When the meal was over we all had a quiet rest in our rooms and I meditated on the race. This is the time when an athlete feels all alone in the big world. Opponents assume tremendous stature. Any runner who denies having fears, nerves or some kind of disposition is a bad athlete, or a liar.
Most people...are like a falling leaf that drifts and turns in the air, flutters, and falls to the ground. But a few others are like stars which travel one defined path: no wind reaches them, they have within themselves their guide and path.
Fear is the strongest driving-force in competition. Not fear of one's opponent, but of the skill and high standard which he represents; fear, too, of not acquitting oneself well. In the achievement of greater performances, of beating formidable rivals, the athlete defeats fear and conquers himself.
A teacher is never too smart to learn from his pupils. But while runners differ, basic principles never change. So it's a matter of fitting your current practices to fit the event and the individual. See, what's good for you might not be worth a darn for the next guy.
Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip.
The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama, competition, camaraderie & heroism
Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself
Learn to run when feeling the pain, then push harder.
Make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up.
Out on the roads there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be.
There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner.
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
It's a treat being a runner, out in the world by yourself with not a soul to make you bad-tempered or tell you what to do.
I've always felt that long, slow distance produces long, slow runners.
If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion.
Methinks that the moment my legs began to move, my thoughts began to flow.
If a man coaches himself, then he has only himself to blame when he is beaten.
A lot of people don't realize that about 98 percent of the running I put in is anything but glamorous: 2 percent joyful participation, 98 percent dedication! It's a tough formula. Getting out in the forest in the biting cold and the flattening heat, and putting in kilometer after kilometer.
It is a paradox to say the human body has no 'limit.' There must be a limit to the speed at which men can run. I feel this may be around 3:30 for the mile. However, another paradox remains - if an athlete manages to run 3:30, another runner could be found to marginally improve on that time.
The five S's of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.
The marathon's about being in contention over the last 10K. That's when it's about what you have in your core. You have run all the strength, all the superficial fitness out of yourself, and it really comes down to what's left inside you. To be able to draw deep and pull something out of yourself is one of the most tremendous things about the marathon.
Run like hell and get the agony over with.
Tomorrow is another day, and there will be another battle!
If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
A coach can be like oasis in the desert of a runner's lost enthusiasm.
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