The most powerful lesson you can learn in running? You're capable of much more than you think.

Why run? I run because I am an animal. I run because it is part of my genetic wiring. I run because millions of years of evolution have left me programmed to run. And finally, I run because there’s no better way to see the sun rise and set... What the years have shown me is that running clarifies the thinking process as well as purifies the body. I think best - most broadly and most fully - when I am running.

If you train your mind for running, everything else will be easy.

Best wishes for a great marathon. Be sure to savor it. The first marathon is something special. Run long and healthy.

Courage is crossing a starting line.

Motivation is a skill. It can be learned and practiced.

As runners, we all go through many transitions-- transitions that closely mimic the larger changes we experience in a lifetime. First, we try to run faster. Then we try to run harder. Then we learn to accept ourselves and our limitations, and at last, we can appreciate the true joy and meaning of running.