Food for Run and Thought 25

「It's very hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit.」Dr. George Sheehan

「If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.」Herschel Walker, American football player 

「That is the sort of race which one really enjoys - to feel at one's peak on the day when it is necessary, and to be able to produce the pace at the very finish. It gives a thrill which compensates for months of training and toiling. But it is the sort of race that one wants only about once a season.」Jack Lovelock, a New Zealand athlete

「He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.」Muhammad Ali, former American boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion

「Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.」T. Alan Armstrong, author