People can't understand why a man runs. They don't see any sport in it, argue that it lacks the sight-thrill of body contact, the color of rough conflict. Yet the conflict is there, more raw and challenging than any man versus man competition. In track it is man against himself, the cruelest of all opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies deep within him, in his ability, with brain and heart, to control and master himself and his emotions.

Unless you test yourself, you stagnate. Unless you try to go way beyond what you've been able to do before, you won't develop and grow. When you go for it 100%, when you don't have the fear of 'what if I fail,' that's when you learn. That's when you're really living.

Placing limits on what I think I can accomplish is something I tend not to do. I've heard that people are actually able to cover about twice their imagined limit: If you think you can run only 1 mile, you can really run 2; if you think you can run 2, you can run 4. You might not be able to cut your 'best' time in half, but you can reduce it by a significant percentage. That has been my experience. While initially I never thought I would run the distances I have, or in the times in which I've done them, I haven't really put mental limitations on myself either. And truly, I've surprised myself. 

You must have a training routine so that what you do happens automatically. If I got up in the morning and thought about going for a run there would often be a number of possible arguments against it. The thing is to get out and run. Later you can wonder whether you should have or not.

Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile.

Anybody can train when he's psyched up, but it's the guy who can go out and force himself to run when he doesn't feel like it who is going to eventually succeed.

Most of us don't know how good we could be until we train systematically on a balanced program for about three years. There will be improvement in the first year and even greater improvement in the second, but the third year's results are likely to be quite marked. You tend to jump ahead at that stage and then maintain a steady rate of improvement.

If you keep a training log, be sure to record not just your mileage, but also the weather, your mood, your diet, whatever you can think of. Over time, you'll learn how these factors affect your performance.

Faced with deep winter, the unfortunate question becomes, how bad do the jim-jams have to get to drive us out there where we can do the actual running? All you want is a nice relaxing run, and the atmospherics insist on turning it into the next thing to a polar expedition. Deep winter may not always present the most salutary conditions for runners, but think of it this way: change is what keeps us fresh too. Go for a run, change your life. Sometimes it can work better in February than it does in June.

Flexibility is an often-overlooked component of fitness. Just be sure to stretch after you run --not before, when your muscles are cold. Keep it gentle, and stretch just to the point of discomfort.

In every race there is a crucial moment when the body wants to quit. Then it needs imagination and mental tenacity to survive the crisis. Otherwise the penalty is defeat.

Have trouble getting up for morning runs? Lay out your running gear on the bedroom floor the night before. Then move your alarm clock across the room, so you'll have to get out of bed to turn it off.

You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

I have learned that there is no failure in running, or in life, as long as you keep moving. It's not about speed and gold medals. It's about refusing to be stopped. You might find that one particular direction proves difficult, but there are many directions on a compass. Infinite, in fact. As long as you keep searching, you'll find your way.

When you love to run and you train hard enough to really feel it, running is all about freedom. Also, I find that sharing the value of our sport is very important. When I think back on my life, it isn't the winning that I remember so much, it's the people who I met through running.

Before lacing up your running shoes, ask yourself: What is the purpose of this workout? If you can't answer that question, why bother doing the run? If you want to get fitter and faster, having a goal for the day – and sticking to it – will develop the physiological systems that make you stronger. Without it, you risk doing too much, too little, or just enough to stay in a workout rut.

Goals are not only absolutely necessary to motivate us. They are essential to really keep us alive.

Be aware that your form changes on a treadmill. You tense up, shorten your stride, and react to the belt's movement by picking up and putting down your feet rather than pushing off as you would outdoors. To encourage proper push-off and compensate for the lack of wind resistance, raise the incline to two or three percent and lean slightly forward from the ankles.

There is a time to run and there is a time to rest. It is the true test of the runner to get them both right.

I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain – and you've got to work your way through the pain. Lately it seems all you hear is 'Don't overdo it' and' 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond.