I spent the first twenty years of my running career trying to run as many miles as I could as fast as I could. Then I spent the next twenty years trying to figure out how to run the least amount of miles needed to finish a marathon. And I've come to the conclusion the second way is much more enjoyable.

The marathon is a competition between your will and your possibilities

Being an athlete is a state of mind which is not bound by age, performance or place in the running pack.

There's an old adage that for every second too fast per mile in the first half of the race, you'll run at least 2 seconds slower at the end.

Find a way to enjoy parts of every run. Most of your runs should be mostly enjoyable.

Our bodies crave exercise, and reward us in so many ways when we do so.

The most important force inside you for feeling better all the time is the will to get more fit.

Here is the start, there is the finish line. Between that, you have to run.

A lifestyle change begins with a vision and a single step.

When I finish a run, every part of me is smiling.

Everyone has stress. A good run may not erase it, but it can reduce the effect and allow runners to gain control.

The more you frame the marathon as a stressful experience, the more negative messages you'll receive. But it's just as easy to frame it as a positively challenging journey.

The label of 'marathoner' has, from the beginning, been awarded to those who went the distance under their own power, whether they ran, walked, crawled or tiptoed. When you cross that finish line, you've entered an elite group. About one-tenth of one percent of the population has done it. Don't let anyone take that great achievement away from you.

If you're laboring up a steep hill, imagine that a towrope is attached to the center of your chest, pulling you steadily toward the top.