Time to Motivate!

I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by the looming marathon. I'm not doubting myself, I'm just losing the joy of running a little bit. It's starting to feel like a job. Don't get me wrong, I still love running... but something is starting to fade, and I need to have a date night with running and rekindle our relationship...


I need to remember…

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

And when I question my ability, I say to myself…

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

And even though I often look here for inspiration…

Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week. It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too.

Richard O'Brien

It is sometimes easy to forget…

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

William Faulkner

I sign up for races because…

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.

PattiSue Plumer

And…

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

T.S. Eliot

Because…

The greatest pleasure in life, is doing the things people say we cannot do.

Walter Bagehot

And it’s ok to be a little obsessive at times, because…

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

Steve Prefontaine

And the truth is…

I run with my head, my heart and my guts, because physically, I don't think I've got a great deal of talent or ability.

Steve Jones, former marathon world record holder

And it makes me feel better to know people who have achieved greatness in the past felt the same way.

So…

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

There are…

No half times, no time outs, no substitutions. It must be the only true sport.

Author Unknown

The truth is…

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 gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate.

John Bingham

But as serious as this post is, I still laugh at the thought…

It's rude to count people as you pass them. Out loud.

Adidas ad

And finally...

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

Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon winner

And that's what I'm doing... preparing... and I need to appreciate the value in that!

Because I am looking forward to December 5th…

Racing is the fun part; it's the reward of all the hard work.

Kara Goucher

Because I know…

The pride in finishing a marathon is much greater than all the pain endured during the marathon.

Hal Higdon

And…

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