Training For Ultra Quotes

“I had never felt more alive, more happy to be living in the moment. My suffering stood on the horizon, like the mountain, contrasting comfort. It stood starkly against familiarity, above old limitations, and towered over complacency. The mountains added the beauty and depth to the landscape around me. I was pushing into a totally new realm and pushing towards my dream of testing my limits. It did not feel pleasant, not in this hour, but I forced myself to run the last mile.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“Once you master breaking down the mental wall of running, there are no limits. When you both see and believe that you can run further, run faster, you can.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“Resting when you are tired at mountain races is unwise until you reach lower altitudes, I have learned.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“I believe we are missing the root cause. Most fundamental to our health are the habits we form. Food is fundamental. Exercise is essential. Together they are a powerful combination. It seems incredibly basic, but we seem to have forgotten the basics. I know I did.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“You must train regularly and there are rarely any shortcuts.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“There is no finish like the one you questioned.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“By setting hard personal goals, I awoke with a clear purpose. This purpose reinforced my healthy eating habits and exercise. My life became balanced (still extreme, but balanced).”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“Inspiration can be fleeting. Self-motivation is everlasting if it is sincere.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“It can be hard, out there during a tough race or long run gone wrong, to remember that we choose these mental and physical tests. We are fortunate to experience these events.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“It was only sifting through depths that deep that I was able to uncover my soul. Maybe it was not really about this race; it was about finding those few thoughts that transcended the darkness, the ones that would only be conjured up within my head during times of need. Maybe it was finding a spiritual level of flow while running, floating down the trail like I’ve never experienced before, finding myself running within ultra.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“200 milers are different, you can come back from the dead.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“Everyone can be a runner, all ages, all levels, because a runner is not defined by how fast you are, but how much you love to do it. Your passion for running can have different motives, exploring a place, being outside, staying fit and healthy, social happening, way of peace and meditation, exploring your own capacity, reaching goals and dreams or a professional way to make money.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“I started easy, so I reminded myself of the wisdom I had often heard repeated by experienced ultrarunners: it’s not about who goes the fastest, it’s about who doesn’t slow down the most.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“Most ultramarathons are a sufferfest. I have concluded that it does not matter who you are or how much training you have completed, everyone suffers at some point during an ultra. What differentiates ultrarunners is how they handle themselves in the low moments.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“Life is about the experience and the adventure, not temporary happiness. Not the stuff.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“Pablo Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” There is truth in that thought. Considering my own experience, I tailored it a little: every child is a runner. The problem is how to remain a runner once we grow up.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“Visualizing a positive outcome is a powerful tool to produce positive outcomes. Visualization can make something that seems statistically improbable and turn it into a reality.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“A goal is an amazing thing. If harnessed properly, it can boost us out of bed on the days that we want to pull up the covers and keep our eyes squeezed shut. It can motivate us to aspire beyond our comfort zones. I enjoy setting goals that seem out of reach because I do not fear not accomplishing them.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack

“Something during the deepest moments pointed me forward. Maybe it was the feeling of being human that I had longed for this whole time. Maybe it was not about seeing how far I could run, but possibly about stripping myself down to my core to see what I was really made of. Capable of. Maybe it was within those lows that I was able to peek inside and see what my true character could handle.”
― Rob Steger, Training For Ultra: Ultra Running Stories From the Middle of the Pack