Title says it all. What inspired you to start running? And what convinces you to get out of bed during the early hours and just go outside when your bed feels particularly cosy and warm?
I'll start: My initial inspiration to start was Claire Underwood, the Machiavellian counterpart of the ruthless main character of 'House of Cards'. She's still my strongest inspiration, especially during those difficult morning hours.
Now it's your turn.
I started this as I had heard it was good for you mentally as well as physically and even though I have had ups and downs with it I generally feel happier in myself, so therefore it's working 😀
Steve Way... seeing him interviewed during the Commonwealth Games. I didn't start running till over a year later but I think it was him that put the idea in my head.
Haha! Mine was also the Underwoods (even though they are eeeevil), but I wanted to be a cool running ninja in black.
I wanted to do some exercise I could fit into my life, and this seems to do the trick. I've been astonished at my progress. It's also good to be able to do something with my husband (he's been running for years) as we plot our ruthless path to the top.
I'm not sure I have a real life inspiration as such except (cue string section) everyone here is my inspiration. 😊 I did read a couple of blogs (just normal overweight women who'd completed the programme and blogged about their experiences) before I began, and they were pretty inspiring, and searching for more eventually led me here.
Osteoporosis - or rather, a determination to do what I can to avoid it.
My mother-in-law has osteoporosis and I admire the way she lives with the immobility and pain but I'm not sure I'd be able to cope with it. I did some research on the nhs website and decided that, as I am a menopausal woman in my mid-50s, I needed to take action. So, C25k! Stronger muscles, stronger bones, smaller jeans - and I like being able to sneeze without worrying (an unexpected bonus.......).
I started as a means to occupy myself whilst waiting for the redundancy axe to fall. To be less inactive - as I was doing nothing..........The running was a side effect, this forum, the mental and physical gains carried me through a difficult time, and I could not do without that now.
I'm never going to be a marathon runner, I have no desire to do that - I'm happy with my 5 and 10ks! but, love it, and my current inspiration to continue aside from this forum, is a young lad at my local park run, (and the whole park run family) he has a disability, I don't know what but has a wonky arm and leg, cerebral palsy perhaps, anyway, most of the time he gets round, yes he moans at his parents (typical teenager strops) but he gets round, so when I'm feeling that I want to stop I think of him and others like him, I am fortunate to be fully physically able to do this so just get on with it, come on!
Happy running!
Mx
a) The feeling it gives and b) wanting to prove myself.
a) I was on a weight loss journey and read about c25k running program on the NHS website. "Running? No way! Can't even run for a bus and runners look so constipated, so masoshist, only a crazy person would do this......" It was playing on my mind so during a walk I decided to see if I could jog for a few metres. i didn't think my legs would know what to do. Somehow they managed. I was amazed. Complete Euphoria. I got such a kick out of it. The feeling was amazing.
b) Hubby did not want me to run. He was worried I would hurt myself. I wanted to prove to him and everyone else I could do it.
1) A practice nurse who informed me I was obese and then (I discovered a few weeks later) wrote "Refused to discuss weight reduction diet" on my records (an abject lie) whilst ignoring potentially life threatening symptoms which should have been investigated urgently. I did need to lose weight but brisk walking was too painful... and I liked the idea of NHS C25K as it was explicitly *not* every day, only asked me to run for 60 seconds and didn't involve any poncy stretching.
2) Watching my husband get worn out and not adopting a healthy lifestyle. So, giving myself the best chance of being around for him (he has looked after me so well) and the son who will not be able to live independently in adulthood.
3) Dropping my brother off to do a run whilst I went for a little dog walk and feeling a twinge of envy at the route he was going to do - despite finding the obsession with fitness and running and poncy stretching extremely offputting (and no, I really haven't 'joined the club' - but I have run that route since. Best. Run. Ever... and he was so proud of me!)
4) Mo Farah and Lasse Viren - I grew up watching athletics on TV. Lasse Viren was the one who fell down, got up and won. The year I started C25K was the year of the Olympics. There was no connection in me starting running and the Olympics but when we got to that point, I felt a connection... with a man who can run a 5k 4 times faster than me.
5) Liz Carr, Matt Fraser, Simon Minty, Kate Monahan and other past and present presenters of the BBC Ouch disability podcast
6) An archetypal Scandinavian woman orienteer - that's who I am in my more deluded moments of complete running joy on woodland paths.
7) My dog. All my runs are with her. She's Google, I'm Me.
My inspiration was my kids and wanting to run with them.
What keeps me going? I'm not fully sure!!! I think it is just so integral to our family routine now and I am quite a disciplined person. I also think that the fact that I am still improving is a really good motivation. It's nice to feel the sense of achievement at those firsts. First time you've ran a route, first time you've ran a distance, first time you've done a 'time' and trying new things to improve further. I just love it 
I have a few. My sisters and my friend Yvie. Yvie is running the length of the country and back again at the moment to raise awareness of bipolar disorder and mental health in general. She is an inspiration to me. This is putting it mildly. Check out Peppyplant on Facebook showing her progress
My friend who started me on C25K is still my inspiration. He's a journalist and wrote a brilliant blog about his journey. I was so impressed, it made me think if he can do it, then so can I! He's not a small man, and I know he's asthmatic, and he posted his first runs on FaceBook - 10.30 minutes KMS! He's a connection on Garmin and he's under 6 mins now...If he can do it, then so can I.....
Inspiration AND incentive.....
Inspiration
Inspiration For Newbies 
Community inspiration!
Running is addictive 
