86 Quotes About Marathon

As runners, we tend to think in exchanges and zero sum games: If I finish this race, I get a medal. If I run 10 miles today, I’ll have earned this burger. I have to hit these splits, otherwise, I failed. But sometimes, the things we get out of a run are far more abstract than a piece of tin to wear around our neck or a set of numbers on a stopwatch. A run can take us to places and people we would otherwise never have the opportunity to encounter.

No drugs here, no manipulation of neurotransmitters that leaves our worldly problems unattended. And no talking cures because explicit insight is not needed. All that is required is courage: the courage to encounter discomfort and stay with it long enough to be changed by it, strengthened.

The pain of running relieves the pain of living.

You can alter mood by running.

Running strengthens self-motivation.

Body follows mind. If the mind compares itself to others this could lead to overtraining. Tune out what other runners do and how fast they run. Tune in, instead, to how your body wants to increase speed and distance.

It had been said that the marathon doesn't really begin until mile twenty. I say mile twenty-six would be more appropriate. The final two-tenths of a mile is filled with emotion. No matter how desperately you're struggling at this point, thoughts typically drift away from the immediate task at hand (ie, survival) to broader feelings.

Возможно, мне просто хотелось, чтобы время остановилось. Может быть, это и была моя судьба – лежать тут, в пустыне, глядя в небо, и спрашивать себя, почему я бегу в этой духовке, ради чего я заставил себя пройти через эту пытку?

Лежать без движения было замечательно. И даже не так стыдно, как я себе представлял. Эта мысль позволяла сохранять остатки самоуважения.