Derek (26, ICT specialist:

'I run every morning. I use a training programme so I can run a marathon in 6 months. After my run I tweet how fast I went. And I share my pace on Facebook. But sometimes I wonder: 'For who am I running?'  

I think that Derek is asking himself a very good question!

For who am I running, indeed.

Are you running because you want to? Or because you want to be able to tweet about running? Or because you feel like you should run a marathon? Or because you told everybody and don't want to look like a fool?

Are you running because of social media?

Sure enough, social media can help you stay on track as a runner. You can use them to create a sense of accountability. Once you've told everyone you're training for a marathon, you may feel it's too embarassing to back out. So even though you don't feel like running, the fear of looking like a quitter can help you put on your running shoes.

Are you running for a charity?

Charities are big right now, in the world of running. You might almost say it's hard to find a runner who's nót running for a charity. A runner withóut a cause.

Running for the sake of running

I like it when people discover the joy of running. But sometimes I get a bit tired of all those runners who don't just run. They're always so busy training for their next race. Or with collecting money for every mile they run.

Don't get me wrong. I think it's lovely how running can be used to make the world a better place.

But what ever happened to just running? Running because it's good for you? Running because it feels good. Because it makes your day a bit brighter?

Why do there have to be strings attached to running? Can't we just run? Like a child?