“Don’t Stop Me Now,” Queen
“Break on Through,” The Doors
“Gimme Shelter,” Rolling Stones
“Come Together” the Beatles
“What Do You Do for Money Honey,” AC/DC

10. BLAZE A NEW PATH. “If you do the same runs all the time, it can beat you down,” says Olympian Alan Culpepper. GPS systems work great for mapping new routes. Or check out favoriterun.com or usatf.org/routes, which use Google Maps to let you plan and save routes.

11. FILL THE TUB with hot water, then head out for a three-miler on a frigid morning. The sooner you get back, the hotter your bath is.

12. EVERY MILE YOU RUN burns roughly 100 calories. Think of that next six-miler as two slices of pizza.

13. RUNNING COMMENTARY “No one can say, ‘You must not run faster than this or jump higher than that.’ The human spirit is indomitable.” –Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to run a sub-four-minute mile

14. THE BOSTON MARATHON is a year away. Think you can get there? (Go to www.baa.org for qualifying times.)

15. RACE ODD DISTANCES FOR AN INSTANT PR.
Kennedy Drive 8-K, San Francisco, May 13
Run for Alex 2-miler and 5-miler, Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, June 2
Six In The Stix II, Newport, New Hampshire, June 9
Quad-City Times Bix 7-miler, Davenport, Iowa, July 28
Falmouth Road Race 7-miler, Falmouth, Massachusetts, August 12
Bigfork Valley Challenge 4.5-miler, Bigfork, Minnesota, September 8

16. READ THIS The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner, a short story by Alan Sillitoe, tells the tale of a rebellious youth in a reformatory who runs in solitude and makes a stand against a system he doesn’t believe in. You’ll have new appreciation for the power of solo runs.

17. PLAY IN THE STREET. Skip a dreaded track workout for a fartlek (Swedish for “speed play”) session. After 10 minutes of easy jogging, run hard between two telephone poles, then slow down until you pass three. Then see if you can get to the traffic light before it changes, followed by a jog to the next mailbox. There are no set rules, so make it up as you go along.

18. THE PILE OF DISHES in the sink can wait till the sun goes down. Your tempo run can’t.

19. RUN AT LUNCH. Daniel Sheil, a marathon coach in Portland, Oregon, recommends lunchtime runs for two reasons: (1) You get your workout in before the day gets away from you; (2) You get a midday break from work stress.

20. RUNNING COMMENTARY “The more I run, the more I want to run, and the more I live a life conditioned and influenced and fashioned by my running. And the more I run, the more certain I am that I am heading for my real goal: to become the person I am.” –George Sheehan, M.D., beloved former RW columnist

21. THAT NEW RUNNING WATCH you want? Buy it–after timing 10 more speed sessions with your old one.

22. WATCH THIS Chariots of Fire In this stirring 1981 Oscar winner for Best Picture, two British athletes prepare for and compete in the 1924 summer Olympics. For bonus motivation, download the famous Vangelis theme to your MP3 player for tomorrow’s run.

23. WEAR A PEDOMETER on your run. Distance sounds more impressive in steps. Some tricked-out sports watches also record steps.

24. BUDDY UP. Not many people can keep up with nine-time University of Colorado all-American Sara Slattery. Luckily, two-time Olympian Shayne Culpepper happens to live down the street. Find your own version of the Olympian next door to run with regularly.

25. LOOK TO THE PAST In 1949, 9-year-old Wilma Rudolph learned to walk without leg braces after suffering from polio and spending most of her first years in bed. Rudolph went on to win three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics.

26. HAVE A DAILY GOAL. Scott Jurek, seven-time champion of The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, sets goals not just for big races but also for workouts. “Maybe it is a technique goal, maybe a pace goal, maybe a goal of running faster at the end,” he says.

27. MAKE A MASSAGE APPOINTMENT for the day after your long run.

28. WATCH THIS Baseball had Babe Ruth. Basketball had Michael Jordan. American distance running had Steve Prefontaine. Doesn’t matter that he wasn’t the best ever–he was the sport’s rock star. Prefontaine (1997) and Without Limits (1998) both capture Pre’s cocky swagger. Or check out the 1995 documentary Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story.

29. GET YOURSELF A HEARTY DOG who needs lots of exercise. You’ll always have a reason for a daily jog.

30. GOOD-TO-GO PLAYLIST
Country
“Cocaine Blues,” Johnny Cash
“Ain’t Going Down (Til the Sun Comes Up),” Garth Brooks
“Wide Open Spaces,” Dixie Chicks
“Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” Alan Jackson
“The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” The Charlie Daniels Band

31. RUN THROUGH A SPRING STORM. With rain hitting you sideways and the wind whipping your face, you’ll feel alive. Just make sure you have a dry pair of shoes for tomorrow.

32. READ THIS The cult classic Once a Runner, by talented runner John L. Parker JR., captures the hard work and dedication required of fictional collegiate miler Quenton Cassidy.

33) RUNNING COMMENTARY “A lot of people run a race to see who’s fastest. I run to see who has the most guts.” –Steve Prefontaine

34. FEEL A NEED FOR SPEED. Sometimes you need the thrill of moving your legs as fast as they can go. To get the wind blowing through your hair, try six to eight 200-meter repeats at your mile race pace.

35. FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY: Consider taking a short break from running if you think you’ve got the beginning of an overuse injury or you’re truly fatigued. A couple days of rest may be the thing to reinvigorate you. Call this one instant running motivation for three days from now.

36. IT’S SPRING! Why are you even reading this? You should be motivated just by the fact that you’re not forced to run on a treadmill.

37. YOU’LL BE WEARING A BATHING SUIT in another month or so, won’t you?

38. GOOD-TO-GO PLAYLIST
Hip-Hop
“If I Should Die,” Jay-Z
“Get By,” Talib Kweli
“Let’s Get Retarded,” blackeyed peas
“Lose Yourself,” eminem
“Bombs Over Baghdad,” outkast
“Get Low,” Lil jon
“Caught Out There,” Kelis

39. EXERCISE IMPROVES SEXUAL PERFORMANCE, according to research. Nuff said.

40. IT’S NOT TOO LATE to salvage your New Year’s resolutions.

41. READ THIS Pain, by Dan Middleman. Fictional college senior Richard Dubin attempts to balance hard partying, a complicated relationship, and world-class competition.

42. GO EARLY. Two-time Olympian Shayne Culpepper says that rather than putting off a run, she’ll head out even earlier than usual when she’s not in the mood to work out. “If I have that extra cup of coffee or I wait an extra half hour, it becomes too torturous,” she says.

43. LOOK TO THE PAST Billy Mills came out of nowhere in the 1964 Olympics to become the only American to win a gold medal in the 10,000 meters. Mills’s PR at the time was nearly a minute slower than that of Australia’s Ron Clarke. With 100 meters to go, Mills sprinted ahead, improving his PR and setting a new Olympic record.

44. IF YOU’RE REALLY IN THE MOOD to change things up, or if you just have nothing to wear, check out the list of clothing-optional races at cybernude.com/nuderuns.

45. GOOD-TO-GO PLAYLIST
Alternative Rock
“Beautiful Day,” U2
“Run in Place,” The Nadas
“Seven Nation Army,” The White Stripes
“Take Me Out,” Franz Ferdinand
“Get Free,” The Vines
“Just (You Do It to Yourself),” Radiohead

46. PAY YOURSELF. Set a price for attaining a certain weekly mileage goal. When you hit it, pay up. Keep your mileage money in a jar, and once it accumulates, buy yourself that new running jacket you’ve been ogling.

47. ASK A FRIEND TO BIKE alongside you when your running partner isn’t available.

48. GET WET. When it gets hot out, Washington, D.C.-area coach Bruce Gross suggests logging your miles by running in the deep end of a pool while wearing a flotation vest. Gross tells his runners to break it up by going hard for five minutes, then resting for one minute. Work up to an hour.

49. RACE RESULTS STAY ON GOOGLE FOREVER.

50. TURN THINGS AROUND. “A poor performance is a strong motivator for me,” says elite marathoner Clint Verran. “I can’t wait to prove to myself that I’m a better runner than my last showing.” Verran also says negative comments from his coaches fire him up. “For me, proving somebody wrong is key.”

51. BEEN MARATHONING FOR YEARS? Maybe it’s time to try an ultra. Or the mile.

52. BECOME A RUNNING MENTOR. Once you get your neighbor, coworker, or significant other hooked on your favorite sport, they’ll be counting on your continued support and guidance–and company.

53. FEELING TIRED? Instead of taking the day off, throw some walk breaks into your run. Use the breaks to refuel, stretch out sore muscles, or get inspired by the scenery.

54. HEAD FOR THE HILLS. “When I need a boost, I attack a hill workout,” says Greg Meyer, winner of the 1982 Chicago Marathon and 1983 Boston Marathon. “You can’t do hills halfhearted.” Meyer believes the difficulty of the workout brings out the best in him.

55. WATCH THIS Saint Ralph In this 2005 Canadian film, a teenager sets out to win the 1954 Boston Marathon, thinking this is the “miracle” required to wake his mother from a coma.

56. RUN FOR A REASON. Do a race for charity. Helping kids with diabetes or women with breast cancer makes it much easier to get out the door.

57. DUST OFF YOUR TRACK SPIKES. Most states have Olympic-style summer games where you can compete in events like the mile or the 400-meter hurdles. If you’re really looking for a change of pace, train for a field event like the long jump.

58. RUNNING COMMENTARY “Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don’t think about it, I just do it. The decision has already been made.” –Patti Sue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

59. REMEMBER that you almost always feel better after a run than before it.

60. LOOK TO THE PAST Roger Bannister and John Landy (the only two men to have broken four minutes in the mile at the time) raced at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver in what was billed as “The Miracle Mile.” Landy led for most of the race, but Bannister passed him on the final turn–proving it ain’t over till it’s over.

61. RUNNING COMMENTARY “If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.” –Priscilla Welch, who won the 1987 New York City Marathon at age 42

62. KEEP A LOG. Greg Meyer, former Boston Marathon and Chicago Marathon champ, says his logbook keeps him motivated. “I just can’t stand to look at my log and see a goose egg for the day,” he says.

63. MAKE A CONNECTION. www.Fitness-singles.com connects active people looking for love. Get in your run and go on a date at the same time.

64. BRING HOME SOME HARDWARE. Okay, so you’re not going to win the Chicago Marathon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t score a trophy. Find a few small local races where you might be able to compete for the top spots in your age group.

65. DON’T EXPECT EVERY DAY TO BE BETTER than the last. Some days will be slower than others, and some days might even hurt a bit. But as long as you’re on the road, it’s a good day.

66. IF YOU DON’T RUN ROAD RACES, where will you get all your T-shirts?

67. JUST START. If the thought of running your full workout is too much to bear, just suit up to run around the block. Chances are, once you’re outside, you’ll start to feel better and put in at least a few miles.

68. READ THIS Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, by Kenny Moore. Learn about Bill Bowerman, one of the most famous track and field coaches of the last century and cofounder of Nike. You’ll be surprised how the legend initiated his new runners at the University of Oregon.

69. RUN SOLO and away from the crowds on recovery days. The faster runners on popular routes will make you want to pick up the pace. Alone, you’ll be able to listen to your body and reap the recovery you deserve.

70. RUNNING COMMENTARY “Those who say that I will lose and am finished will have to run over my body to beat me.” –Said Aouita, 5000 meter Olympic gold medalist

71. YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD FOR A GOLD STAR, says Sacramento-area running coach Shauna Schultz. Plan your workouts a week in advance, then place a star sticker on the calendar for each day you meet your goal. “Visualizing your progress in this manner is very encouraging,” Schultz says.

72. THINK YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO RUN? You can probably make a list longer than this one of things you’re wasting time on today. Cut one of them out and get the run in.

73. FOCUS ON THE COMPETITION. Olympic 200-meter gold medalist Shawn Crawford says his two chief competitors–himself and his stopwatch–keep him heading out every day. “I want to break records, and you can’t break records sitting home.”

74. BECOME A RACE DIRECTOR. If you live in a small town with no road races, start your own. Most towns have some sort of yearly celebration in the summer, and you can tie the race to that. Work with local track and cross-country teams to help promote it.

75. RUN AN ERRAND–LITERALLY. Run to get cash at the ATM, buy that lottery ticket for the mega-million-dollar prize, or return the DVD to the rental store.

76. CHECK WEATHER.COM. If you know it’s going to be 110 degrees by 2 p.m., run early in the morning. Terrible thunderstorms on Saturday? There’s your day off. Proactive scheduling now will give you fewer excuses later.

77. GOOD-TO-GO PLAYLIST
Guilty Pleasures
“Good Vibrations,” Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
“Toxic,” Britney Spears
“Lovefool,” The Cardigans
“Flagpole Sitta,” Harvey Danger
“Fergalicious,” Fergie

78. QUIT RUNNING IN CIRCLES. Andy Steinfeld, who coaches marathon runners in Maryland, says group “point to point” runs are a fun way to mix things up. His runners head out for 12 to 20 miles, then refuel at a local restaurant before hopping on the subway to ride back to the starting point.

79. WATCH THIS Endurance. This 1999 docudrama shows how Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie became one of the best distance runners of all time.

80. CREATE CONFLICT. Drew Ludtke, head women’s track and cross-country coach at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois, says his runners are sometimes too social. So he tells them to imagine that the runner next to them just stole their boyfriend, which amps up the competition–and the fun.

81. RUN TRAILS to challenge your body and mind. “Trails are a fantastic way to give your training a change of pace,” says Long Beach, California, coach Todd Rose. Rose advises always running trails with a partner and a cell phone to stay safe.

83. BE REALISTIC with your training. Sticking to a schedule of three workouts per week feels a lot better than quitting a more demanding plan. Go to runnersworld.com/smartcoach to customize your training program.

84. LIVE IN THE NOW. Seven-time Western States champ Scott Jurek focuses on the moment to get him through rough spots. “I tune in to my breath, technique, and my current pace, and I stay away from what lies ahead,” he says. This is especially helpful when “what lies ahead” is another 99 miles.

85. GET SOME PERSPECTIVE. Eritrean-born U.S. runner and 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi listens to songs about his former country’s struggle for independence from Ethiopia when he needs a boost. “The true heroes are the soldiers,” he says, also mentioning American troops in Iraq. “Those are the real tough guys.”

86. BUY A FULL-LENGTH MIRROR and make sure you look in it every day.

87. RUNNING COMMENTARY “If I am still standing at the end of the race, hit me with a board and knock me down, because that means I didn’t run hard enough.” –Steve Jones, former marathon world record holder

88. READ THIS Life at These Speeds, by Jeremy Jackson. When an entire track team is killed on the way home from a meet at the beginning of this novel, star Kevin Schuler, who rode home with his parents, is left to pick up the pieces. Sad but stirring.

89. GOOD-TO-GO PLAYLIST
Silence
Leave the MP3 player at home and see how you like it. Sometimes, the rhythm of your own breathing is the most inspiring thing of all.

90. BUY GOLD RACING SHOES. With those on your feet, you’d better be fast. It worked for Michael Johnson.

91. KEEP LOOKING FORWARD. It would be easy for Maurice Greene, 100-meter gold medalist at the 2000 Olympics, to rest on his laurels. “People always ask me, ‘Why do you keep on going?’ I always say, ‘I believe I haven’t reached my full potential.’” Greene’s current goals include another Olympic gold and a time of 9.67 seconds in the 100–which would currently earn him back his world record.

92. FORGET ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE every now and then. Put away your training manual and your race calendar. Quit overthinking it. Run for today.

93. TRY A TRI. Logging a chunk of your weekly miles in the pool and on the bike for a triathlon can reinvigorate your mind and body–and running.

94. SALE AWAY. When online running coach (therunningcoach.com) Christine Hinton is feeling unmotivated, she heads out for what she calls a “Garage Sale Run.” “I take some cash or my checkbook with me and run in search of garage sales,” Hinton says. “When I find one, I stop briefly to check out the goods. I tell you, I have found some good stuff that I’ve picked up later with the car.”

95. RUNNING COMMENTARY “The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.” –Juma Ikangaa, Tanzanian marathoner

96. A HEALTHY RUNNER IS A HAPPY RUNNER. As soon as you feel like you might be coming down with something, pamper yourself: Eat more healthfully (think lots of fruits and veggies) and get extra rest. A little prevention today means you won’t be debating next week whether you’re too sick to run.

97. LISTENING TO YOUR FEET crunch gravel for an hour can erase a day’s worth of stress.

98. INVEST IN GOOD GEAR. For beginners, this may mean a good pair of running shoes to avoid injuries and technical clothes made of fabric that wicks away moisture and prevents chafing. For others, experimenting with the latest GPS unit or shoe pod can be a fun way to track training progress and stay motivated.

99. BE CREATIVE. If the idea of going on your regular four-miler just sinks you further into your recliner, remember that there are other ways to put in some miles–like a pickup game of soccer, flag football, or ultimate Frisbee. A soccer midfielder runs up to six miles in a regulation 90-minute game.

100. SURROUND YOURSELF. When Greg Meyer, former Boston and Chicago marathon champ, needs a lift, he just looks up at the wall. A clown stares back at him from a poster with the caption: “To be good is not enough when you dream of being great.”

101. LET US HELP. We’ve got more where these came from. To receive a daily motivational e-mail, go to www.runnersworld.com/motivate.