We're all slower than somebody. There's nothing to be gained from belittling yourself over how fast you can run; banish all thoughts of 'Oh, I'm so slow, what's the point?' People get lapped even in world-class 10Ks on the track. There will always be lots of people faster than you. That fact detracts not a whit from your efforts to get faster and the meaning you can find in that pursuit. Any thoughtful runner who has set performance goals and worked hard to reach them will respect any other runner's quest to do the same. Your effort, not your pace at that effort, is what really matters.

All runners are tough. Everyone has to have a little fire in them, that even in tough times, can't be turned off.

For some messed-up reason, our athletic egos still feel that we only get faster as we pedal harder, run quicker and swim stronger. It's athlete psychology—all of our confidence is built around the times that we actually destroy our bodies. But it's only the rest afterward that makes our bodies stronger.

Because of this psychological dichotomy, when and how long to rest is the hardest decision to make as an athlete. It takes a level of confidence above even the level necessary to push your body to the limit. You don't get the endorphin release, the feeling of accomplishment, and the external and internal praise and satisfaction. All you get are feelings of losing your edge, getting out of shape and nervous anticipation.

So the next time you need to rest, whether it be for a mid-season break, post-big race, or just an easy day or two between training blocks, remember that it takes confidence to rest. Remember that it is just insecurity and a lack of endorphin release that makes you feel like you're getting out of shape. Know that when you decide to rest, you're making the right call—the better, smarter decision. Feel good and confident about it. You've done yourself a favor—you have literally just made yourself a better athlete.

Don't get stuck on the past. You always want to move in the direction you are going. Think positive. Stay positive. Believe in your dreams. Be strong and optimistic. You can always have bad days. Not every day is going to be your best race. There are going to be highs and lows in everyone's running career. Things can happen, but anything's possible. Surround yourself with people who believe in your dreams.

Your body is a bank. Every mile you put in now you get to cash out later.

I will always be a runner. Running is just so accessible. I'll always do it. It doesn't matter where I go, I pack a pair of running shoes. Even if I'm going somewhere for a night, well, what if I wake up and want to go for a run? I can't leave these behind. I'll always enjoy it and I'll always live somewhere close to trails and I can always just get on to the trail and give 'er in the trees for a few minutes.

From my perspective, the things that are worth enjoying are free. Running shoes aren't free, but it doesn't cost anything to get out there and go for a run.

As runners, we all know pain. We have waged war between our mind and our body, when it hurts so much that you start to justify why you should slow down, how it's OK to let go. The best runners are those who aren't afraid to give their best, even when that may not be enough to win. At the end of the day, no matter how many people you beat or what time you run, what matters most is how you feel about your performance. You know how you handled the pain and if you did your very best.

Every runner has a story about that race (or training run) that was a disaster. They wanted to quit; they wondered why they started or signed up; they doubted their ability to finish, let alone hitting that goal time. They talked about the conversations, the mental arguments that sometimes occur daily...

Don't be afraid of running. It does love you — even when you hate it. It loves you so much it doesn't coddle you or lie to you. If you don't train, you suffer. And sometimes you suffer even if you've done everything you can to prepare. Running will remind you of your life most days — unexpected headwinds, devastating injuries and disappointing performances.

But if you really commit to it — even smaller distances like a couple of miles a few times a week — it will transform you. The sport that most people say they hate will reveal aspects of you, of your abilities, that you never would have known if you hadn't decided to get out and just run. One day you'll wake up and instead of having that argument about whether or not you want to run, you'll ask yourself how you lived without the run. It becomes the best part of your day and creates the best friends and best moments in your life. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other even when it seems hopeless, pointless and impossible...

The reasons to run are as numerous as the runners on the road. But my favorite aspect of running is how the sport seems to transform difficult moments into inspiring opportunities.

That hill, that headwind, that unexpected detour — they're all just opportunities to see something different in ourselves, in others and in the world around us.

Sustaining my ability to continue running, day in and day out, requires a surprising amount of support. In order to run well, train hard, and race occasionally, I need a lot of help… Motivation comes in many forms; lately mine resides in the bodies of my running buddies. In the 18 years I have been a runner, I have gone for long stretches fueled by an internal fire that kept me excited about lacing up my shoes and getting out the door. Lately I've needed an extra push, someone to email me at 5 a.m. and expect--no, demand--that I get my lazy self out the door to meet them in half an hour. When my fire to train is reduced to embers, I rely on my training partners to fan the flames.

No matter how well we do, as runners we always look back and wonder if we lost a vital second by rounding a corner too wide in a road race, or an essential fraction of a second in a 400 m by not leaving the blocks slightly faster. Even when everything goes according to plan, the first thing we do is analyze our performance to ensure a better result next time.

This is the same approach used by Carl Lewis, and one that many runners might adopt when pressurized by the presence of other competitors. By concentrating on striving for your own 'perfect' performance, your focus is redirected from other runners to your own race. Lewis relates how his coach apparently chastised him after he won his first Olympic gold medal with the comment, 'You never left the blocks properly!' It wasn't a derogatory remark, quite the opposite. It was a way of saying there is still more to come, still a better performance. There is no finish line.

I started running around my 30th birthday. I wanted to lose weight; I didn't anticipate the serenity. Being in motion, suddenly my body was busy and so my head could work out some issues I had swept under a carpet of wine and cheese. Good therapy, that's a good run.

Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?

Keep these concepts in mind: You've failed many times, although you don't remember. You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim... Don't worry about failure. My suggestion to each of you: Worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try.

Defiant? Defeated? The choice is yours.

IF YOU RAN WITHOUT SACRIFICE, CONGRATULATIONS. YOU JUST JOGGED. Running hurts. It always has... It teaches us that good things do not come easy. It teaches us that hard work will be rewarded and laziness will be punished. Don't expect to learn those life lessons from running's shiftless stepchild; jogging. Next time you suffer on the roads or trails, suffer proudly. It means you run like an animal.

The nice thing about running is that the runner is always there, patiently waiting to be released. There isn't a predetermined starting date or a firm expiration date.

One of the easiest ways to release the athletic beast inside and to keep it loose is to set running goals, both short term and long term. It's fine on occasion to just run around for the sake of basic movement, but to loosen the athlete, goals are necessary, both as a motivational factor (to get you out the door on days you'd rather not go) and as a testing factor (testing just how good you can be with a requisite amount of training).

Setting goals is a process that runs parallel with the personalities of most people who get involved in running, and it is a way of laying out yardsticks end-to-end toward reaching a long-term goal. You may start with modest goals and grow from there. You may be surprised at how motivating reaching goals can be. Set a short-term goal and achieve it, and you will be doubly motivated to strive for the intermediate goal, and from there to the long-term goal.

I never once believed that someone or something else was responsible for my success. Running taught me long ago that there is danger in that kind of thinking. The moment you leave your future in the hands of things outside of your control is the moment you place it in the hands of circumstance. And circumstance doesn't much care about your success.

I realize now that I was wrong to believe that running had to serve some purpose - that without a race in the future there was no point to running. Pleasure is reason enough to engage in some actions. I was mistaken to think that running for the sake of running was no longer enough. It was before I started racing, and it would be enough even were I never to race again.

The long runs on the weekend are a genuine adventure for me—a physical challenge in an otherwise mostly cerebral, abstract sort of daily life. And you don't have to go to a mountain or anything. It starts right out the front door of your home.

When I ran my first marathon, one thing that I found interesting was how much better it made me understand my own body. Because you are forcing your body to do something you have never done before, namely logging lots and lots of running miles, you will become aware of all of the little aches and pains that come with the training. But you will also become aware that your body is a machine.

We all know that we are supposed to give our body proper nutrition and plenty of rest. We learned that in elementary school, right? Well, training for a marathon will make you experience the downside of eating the wrong foods and in failing to get enough sleep. A long night of beer and onion rings before a long run simply won't work. Relying on your body to get you through those long runs will force you to make sure you put the right fuel in your tank and that you are getting enough sleep. That was a true wake-up call for me, and a lesson that has served me well since.