There are countless reasons to run and many of them are self-focused, but if the way running benefits others is in your 'why' it could make all the difference.
Science has shown that self-talk can boost endurance and so much of running is in your head that goal-setting and mantras have become essential components of a runner's armoury.
But, with your brain frequently the limiting factor in endurance exercise, the nature of these is key when the going gets tough - or it's tough to get going.
You might be able to fake it to make it some of the time, but fundamentally believing in your reason to run seems to be much more powerful, especially if it essentially does something good for others.
Do you run to: get fitter? lose weight? free your mind? banish the blues? beat your friend? go further or faster than ever before? test your limits?
All of these are great reasons and there are many, many more that have provided the requisite motivation for runners to lace up, get out of the door, work hard and achieve success.
But if self-focused driving forces are not getting you into top gear, never fear. Science has shown that finding a motivation beyond yourself can be even stronger.
In their excellent book, Peak Performance, writer Brad Stulberg and running coach Steve Magness cite examples of people achieving "hysterical strength" feats like lifting a car off a person trapped beneath to save their life.
They also refer to hospital cleaning staff working harder and more effectively when convinced they were contributing to life saving, and Meb Keflezighi, who became the first American to win a major marathon in 31 years when he finished first at Boston in 2014, credited the memory of the 2013 race's bombing victims as his motivation.
Leo Sedgley, whose poem is shown at the top of this blog, ran the Brighton Marathon in Sussex, England, last year in memory of his father, who died from prostate cancer. He stopped just about every mile to read a poem to those around him, and when I interviewed him for Runner's World, he told me it helped to have a "purpose rather than just the thing I'm doing".
Many thousands of people who have run for a cause will have found the same thing as Sedgley: that having a purpose beyond oneself can drive a person to great feats, be they physical, creative or simply of kindness.
Contributing to what you see as a greater good can allow you to park your protective ego - which comes from the part of the brain that keeps you physically inhibited - and explore your running limits in a way you might never have done before.
It can be for a personally-related charity in the way Sedgley raised money for Prostate Cancer research in memory of his dad, but it doesn't have to be. It can be mighty powerful to become a role model for your friends, peers or children, or run to get fit to play more and for longer with kids in your family. Simply running to be a happier person for those around you is another good example.
As long as you truly believe in it, finding a purpose for your running that benefits others, doing it for the greater good, can be truly inspiring - and make you a better runner into the bargain. I think that's what they call a win-win.
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