Zeal leads to zest, even for zonked runners.

I’m tired today. Really zapped. It would have been easy not to run. I’ve been carrying some extra rocks in my backpack lately (proverbially speaking), and it’s caused me to feel sort of run-down.

That’s the kind of day when a run can really matter most.

So I ran. I didn’t do 20 miles or anything, just a quick loop of a few miles. But I honestly felt better after I got out there.

I heard someone say that the hardest step of any run is the first step out the door. Oh, boy. That’s so true. Once I began chugging along, I gained some momentum and motivation.

Sure, there are times when a rest day is just the ticket.

But when it’s a planned run day, we sometimes need to push ourselves to get out there, whether we want to or not. That’s where we grow. Today’s “Running Quotes by Non-Runners” pick sums this up aptly.

“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” TS Eliot (1888-1965)

Tired stretches really do stretch our limits. They test our mettle. They raise our gumption. And they show us that we can raise the bar and still reach it, if we just push through. (How’s that for a handful of hackneyed phrases? But they still ring true.)

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Yes, you can = The runner’s motto

I recently received a pretty new metal water bottle that bears this message: “They said I couldn’t, so I did.”

That sort of says it all. Runners can be stubbornly determined. We run through fatigue, pain, sickness, and stress. And when doctors tell us to stop running, we cringe a little. Then we sort of chuckle. Then we put on our sneakers.

We just do.

Even after serious injuries (like the kind that include broken bones), we usually start running weeks before doctors say we should.

Again, we just do.

Runners gotta run. And not just that. Runners gotta run farther than we’ve run before. And faster. And steeper and stronger.

Runderdog’s “Running Quotes by Non-Runners” choice for today puts it this way:

 

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962).

The famous American First Lady and mother of six children has been known as a can-do person, although she wasn’t a runner. Eleanor Roosevelt accomplished lots for philanthropic and human rights causes.

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Xtreme excitement awaits runners who expect it.

Running is an addiction. (I have said that before, and it wasn’t an original thought. It’s pretty much a universal sentiment among avid runners.) Maybe it’s the fine feeling of fitness, the happiness of hearty health, or the amazing awareness of personal achievement.

Or it could be the adrenaline of doing something awesome.

If that’s the case, it might explain why runners always seem to be seeking greater challenges, longer distances, and stupendous stunts. Examples include ultra races, obstacle races, mud runs, technical trail races, round-the-clock races, and full Iron Man triathlons. Whenever a runner meets an ultimate goal, another one awaits.

Maybe that’s a suitable entrée for today’s Runderdog “Running Quotes by Non-Runners” entry:

 “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” Helen Keller (1880-1968)

Amen to that.

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Title image created by this user with public domain art.

Quotation Graphic created by this user with public domain photo.

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well. And I am happy to share my RUNDERDOG ambassador code for 10% off on Bondi Band Athletic Headbands, Accessories, and Fashions. (Simply enter the code at online checkout.).