Every aspect of a run, from the pain it produced to the weather conditions, offered me a choice: Is this a thought that will slow me down? Or can I find a perspective that will speed me up?
Run in places you love with people you like. Enjoying your surroundings and training partners will strengthen your commitment to running and bring out the best in you.
I’ve always taken the philosophy that you have to dream a little in this sport. If you stay in your comfort zone, you’re not going to do anything special.
Running in the morning has me appreciate all the choices that come later in the day. The choices I make after running seem healthier, wiser and kinder.
I love challenges and hurdles because they are opportunities.
As athletes, we have ups and downs. Unfortunately, you can’t pick the days they come on.
Marathons are extraordinarily difficult, but if you’ve got the training under your belt, and if you can run smart, the races take care of themselves. When you have the enthusiasm and the passion, you end up figuring how to excel.
I simply adore the exhaustion that comes with training hard.
I felt my throat start to close up, and I didn’t think I was getting enough oxygen. I was scared, and I thought about quitting. But you don’t want to quit when you’ve trained so hard and long for one race.
One step at a time, I get to make positive choices to fulfill my dreams.
Oh, you’re doing it again, I said to myself when I became aware of negativity, being careful not to rebuke myself and therefore wind up being negative about being negative. I told myself: Find a thought that serves you better.
I’m alone, but I’m not lonely. I like who I am. I like who I’m becoming.
At the core of many of his stories was a distinction between success and excellence. Success was “having”: money, awards, status. Excellence was “being”: living your values, having them guide your daily life. Pursue excellence, Coach would say, and success will follow.
That’s when I understood there is no such thing as overtraining,” he said, “just underresting.
She was compassionate and empathetic toward everyone around her, including herself.
If you believe you are fragile, the biochemistry of your body unquestionably obeys and manifests it. If you believe you are tough, irrespective of your weight and bone density, your body undeniably mirrors it.
Our life is what our thoughts make it. – MARCUS AURELIUS.
I’m alone, but I’m not lonely. I like who I am. I like who I’m becoming. I felt whole and good and content, and lay there letting the feeling soak in. When the water cooled, I grabbed a towel and climbed out of the tub, feeling like I had everything I needed to succeed.
You don’t run with your feet- you run with your heart.
My competitive days had a short window, but I could push my mind and strengthen my positivity for a lifetime. How optimistic could I become? How much richer could I build my life? What joy and potential lay ahead. Pursuing positivity felt infinite, limitless.