Why Do You Run?

Anyone who has trained for a marathon knows that it's not always the best way to lost weight. With the added muscle and post-20-mile-run hunger pangs, it's not uncommon to finish training a pound or two heavier than you began. That's fine for runners driven by the overall experience of running 26.2. But it also explains why people with eight-loss goals can become frustrated with distance events.

In fact, a 2006 study of first-time marathoners found that those who were in it to drop pounds were more likely to drop out. The lesson? Pick the right plan for your goal. If you priority is stress relief, for example, you shouldn't follow an overly ambitious training plan, which could create more anxiety than it alleviates.

Some people will go out and run without a plan that's appropriate for what they want to achieve and when they don't get the results they want, they become discouraged with running. What follows are four of the most common running goals with expert advice on how to achieve each one.
To Lose Weight
Running is one of the most effective weight-loss activities (it burns about 100 calories per mile). Plodding - sticking to slow pace day in and day out - is not. A lot of people train in the gray zone - every workout becomes the same and when your body becomes used to a routine, it doesn't need to expend as much energy.

How To Get It: Train for a Half
To burn the most calories, go shorter and faster one day, longer and slower the next to prevent your body from getting accustomed to one kind of workout. A half-marathon training program with speed work and long runs could be the ideal plan. Shorter, more intense runs use up more calories and boost your after burn, the calories you keep burning after a workout. Runs lasting 90 minutes or more put you in a fat-burning zone, where your body uses stored fats as a fuel source. The time frame is also ideal. 5-K plans are short-race day may arrive before your goal weight does. And marathon programs may be too long and too big of a commitment for those whose main goal is weight loss.

Stress Relief
When you're juggling kids' soccer games, social engagements, and a tiring work schedule, finding time to exercise can be tough. But not working out can be even more destructive to your psyche. A run helps get you re-energized and after only about a month of starting to run some people tell that they are better able to cope with life. That's because exercise improves mood and lowers anxiety while giving you an opportunity to work out your problems or escape them.

How To Get It: Use Any Opportunity
Mood lifts and fatigue decreases after only 10 minutes of exercise. If you're facing a hectic day, and a 50-minute run seems impossible, split your workout in two. Do a short run in the morning and cap off your day with another. And on those days when you're tempted to skip it, you can remind yourself how great you felt on a similarly busy day when you made time to run.

To Build Endurance
Endurance goals are appealing for mid-pack runners who aren't wired for speed. Building endurance is one of the best ways to see progress because mileage goals are very straightforward and easy to track.

How To Get It: Go Long Even on Off Days
Most runners need a reason to push beyond distances of eight miles, and a half-marathon or marathon can keep you motivated for months as you build mileage. Create a plan that increases your mileage by 10 percent a week so you don't risk injury, and build in two or three active (cross training) or passive (total rest) recovery days each week. To build psychological strength, go longer when you cross-train. If you go for a three-hour hike, it'll make a 90-minute run seem easy.

To Run-and Live-Forever
Physical activity reduces the risk for over 25 conditions, in particular heart disease, stroke, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and a regular exercise increases life expectancy by up to two years.

How To Get It: Train Consistently
You need to do the little things that help you recover, such as eating well, caring for injuries, sleeping enough, and maintaining a strong immune system. Adding strength training, cross-training, and flexibility work to your routine will help your body stay strong and balanced and prevent mental burnout so that you can continue to run for year to come.

Smart Goal Setting
When it comes to staying motivated, running is a mind game. Setting goals helps you monitor your progress on a regular basis, and as you see results, you'll want to stick with your program.

Be specific: "Run better" is too vague. Set a measurable goal, such as besting your time in a race by 30 seconds.

Set ambitious but realistic goals: Unrealistic goals lead to frustration; too-easy goals are boring.

Give yourself a deadline: No set end point leads to procrastination. Run that 5-K this May. Keep track: On low-motivation days, review your progress in your logbook to help you get out the door.