A collection of running quotes.

For the last 6 miles during the marathon last year my mantra became “whatever it takes.” I kept repeating that to myself, even as other Dana-Farber runners would be passing me yelling “looking good Eric.” Thanks for the vote of confidence at that time, but I was in rough shape and was well aware of it, therefore my entire focus was on getting to the finish line.

Not sure what I will be saying this year, but here is a collection of 26 (.2) quotes before the marathon. The only thing I can add is, “If running 26.2 miles didn’t register as crazy, the voices in your head will let you know.” – Me, 4 days before the marathon. But, not so secretly, I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think it was important. Now, I’m excited.

MILE 1 We can blaze! Become legends in our own time, strike fear in the heart of mediocre talent everywhere! We can scald dogs, put records out of reach! Make the stands gasp as we blow into an unearthly kick from three hundred yards out! We can become God's own messengers delivering the dreaded scrolls! We can race dark Satan himself till he wheezes fiery cinders down the back straightaway! They'll speak our names in hushed tones, 'Those guys are animals' they'll say! We can lay it on the line, bust a gut, show them a clean pair of heels. We can sprint the turn on a spring breeze and feel the winter leave our feet! --John L. Parker, Jr.
MILE 2 Start slow, then taper off. --Walt Stack
MILE 3 Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it. --Goethe
MILE 4 Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed. --Corita Kent
MILE 5 If I want to tell you the most about a person in the fewest words, I simply say, "he's a runner." --Paul Fetscher
MILE 6 Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible. --Doug Larson
MILE 7 Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those doing it. --Michael Johnson's trainer
MILE 8 We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by. --Will Rogers
MILE 9 No doubt a brain and some shoes are essential for marathon success, although if it comes down to a choice, pick the shoes. More people finish marathons with no brains than with no shoes. - Don Kardong
MILE 10 We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon. --Emil Zatopek
MILE 11 The highest reward for one's toil is not what one gets for it, but what one becomes by it. --John Ruskin
MILE 12 Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts. --Steve Prefontaine
MILE 13 Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years that they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance is merely the demonstration of their championship character." --T. Alan Armstrong
MILE 14 To a runner, a side stitch is like a car alarm. It signifies something is wrong, but you ignore it until it goes away. -- Anonymous
MILE 15 DO or DO NOT. There is no TRY --Jedi Master Yoda
MILE 16 Pain is weakness leaving the body. --Anonymous
MILE 17 The marathon can humble you. --Bill Rodgers
MILE 18 What counts in battle is what you do when the pain sets in. --John Short
MILE 19 Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second. --William James
MILE 20 I just run as hard as I can for 20 miles, and then race. --Steve Jones
MILE 21 Enjoy your pain, you've earned it. --Anonymous
MILE 22 Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. --Walter Elliott
MILE 23 It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse. --Ann Trason
MILE 24 When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --President Teddy Roosevelt
MILE 25 Most die. --middle-aged Japanese triathlete, just after the Ironman
MILE 26 A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
---.2--- The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start. --John Bingham