Regardless of whether you define successful running as setting a new personal best or maintaining health and fitness, the steps to success remain the same. There are seven basic steps to successful running.

1. Establish a Goal

Before setting out on a journey, you need to decide where you are going. A goal gives you an objective or destination. Goals need to be challenging yet achievable and as specific as possible. For example, qualify for the 100th running of the Boston marathon in 1996. Without a goal, your running is aimless.

2. Develop a Plan

Once the goal has been determined, steps need to be put into place to achieve the goal. These steps are your plan or training program. Unfortunately, most runners follow the "Christopher Columbus" training program. Christopher Columbus didn't know where he was going, didn't where he was when he got there, and didn't know where he had been when he got back. This type of runner occasionally has a great race, but doesn't know why or how to repeat it in the future.

Keeping a running log will enable you to develop your plan. A log provides a written record of your successes and failures. If you achieve your goals, it shows the proper path to repeat the process. If you have a disappointing performance or become injured, it allows you to see where mistakes were made so as not to repeat them in the future.

3. Get a Coach

You may be able to get your plan from a book or runners' magazine, but that's about all you will get. A coach will not only help you develop your training program but will also motivate you, make you believe you can achieve your goals and monitor your training to save you from self destruction. Everyone can benefit from a coach.

4. Be Consistent

Be consistent with your training. We are what we repeatedly do. Successful running is not a single act, but a habit. It is like filling a bucket with an eyedropper. The process takes days, weeks, months and years of training. One day, the bucket overflows and all the hard work pays off. Consistency is the mark of a champion.

5. Stay Focused

Your life is filled with many distractions - work, family and personal obligations. You must block out unnecessary distractions and focus on what is important and what will contribute to your goals and success. Focus puts persistence and determination into your training. Consistency without focus is like going through the motions. Focus insures that all of your "drops" are being put into the same "bucket."

6. Stay Injury Free

Remaining injury free is the cornerstone to successful running. Regardless of which training program you follow or who your coach may be, you cannot be successful if you are unable to run. Try to prevent injuries by listening to your body. If an injury should occur, give it immediate attention. The longer an injury persists the longer it takes to recover. If you do not know how to treat it properly seek the advice of a professional. Do not sacrifice your health for fitness. Remember, when injured, you are no longer a participant, but a spectator.

7. Enjoy the Process

Running is supposed to be fun. When it no longer is, the result is boredom and "burnout." If we all quit running after every poor performance, there would be no one left running. Whether or not the goal is achieved, the struggle of a job well done should be fulfilling. Successful running is a journey, not a destination.

These seven steps do not exist as separate entities. They are facets or pieces to a larger puzzle. If you are missing some of the principles, you cannot complete the picture. The mind and body learn and perform according to what we repeatedly do. By consistently applying these principles over time, you can be a more successful runner. If you continue to train the way you always have, you will continue to get the same results and deserve it. Accept the challenge to become a more successful runner.

With more than 35 years of competitive running and over 60 road race victories between them, Dr. Ronald S. Kulik and Dr. Neil P. McLaughlin are among the leading National Capital Area physicians who specialize in the drug-less, nonsurgical treatment of athletes and sports related injuries. Dr. Kulik and Dr. McLaughlin are avid participants in the Reston Runners as well as members of the ACA and VCA Council on Sports Injuries and Physical Fitness. Drs. Kulik and McLaughlin practice at the Commonwealth Chiropractic Center of Reston, where they treat many of the area's top runners. Questions or comments should be sent to 11319 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, VA, 22091. (703)742-7856.