Men, today we die a little...

Emil Zatopek, one of the greatest runners of all time, also gave us some memorable, philosophical quotations...

A runner must run with dreams in his heart, not money in his pocket.
Emil Zatopek

An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.
Emil Zatopek

Great is the victory, but the friendship of all is greater.
Emil Zatopek

If one can stick to the training throughout the many long years, then will power is no longer a problem. It's raining? That doesn't matter. I am tired? That's besides the point. It's simply that I just have to.
Emil Zatopek

If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.
Emil Zatopek

It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.
Emil Zatopek

Men, today we die a little.
Emil Zatopek

My running was very simple; it was out of myself.
Emil Zatopek

The athlete of today is not an athlete alone. He's the center of a team - doctors, scientists, coaches, agents and so on.
Emil Zatopek

There is a great advantage in training under unfavorable conditions. It is better to train under bad conditions, for the difference is then a tremendous relief in a race.
Emil Zatopek

To boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely stupid vanity. And if I can beat it that means there is nothing special about it. What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.
Emil Zatopek

We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.
Emil Zatopek

What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come.
Emil Zatopek

When I was young, I was too slow. I thought I must learn to run fast by practicing to run fast, so I ran 100 meters fast 20 times. Then I came back, slow, slow, slow.
Emil Zatopek

Why should I practice running slow? I already know how to run slow. I want to learn to run fast.
Emil Zatopek

You can't climb up to the second floor without a ladder. When you set your aim too high and don't fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to bitterness. Try for a goal that's reasonable, and then gradually raise it.
Emil Zatopek

RUnning by IIT

The old Chicago Marathon route used to take one past the Comiskey Park area and by IIT. Have k pleasant memories of running in interesting neighborhoods- one restaurant which served tea was very tempting to stop by during the run.

Enjoy now...Pay Later

Today was one of those days when the body moves effortlessly and running becomes a genuine pleasure. However, like all enjoyable things, there is a price to be paid. IN this case, one runs too fast and pays the price the rest of the day.

Runners' High

Top athletes in a number of sports run quite a bit. Jeff Thompson, the feared Australian fast bowler, and Walter Payton, the great Bears running back, used to run quite a bit during training.

Personal marathon

Pushing the body to its limit- is an interesting exercise. The thoughts that race through the brain, the legs that drag on...

Shrinking distance

All of us who used to do more than hundred miles a week are now down to twenty miles or so per week. Slowing times.

A complement of a Compliment...

Earlier this spring, I was going my office at IIT Madras one day by literally hanging outside a campus bus, with one foot on the bus step and one wrist holding a rail. Coincidentally the wife of a colleague of mine was inside the bus and noticed my acrobatics. Some time later, during a dinner, we talked about this event and she commented that I did not appear to have lost my touch with life at IIT. That was a compliment that complements my other compliments.