Fav Running Quotes

Time to share some of my favourite running quotes. These are:

1. RUN EVERY DAY

A year ago I would go to the gym 2-4 times per week and run 20-30 minutes. When I started training for the 10k I challenged myself to run every day. That is, I didn't decide, "will I run today?" but planned to run every day (or at least 6 days, leaving a day to rest or cross-train). This has made all the difference. A US Olympian has said, "Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don't think about it, I just do it. the decision has already been made." Nice!

2. IT'S A GOOD DAY

Runner's World mag says, "Don't expect every day to be better than the last. Some days will be slower than others, and some days might even hurt a bit. But as long as you're on the road, it's a good day."

3. IT'S A LIFESTYLE

True!

4. JUST THINK OF THIS AS A RECOVERY RUN

When I turned up to do the 21k in Christchurch, I'd just finished up a 4 day hike. I thought if I finished on Friday night and had a whole day on Saturday to recover I would be fine. The distances for The Milford Track weren't huge but I didn't really think about mountain passes, extra side routes to see waterfalls etc, carrying a backpack and tramping through temperatures ranging from 2 to 28 degrees. Early Sunday morning I was still a little sore. I mentioned this to a seasoned runner just before the race and she smiled and said, "Don't worry. Just think of this as a recovery run." I thought she was mad but... weird... it worked.... I feel good!

5. YOU CAN EXPECT TO LOOK REASONABLY ATTRACTIVE FOR THE FIRST 10 MINUTES OF A RACE

Ha ha! Andy Blackford writes, "with some decent kit and a few months' training under your belt, you can expect to look reasonably attractive for the first 10 minutes of a race. Then the appealing rosy glow upon your cheeks deepens to a raspberry and finally to the alarming, apoplectic puce of pickled beetroot. The fetching mist of perspiration on your upper lip, suggestive of amorous passion, is swept away by the tsunami of sweat that plasters your hair to your scalp and blossoms like dark dahlias under your arms. Your breath becomes ragged. You grunt and curse your way up hills...features contorted in a rictus of stark, starting horror... you sound like a cow in the throes of a breech birth. You smell. And, very soon, you might possibly be sick." So perhaps he exaggerates...a little. But while the 21k runners all looked slim and stunning before the race, I know that I wasn't looking too good by about the hour and a half mark!

6. ANYWAY, RETURN TO FINISH AS FAST AS POSSIBLE

This is still one of my favourites! The info sheet we received before the Angkor Half in December let us know that the roads would only be closed until a certain time. After that, runners who hadn't completed the race would need to watch out for their own safety. "Anyway, return to finish as fast as possible." Huh? Isn't that the goal of any race? What else would we do?