Fail, it's not in my dictionary. I've got a good dictionary up there and the words 'fail' and 'failure' have been ruled out for years. I don't know what people are talking about who use that word. All I do know is temporary non-success, even if I've got to wait another 20 years for what I'm after, and I try to put that into people, no matter what their object in life.

Success does not come to the most righteous and rigorously disciplined but to those who continue running.

Be quiet and effective, actions speak louder than words and results speak for themselves. Be a runner, don't talk about being one.

All runners announce their entry into the sport with the most basic athletic action: a step. A simple foot plant that leads to thousands upon millions more: some faster, some slower; at home and around the world; in sun, blizzard and driving rain; on pavement, dirt, mud, gravel, sand, loam, grass, oval all-weather tracks with eight lanes that measure exactly 400 meters around, and freshly scrubbed Pamplona cobblestones. A splendid step, a quiet step, a lonely step; born of some inner dialogue, some longing to be different, to be – not the best – but at least better. The step takes less than a second. Doubts are silenced in that whisper of time. Lives are changed…

Running has taken me on adventures great and small, at home and around the world. It has provided me with hope and perseverance on days when I had none – and even, once every great while, warmed me with that fleeting ray of sunshine known as glory. Running has taught me that I can do anything, just so long as I keep putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes that notion is metaphorical and sometimes not. In this way, I have been inspired to attempt things I would have never dreamed possible.

And it all started with a single step.

To fail is not to be a failure.  It merely means you had the balls to try.

I AM A RUNNER because my runs have names. I do tempo runs and threshold runs and fartlek runs. I do long, slow runs and track workouts. My runs are defined, even if my abs are not. 

I AM A RUNNER because my shoes are training equipment, not a fashion statement. The best shoe for me is the one that makes me a better runner. I choose the shoe that goes with my running mechanics, not my running outfit. 

I AM A RUNNER because I don't have running outfits. I have technical shirts and shorts and socks. I have apparel that enhances the experience of running by allowing me to run comfortably. I can say Coolmax and Gore-Tex in the same sentence and know which does what.

I AM A RUNNER because I know what effort feels like, and I embrace it. I know when I'm pushing the limits of my comfort and why I'm doing it. I know that heavy breathing and an accelerated heart rate–things I once avoided–are necessary if I want to be a better runner.

I AM A RUNNER because I value and respect my body. It will whisper to me when I've done too much. And if I choose to listen to that whisper, my body won't have to scream in pain later on. 

I AM A RUNNER because I am willing to lay it all on the line. I know that every finish line has the potential to lift my spirits to new highs or devastate me, yet I line up anyway. 

I AM A RUNNER because I know that despite my best efforts, I will always want more from myself. I will always want to know my limits so that I can exceed them. 

I AM A RUNNER because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. 

I AM A RUNNER because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not. 

Never put a time limit on success... Success and gains start immediately and continue infinitely—you just get better and better. It is not a light switch; it is a dimmer switch—you just keep getting the light brighter and brighter.

Runners are not elitists in general. They welcome all manner of persons to their sport. But they are elitist in this respect: they see only one way to run, and that is the long way. The long way means putting in the time. It means spending an inordinate amount of your waking hours alone or with other similarly afflicted souls, pounding the pavement. It means coping with a variety of aches and pains and small physical indignities to achieve a greater sense of health and well-being. There is only one way to happiness in running, and that is the long way. There are no shortcuts. Take the long way to happiness in running, and you'll be sure to find it.

In Tennessee, a 17-year-old named Seth Goldstein is in the middle of a cross-country race when he sees a fellow runner collapse. Goldstein, a lifeguard, stops and takes control of the situation, ultimately saving the runner's life. Then he finishes his own race.

None of the steps to reaching our goals are easy. If they were, we wouldn't be interested in doing them. Every single day, we are all given the choice: in training, in nutrition, in racing, even in life decisions- we can cower, or we can conquer. So, what will it be for you? When it is your time to choose: will you cower, or will you conquer?

Running isn't a sport for pretty boys...It's about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. Its the frozen spit on your chin and the nausea in your gut. It's about throbbing calves and cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead. It's about getting out the door and running when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion that you need to live each and every day with. It's about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there's not a single soul in sight to cheer you on. Running is all about having the desire to train and persevere until every fiber in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. And when you've finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner you can be. And that's all that you can ask for.

Go ahead and pick one: It's too hot, cold, humid, windy, wet, icy. Weather is a great justification for not running because it shifts all blame to the forces of nature. It's not my fault, you smugly assure yourself. It's that annoying guy on The Weather Channel who predicted the brutal cold front that came through and prevented me from running. Nice excuse. But it's not going to work. The weather is vitally important to all runners, but most runners figure that what doesn't kill them just makes them tougher.

I prefer summer and fall training in the mountains, but I have learned to put up with the cold winters, knowing that running in various weather conditions presents various challenges that make me stronger. My best races have come in the early spring after enduring a hard winter of running…

The very nature of long-distance running resonates with the Japanese spirit. Endurance, perseverance, and the will to never-give-up-no-matter-how-damn-uncomfortable-it-gets are core Japanese values. A popular proverb is Nana-korobi, ya-oki. (Fall down seven times, get up eight times.) One of the highest compliments that can be paid to an athlete is to say that he or she has makenki, roughly translated as 'the spirit not to lose.'

All top international athletes wake up in the morning feeling tired and go to bed feeling very tired.

There's always a point where you get knocked down. But I draw on what I've learned on the track: If you work hard, things will work out.

When I get to the part in the race where it starts to feel hard, when I want to give up, I talk to myself. It goes like this: 'Who are you trying to impress?' Or, more precisely, 'Who are you afraid of disappointing?' Maybe there are people who are truly self-motivated, who don't need attention and praise. That's noble. I am made of weaker stuff. I care what others think about me; I care about how I will tell the story when I have to say, out loud, how things went. For me, shame is a useful motivator. I like to trumpet my successes because it helps me to hear not that I'm better than people think I am, but better than I believe I am. At some point, you make a choice. At some point, you stop having the conversation. You make a decision. You take action. You just do it, or you don't. 'Who will I disappoint?' Of course, when I start hearing that nagging question, I know that the only answer that matters is: me.

You might think, 'I don't have time to run,' or 'Running is not the most important thing I need to do today.' But you have a choice about how to spend your time. Ask yourself what is the most important thing you need to do today. What is it that you are making time for? How important is your health to you? Keep in mind that of the most effective exercise options, running requires the least amount of time.

Dear Running,

I am a teenager with a disability. I have tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form in the brain, heart, lungs, and kidneys. My TSC is moderate, meaning I can go to regular schools, attend dances, and play sports, but I rely on special education teachers because it's hard for me to process complicated topics and questions, and my slow reaction time makes it difficult to play team sports and impossible to drive.

I started running because I wanted to be fit and make friends. My parents were my inspiration; they were always training for a race. At first I stuggled. But in 2009, I made the track and cross-country team in high school. When I run, everything is clear. I can go at my own pace, and I'm always moving forward. I never let anyone down; I finish in the middle of the pack.

Yes, I wish I was faster, but I don't run to win. Like most things in my life, if you judge me by my results, you aren't getting the entire picture. If there were never another race, I would still go out to run in the rain, up the hills, and down the streets.

Running has given me confidence unlike anything else. It defines me. Today I am 19 and my philosophy is Why walk when you can run?

Two years ago I ran my first half-marathon. For me, running isn't about the recognition - it's about how it makes me feel. Like a normal teenager.

Thank you, running.

Casey Revman

A guy who has run twenty Boston Marathons was once asked, 'Don't you feel like skipping a day when it's raining?' The old road warrior replied, 'If you start skipping runs because the weather's too lousy, pretty soon you start missing runs because the weather's too nice!'