Words of Encouragement

You marry a specific person for a reason, right?  You want someone who "clicks" with you.  They don't have to be exactly what you are, they simply need to be exactly what you need.   So it goes with a coach.  To have someone really help you out and achieve your fitness goals, you need a coach you just click with.  I'm guessing that none of the people who read this blog have a coach or a trainer, but you have to admit, it would be nice to have one sometimes.  Coaches, to me, are also your source of encouragement.  Well, I thought today's  post would be some Words of Encouragment.  Below, you'll find some words of encouragement I've found that were specifically for runners.  Take all you need as long as it keeps you running.

"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

"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

"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


"Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself."
-John Bingham, running speaker and writer

"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

"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

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
-John Bingham

"Every day is a good day when you run."
-Kevin Nelson

"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, running writer and speaker

"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

"Many people shy away from hills. They make it easy on themselves, but that limits their improvement. The more you repeat something, the stronger you get."
- Joe Catalano

"If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion."
- Robert Pirsig

"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

"To know you are one with what you are doing, to know that you are a complete athlete, begins with believing you are a runner."
-- George Sheehan

"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

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

"I tell our runners to divide the race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart."
"There is nothing to be intimidated about - it's just another long run where a few more people show up and they happen to wear numbers."
Wesley Stafford  

"Running takes balls. Other sports just play with them."  This one is one of my favorites!
"Running isn't about winning or losing, it's neither about glory or achievement, it's all about not quitting."
Ben Vachon



So I hope you found a good quote to stick on the fridge.  Sometimes we all just need someone to pat us on the back, to scream at us to keep going and to be there with a Gatorade when we're done. 
If I might add one last bit of encouragement, I would say this: 

I'm truly touched by the readers who have written to me to say that they've signed up for a race and have begun training.  I'm unbelievably excited to know that many of you are reaching your running goals each day and that you keep setting new goals.  I didn't really know what would happen if I started this blog.  I thought I might just be writing to my mom (she happens to be my biggest fan, love ya, mom!).  I had no idea I would get emails and facebook messages saying that someone else had started their journey to start running because they read my blog.   I feel embarasssed each time sometimes uses my name and the word "inspiring" in the same sentence. 
To be completely honest, it's all of these emails and messages that have kept me going along on my own running journey.  I have so many reasons to quit each day.  So many things keep getting thrown into my lap and it's getting harder and harder to find the time and energy to keep doing this. But whenever I feel like I don't want to go on, I get an email from someone saying that they've been inspired to start training for a 10k or have started their running journey and are so excited they could burst.  It's give me what I need and I get my butt back out on that road and keep going.  So as for my own words of encouragment I guess I just want to say that if you'll keep running, so will I.  We'll all run together despite the many challenges that face each of us.  We'll all have bad days and good days, but let's NOT STOP.  Don't ever stop.  I've never felt so good as when I run and I know you guys feel the same way too.  So keep the emails coming, as well as the comments and facebook messages.  You guys inspire me!!!