Running Quotes

1. "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 Prefontaine
2. "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
3. "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." -Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon winner
4. "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, New York City Marathon co-founder
5. "Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." -Oprah Winfrey
6. "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, U.S. Olympian
7. "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, Canadian marathon runner
8. "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-4 minute mile
9. "Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'." -Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner
10. "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." -John Bingham, running speaker and writer

You Know You're a Runner When...

when you've run, showered, and eaten breakfast (twice) before your family/roommates even wake up.
when your family knows that you will run on Thanksgiving and Christmas (or other holidays you celebrate) no matter what.
when your friends no longer look at you like you're nuts because they know it for sure.
when you forget birthdays and anniversaries, even major holidays, but never the date of your next race.
when you have to make a real effort to remember to talk to your (non-running) family and friends about something other than running.
when your family plans vacations based on where your next marathon will be.
when your non-running family and friends know the differences between feet that are neutral, over-pronating, and supinating.
when you run so much that your family has a separate laundry basket for your running clothes.
when people stop asking you if you are going to run today, but rather ask you when.
when you tell people you ran a 10k and you are shocked that people think that is a long run.
when you call four miles an easy day.
when you try to convince people to run a 5k because it's "only" three miles.
when you no longer have to explain to your friends why cotton isn't the best choice for running attire.
when you come back after an hour-long run and your spouse says, "That was fast. I didn't expect you back so soon."
when you smirk at people who tell you that you run too much or are crazy for enjoying a run.