“My turning point came one day in Patagonia, just moments before the start of the Raid. There, on the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi, in the shadows of the snowcapped Andes, I recognized that the epic two-week race didn’t terrify me so much as make me feel Sisyphean. I wondered when it would all end. When would crossing the finish line of yet another superhuman test of endurance make me feel complete? A still, small voice in my head reminded me that the time I’d been happiest in my athletic life was when I was just a runner. Just a guy who laced up his shoes and ran because it felt good. That was enough.”

To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard, p. 34

Tags: happiness

“Too often I am consumed with being time-efficient in my coaching and in my own life, which can make something like stretching seem frivolous because it serves no direct, obvious purpose that can be time-quantified. In fact, stretching and time have about as much in common — to paraphrase Elvis Costello — as dancing and architecture. My runners have taught me that stretching is a state of mind. It is about personal flow and reconnection and a little bit of strapping on the mental battle armor for what’s about to come next. It is about the transition from the outside world to the pursuit of personal betterment.”

To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard, p. 28

Tags: stretching, time-efficiency

“My return to running was different the second time around, because I wasn’t doing it for anyone but me. I held myself accountable for every race, every workout, and every last mountain. Correspondingly, my marriage improved, and I stopped feeling thie inordinate need to find myself by traveling around the world to participate in countless different races. All of me that I needed to find was right here at home.”

To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard, p. 21

Tags: identity

“Strange how the way out of the wilderness is very often the same as the way in.”

To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard, p. 13

Tags: getting out

“The only way I could regain my fitness and active lifestyle was to pretend I’d never run a mile in my life, then start the long journey back by taking that first step out the door.”

            To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard, p. 10

Tags: beginning, new beginnings

“…keep pushing…always.”

To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard, p. xv

Tags: motivation, perseverence, persistence

“And with so many in the world all too happy to bask in mediocrity — settling instead of pushing — those who learn to be the best version of themselves know the secret to a full life.”

To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard, p. xv

Tags: best self

“To be a runner is to learn continual life lessons.”

To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard, p. xv

Tags: runner, running

“And I know that the simple act of service that comes from sharing knowledge and helping others realize their dreams is infinitely more fulfilling than anything I’ve ever done in my life.”

To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard, p. xv

Tags: fulfilment, service

“There is something innately human and wondrous about being the best possible version of ourselves on any given day.”

To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard, p. xiv

Tags: best self