Need some inspiration?
Here are over 1000 of the best inspirational and motivational quotes & sayings for runners.
Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned runner, you know that the most important factor is your mind.
Every mile you hit your mind will want to give up.
This is why you must work towards conditioning your mind to push through the pain and the desire to give up.
And one of the best ways to sharpen your mind is by reading powerful words.
These awesome motivational and inspirational quotes will get you pumped up and help you push through plateaus so you can reach and surpass your fitness goals!
QUOTES FOR RUNNERS
Just run. It’s very hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit.
That’s the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is. – Kara Goucher
You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction. – George Horace Lorimer
Running reminds you that even in your weakest moments … you are strong.
Sometimes the best runs come on days you didn’t feel like running.
When your legs can’t run anymore, run with your heart.
You have a choice. You can throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face.
There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream. – Unknown
A failure establishes only this, that our determination to succeed was not strong enough. – Christian Nestell Bovee
I am a distance runner. I’ve been trained to keep going, even when it’s hard, when it hurts, when it sucks, when I don’t want to. I look past it. Relentless forward progress to the finish. Call it what you want: stubbornness, endurance, determination, guts. Deep down, I don’t know how to give up.
You gotta dig a little deeper. Find out who you are.
Others make excuses to quit. You make excuses to keep going.
In case of doubt, push on just a little further and then keep on pushing. – General George S Patton, Jr.
They said I couldn’t do it. They said the road was too long, the journey too arduous. They were er— Oh. Dry heaves. Hang on.
Nothing can withstand the power of the human will if it is willing to stake its very existence to the extent of its purpose. – Benjamin Disraeli
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. – Marilyn vos Savant
I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened. – Wilma Rudolph
On the last mile, when your legs are tired and your lungs are burning, get angry. Get angry for being tired. Then run faster.
Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. -Michael Jordon
Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.
Everyone can run a few miles. Only winners can run a marathon.
Never go backward. Attempt, and do it with all your might. Determination is power. – Charles Simmons
You were born to run. Maybe not that fast, maybe not that far, maybe not that efficiently as others. But to get up and move, to fire up that entire energy-producing, oxygen-delivering, bone-strengthening process we call running. – Florence Griffith-Joyner
Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts. – Steve Prefontaine
I am willing to put myself through anything, temporary pain or discomfort means nothing to me as long as I can see that the experience will take me to a new level. I am interested in the unknown, and the only path to the unknown is through breaking barriers, an often painful process. – Diana Nyad
Every achiever I have ever met says, ‘My life turned around when I began to believe in me. – Robert Schuller
Sometimes running sucks, you’re tired, it’s early and it’s cold, you don’t wanna, till you lace up and remember why you love the run. Run pretty far.
Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be. – George A. Sheehan
Run the first two-thirds of the race with your head and the last third with your heart.
Out on the roads, there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be. – George Sheehan
It’s supposed to be hard… the hard is what makes it great.
Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting. – Napoleon Hill
Those who try to do something and fail… are infinitely better than those who try to do something and succeed…
Always concentrate on how far you’ve come, rather than how far you have left to go.
It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys. – Emil Zatopek
Training is what you are doing while your opponent is sleeping in. – Brian Owen
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. – Buddha
The person who starts the race is not the same person who finishes the race.
Passion is pushing yourself when no one else is around.
You are going to want to give up. Don’t.
Know that the pain will pass, and when it does you will be stronger.
We may train or peak for a certain race, but running is a lifetime sport.
Run grateful. Every mile is a gift.
Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. – William Feather
Determination becomes obsession and then it becomes all that matters. – Jeremy Irvine
I don’t believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be. – Ken Venturi
I run to be the best version of myself.
One run can change your day, many runs can change your life.
There will be days you don’t think you can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime off knowing you have.
Some people dream of success… while others wake up and work hard at it. – Unknown
Once you make the decision that you will no fail, the heart and body will follow. – Kara Goucher
I don’t run until it hurts; I run until the pain stops.
What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog. – General Dwight D. Eisenhower
If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run. – John Bingham
Never consider the possibility of failure; as long as you persist, you will be successful. – Brian Tracy
Ask yourself: ‘Can I give more?’ The answer is usually: ‘Yes.’ – Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner
We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort. – Jesse Owens
As a breed, runners are a pretty gutsy bunch. We constantly push ourselves to discover limitations, then push past them.
Running is alone time that lets my brain unspool the tangles that build up over days. – Rob Haneisen
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. – William James
If you are going through hell, keep going. – Winston Churchill
I think I get addicted to the feelings associated with the end of a long run. I love feeling empty, clean, worn out, and sweat-purged. I love that good ache of the muscles that have done me proud. – Kristin Armstrong, author of Mile Markers
Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.
― Mario Andretti
Start by doing what is necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you’re doing the impossible. – Saint Francis of Assisi
Remember, the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running.
Fall seven times, stand up eight. – Japanese Proverb
The real purpose of running isn’t to win a race. It’s to test the limits of the human heart.
Determination, energy, and courage appear spontaneously when we care deeply about something. We take risks that are unimaginable in any other context. – Margaret J. Wheatley
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable! ― Jillian Michaels
I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed: and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I fail and keep trying. – Tom Hopkins
Our running shoes have magic in them. The power to transform a bad day into a good day; frustration into speed; self-doubt into confidence; chocolate cake into muscle.
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. ― Beverly Sills
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will. ― Vince Lombardi Jr.
Running is alone time that lets my brain unspool the tangles that build up over days… I run, pound it out on the pavement, channel that energy into my legs, and when I’m done with my run, I’m done with it.
Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you. – Denis Waitley
A short run is better than no run at all.
It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.
Through the ups and downs of running, I have found new perspective in life. The suffering and success has made me a stronger, happier person. – Christine Casady
Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. – Dan Gable
It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things. ― Leonardo da Vinci
You don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great.
A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. – Elbert Hubbard
Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination. – Ralph Marston
RELATED QUOTES
- Positive Quotes
- Success Quotes
- Motivational Quotes For Confidence
- Words of Encouragement & Quotes
- Motivational Quotes For Athletes
- Motivational Quotes For Fitness, Exercise, & The Gym
- Motivational Quotes For The Grind, Hard Work, & Hustle
- Motivational Quotes About Hard Times & Adversity
- Motivational Quotes About Excuses, Laziness, & Responsibility
TIPS FOR RUNNERS
1. Have A Why
If you truly want to excel at anything in life, you must have a powerful “why” reason.
Why do you want to run?
To lose weight? To push yourself to accomplish more?
Make sure that before you begin, you have a solid purpose and reason to why you want to do this.
2. Learn The Skill
Running correctly is a skill. The keyword here is “correctly”.
Most people who start do not do it correctly and then injure themselves.
Take the time to to learn proper form and best practices.
And most importantly, learn how to do proper stretching.
3. Join A Group
Having a running buddy (or multiple) can be very powerful because they can help you feel more accountable.
You will find yourself on many occasions wanting to give up.
So by having a good support group, it will make it much easier for you to not give up.
4. Set Goals For Yourself
Every week, you should set a new goal for yourself.
Maybe in week one you want to run a mile four days a week.
Then in week two you do one and a half miles and so on.
Just make sure you have clearly defined goals and that you progressively keep pushing yourself.
5. Find The Right Shoes
Of course because of the world of marketing, you will be overwhelmed with all types of shoes being pushed down your throat.
You will read a ton of reviews and everyone will swear that the shoes they use are the best.
Here’s the truth: every “body” (or foot) is different.
What works great for one person will not for you.
Take the time to spend a few days trying on as many shoes as possible.
Find the right ones for you
6. Create Playlists
Good music that keeps you pumped up is going to be key to pushing yourself through plateaus.
Take the time to create multiple playlists for your ipod so that they are ready to go and that you have a new playlist for each day of the week you will go running.
You may also want to try listening to motivational speeches and lectures. These too can be quite powerful while you are training
RESOURCES
