You go into the disease as one person and come out of it as a different person. It has changed my perspective on everything. Things that used to upset me no longer do.

Spend at least some of your training time, and other parts of your day, concentrating on what you are doing in training and visualizing your success.

When I came to New York in 1978, I was a full-time school teacher and track runner, and determined to retire from competitive running. But winning the New York City Marathon kept me running for another decade.

What Fred Lebow went through was an inspiration for me. You have to set goals for yourself.

Sustained motivation is essential to achieving your potential.

My basic philosophy can be summed up by an expression we use in Norwegian: hurry slowly. Get there, but be patient.

Running gives me a clearer perspective on the world, and it makes me feel special. I've never been a traditional tourist. I've always seen the world by running, and that has allowed me to view things in a different way. Places look different in the early-morning hours, when the streets are deserted.