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"I like running because it's a
challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain - and you've got to work
your way through the pain. You know, lately it seems all you hear is
'Don't overdo it' and 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot
of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond." -
Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers general
manager, NHL Hall of Fame
"The tragedy
in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in
having no goal to reach."– Benjamin Mays
Don't Quit!
Author: Anonymous
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're traveling seems all uphill;
When the funds are low and the debts are high--
When you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit:
Rest if you must, but don't you quit!
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won--had he stuck it out!
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow!
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tints of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are--
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit:
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit!
Lance Armstrong, the greatest cyclist of
all time, ran his first marathon at the New York City Marathon on
Sunday, November 5, 2006. Here are a few of his post-race comments about
the marathon: "I think I bit off more than I could chew, I thought the marathon would
be easier," he said. He called the race "the hardest physical thing I
have ever done" - even more grueling than his worst days on the Tour.
Will he be back? "Now's not the time to ask that question. The answer
now is no, I'll never be back. But I reserve the right to change my
mind," he said. "I don't know how these guys do it."
"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 -
Jacqueline Gareau was the real winner of
the 1980 Boston Marathon in which Rosie Ruiz cheated by jumping onto the
course late in the race and making it appear she was crossing the finish
line first, only to be later disqualified.
"I always loved running...it was something
you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any
direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt
like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and
the courage of your lungs." - Jesse Owens
"Some of the world's greatest
feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were
impossible."
- Doug Larson
Jim Fixx, in his famous book on running, wrote, “When we
race, strange things happen to our minds. The stress of fatigue makes
us forget why we wanted to race in the first place. In one of my early
marathons I found myself unable to think of a single reason for
continuing. Physically and mentally exhausted, I dropped out of the
race. Now I won’t enter a marathon unless I truly want to finish it.
If during the race I can’t remember why I wanted to run it, I tell
myself, ‘Maybe I can’t remember now, but I know I had a good reason when
I started.’ I’ve finally learned how to fight back when my brain starts
using tricky arguments.” (James Fixx, The Complete Book of Running,
92)
"Our greatest glory is not in never
falling, but in rising every time we fall."
-
Confucius
“The things of this
world, including medals, will pass but the Lord will stand. Jesus is
the only one who doesn’t change.” – Catherine Ndereba of Kenya – The
only female 4-time Boston Marathon winner
"A Return to Love" -
Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear
is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,
fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't
feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically
liberates others.
"But
those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on
wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and
not be faint." - Isaiah
40:31
"Only
those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."
- T.S. Eliot
"In
running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of
the pack or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of
satisfaction in that."
- Fred Lebow,
1932-1994
A note about Fred Lebow from the
National Distance
Running Hall of Fame:
"Many in the running world
credit Fred Lebow with helping to raise distance running to its current
status as one of the world’s most widely respected sports that is
frequently participated in world-wide. In early 1990, Lebow was
diagnosed with brain cancer, and two years later, he ran his first
five-borough marathon in celebration of his 60th birthday. Lebow died of
brain cancer October 9, 1994. Throughout his career, Lebow completed a
total of 69 marathons in over 30 countries."
"Every
time I fail, I assume I will be a stronger person for it. I keep on
running figuratively and literally, despite a limp that gets more
noticeable with each passing season, because for me there has always
been a place to go and a terrible urgency to get there." - Joan
Benoit Samuelson (Joan Benoit Samuelson won the first ever
Olympic Women's Marathon in 1984 held in Los Angeles just weeks after
knee surgery. Many people attribute that single accomplishment as one of
the biggest contributing factors to the rise of women runners in the
marathon.
)
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud
of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that
so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked
out for us."
- Hebrews 12:1
"I
get more gratification out of getting some obese person who had a heart
attack running around and enjoying life within a year. I get more
gratification from that than putting a person in the Olympic Games. The
Olympic athlete probably doesn't appreciate what you've done, but the
other guy does. I think it's really rewarding."
- Arthur Lydiard
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into
enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order,
confusion to clarity...Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace
for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie
"The
start of a World Cross Country event is like riding a horse in the
middle of a buffalo stampede. It's a thrill if you keep up, but one slip
and you're nothing but hoof prints." - Ed Eyestone
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