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When I came to New York in 1978, I was a full-time school teacher and track runner, and determined to retire from competitive running. But winning the New York City Marathon kept me running for another decade.

Grete Waitz

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Grete Waitz
Age: 57 †
Born: 1953
Born: October 1
Died: 2011
Died: April 19
Athletics Competitor
Long-Distance Runner
Marathon Runner
Olympic Athlete
Oslo
Norway
Grete Andersen
Runner
Came
Kept
Retire
Winning
Determined
Runners
Running
Track
Marathon
Another
York
Decade
School
City
Retiring
Time
Teacher
Competitive
Cities
Full
Decades

More quotes by Grete Waitz

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Every day I spend time on the treadmill. I am walking faster, stronger and harder than I was two months ago.
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For a couple of days after chemotherapy, food tastes really bland, even the best foods. I haven't been sick, but have been a little tired. I haven't lost any weight.
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I am a private person and that has always been my personality.
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Some people feel 'transformed' from the first day they begin running others feel that it's just plain hard work. Most of us realize it is both. I know how great running can feel, but I also know it can feel not so great, even downright awful! It can be fun, but it takes work to have that fun.
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What spurs a person to get more serious is highly individual, but I have found that no matter what a person's level of ability, motivation must come from within, or it will not last.
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There is something about the ritual of the race - putting on the number, lining up, being timed - that brings out the best in us.
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I am living in Norway, where I am under the care of the best cancer doctor in Norway and I can be closer to my family.
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My basic philosophy can be summed up by an expression we use in Norwegian: hurry slowly. Get there, but be patient.
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I am about to get involved with the biggest cancer hospital in Norway. They are building a fitness center to work with patients. I will be a consultant.
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I'll never do that again!
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Spend at least some of your training time, and other parts of your day, concentrating on what you are doing in training and visualizing your success.
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I don't think I would have been such a good runner if I hadn't enjoyed it.
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You've got to look for tough competition. You've got to want to beat the best.
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To suddenly be a hero on a world basis was hard for me to understand. God gave me a gift. I got the chance to use it. I didn't think I deserved what people were saying. My talent is just more visible than theirs.
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Sustained motivation is essential to achieving your potential.
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In terms of fitness and battling through cancer, exercise helps you stay strong physically and mentally.
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The worst injury I ever had was a stress fracture from running.
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Even today, in retirement, I find it very distracting if there is conversation during a run. I work out as much for my head as I do for my body. I'm a thinker. A lot of my ideas come to me more easily when I am running. That is why I like to run in the morning.
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I love running. It's as simple as that ... it has given me endless rewards: physical, emotional, and professional. The benefits of running are lifelong. I ran as a child, and I intend to run into my old age.
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Running gives me a clearer perspective on the world, and it makes me feel special. I've never been a traditional tourist. I've always seen the world by running, and that has allowed me to view things in a different way. Places look different in the early-morning hours, when the streets are deserted.
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