If you asked a coach, a sports psychologist, and a running magazine editor for help climbing out of a motivational slump, it's likely each one would give you the very same piece of advice: Sign up for a race! It's a smart tactic; putting an event on your calendar can give your running a sense of purpose, a carrot to reach for, and the impetus to think twice before bagging a workout.

But what if you don't enjoy racing? What if you don't like competition, race-entry fees, or the logistics of fitting a structured training plan into an over-scheduled life? Don't worry. Plenty of runners find all the inspiration they need to lace up without ever pinning on a bib number. "Certainly a competitive training program gives us a reason to go out and run even when we're tempted to take a day off," says Duncan Simpson, Ph.D., assistant professor of sport, exercise, and performance psychology at the School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences at Barry University in Miami. "But there are those who say they're running just for running's sake, and their motivation might be different."

We talked to several longtime runners who never (or rarely) register for races to find out how they stay motivated to run with no finish line in sight. Their secrets can help all runners--racers and nonracers alike--enjoy the journey.

Loving the Run

The Secret: Cathy Kim, a 46-year-old physician and researcher at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, ran a half-marathon when she was in her 20s. She finished and thought never again--and really meant it. "It was awful," she says. "Focusing on time and speed turned running into a completely different experience for me." Her racing career was one and done, but her running career has lasted two decades. Six days a week, Kim gets up at 6 a.m. and logs one of her four favorite neighborhood five- to six-mile loops. It's a morning ritual she started in medical school that still brings her peace of mind today. "Running began as a way for me to relieve stress and get outdoors," she says. "It's evolved to being a time when I can think and plan my day without interruption. It's meditative. Skipping a run would throw off my day."

You won't see Garrett Main, a 24-year-old teaching student at California State Bakersfield, at a starting line, either. "I stopped signing up for races because my times never seemed to reflect my love for running," says Main, who still logs between 40 and 60 miles each week. "Everyone just seemed interested in your time, not what your experience was like." Main says approaching his runs as opportunities for fun and adventure is what keeps him going. He likes tackling difficult terrain, socializing with running buddies, and exploring new trails--and so he makes those things the centerpiece of his routine.

Use It: What Kim and Main are describing is "intrinsic motivation," says Cindra Kamphoff, Ph.D., director of the Center for Sport and Performance Psychology at Minnesota State University. "They are running for themselves and are driven by the enjoyment of the task itself." Sure, chasing down age-group awards and personal records can give your running a short-term purpose, but for it to have real staying power, Simpson says it's important to pinpoint what you truly value about running--beyond the bling and bragging rights. Is it stress relief, weight management, physical fitness, time alone, time with others, an opportunity to soak up nature? Identifying what motivates you can help you recognize the importance of running and the value it brings to your life--no race date required.

Training to Train

The Secret: Contrary to popular opinion, snubbing the race scene doesn't automatically make you a lumbering plodder who aimlessly wanders the streets. "I compete against myself," says Sissy Jahn, a 46-year-old bartender from Naples, Florida. Jahn took up running in 2012 and participated in six events that first year before ultimately deciding that racing wasn't for her. "I like the idea of training for a race--right now I'm in week 11 of a half-marathon plan," she says. "I enjoy following the schedule, building up my distance, and seeing myself improve. My feeling is I don't need the formality or hassle of a race."

Matthew Voss, a 51-year-old chef from St. Louis, also challenges himself out on the road, with weekly speed workouts and long runs, even though it's never for the sake of a race. "The cost of races has outgrown my budget and feels like a waste of money since I can run for free," Voss says. "I can stretch my limits and see myself improve during workouts without the congestion of a larger race."

Use It: Even if there is no race in your future, you can still make your runs purposeful. Simpson suggests giving each run a dedicated purpose: One day could be a slow-paced long run, where you work on going a mile farther than you did the previous week. Another day could be hill repeats, where you aim to maintain form and finish the final repeat in a time that's as close as possible to the first one. Another day could be a casual run with friends, where the purpose is socialization, fun, and recovery. "The idea is to have a specific purpose for each run, and to recognize the benefits you are going to get from it, so you are motivated not to miss out on the benefits," Simpson says.

Simpson also recommends setting benchmark goals for yourself. These could be classic ambitions, like building endurance or speed, but you can also be creative and set goals like maintaining a running streak, in which you run at least a mile a day for a month, or two, or the entire summer. (Join RW's own summer streak; click herefor details.) Or see if you can log more miles in the month of July than you did in June. "Reaching a finish line in a specific time isn't the only type of goal that can motivate you to run," Simpson says.

Backing Off

The Secret: Burnout and injury can plague runners who are constantly competing. Runners who always have a race on the horizon may have a tough time taking an extra rest day or backing off a too-challenging pace, even if their muscles are begging for a break, Kamphoff says. But this all-out approach to training can leave you hurt and then forced into taking an inconvenient period of downtime to recover. In contrast, says Kamphoff, nonracers seem more willing to make adjustments to their running routines because they are focused on their long-term enjoyment of the sport.

"I used to race every weekend," says Kathleen Gina, 65, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, who's been running for more than 35 years. "I found it fun and I was highly competitive--my goal was to win, or at least place in, my age group. For 10 years I did, but I was injured--a lot." Twelve years ago, Gina decided to exit the racing circuit. She gave her body a much-needed rest and eventually settled in with a group of runners who couldn't care less about being in the back of the pack, or even being in a pack. Gina is now injury-free and a certified coach who occasionally does fun runs to act as a cheerleader for the runners she trains.

Use It: "Aim to be the best runner you can be, but not at the expense of potentially hurting yourself," Kamphoff says. "Recognize when it's time to back off, even if you have a race coming up." Keeping a running log can help with this. "Don't just chart your mileage," Kamphoff says. "Write down how you feel--both physically and mentally--after each run. Then use your notes to help you spot what may be a budding injury or a short path to burnout." Paying attention to those red flags and dialing things down a bit early on can help you avoid a bigger issue down the road.

Gina also suggests hooking up with a running group or a buddy who can help you keep tabs on yourself. "Sometimes it takes another runner to tell us that we might be overdoing it and could use a break, or to point out that competition isn't everything," she says.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io