Running a race this fall? Here are a few of my favourite running quotes, courtesy of my running friend Wendy, who sent them to me in advance of my first marathon last year.
Whether you're running a 5, 10, half or full, your first race or your fifth, take some quiet time to read through these quotes before race day. You'll find they really help when you need some inspiration to draw on during your run.
"When people ask me why I run, I tell them, there's not really a reason, it's just the adrenalin when you start, and the feeling when you cross that finish line, and know that you are a winner no matter what place you got." ~Courtney Parsons
"Good things come slow - especially in distance running." ~ Bill Dellinger, Oregon coach
"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired...You've always got to make the mind take over and
keep going." ~ George S. Patton, U.S. Army General and 1912 Olympian
“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”~ Confucius
“I have met my hero, and he is me.” ~ George Sheehan
“I tell our runners to divide the race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart.” ~ Mike Fanelli, running club coach
“The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed.” ~ Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon Champ
“For me, like so many others, running is the answer. Out on the road it is just you, the pavement, and your will.” ~ John Bingham
"I believe in the runner's high, and I believe that those who are passionate about running are the ones who experience it to the fullest degree possible. To me, the runner's high is a sensational reaction to a great run! It's an exhilarating feeling of satisfaction and achievement. It's like being on top of the world, and truthfully... there's nothing else quite like it!" ~ Sasha Azevedo
"Everything you need is already inside." ~ Bill Bowerman
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." ~ Steve Prefontaine
"The only way to define your limits is to go beyond them." ~Anonymous
"It is good to have an end to journey toward: but it is the journey that matters in the end." ~ Ursula K. LeGuin
"Get going. Get up and walk if you have to, but finish the damned race." ~ Ron Hill to Jerome Drayton during the 1970 Boston Marathon
"Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?' The answer is usually: 'Yes.'" ~ Paul Tergat
"When you don't think you can do something, sometimes things just fall together really well on race day and you totally surprise yourself. So it's worth it to put yourself out there and take some chances." ~ Lisa Koll,
U.S. distance runner and four time NCAA Division One Champion
"Concentrate on small segments of your race at a time. For example, rather than obsessing about the distance that remains, simply complete the next mile in good form...try another, then another, until the race is done." ~ Jerry Lynch
And my personal favourite:
“To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping.” ~ Chinese Proverb
What's your favourite quote that gets you through a long run or a race?
~ HRG
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