THERESA: Now that this year's Broad Street Run is over, I'm resting up a little and trying to decide on my next goal. Whatever sport you choose, biking, rowing, yoga, dancing, running, etc., it's great to have specific goals in mind to keep motivated, don't you think?

Right now I'm trying to decide whether to make the huge time commitment to train for a marathon, or instead, simply begin training harder than I ever have to dramatically improve my speed and strength as a runner. I would love to cut time off my pace in the Philly Distance Run (half marathon) and Broad Street 2005!

Our good friend Yvonne Dennis is great about setting goals for herself. A few years ago, she couldn't imagine running 10 miles. Since then, she's improved her time every year she's run Broad Street. And last year, she ran her first marathon. Soon after she finished that, she decided to become a cyclist for the first time in her life and is now biking through Africa! I know she has it in her to become a triathlete, or anything else she decides to try!

How important is it for you to set goals when it comes to fitness? And after you achieve one goal, how do you go about deciding what challenge to tackle next?

JILL: My only goal fitness-wise is to get stronger and develop more endurance -- to lift heavier weights and stay on the elliptical machine longer, up to a point, of course. I don't approach fitness as something that I need to accomplish, but rather as something I need to maintain for long-term health. I think goals are great, but setting specific goals seems stressful to me, like subjecting another part of my life to push-push-push. I sure do admire Yvonne and would love to someday go on a bike trip, for instance, but it seems like too much work right now to try to plot that out. I'll have to settle for a Sunday ride on the bike path, probably forever.

LAURIE: I share Jill's philosophy. Ongoing fitness rather than a specific fitness goal seems to work better for me. Maintaining a healthy weight and muscle tone are the closest I come to goals for myself. But it's exciting to watch Theresa, Yvonne and others set challenges for themselves and meet them. I've done a lot of different fitness activities through the years and find that trying something new is a good motivator.

YVONNE W: I plan to join Tour D'Afrique next year '2005. Next week I'm going to focus on spinning classes and purchase a bike. I will continue circuit training, pilates, step classes and running (just not as much running). I plan to increase my stamina and hopefully work on mental toughness. I also think I need to develop a higher pain threshold.

So, I'll see what happens within the next 10 months.

DIANE: For me, it’s all about keeping a balance in my life. I try to listen to my body and engage in activity that feeds not only my physical health, but my mental and spiritual health as well. Right now, because I’m going through perimenopause, I need more aerobics than I ever have. So power walking has taken a place in my life and my husband and I are working towards a marathon goal. Along with that, I need to stay flexible, so yoga is an important part of the regime. Setting goals is really important to me. It is too easy to put fitness on a back burner if you don’t keep it a priority and goals are en effective tool to keep your physical health in the forfront.