Amby Burfoot quotes

As we run, we become.
- Amby Burfoot

I always tell beginning runners: Train your brain first. It's much more important than your heart or legs.
- Amby Burfoot

If you train your mind for running, everything else will be easy.
- Amby Burfoot

Life is a marathon, not a sprint; pace yourself accordingly.
- Amby Burfoot

I have learned that there is no failure in running, or in life, as long as you keep moving.
- Amby Burfoot

It's not about speed and gold medals. It's about refusing to be stopped.
- Amby Burfoot

You have to want it, you have to plan for it, you have to fit it into a busy day, you have to be mentally tough, you have to use others to help you. The hard part isn't getting your body in shape. The hard part is getting your mind in shape.
- Amby Burfoot

Running has taught me, perhaps more than anything else, that there's no reason to fear starting lines... or other new beginnings.
- Amby Burfoot

I've never known a runner who had as much patience as he needed.
- Amby Burfoot

To get to the finish line, you'll have to try lots of different paths.
- Amby Burfoot

We have all learned everything we know physically from walking to running a marathon by trial and error, so there's no reason to become our own worst enemies when we suffer a setback. From time to time everyone falls short of their goals. It's an illusion to believe that champions succeed because they do everything perfectly. You can be certain that every archer who hits the bull's-eye has also missed the bull's-eye a thousand times while learning the skill.
- Amby Burfoot

Too many people have refused to begin running or have quickly dropped out of running programs because they 'have no talent for it.' Ridiculous. Talent has nothing to do with it. The only thing that matters is mental discipline.
- Amby Burfoot

Winning is not about headlines and hardware [medals]. It's only about attitude. A winner is a person who goes out today and every day and attempts to be the best runner and best person he can be. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up.
- Amby Burfoot

As runners, we all go through many transitions-- transitions that closely mimic the larger changes we experience in a lifetime. First, we try to run faster. Then we try to run harder. Then we learn to accept ourselves and our limitations, and at last, we can appreciate the true joy and meaning of running.
- Amby Burfoot

In running, it doesn't matter how fast or slow you are relative to anyone else. You set your own pace and you measure your own progress. You can't lose this race because you're not running against anyone else. You're only running against yourself, and as long as you are running, you are winning.
- Amby Burfoot

Why run? I run because I am an animal. I run because it is part of my genetic wiring. I run because millions of years of evolution have left me programmed to run. And finally, I run because there's no better way to see the sun rise and set... What the years have shown me is that running clarifies the thinking process as well as purifies the body. I think best - most broadly and most fully - when I am running.
- Amby Burfoot

Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up.
- Amby Burfoot

The true but rare runner's high is a zone that we enter when everything seems to click perfectly, when time stands still, and when we can run almost without effort.
- Amby Burfoot

I like to say, and I truly believe, that every run brings new experiences. You just don't know what they might be until you actually do the run. That's one of my major reasons for pushing out the front door as often as I do-the adventure of it all.
- Amby Burfoot

It's wrong to believe that you need a certain physical body type to run. All body types can run. It's not about your legs, muscles, or cellulite. It's not about the physical side of things. If you train your brain, your body will follow. It's that simple. The hard part isn't getting your body in shape. The hard part is getting your mind in shape.
- Amby Burfoot

While none of us can know for sure that running will add years to our life, there’s no doubt it will add life to our years.
- Amby Burfoot

Set a goal and a program for yourself, and everything else will follow. Guaranteed.
- Amby Burfoot

Here’s my mantra: "Every mile is a gift."
- Amby Burfoot

Courage is crossing a starting line.
- Amby Burfoot

This wasn't just an attack against the Boston Marathon. It was an attack against the American public and our democratic use of the streets. We have used our public roadways for annual parades, protest marches, presidential inaugurations, marathons, and all manner of other events. The roads belong to us, and their use represents an important part of our free and democratic tradition.
- Amby Burfoot

I run because I am an animal. I run because it is part of my genetic wiring. I run because millions of years of evolution have left me programmed to run. And, finally, I run because there's no better way to see the sun rise and set.
- Amby Burfoot

Running is ultimately a personal experience. It is a revival of the spirit, a private oasis for the thirsty mind. Yet, its healing power only increases in the presence of others. Run together and the oasis grows cooler and more satisfying.
- Amby Burfoot

Everyone stumbles at one time or another. It's the human condition.
- Amby Burfoot

Best wishes for a great marathon. Be sure to savor it. The first marathon is something special. Run long and healthy.
- Amby Burfoot

Don't judge your running by your speed.
- Amby Burfoot

That's the beauty of starting lines: Until you begin a new venture, you never know what awaits you.
- Amby Burfoot

In the longest run of all, your life, you're going to be a winner.
- Amby Burfoot

Motivation is a skill. It can be learned and practiced.
- Amby Burfoot

You don't need any skill to run. Every 3-year old knows how to run.
- Amby Burfoot

Once upon a time, about 20 years ago, runners believed they didn't have to do anything but run.
- Amby Burfoot