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Just finished reading Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner. This book is authored by Dean Karnazes (popularly known as "Karno") – an ultra endurance runner. The book describes Karno’s journey of becoming an ultra endurance runner and is highly inspirational. I give a strong recommendation for any runner to read this book (buy @ Amazon). Here is a very brief list of his running accolades:
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Here are some inspirational / motivational / training quotes from the book:
- Don’t run with your legs, run with your heart.
- If running feels good, you didn’t push hard enough. It’s supposed to hurt like hell.
- Go out harder and finish harder.
- Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived.
- Pain and suffering are often the catalysts for life’s most profound lessons.
- If you had the courage, stamina, and persistence to cross the finish line, you are a champion.
- Long distance runners requires a certain discretion and reserve. It’s easy to let you ego get the better of you early on and run beyond your means. It’s a mistake that may haunt as the miles and the hours add up.
- When exhaustion sets in, the mind often rationalizes the irrational. For example, 38 miles = 1 marathon + 2 10 Ks.
- Pain is the body’s way of ridding itself of weakness.
- Most dreams die a slow death. They’re conceived in a moment of passion, with the prospect of endless possibility, but often languish and are not pursued with the same heartfelt intensity as when first born. Slowly, subtly, a dream becomes elusive and ephemeral.
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If you can’t run then walk. And if you can’t walk then crawl. Do what you have to do. Just keep moving forward and never, even give up.
A shorter version of the above quote is:
Run when you can
Walk if you have to
Crawl if you must
Just never give up. - Runners are real people. They don’t run for money or recognition, they do it out of passion. Most have day job that pay the bills, and running is a labor of love.
- Without discipline to rise before dawn and pound out the miles, you’ll never make it. If the fire in your heart isn’t strong, there’s no point trying.
- How to run an ultramarathon ? Puff out your chest, put one foot in front of the other, and don’t stop till you cross the finish line.
- When it gets right down to it, the levels of commitment and devotion required to excel as an ultra-endurance athlete are all-consuming.
- The human body is capable of amazing physical deeds. If we could just free ourselves from our perceived limitations and tap into our internal fire, the possibilities are endless.
- Pursuit of a passion matters more than the passion itself. Immerse yourself in something deeply and with heartfelt intensity – continually improve, never give up – this is fulfillment, this is success.
- Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you’re not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you’re not demanding more from yourself – expanding and learning as you go – you’re choosing a numb existence. You’re denying yourself an extraordinary trip.
I only wish to reach up to 10% of his level … that’s my first "baby step". And certainly a dream would be run/train along with him 
Follow him at @DeanKarnazes or subscribe to his blog.
Technorati: running training ultramarathon motivation deankarnazes karno
This was my favorite quote from that book:
“As a running buddy once said to me: Life is a not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: “WOW!! What a ride!”
Comment by John D. Lilly — September 11, 2009 @ 2:35 pm
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John, totally agree! Life is worth a living, so lets live it by running and enjoying
Comment by arungupta — September 11, 2009 @ 3:05 pm
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Comment by Norris Simonis — April 10, 2011 @ 1:22 am