Check these quotes out: 1.) "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start". John Bingham 68.) "There are clubs you can't belong to, neighborhoods you can't live in, schools you can't get into, but the roads are always open". Nike ad 224.) "No matter how slow I run, I'm still faster than my couch". Anonymous 606.) "Success isn't how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started". Steve Prefontaine and so many more . . . check them out!

ONE MORE STEP The 638 BEST QUOTES for the RUNNER

Motivation for the next step!By Randy L. Thurman

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Randy L. Thurman
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4697-9319-1

Chapter One

1

The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

—John "The Penguin" (so-called, some say, because of the way he runs) Bingham, writer and speaker about running, after finishing a marathon when someone commented—after looking at him—that it was a miracle he had finished.

2

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, NYC Marathon cofounder, who ran the marathon of NYC's five boroughs two years after he was diagnosed with cancer.

3

Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.

—Oprah Winfrey, who successfully completed the Marine Corps Marathon in November 1994

4

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.

—Steve Prefontaine, who won 120 of the 153 races he ran during his career

5

The only reason I would take up jogging is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

—Erma Bombeck (1927–1996), an American humorist who wrote columns about being a suburban housewife

6

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, who broke several world records despite having fallen down a flight of stairs, and a year later became the first individual to win four Olympic track & field medals

7

The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.

—Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon winner (and winner of four other marathons) and successful trainer

8

Methinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.

—Henry David Thoreau, American writer and philosopher, who made a habit of taking a four-hour walk every afternoon to get to know his neighbors and the world around him

9

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

—Lao-Tzu, Chinese philosopher who is commonly known as the father of Taoism

10

We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves.... The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, "You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that." The human spirit is indomitable.

—Sir Roger Bannister, first runner to run a sub-four-minute mile

11

Just say, "No thank you," and add, "I'm training for a four-hour marathon."

—David Kuehls (contributing editor at Runner's World and a marathoner), on what to say to people offering you a dessert

12

You already have everything you need to be a long-distance athlete. It's mindset, not miles, that separates those who do from those who dream.

—John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield, authors of Running for Mortals

13

Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon ... must inevitably come to pass.

—Paul J. Meyer, who became a millionaire at age twenty-seven and is considered the founder of the modern personal development industry

14

You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

—Steve "Pre" Prefontaine

15

Running is an unnatural act, except from enemies and to the bathroom.

—Anonymous

16

Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, "Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?"

—Peter Maher, Irish-Canadian Olympian and sub-2:12 marathoner

17

You also need to look back, not just at the people who are running behind you but especially at those who don't run and never will ... those who run but don't race ... those who started training for a race but didn't carry through ... those who got to the starting line but didn't get to the finish line ... those who once raced better than you but no longer run at all. You're still here. Take pride in wherever you finish. Look at all the people you've outlasted.

—Joe Henderson, former chief editor of Runner's World magazine

18

Ask yourself, "Can I give more?" The answer is usually "Yes."

—Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner, who held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007

19

Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right.

—Henry Ford, American entrepreneur

20

I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we're all cowards.

—Alberto Salazar, three-time winner of the NYC Marathon

21

Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about.

—Patti Sue Plumer, US Olympian who faced numerous physical challenges and setbacks yet continued racing

22

My doctor recently told me that jogging could add years to my life. I think he was right ... I feel ten years older already.

—Milton Berle, American comedian and actor, supposedly after running a block

23

Running long and hard is an ideal antidepressant, since it's hard to run and feel sorry for yourself at the same time. Also, there are those hours of clear-headedness that follow a long run.

—Monte Davis, runner

24

Everyone who has run knows that its most important value is in removing tension and allowing a release from whatever other cares the day may bring.

—Jimmy Carter, US president and member of the US Naval Academy

25

18 Weeks ago ... This seemed like a good idea.

—Back of a marathon runner's shirt

26

Play not only keeps us young but also maintains our perspective about the relative seriousness of things. Running is play, for even if we try hard to do well at it, it is a relief from everyday cares.

—Jim Fixx, author of The Complete Book of Running, who helped inspire the fitness revolution in America in the 1970s

27

Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.

—William Faulkner, American author

28

Keep varying the program. Your body will tell you what to do.

—Joan Benoit Samuelson, first Olympic women's marathon champion

29

The difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank.

—Dr. George Sheehan, cardiologist and author of Running and Being: the Total Experience

30

What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the days give us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate.

—John "The Penguin" Bingham

31

Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.

—Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby and British statesman, in "The Conduct of Life," an address at Liverpool College in 1873

32

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars.

—Les Brown, motivational speaker

33

There is an itch in runners.

—Arnold Hano, author of A Day in the Bleachers

Perhaps BodyGlide™ would help.

—A friend after reading the previous quote

34

It is better, I think, to begin easily and get your running to be smooth and relaxed and then to go faster and faster.

—Henry Rono, Kenyan former athlete who, in 1978, broke four distance-running world records in a span of just eighty-one days

35

I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought.

—Arthur Blank, successful businessman and runner

36

Anybody can be a runner. We were meant to move. We were meant to run. It's the easiest sport.

—Bill Rodgers, former American record holder in the marathon

37

No one ever drowned in sweat.

—Lou Holtz, American football coach

38

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.

—Muhammad Ali

39

The "Popeye syndrome": in a training program, there is no easy solution. Eating spinach won't get you through. You need to slowly but surely get fitter one day at a time.

—Jenny Hadfield, coach, author, motivational speaker

40

We may train or peak for a certain race, but running is a lifetime sport.

—Alberto Salazar, former American record holder in the 5000m and 10,000m

41

Spend at least some of your training time, and other parts of your day, concentrating on what you are doing in training and visualizing your success.

—Grete Waitz, Norwegian marathon runner, who won the NYC Marathon nine times—more than any other runner in history

42

Mental will is a muscle that needs exercise, just like the muscles of the body.

—Lynn Jennings, world cross-country champion (in Mark Will-Weber's "Mind Over Matter" chapter from The Quotable Runner)

43

If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.

—John Bingham, author of Courage to Start

44

If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.

—Priscilla Welch,1987 NYC Marathon winner at age forty-two

45

There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.

—Bill Bowerman, American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike

46

To know you are one with what you are doing, to know that you are a complete athlete, begins with believing you are a runner.

—Dr. George Sheehan, cardiologist, author, and a track star in college

47

We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.

—Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in the 1936 summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany

48

Same Day Finisher!

—Back of runner's shirt

49

Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you're no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn't just a means to an end but a unique event in itself.

—Robert Pirsig in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

50

You can't delegate your exercise program.

—Randy L. Thurman

51

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.

—Vincent T. Lombardi, American football coach (who the Super Bowl trophy is named after)

52

Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.

—Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times

53

Adversity causes some men to break, and others to break records.

—William Ward, American writer

54

Things that hurt, instruct.

—Benjamin Franklin

55

Rules for Runners:

1. Have fun.

2. Be Kind.

3. Start slowly.

4. Run against traffic, mostly.

5. Look before you blow.

—Bart Yasso, author of My Life on the Run

56

If you can read this, you were just passed by an Old Dude.

—Back of a shirt on a runner passing me in a 5k—I would guess he was about sixty-five

57

I hope I haven't missed dinner. I'm starved.

—Charles Hardy, last finisher in the 1981 Boston Marathon with a time of six hours, thirty-eight minutes.

58

I finished 837 in a field of 837, with a medical van and a motorcycle cop on my tail all the way. It made me feel like George Bush.

—Rick Majerus, college basketball coach after losing one hundred pounds and running in his first marathon.

59

There's very little question now that I am a runner. How do I know that? I'm a runner because I run.

—John Bingham, author of No Need For Speed

60

Many people shy away from hills. They make it easy on themselves, but that limits their improvement. The more you repeat something, the stronger you get.

—Joe Catalano, a runner who reportedly likes hills

61

Why do I run? I run for my head first. Running provides me with a means to rid myself of stress. It is my "moving medication." No matter how I feel beforehand, I always feel dramatically better after a run. Running is simple. It costs nothing. You can do it almost anywhere. You can run alone or with friends. Simply put: running makes you look better, feel better, and live longer all at the same time.

—Tom Holland, The Marathon Method

62

There have been some race situations when I've had to go down to "one more step" to get me through a rough patch. This got me through.

—Jeff Galloway, who has completed more than one hundred marathons

63

You almost never regret the runs you do, you almost always regret the runs you skip.

—Mark Remy, author of the book The Runner's Field Manual (quote often attributed to Bart Yasso)

64

Running is a mental sport ... and we're all insane!

—Unknown

65

Having a true faith is the most difficult thing in the world. Many will try to take it from you.

—Steve "Pre" Prefontaine, who held the American record in seven distance events. He died in a car wreck at age twenty-four.

66

Running is a gift I give myself almost every day. Even on those days when things haven't gone great, I can come home and give myself the accomplishment of a thirty- or forty-minute run.

—Arthur Blank, runner and businessman

67

My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy.

—John Bryant, London Times editor, 1994

68

There are clubs you can't belong to, neighborhoods you can't live in, schools you can't get into, but the roads are always open.

—Nike ad

69

I cannot have survival as my only goal. That would be too boring. My goal is to come back in my best running form. It is good for me to have that goal; it will help me.

—Ludmila Engquist (Olympic champion hurdler facing cancer and chemotherapy)

70

Commitment is what transforms a promise to reality.

—Abraham Lincoln

71

I don't think jogging is healthy, especially morning jogging. If morning joggers knew how tempting they looked to morning motorists, they would stay home and do sit-ups.

—Rita Rudner, American comedian

72

We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run a hundred meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.

—Emil Zatopek, 1952 Olympic gold medalist

73

I love running cross–country.... on a track, I feel like a hamster.

—Robin Williams

74

I'm never going to run this again.

—Grete Waitz after winning her first NYC Marathon. She later won eight more.

75

Man imposes his own limitations; don't set any!

—Anthony Bailey, writer

76

Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.

—Japanese proverb

77

What a moment of enlightenment it was to discover that there are individuals who are winning races irrespective of their finishing times.

—John Bingham, The Courage to Start: A Guide to Living Your Life

78

Some of the lessons to be learned about ourselves can be best learned as we push toward the edges of our abilities.

—John Bingham, The Courage to Start: A Guide to Living Your Life

79

Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must move faster than the lion or it will not survive. Every morning a lion wakes up and it knows it must move faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you better be moving.

—Maurice Greene (often attributed to Roger Bannister shortly after running the first sub-four-mile)

80

Tough times don't last, but tough people do.

—Title of a book by Robert H. Schuller (later quoted by A. C. Green and others)

(Continues...)

Excerpted from ONE MORE STEP The 638 BEST QUOTES for the RUNNERby Randy L. Thurman Copyright © 2012 by Randy L. Thurman. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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