Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Running Quotes

In case you haven't noticed, the top banner of this blog finishes with three famous quotes...not intended for runners, but they work for us none-the-less.  I plan on doing a series of quotes related to running.  Let me know what your favorite quotes are and I'll post them here--with my famous commentary!  Until you send me quotes, I'll find a few--some from famous runners or coaches, others from my friends, others from literary giants.  Hopefully they will motivate you.  Let's start with those three from my blog banner:

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." -T.S. Eliot
Seems like this could apply to ultra running.  How far can you go?  Is a marathon really far enough?  Test yourself by risking going too far...you might surprise yourself!  We all have more inside of us than we dare to dream.
 
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." -Dalai Lama
At times, running hurts.  Racing almost always hurts.  Fast 5Ks are hard and they bring pain.  Long 100 mile trail races cause a bit of discomfort...also known as extreme pain...physical & emotional.  The pain will come, but you don't have to suffer.  Take control.  Embrace it.  Push through and conquer the pain!

"The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art." -Leonardo da Vinci
Is this an awesome quote or what?  Your feet have evolved to walk and run efficiently.  Why try to improve what the foot has already mastered?  Free your feet and let them do their job!  Run unshod...or as close to barefoot as possible.

So, what are your favorite quotes that might be connected to running?

7 comments:

Tom Rice said...

"It's the Riddle Run. Deal with it."
- Thomas Rice

Chris Ⓥ said...

Funny Tom.

Tom Rice said...

A man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it without any hope of fame and money, but even practices it without any hope of doing it well. - G. K. Chesterton (motto of the Riddle Run)

janak said...

My favorite quote:
"You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running."

Jack Kirk "Dipsea Demon" (1906-2007) quoted in Christopher McDougall's book "Born to Run."

-Janak Patel

Chris Ⓥ said...

Here's another good one from the late Jack LaLanne:

"The only way you can hurt the body is not use it. Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it's never too late."

Ben S said...

“Day to day consistency is more important than big mileage. Then you’re never shot the next day.” –John Campbell

Chris Ⓥ said...

I'm becoming a big believer in daily consistent running. Nothing too long, nothing too fast. Just run every day.