We have a thread about making excuses....well who what keeps you motivated NOT to? Anyone have an inspiration that makes them think, "I have no excuses, if 'x' can do it I can too!"

For me, it is this man in my neighborhood I see out running every day when I am on my way to work. Every. Single. Day. Rain, snow, cold, hot. He has 2 running outfits a warm one and a cold one. Warm one is grey shorts, short sleeved royal blue cotton T-shirt. Cold is grey sweatpants, light blue sweatshirt, Florida Gators knit hat. He wears a knee brace. And he is probably about 80 years old. And as far as I know, in the almost 2 years I've lived in my apartment he's never missed a day. Mornings when it has been particularly cold or gross I've rather laid in bed I've thought, "I'm sure that man put on his Gators hat and got out there." And he always is.

Also the I Run 4 organization that matches up runners with children with special needs is always inspiring. If I miss a run what will I tell my little Judy??

Who inspires you to not make excuses?

I don't know if it counts as inspiration... but I've been badly injured often enough to know better than to take it for granted when I am physically capable of getting out there.

Like Jack said, stubbornness and OCD for me, I see it on my training plan and that helps too. I don't really have anybody that inspires me, but being bull-headed and wanting to get to that weekly mileage of 30+ drives me even in this crappy, icy, cold, or rainy weather.

Also, my fear of gaining lbs ( I know, sad) - that is my last, final no excuse resort to get out the door. I am okay where I am at now (though 5-10 lbs less would be great), I don't want to see an increase in my weight.

I have to admit though, my holiday streak is over as of yesterday - it is tearing my calves and left foot apart and as much as I want to keeping pushing ahead until New Years Day, I have to admit that this streak will only lead to an injury if I don't stop now and go back to my 4 days a week of running and 3 days of no running.

Two people:

1)  Myself, since I love running, analyzing my data, and talking about my runs, and not running doesn't give me the chance that day.

2)  Everyone who is beating me on race day.

Seeing other runners out there doesn't inspire me but I am always jealous of them.  I always say to DW, "Look, he's running today" and she rolls her eyes at me. 

My wife inspires me.  Without any sports background in HS, college, or anything, she just one day decided to run a 5k.  Are you kidding me?  I ran a season of XC in HS, so I know how far that is.  You're crazy.  We are middle aged, overweight, sitting here watching tv.  How the heck are you going to run 5k?  Walk it, maybe, but not run it.

My son also inspires me.  I had been teaching him soccer, and then he just started to run more around me.  With the ball.  He had the ball, he now knew how to dribble it well, and he was doing a good job keeping from me.  Because I was getting too darned tired to run after him much.  8 yr old son.  48 yr old slow fat man.

40 pounds lost since.  Feel better.  Feel better running.

On any given day I can be inspired to get out there by anyone.  Regularly, my DH inspires me (cause I want to be superior, morally and otherwise, so I try to have more miles than him), DS inspires me (cause I want to increase the odds of seeing grandchildren, he's only 8), the people at Another Mother Runner regularly help to get me out the door as do all of you at Running Ahead.  Beyond all that, racing and having something to work for keeps me motivated.

Mostly myself.. I know that at some point I'll have to deal with another injury or unplanned time off when life happens, so every day that I CAN get out (or get on the treadmill), I do. Even if it's short, even if it sucks. I take one rest day a week to recharge my metaphorical batteries and relish doing nothing that day.

I started running as part of a weight loss kick and that was my motivation in the summer/early fall of last year, but I've since managed to change my mindset on food/weight. I don't think chasing numbers on the scale was necessarily the best thing for me since I wasn't even close to overweight to begin with. I eat a metric shit-ton of food now (maybe 23-2500 calories/day at 5'5/130ish) because if I don't eat enough I recover very poorly between runs/workouts and just feel generally sluggish and crappy. I'm sure I've gained some fat too, but I've also put on a decent amount of muscle between eating enough and weightlifting - my arms don't look simultaneously scrawny and flabby anymore, I almost have enough muscle to cover my stupid ribs, my hamstrings and quads have a shape, etc.

Wounded Warriors.  Luckily for me, I am in San Antonio and Brooke Army Medical Center - commonly called BAMC (BAM-C) - at Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston is one of the premier treatment facilities in the nation for our Wounded Warriors.  So when I go running on the military posts around here, I see them a lot out there on the track, on the running trails, in the gym, on the roads, doing their thing.   And some of those ladies and gentlemen, even with prosthetics, are QUITE speedy too.

I stand in awe of them.  They always inspire me and every time I happen to encounter one of them I always thing to myself "What the heck do I have to complain about?"