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MARTHA WAILES, 69

Why are you a woman with will? I run; this is a great group of women, doing all sorts of things outside of running, keeps me in touch with a lot of people younger than I; they motivate me.

What motivates you on those early Saturday mornings? Makes a longer run so much easier and more fun

Best health/fitness advice: Find something you like to do, and a group that helps you do it.

WENDY WALTER-BAILEY, 42

Why are you a woman with will? The community of inspiring women, talented athletes to partner with for workouts, intelligent and accomplished women with whom to discuss art/politics/education/family/careers/you name it! Also, the range of age and experience in the group. I love that women of all ages are promoting healthy lives.

What motivates you on those early Saturday mornings? Getting in my run with women to chat with... it always makes the time fly by. Friendships.

Best health/fitness advice: Even if you don’t have time to get in a lengthy workout, do something active. Don’t make excuses about why you “can’t” but focus on how you can. I’ve been an athlete my entire life, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve really learned the importance of listening to my body. If I can’t run, I can at least walk!

CATHERINE PEARCE, 32

Why are you a woman with will? I’ve just moved to Bloomington — I’d been running for a couple of years in England with a friend and I was dreading that I wouldn’t find someone to run with here. I ran a couple of times on my own on the trail and then right about that time I heard about the attack — I don’t enjoy solo running at all but that really put me off even more. So then I heard about Women with Will and read about their Take Back The Trail event — I decided to take the plunge with them. It’s quite nerve-wracking to go running with a group of people you’ve never met before. ... But right away this group of women put me at ease: we just started running and chatting and I fell into pace with a couple of women. That week Emily handed out ‘W3 Baddass’ stickers at the end of the run because it was sooo cold, and I went home to my husband with the proudest grin like I’d made it through my first day of school and won a prize.

What motivates you on those Saturday mornings? Knowing that I’m going to get a very good workout and feel great afterwards. Also means I can enjoy a guilt-free donut on the weekend.

Best health/fitness advice: Find something you enjoy, ideally something which allows you to chat while doing it — it’s a good distraction. I used to HATE running, but getting out with a group of people on a Saturday morning gives me a really good high, I can’t help but be in a good mood for the rest of the weekend.

Sign up for a race, that is really what gave me the motivation to push on with running in the early days, and gives you a great sense of achievement.

ERIN CLARK, 27

Why are you a woman with will: I am a woman with will because although I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 10, I am managing my diabetes with exercise, an insulin pump, and a glucometer. Type 1 diabetes does make exercise more complicated (hence the will), but the benefits are tremendous.

What motivates you on those early Saturday mornings: I am a lurker, so I haven’t attended many Saturday morning group runs. However, the discussion group and membership in the W3 online community have prompted me to join the Indiana Running Company’s half marathon training group this spring. I am planning to run in the Indianapolis Mini Marathon this May, which will round me out and turn me into a three-sport athlete (swimming, biking, and running).

Best health/fitness advice: Make healthy food choices, find an activity that you love, get your heart rate up, and find a partner with whom you can share the experience whether it be a spouse, significant other, or friend!

MOMI FORD, 42

Why are you a woman with will? I love the inviting and supportive atmosphere of W3. Whether your goal is to run a marathon, run a 5K, or just get out and exercise, this is a place where one feels welcome and motivated.

What motivates you on those early Saturday mornings? The company. No matter how I feel, if I can just get myself out of bed in the morning to meet the group, the day always turns out better. It’s easy to talk yourself out of a workout if you are heading out alone, but if you have the likes of Martha Wailes with her breadth of Bloomington history and stories of frozen raccoons to look forward to; it always makes for a good time!

Best health/fitness advice: Set goals (large or small), find others with similar interests, follow a program so you can have small victories along the way, and then enjoy the process!

ANN SMITH, 56

Why are you a woman with will? I’m a biking Woman With Will. Hence, we don’t gather at the Bloomington Bagel Company on Saturday mornings but at some other location for bike rides ranging from 20 to over 100 miles long. Some of us bikers have been with W3 since its inception. Others of us joined later and found that there is nothing more wonderful than exercising with other women.

Best health/fitness advice: Our culture tends to not allow a learning curve when it comes to good health, especially weight loss and exercising. We are expected to make mistakes in any other area but no slips allowed when it comes to physical health! So my advice is to not let getting off track derail you and get support. Our culture also promotes so many unhealthy choices that it takes support and encouragement from our friends to keep on track, and to get back on track if we stray.

KATHY CUMMINS, 52

Why are you a woman with will? I’ve been a WWW’er for three years and two of them as a dedicated Lurker while living in the Chicago area and while looking forward to our move to Bloomington in 2008. I was researching things to do in the community, and since I am a triathlete I searched for running/biking/triathlon groups and found WWW online. Their postings motivated me even from afar — they have so much energy, and it is always motivating to hear about other people’s training, races, and inspirational events!

I did attend one Saturday morning run with WWW, on their 8th anniversary, I think it was. Unfortunately, on the first run I took as a Bloomington resident, mild shin splints became severe and I have been a recovering and slow runner ever since, aggravated by learning to bike on the southern Indiana hills. So, I’ve been a local Lurker for the past year, but when I can run a solid 5K I will be back on Saturday mornings. It is easier to run with buddies!

Best health/fitness advice: Train wisely, especially as you age!

ANNAMARIA MECCA, 55

Why are you a woman with will? I participate because I enjoy the company of these awesome women and they inspire me to push myself in ways I would not otherwise push.

What motivates me? Being with other women from my community.

Best health/fitness advice: Start small and find others who are working at your level (or maybe a bit above where you are). Have a realistic goal to work toward and find a buddy to work toward the same goal with you. It is what Women with Will is all about!

JESSICA WOODS, 29

Why are you a woman with will? Because it’s a wonderful network of women in Bloomington, and it’s more than just having some running buddies every now and then. I’ve been both humbled and inspired — by women from all ages and walks of life! The actual exercise that I get is just the icing on the cake.

What motivates you on those early Saturday mornings? When I don’t have to work, and am not out-of town, I am motived to wake up and run with a group of women who just accept me wherever I am that day — emotionally or physically.

Best health/fitness advice: Don’t compare yourself to others! It is so easy to get discouraged (actually it’s guaranteed that you will get discouraged!) when you compare your diet outcomes and fitness levels to others. I love the philosophy of always trying to reach your “personal best” because that’s what health & fitness should be — personal. You should use each other for encouragement instead.

SUE AQUILA, 41

Why are you a woman with will: It is inspiring to share the passion of fitness with such a terrific group of women.

What motivates you on those early Saturday mornings: Espresso. A challenging run. Followed by a soy hot chocolate and a bagel of course!

Best health/fitness advice: Make easy days easy and hard days hard!

KERRY THOMSON, 35

Why are you a woman with will? There is a great community of workout buddies there — they have good advice/feedback when I need it, and they are always there on Saturday mornings. Running/biking with new people is always a treat, and keeps things fresh.

W3 is what I need to keep going. When I am in optimal fitness shape, there is always someone who can help me freshen things up so I don’t get bored. When I am out of shape and returning from giving birth, there’s someone there to run/walk until I get my endurance back. Because there is breadth of ability and personality, it is always fun, entertaining, and motivating to be a woman with will.

What motivates you on those early Saturday mornings? The company! I can run 12 or 13 miles without a care if I am entertained by good conversation. At those times when I was out of the fitness loop (like after my kids were born) having a group to come home to with all abilities helped me feel better about getting out there.

Best health/fitness advice: As a social exerciser, I would have to say keep looking for that ultimate workout buddy until you find her/him!

JACQUI BAUER, 37

Why are you a woman with will? After a long period of debilitating health problems, I had a lot of pent up anxiety that manifested itself in the form of wanting to run a lot. I also suffered from that unique affliction that affects a lot of Bloomington residents: my friends kept moving away. I had heard about W3 from a friend of mine (one who had by then moved away) and finally got on the mailing list, and learned that one of their “excellent adventures” was coming up soon. I showed up, and I loved it! The women I met were fantastic. Inspiring along the entire gradient — from the dedicated walkers, to the dedicated runners in their 50s and 60s, to the repeat marathoners and the ironwomen. I learned from this group — and Emily Ward especially — that there is courage and pride and motivation in everyone at every level, so instead of feeling like I had to run a marathon, or run a 7-minute mile, or whatever pressure one might experience when surrounded by awesome women, W3 helped me identify what level I wanted to be and to focus on that.

What motivates you on those early Saturday mornings? Sadly, my motivation to haul myself out of bed in the dark and the cold has been abysmal this winter, and I’ve only made a handful of Saturdays. But even when I don’t make the early morning runs, I’m still motivated by the camaraderie and the strength of these women when I finally make it out for my run at 11 a.m. or 4 p.m. or whatever it might be. That’s the great thing about being a part of this network — Cathy and Sabrina and Emily and Martha and Tracy and all of them are like little angels on my shoulder clapping and hooting making me try to run faster, even when they’re not with me.

Best health/fitness advice: Set goals that suit you, not someone else. Remember it’s okay to miss a workout — people get busy and it happens. Just move on to the next one. Push yourself, even if it’s just a little bit. Focusing on technique really does make a difference.

BARB BERGGOETZ, 57

Why are you a woman with will? After hearing and reading about W3, I signed up probably a couple years ago to get to know other local women who are runners and bicyclists and to get inspiration and motivation from their feats and daily workouts. I didn’t participate in many of the group’s runs, except for a few special events like the Turkey Trot run Thanksgiving. But I really enjoyed reading the reports that members wrote about their races. I couldn’t believe some of the adventures and tough races some of the women went through. In the past month or so, though, I’ve been getting out to the Saturday runs more often because I really need to run with other women. I’m

training to run in the Boston Marathon on April 20 and those long runs by myself are gruelling. I find that when I’m running with other people, the time goes much more quickly.

What motivates you on those early Saturday mornings? I normally like to sleep in a little on Saturday mornings, but I’ve found lately that it’s wonderful to force myself to get up as I normally would during the week and get my run over early in the morning. Otherwise, I’ll wait until the afternoon and not be as energetic about getting it done as I would have if I had done it first thing in the morning. But more importantly, I just find that having other people to talk to or just running silently next to other people is much more satisfying and less lonely. I run by myself during the week and it’s sometimes good to be alone with your own thoughts. However, I can’t say enough about the companionship and motivation the other runners give me. And getting together at the BBC afterwards is a great way to end the run.

Best health/fitness advice: I would say that most people don’t expect enough out of themselves and think they can’t do as much as they really can, especially as they get older. It’s not as hard as people think to run several miles a day, regardless of your pace. I really think it’s important to do strength-training two or three times a week, whether it’s working with free weights, on machines or using equipment like stability balls and resistance bands. That’s so critical, too, as you age and you tend to lose muscle tone and flexibility if you don’t take action to stop that. I would say my best advice is to make exercise a priority in your day, even if you have to sacrifice a little sleep, work or family time.