Quickening qualifies runners for quality in competition.

Here’s a quick query for you. What motivates runners, as they line up in alphabetical start corrals for big races? Is it adrenaline? Personal goals? Or the infectious enthusiasm of actual competition?

Maybe this is an individual question. But there’s no denying that running with rivals can rev us up. That brings us to the “Running Quotes by Non-Runners” offering for today.

“A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch up and outpace.” Ovid (43 BC-17 AD)

Publius Ovidius Naso, more commonly known as Ovid, was an ancient Roman poet. We don’t know much about his personal life and pursuits, although historians tell us he was married at least three times, having divorced his first two wives. Also, Emperor Augustus apparently banished him when he was about 50 years old, with rumors pointing to a moral indiscretion related to Augustus’ granddaughter. That’s not really related to running, except perhaps from personal commitments or social mores.

But I digress.

Ovid’s quote about outpacing horses rings true for me personally, as I am both a runner and an equestrian. One of my favorite sights is a herd of horses, galloping across an open field. They urge one another into higher gaits, not unlike a crowd of runners on an open road.

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Purpose is paramount for pursuing the prize.

When you run, do you think of it as running towards something or away from something? Maybe you’re running for the finish line or a personal record time. Perhaps you are running away from a recent injury, weight gain, or nagging medical condition. It could be you are running because you enjoy the company of your fellow runners.

Everybody has a reason for running. What’s yours?

That question points us to today’s “Running Quotes by Non-Runners” pick:

“All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why.” James Thurber (1894-1961)

James Thurber, a cartoonist and columnist, was not known as an athlete. Perhaps this is traced, at least in part, to the fact that his brother allegedly shot him in the eye with an arrow, while the two young boys played a William Tell reenactment game. 

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Title image created by this user with public domain art.

Quotation Graphic created by this user with public domain photo.

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Looking at lovely marvels lends extra value on the run.

While running outdoors, whether covering rugged terrain or trudging through city blocks, one only needs to look past one’s own footfalls to take in visual treasures. Personally, I can count some of my favorite runs as those in which I spotted wildlife, gazed at sunrises or sunsets, traced coastlines, or ran through amazing architectural displays.

Today’s “Running Quotes by Non-Runners” pick makes such a point:

 “Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen.” Louis L’Amour (1908-1988)

L’Amour wrote nearly 90 novels, primarily focusing on the American West. Having grown up in rural North Dakota, he surely knew firsthand the treasures to be found in the wilderness.

Maybe it’s not always all about the miles logged or the calories burned.

 

Images:

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.).