12 Habits of Highly Motivated Runners

Runners dream big. Tackling a new distance, posting a personal best, losing 20 pounds–we embrace grand challenges. But what happens after you accomplish your goal, or if your resolve weakens before you succeed? You risk stalling–unless you’ve changed your routines to those of a stronger, healthier runner. Read the full article in Runner’s World.

Inspirational Team Hoyt Proves Anything Is Possible

In the past four decades, Dick Hoyt and his son, Rick, who has cerebral palsy, have together completed six Ironman triathlons, more than 70 marathons and a 45-day run and bike across the U.S. without a single day of rest. Dick, 74, a motivational speaker and Holland, Mass. resident, is usually quick with a tale and a joke in his thick Boston brogue. But ask the former Air National Guard lieutenant colonel the most difficult thing he’s ever done, and he’s briefly rendered speechless. Read the full story on NowU.com (or download a pdf).

Why Your Workout Plan’s Not Working–And How To Fix It

You do the exact same training program as your running partner—but finish the 5K 10 minutes behind her. After months of diligent forward bends, you still can’t even touch your toes. And while your totally toned co-worker swears by a strength-building DVD, you don’t see a single sculpted muscle for your efforts. Before you blame yourself or give up altogether, consider whether your obstacles have been written into your genome. Read the full article on Prevention.com.

How to Blast Past Your Biggest Fitness Challenges

On Sunday, 25-year-old Tatyana McFadden will line up with 45,000 other runners in the starting corral of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. But this champion marathoner (she’s won Chicago four times and holds the women’s wheelchair course record, in addition to being a Paralympics sprinter) has had to work harder than most of her fellow competitors to get where she is today. Read the full story on Shape.com.