Motivational Quotes

Runners, especially long-distance runners, have a lot of time to think about why they run. At some point, you may question why you run and wonder if you should continue to get out there. I love to run and almost never have that problem during my training runs or training cycles. Just the thought and excitement of an upcoming race is enough motivation for me.

There are those occasional days though when I'm feeling extra tired or a little sore from a previous hard workout and I need a little extra push to get out the door. Another time and I would venture to say always, would be during a race when I feel like I'm about to come apart at the seams, (anyone who has run a race knows what I'm talking about without going into great detail) I ask myself why am I doing this and have to reach deep inside for the will to go on. When that happens I try to remember a quote or mantra to keep me running.

Hopefully these quotes will give you the motivation that you need the next time you are asking why.

The first one is my all time favorite.

Enjoy the run,

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy. It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed."
Jacqueline Gareau

"The will to win means nothing if you haven't the will to prepare."
Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon winner

"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

"I prefer to remain in blissful ignorance of the opposition. That way I'm not frightened by anyone's reputation."
Ian Thompson

"If someone says, 'Hey, I ran 100 miles this week. How far did you run?' ignore him! What the hell difference does it make? The magic is in the man, not the 100 miles."
Bill Bowerman

"Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts."
Steve Prefontaine

"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

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about."
PattiSue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

"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

"Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'."
Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
John Bingham, running speaker and writer

"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

"You also need to look back, not just at the people who are running behind you but especially at those who don't run and never will... those who run but don't race...those who started training for a race but didn't carry through...those who got to the starting line but didn't in the finish line...those who once raced better than you but no longer run at all. You're still here. Take pride in wherever you finish. Look at all the people you've outlasted."
Joe Henderson

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right."
Henry Ford

"Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself."
William Faulkner

"I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we're all cowards."
Alberto Salazar, three-time winner of the NYC marathon

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars."
Les Brown