John Tran

Lori Bettes, Lenexa senior, and Danielle Tripp, St. Louis senior, run Monday afternoon down Jayhawk Boulevard. The runners enjoyed yesterday’s warmer weather, with temperatures reaching 54 degrees.

Nearly a month ago, students made their New Year’s resolutions. Those who vowed to make a change in the way they ate and exercised did so for good reason.

According to www.webmd.com, more teens in the United States suffer from obesity than in any other industrialized country. After returning from winter break, students begin making an effort to shed unwanted pounds.

At times the Student Fitness Recreation Center can be filled to the max or classes and jobs interfere, motivation can diminish.

For some students, recreational running is the alternative.

Recreational running allows students, such as Jayme Aschemeyer, Aurora, Colo., senior, a chance to stay fit while not compromising an already-busy schedule.

“I work 20 hours a week, go to class full time, and I still find time to do it. Everybody has time,” Aschemeyer, Marathon Trainers president, said.

Marathon Trainers is a campus club for experienced and novice runners. It is based on reaching goals set by each runner.

“We exchange tips, and it’s also a great kind of encouragement,” Aschemeyer said.

Setting goals establishes a better routine, whether for running or exercising in general. Whether it’s reaching a specific weight, training for a race, or merely wanting to look better for spring break, setting a target gives a person more motivation to accomplish it, Aschemeyer said.

“Having a goal is the best idea,” she said. “If it’s a 5K race, or even a one-mile race, it could be losing weight, depending on the person.”

John Bingham, a writer for Runner’s World magazine, said the top reason people started running was to lose weight, but keeping the resolution was much more difficult than creating it.

Don “Red Dog” Gardner, founder of “Red Dog’s Dog Days,’’ a summer community workout program, believes in self-motivation.

“It’s easy to find excuses to get out of it,” Gardner said. "You got to push yourself and be disciplined.”

Running does not force students to embrace solidarity, however. Gardner said he thought social running added another motivational factor to training.

“When you run with your friends, you all work together,” he said. “One inspires the other, and you all feel better.”

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