When I first decided I wanted to run a marathon in 2009 I set my sights on the ING NYC Marathon in November. I still have my heart set on doing that run, but I also thought it might be wise to run one sooner so that I would know what training was all about and to make sure I could do it. I knew the B&A Marathon was March 1st and because it’s local, that seemed like a good choice.

I told my husband and a couple friends that I was planning to train for the marathon and if it was just too hard I’d at least run the half marathon, a distance I’d already done so knew it was achievable. I outlined my training goal late 2008 and got started. I also recruited a training buddy and we will run the marathon together. Though we don’t train together we check in after every long run to see how we did. I told more of my family and a few more friends of my plan. By the time New Year’s Eve rolled around I blurted it out to everyone I knew and soon after I even started a blog that included my marathon proclamations.

If there is one way to stay motivated to accomplish your goals, it’s to tell someone what they are. You become accountable for living up to your word and if you’re like me, you feel guilty if you don’t follow through. I love my friends and family because they take me seriously; if I tell them I’m going to do something, they expect me to do it and that is motivating. They know I’m training so they ask me how its going and I make sure I have an answer every time.

While I’m running I tend to carry on conversations in my head and they often end up being about running. In my head, I’m telling someone that I’m going to run a marathon which is enough to keep me moving even when I’m getting tired. Next time you need motivating, don’t tell yourself why you need to get going, try telling someone else.