Bill Rodgers Quotations

Being a runner means you are now 'free' to win and lose and live life to its fullest.

I want to run until I can't run

Anybody can be a runner... We were meant to move. We were meant to run. It's the easiest sport.

To be a consistent winner means preparing not just one day, one month or even one year - but for a lifetime.

My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold. You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble.

If you want to win a race you have to go a little berserk.

My guess is many top athletes, distance runners included, use performance-enhancing drugs, enough so that the problem must be tackled.

I always say if the marathon is a part-time interest, you will only get part-time results.

My biggest weakness as a endurance athlete has been in not drinking enough water after training, thereby racing sometimes while dehydrated.

I ran my fastest marathon in the rain.

I believe in gradual experimentation with running shoes.

I believe you'll develop speed via strength work which includes hill running, either repeats, or running hilly courses as the Kenyans do on a steady basis

Age 50 is a lot tougher than 40s

The starting line of the New York Marathon is kind of like a giant time bomb behind you about to go off. It is the most spectacular start in sport.

I believe in keeping running simple and, in regard to shoes, that would mean no gimmicks, unnecessary cushioning, etc

With with these points in mind go forth, enjoy Mother Nature, and celebrate your return to what you're supposed to do, live as an athlete.

Hills are terrific for running

The most difficult part, when you decide to make running a part of your life style, is the basic initial commitment. Everybody says, 'I don't have the time.' It's up to you to say, 'I do have the time.' For me, beginning to run when I was a student was an ideal situation. However, I've also trained as much as 130 miles per week during periods when I worked a full-time job. It ultimately becomes second nature. It becomes a habit, a routine part of your daily life

Every time I bomb out, I have to come back. I have a feeling after a bad race that my next one will be good.

Runners...you're competitive, but you want to have fun, too. You want to enjoy life. And runners really get to do that, I think-after we recover.

I also feel it usually takes four or five races to hit your best marathon for your body to be accustomed to the training AND the race itself.

You cannot always run at your best.

I can't even imagine what it's like to run for 5 or 6 hours.

Aiming for the marathon is a task of sorts which can include terrific highs and lows.

Running is a very natural activity. If you get too caught up, you find yourself constantly seeking to make running something that it isn't. You should let it be what it is - a very simple activity. Running has become too complicated for many people and they wind up turning sour on the sport, or losing the focus of their direction.

Personally, I always felt times aren't so excellent as are performances.

Every race is totally different.

Good health, peace of mind, being outdoors, camaraderie - those are all wonderful things that come to you when running. But for me, the real pull of running - the proverbial icing on the cake - has always been racing.

Being a lifelong runner, knowing what running gives me, a variety of factors - that is what motivates me.

Having your goal to focus on is key, but don't let it become more important than your excellence next year and the year after.

No one who works a forty hour week will ever beat me.

Always take the long term view and train and race smart, with a bit of caution.

The advice I have for beginners is the same philosophy that I have for runners of all levels of experience and ability -- consistency, a sane approach, moderation and making your running an enjoyable, rather than dreaded, part of your life.

Runners are the ultimate celebration people. Running is just so intense, you're really experiencing life to the fullest.

Don't feel guilty about driving somewhere nice to run. If people can drive to a park to eat hot dogs, you can drive there to run.

A change of pace in terms of your running pace will give you strength psychologically.

The marathon can humble you.

Anybody can be a runner. We were meant to move. We were meant to run. It's the easiest sport.

I often lose motivation, but it's something I accept as normal.

Let your running lead you to your diet.

So, I would recommend one longer run daily, with your longest run when you can get the time.

Most of us laugh at these other sports.

One key to success is not to make your diet too complicated.

One wakes up one year and realizes you did not produce as good a set of races as the year before.

One thousand dollars, that's what Frank Shorter said I should ask for. That's what he got. I said, 'Oh, OK.' It was kind of like we were criminals. You'd get paid in an envelope secretly.

I always have loved running, since I was 15, so there is no difference for me that way.

I also feel it usually takes 4 or 5 races to hit your best marathon for your body to be accustomed to the training AND the race itself.

Lastly, races bring a lot of energy into your focus on running, and are (usually) a good time.

I think today the difference in the marathon today is people train more for the final 10K, the final miles of the marathon.

Resting your body and legs in particular can lead to more effective running/racing.

You always want it dry, low humidity if possible.

You aim to win the same races you won before, but your time is done; there is someone who is hungry, really hungry.

Wear and tear of the physical kind is not as key as the mental focus required.

Whereas when I was aiming for the marathon, I was aiming to nail the competition as much as I could in the early or middle stages.

This sport is the sport to see what you are made of, so use those expert's advice, but be free to be your own champion runner, picking and choosing advice you enjoy and that works best for you.

When you adjust for the weather, it's the same effort required by every runner-or racer, so the more you understand the conditions, perhaps the more mental preparation plays a role.

When I was younger, the athletes who motivated me were the ones I saw on TV-Billy Mills, Gerry Lindgren, Prefontaine, Ron Clark of Australia, Tom O'Hara, Jim Ryan.

Explore changing your speed one day per week.

Experiment with changing your pace in those runs, especially long runs when you feel strong.

But running is a year-round sport and you train for all conditions, so you sort of have to be mentally prepared, physically sort of used to it.

You are racing your competitors, not the clock.

Don't worry, every one slows over time and I recall running slower at 43 than at 40.

Cross-country is a wonderful but exhilarating and very challenging read tough sport.

I seem to notice every five years or so I get a notch slower.

The starting line of the New York City marathon is kind of a giant time bomb behind you about to go off. It is the most spectacular start in sport.

I usually get side-aches when I am really tired and or when I am not quite warmed up.

Sometimes such an injury may be due to increased running, fatigue, sickness, etc and have nothing at all to do with your shoe.

Of course, today everything is records and times, but I believe the greatest marks are setting not only world and other records, but achieving success in different weather condition and competing in major championships; in other words facing the competition fairly in all venues.

Actually neither extreme of weather is a positive for the easiest most beneficial training.

Stretching for 10 minutes or so after your runs make next days effort feel easier too.

That's why its a good idea to ease into your early miles, rather than push the pace from the minute you step out the door.

That's fine; we runners are, after all, up for a challenge.

Your training partners are key to your success, and friendships based on your runs together are strong.

It was pure fun. Sometimes it was pain, too, but it was great to be able to train like that.

It's a different thing whether to keep going to races, but I've always loved racing.

It's all self-imposed, this racing hard stuff, at least for me.

It's the only reason that I wouldn't run, if I absolutely couldn't run.

It's great to see these guys stepping up. Obviously, it can be done in some different ways. The important thing is, we have the talent in the U.S., but we need the systems in place if we want to build that depth.

Anybody can be a runner, ... We were meant to move. We were meant to run. It's the easiest sport.

I hope that when I die, I go that way. I would love to be out on a run and just go, rather than a lingering death.

I love this idea. I'm a fan of testing for all sports.

I have never met anyone who doesn't slow down as they go 40 and over!

I really had fun with the sport but I needed a little time. I would like to get out there but I will be cheering them on, maybe give them water at the finishing line.

In my opinion, there's too much emphasis on just the long run in preparing for the marathon.

I had heard rumors that she wasn't coming back, but Catherine always said that she loved Boston and she has done a great job here.

I do think light weights are helpful, as would be pushups, abdominal work-and stretching or a bit of swimming.

I am a convenience King. That is, I'll do a workout if its in reach.

I do believe eating "smart" will lead to superior efforts over the long haul.

I believe 100 per cent in continued running after 40, and racing too, if one so desires.

I believe in light shoes for every runner.

Aging is one for all to observe and we will all be challenged by that force.