Mindset
Finding your "Why"
Explore an essential piece to your running (and life?) success. Finding and understanding your "why" in running can lead you to new heights in running, aid in your winter running consistency, and increase the value and fulfillment that running can give you.
Find Your “Why” This Winter
Winter has a way of testing even the most committed runners. The daylight shortens, the weather shifts, and the motivation that felt effortless in summer suddenly asks for negotiation. It’s during these months, when momentum slows and routine feels heavier, that understanding your why becomes essential.
Your most important investment: You
Your “why” is more than a goal or a finish line. It’s the deeper reason you lace up your shoes, the meaning behind your movement, and the anchor that keeps you steady through seasons of change. For some, that why is rooted in curiosity: Can I become stronger? Can I discover a new version of myself? For others, it’s emotional: carving out space to breathe, process, or simply feel better. And for many, it’s community, the shared struggle, collective laughter, and quiet accountability of showing up together.
When winter arrives, understanding your why acts as a compass. On the cold mornings when comfort is tempting, you’re reminded that you’re not running for the weather, you’re running for clarity, confidence, connection, health, or growth. That deeper grounding reframes effort as investment rather than obligation.
Reflecting on your why also invites flexibility. It allows you to adjust your training with intention instead of guilt. Maybe winter is a season of maintenance rather than peak performance, or of joyful movement instead of structured intensity. When your purpose is clear, your approach can adapt without losing direction.
Athlete Feedback
We asked this question to our community and received overwhelming feedback with so many unique stories and reasons to run and why’s. We spoke with runner, Fairhaven Runners manager, Husband, and competitor, Brian Esparza about his why and this is what he had to say:
Christopher: Brian, why do you run?
Brian: “For the love of the game,” I’d jokingly say when I think about my ‘Why.’
Christopher: Did you have inspiration or a driving force that encouraged you to start running?
Brian: I started running via HS XC in 2015, and was deeply inspired by a man named Anthony, who not only showed us great determination in becoming one of the best in the state, but single-handedly pushed our program to reach greater heights than we expected of ourselves. He taught us that there was more to the sport than just “showing up to run,” and that we could become greater than what our minds thought we could be.
Christopher: That is such a valuable relationship and mentor to have in your life. Has any of his mentorship or modeling stuck with you still?
Brian: He’s a significant piece to my lore that, to this day, has pushed me to want to become the type of athlete he was when I first started the sport…. The type of athlete who pushes himself past his own barriers and expectations. The type of athlete who competed fearlessly against some of the best out there. The type of athlete who gets to travel around and explore new places, and meeting people who also shared the same love for our sport.
Christopher: Yes! That is so powerful, I can feel your energy and enthusiasm in your reason to run. That is not always an easy thing to identify for many, but it is amazing how strongly you can feel about your relationship with running and your identity. Do you have anything else that you would like to share with our community?
Brian: My ‘Why’ is, in fact, for the love of the game. And in following my passion, just as Anthony taught me to do over a decade ago, I am now starting to turn into the type of athlete he was, and that I dreamt of becoming.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, your why is a source of commitment that lasts longer than motivation. Motivation can fade with daylight; purpose endures. So as the winter months settle in, take a moment to ask yourself: Why do I run? Why do I move? What do I gain from this practice that’s worth protecting?
Hold onto that answer. It’s the fuel that carries you through the darker days, and straight into the brighter ones ahead.
Conclusion
So again, I posit the question to you, take a moment to ask yourself: Why do I run? Why do I move? What do I gain from this practice that’s worth protecting? Let us know! Send us a message at support@theaerobicgroup.com or instagram @theaerobicgroup. Let's keep this conversation going in our community.
Find Your “Why” This Winter
Winter has a way of testing even the most committed runners. The daylight shortens, the weather shifts, and the motivation that felt effortless in summer suddenly asks for negotiation. It’s during these months, when momentum slows and routine feels heavier, that understanding your why becomes essential.
Your most important investment: You
Your “why” is more than a goal or a finish line. It’s the deeper reason you lace up your shoes, the meaning behind your movement, and the anchor that keeps you steady through seasons of change. For some, that why is rooted in curiosity: Can I become stronger? Can I discover a new version of myself? For others, it’s emotional: carving out space to breathe, process, or simply feel better. And for many, it’s community, the shared struggle, collective laughter, and quiet accountability of showing up together.
When winter arrives, understanding your why acts as a compass. On the cold mornings when comfort is tempting, you’re reminded that you’re not running for the weather, you’re running for clarity, confidence, connection, health, or growth. That deeper grounding reframes effort as investment rather than obligation.
Reflecting on your why also invites flexibility. It allows you to adjust your training with intention instead of guilt. Maybe winter is a season of maintenance rather than peak performance, or of joyful movement instead of structured intensity. When your purpose is clear, your approach can adapt without losing direction.
Athlete Feedback
We asked this question to our community and received overwhelming feedback with so many unique stories and reasons to run and why’s. We spoke with runner, Fairhaven Runners manager, Husband, and competitor, Brian Esparza about his why and this is what he had to say:
Christopher: Brian, why do you run?
Brian: “For the love of the game,” I’d jokingly say when I think about my ‘Why.’
Christopher: Did you have inspiration or a driving force that encouraged you to start running?
Brian: I started running via HS XC in 2015, and was deeply inspired by a man named Anthony, who not only showed us great determination in becoming one of the best in the state, but single-handedly pushed our program to reach greater heights than we expected of ourselves. He taught us that there was more to the sport than just “showing up to run,” and that we could become greater than what our minds thought we could be.
Christopher: That is such a valuable relationship and mentor to have in your life. Has any of his mentorship or modeling stuck with you still?
Brian: He’s a significant piece to my lore that, to this day, has pushed me to want to become the type of athlete he was when I first started the sport…. The type of athlete who pushes himself past his own barriers and expectations. The type of athlete who competed fearlessly against some of the best out there. The type of athlete who gets to travel around and explore new places, and meeting people who also shared the same love for our sport.
Christopher: Yes! That is so powerful, I can feel your energy and enthusiasm in your reason to run. That is not always an easy thing to identify for many, but it is amazing how strongly you can feel about your relationship with running and your identity. Do you have anything else that you would like to share with our community?
Brian: My ‘Why’ is, in fact, for the love of the game. And in following my passion, just as Anthony taught me to do over a decade ago, I am now starting to turn into the type of athlete he was, and that I dreamt of becoming.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, your why is a source of commitment that lasts longer than motivation. Motivation can fade with daylight; purpose endures. So as the winter months settle in, take a moment to ask yourself: Why do I run? Why do I move? What do I gain from this practice that’s worth protecting?
Hold onto that answer. It’s the fuel that carries you through the darker days, and straight into the brighter ones ahead.
Conclusion
So again, I posit the question to you, take a moment to ask yourself: Why do I run? Why do I move? What do I gain from this practice that’s worth protecting? Let us know! Send us a message at support@theaerobicgroup.com or instagram @theaerobicgroup. Let's keep this conversation going in our community.