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" For some, fall signifies cooler temperatures and pumpkin picking. For others, it means marathon season. On November 6, 2011, the world&amp;#039;s largest marathon, the ING New York City Marathon (boasting a record-high number of runners this year with 47,000 participants) is taking place. Wondering what kind of motivation and dedication it takes to train for and run 26.2 miles? We chatted with a variety of marathon runners\u2014from one of the most well-known figures and an American record holder to a former competitive figure skater turned six-time marathoner\u2014to get their expert advice. Surprisingly, all of their insider information can apply to just about anyone looking for extra workout inspiration. Whether you&amp;#039;re currently training for a big race or simply want to start running around your neighborhood, here are 10 tips for taking your fitness motivation to the next level.   Find a mantra. A running or exercise mantra is a phrase that you repeat or remind yourself of when your motivation is waning. Not only will it keep you moving, but it&amp;#039;s a positive way to fill your head with thoughts other than how tired, sore or bored you are. &amp;quot;Define Yourself&amp;quot; is the mantra of choice for Deena Kastor, American marathon record holder (2 hours and 19 minutes at the London Marathon), Olympic bronze medalist and a brand spokesperson for MARATHON bar. &amp;quot;This phrase was given to me by my coach in 2005, when he told me to define myself before I started a big race,&amp;quot; says Kastor, who feels it can apply to other moments in daily life as well.   \u2026and use it! Whether you feel like you can&amp;#039;t run another minute or you can&amp;#039;t do another rep, sometimes a mantra is the only thing that helps you put mind over matter when the going gets really tough. &amp;quot;My mantra is &amp;#039;Relax, breathe and put one foot in front of the other&amp;#039;,&amp;quot; says Jim Lynch, an 86-time marathoner (best finish time: 3 hours and 28 minutes at the Chicago Marathon) and author of the forthcoming book, One Foot in Front of the Other. &amp;quot;I saw it on the side of a road when I was struggling through a marathon and kept repeating it to myself until I started to feel better. Now I use it in every marathon and long training run.&amp;quot;   Ditch the notion of perfection.  Beating yourself up over one missed workout or training run is not worth it. &amp;quot;If you can follow 80 percent of your plan, you&amp;#039;re probably ahead of most people,&amp;quot; says John Honerkamp, a two-time marathoner (best finish time: 2 hours and 44 minutes at the NYC Marathon), New York Road Runner&amp;#039;s Head of Training and running coach of The Official ING New York City Marathon Training Program. There are going to be some days that don&amp;#039;t go according to plan, and when that happens you have to let yourself off the hook. Just get back on track the next day.   Give yourself visual reinforcement.  Reminding yourself of a goal in concrete ways can help you stick to it. Celia Kujala, a former figure skater turned six-time marathoner (best finish time: 3 hours and 39 minutes at the Reykjavik Marathon in Iceland) and blogger at Running Seal, uses an inspiration board for motivation. She cuts out pictures, words and quotes from magazines and pastes them in a collage on a craft store board. &amp;quot;I keep it in my bedroom and also have a picture of it as the backdrop to my phone so I can look at it throughout the day!&amp;quot;   Seek out support.  A group mentality is a powerful thing, and just because running is an individualized sport, it doesn&amp;#039;t mean you can&amp;#039;t reap the benefits of team spirit. &amp;quot;Find a running group or a one-on-one running buddy in your town,&amp;quot; says Lynch, who joins a local running store&amp;#039;s group for evening runs on Wednesday nights. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m not big on night runs; it&amp;#039;s a challenge, but there are several runners there to motivate me.&amp;quot; Support will help keep you accountable and motivated, not to mention it&amp;#039;s just more enjoyable to have company as you sweat it out. &amp;quot;Joining a club or running with a group makes it more fun,&amp;quot; agrees Ben Moreau, a Saucony athlete and five-time marathoner (best finish time: 2 hours and 16 minutes at the London Marathon). &amp;quot;The group atmosphere will help you make friends and be a part of a team.&amp;quot;   Stay in the moment.  It&amp;#039;s easy to only think about the end goal or finish line when you&amp;#039;re having a tough workout or are in the trenches of a long run, but doing so means that you&amp;#039;ll miss some great moments in between. &amp;quot;I remind myself to stay in the moment and embrace everything, including the pain, even when the moments get tough,&amp;quot; says Kujala. A few more stay present tricks: Notice the environment you&amp;#039;re running in, breathe in the fresh air and smile at any passers-by.   Repeat this phrase: Just do it.  Not in the mood to work out or go for a run? The famous Nike slogan may sound clich\u00E9, but it works. &amp;quot;The days that I drag myself out the door are usually some of my best runs,&amp;quot; says Lynch. Often the hardest part is just leaving the house. One thing that can help: lacing up your running shoes. &amp;quot;If you can force yourself to put on your shoes, there&amp;#039;s a good chance you&amp;#039;ll actually get out the door,&amp;quot; says Kastor.   Multitask.  In order to fit in regular running or exercise, sometimes you have to kill two birds with one stone. &amp;quot;Every now and then, I run to and from work to save time,&amp;quot; says Moreau. Going through the day&amp;#039;s to-do list in your head while you&amp;#039;re working out, like Kastor often does, is another way to knock off a day&amp;#039;s task.   Focus on form.  When you get tired during a run, your form naturally breaks down, explains Honerkamp. So the next time you find yourself struggling to get through the last leg of your run, focus on form (Are your arms flailing out to the side? Are you hunched over?), rather than how you&amp;#039;re feeling, to distract yourself from exhaustion or pain. This can apply to a variety of exercises, like strength-training or biking. As soon as you feel yourself getting fatigued, do a quick posture check and focus on fixing that instead.   Remember: everyone starts somewhere.  Have you ever uttered the phrase, &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m just not a natural runner&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m not athletic&amp;quot;? If so, consider this: anyone can run a marathon, says Moreau. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m not saying it&amp;#039;s easy, but just look at the thousands of people a year who do it,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;That&amp;#039;s the inspiration.&amp;quot; Experts agree that no matter what your fitness goals may be, gradual progress is key. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m an average runner myself,&amp;quot; says Lynch. &amp;quot;I have to work at it every week, but if you start slow and build up your mileage, anything is possible.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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