There is a great advantage in training under unfavorable conditions. It is better to train under bad conditions, for the difference is then a tremendous relief in a race.
Emil ZatopekIf you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.
Emil ZatopekIf you come to think of it, you never see deer, dogs and rabbits worrying about their menus and yet they run much faster than humans.
Emil ZatopekYou can't climb up to the second floor without a ladder. When you set your aim too high and don't fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to bitterness. Try for a goal that's reasonable, and then gradually raise it.
Emil ZatopekWhy should I practice running slow? I already know how to run slow. I want to learn to run fast.
Emil ZatopekTo boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely stupid vanity. And if I can beat it that means there is nothing special about it. What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.
Emil ZatopekAn athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.
Emil ZatopekBy a persistent effort of will it is possible to change the whole body. The athlete must always keep in mind this concept of change and progression. He must never accept his limitations as being permanent, because they are not.
Emil ZatopekSri Chinmoy brings Heaven to me. He inspires everyone to be happy. He deserves the biggest gold medal.
Emil ZatopekThe athlete of today is not an athlete alone. He's the center of a team - doctors, scientists, coaches, agents and so on.
Emil ZatopekIf one can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then will power is no longer a problem. It's raining? That doesn't matter. I am tired? That's besides the point. It's simply that I just have to.
Emil ZatopekWhen I was young, I was too slow. I thought I must learn to run fast by practicing to run fast, so I ran 100 meters fast 20 times. Then I came back, slow,slow,slow. People said, 'Emil, you are crazy. You are training like a sprinter.'
Emil ZatopekWhen a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter either. Then willpower will be no problem.
Emil ZatopekOne day the factory sports coach, who was very strict, pointed at four boys, including me, and ordered us to run in a race. I protested that I was weak and not fit to run, but the coach sent me for a physical examination and the doctor said that I was perfectly well. So I had to run, and when I got started I felt I wanted to win. But I only came in second. That was the way it started.
Emil Zatopek