Runners often struggle to clearly articulate our running purpose. When asked “Why do you run?”, we are likely to offer a combination of responses ranging from a near-future goal to a big picture vague notion. The reality for most of us is that the answer to this question contains a number of things. The challenge for most is understanding how these things fit together and knowing what it means to be successful.
This process, the process of crafting a Running Purpose Statement, is a way we developed here at AtoZrunning to help achieve this end: clarifying our vision for running. Use the following steps to help you craft your own vision.
Note: this process was inspired by the W.O.O.P. process as established by Gabriele Oettingen and others (learn more at woopmylife.org).
The Running Purpose Statement
As noted, the goal of this process is to help you clarify your vision for running. This process does not presume that you do NOT have a vision, but it is a helpful, step-by-step guide to making that vision clear. Additionally, the process emphasizes the importance of considering both the big picture and the daily implications.
To get started, you will need a piece of paper (or two or three) and a writing utensil. Would you like to use our structured organizer? You can download and print a PDF version here. This organizer will walk you through the process with instructions as well as provide space to write.
Once ready, proceed through the following steps.
STEP 1: Brainstorm “WHY DO I RUN?”
This step is all about getting the thoughts from your head onto a piece of paper. Set a timer for 2 minutes. Write everything that comes to mind in response to the question “Why do I run?” Write EVERYTHING!
- Do not judge or evaluate ideas.
- Do not filter or prioritize ideas.
- Write everything!
Additionally, don’t try to organize this list at all (yet). Just write! (An example of steps 1-3 is included below from Andi’s own brainstorming!)
STEP 2: Identify Central Themes
Review your list above. Draw a box around the big ideas or central themes. Think about cause and effect: which ideas are the more central causes that produce the other ideas? If you perceive a central theme connecting multiple ideas that is not already written down, add it above and draw a box around it.
See below for Andi’s example. Where she wrote “help with focus and health,” “time in nature,” and “physical and mental health”, she identified that “help with focus and health” was in fact a central theme connecting each of these ideas.
You should be able to distill your list down to a small number of central themes.
STEP 3: Determine What is MOST Important
Given the central themes you identified, draw a circle around those central ideas that are most important to you. (This may be all of the central themes you identified, or it may be only one or two. It is up to you.)
See Andi’s example of steps 1-3 below.
STEP 4: Compose Your Running Purpose Statement
Synthesize the ideas that you circled previously into a single statement that clearly declares the most important reasons why you run. Write this as a single sentence. Use the following sentence starter: I run because…
This single sentence should capture all of the big ideas that are most important to you in your running.
Now list the rest of your responses to the question “Why do I run?” in the form of hopes. Use the sentence starter “I hope to…” for your list. This list should include everything else you wrote previously during STEP 1.
See Andi’s example of step 4 below.
STEP 5: Daily/Weekly Implications
In light of the above purpose statement, create a list of daily implications. Use the sentence starter “Today/this week I will…” These daily or weekly implications can be general (routines, guiding principles, etc.) or specific (because of today’s plans, etc.). This may be a process that you repeat with new implications specific to each day or week, or it may be a process you set at the start of a season of life or season of training to establish a healthy routine.
See Andi’s example of step 5 below.
STEP 6: Overcoming Obstacles
Based on your daily/weekly goals (implications of your running purpose statement), identify possible obstacles and solutions/strategies to overcome them. Use a T-chart format for this step. For obstacles, list anything that you can influence or control that gets in the way of those daily/weekly goals. Be precise. Next to each obstacle, brainstorm possible solutions or strategies to anticipate that obstacle and help prevent it. Be sure that solutions or strategies are actions you control and are able to take.
See Andi’s example of step 6 below.
That’s It!
That is the full process! You have now crafted a running purpose statement complete with hopes for your running, daily implications, and a plan to anticipate and overcome obstacles. In short, you have now established a clear vision for what you desire to do and be as a runner.
We hope this process helps you in your running journey, and if you find it helpful, please feel free to share this page and our resources with your running friends.
Authored by: Zach Ripley, AtoZrunning Co-founder & Coach
