As athletes, we have ups and downs. Unfortunately, you can't pick the days they come on.

Sometimes the moments that challenge us the most, define us.

A goal is just an awesome way to force growth on yourself.

I love challenges and hurdles because they are opportunities.

One step at a time, I get to make positive choices to fulfill my dreams.

When you have the enthusiasm and the passion, you end up figuring how to excel.

Run in places you love with people you like. Enjoying your surroundings and training partners will strengthen your commitment to running and bring out the best in you.

I simply adore the exhaustion that comes with training hard.

Running in the morning has me appreciate all the choices that come later in the day. The choices I make after running seem healthier, wiser and kinder.

The beauty of running is its simplicity the beauty of runners is that we all have a similar drive to improve. We are either trying to run a personal best, or toeing the line for the first time, which will snowball into a future of trying to run personal bests. We road racers are a tight community of mileage-happy, limit-pushing athletes.

Marathons are extraordinarily difficult, but if you've got the training under your belt, and if you can run smart, the races take care of themselves. When you have the enthusiasm and the passion, you end up figuring how to excel.