It is not the time spent with the child at their activity that is going to produce the highest level athlete. It is in supporting the child in an organized activity - and Bill alluded to this - so the child can find what they truly like to do and let them go.

There’s obviously some validity to it. But I think it also points out that you obviously can do it on your own because people have been doing it long before they had the stuff.

So, in a way I was hedging and saying that if the Olympic stuff doesn’t work out at least I can be a lawyer.

For the novice runner, I’d say to give yourself at least 2 months of consistently running several times a week at a conversational pace before deciding whether you want to stick with it. Consistency is the most important aspect of training at this point.

Yes, winning the gold medal was undoubtedly the biggest day of my career – mostly because I won the way I had prepared to run it. It was a totally satisfying experience.

I admire runners older than I – they are now my heroes. I want to be like them as I grow older.

When you first run up First Avenue in New York, if you don’t get goose bumps, theres something wrong with you.

You have to know your body. It’s part of the beauty of the training process, and once you’ve determined how much your body and mind can take, you can then begin to reach your potential.

My goal is to break three hours in a marathon.

There’s always the feeling of getting stronger. I think that’s what keeps me going.