Running Inspirational Quotes from “Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an all-night runner”

11 Sep 2009

Just finished reading Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner. This book is authored by Dean Karnazes (popularly known as "Karno") – an ultra endurance runner. The book describes Karno’s journey of becoming an ultra endurance runner and is highly inspirational. I give a strong recommendation for any runner to read this book (buy @ Amazon). Here is a very brief list of his running accolades:

50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days
9 times solo finisher of The Relay (199+ miles)
11 times silver buckles (sub-24 hour finish) Western State 100-mile Endurance Run
7 times Badwater Ultramarathon (135 miles foot race in 120 degrees), won in 2004
South Pole Marathon 2002 Winner (only person to complete the event in running shoes)
and many many many more …

Here are some inspirational / motivational / training quotes from the book:

Don’t run with your legs, run with your heart.
If running feels good, you didn’t push hard enough. It’s supposed to hurt like hell.
Go out harder and finish harder.
Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived.
Pain and suffering are often the catalysts for life’s most profound lessons.
If you had the courage, stamina, and persistence to cross the finish line, you are a champion.
Long distance runners requires a certain discretion and reserve. It’s easy to let you ego get the better of you early on and run beyond your means. It’s a mistake that may haunt as the miles and the hours add up.
When exhaustion sets in, the mind often rationalizes the irrational. For example, 38 miles = 1 marathon + 2 10 Ks.
Pain is the body’s way of ridding itself of weakness.
Most dreams die a slow death. They’re conceived in a moment of passion, with the prospect of endless possibility, but often languish and are not pursued with the same heartfelt intensity as when first born. Slowly, subtly, a dream becomes elusive and ephemeral.
If you can’t run then walk. And if you can’t walk then crawl. Do what you have to do. Just keep moving forward and never, even give up.
A shorter version of the above quote is:

Run when you can
Walk if you have to
Crawl if you must
Just never give up.
Runners are real people. They don’t run for money or recognition, they do it out of passion. Most have day job that pay the bills, and running is a labor of love.
Without discipline to rise before dawn and pound out the miles, you’ll never make it. If the fire in your heart isn’t strong, there’s no point trying.
How to run an ultramarathon ? Puff out your chest, put one foot in front of the other, and don’t stop till you cross the finish line.
When it gets right down to it, the levels of commitment and devotion required to excel as an ultra-endurance athlete are all-consuming.
The human body is capable of amazing physical deeds. If we could just free ourselves from our perceived limitations and tap into our internal fire, the possibilities are endless.
Pursuit of a passion matters more than the passion itself. Immerse yourself in something deeply and with heartfelt intensity – continually improve, never give up – this is fulfillment, this is success.
Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you’re not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you’re not demanding more from yourself – expanding and learning as you go – you’re choosing a numb existence. You’re denying yourself an extraordinary trip.