Number 500

When I started blogging, I honestly didn’t think it would last very long. It was May of 2006, and I had just started to find a love of running. I was starting to think about training for my first marathon (that didn't happen at the time) and was looking for training plans online. In the process, I stumbled across a few running blogs and thought it would be interesting to try this blogging thing myself.

I started with my first blog three and half years ago, running-for-me, and created this blog a couple years ago when I was ready to go beyond running by adding more cycling and swimming, thus diving into the world of triathlons. Who know this blog would become a part of me and how I got to where I am today?!

I found blogging to be a place to keep myself accountable, read and learn from others experiences, share my own experiences with others, as well as gain motivation and that little extra push to keep myself going when things got difficult or when I was willing to give up. I haven’t competed in nearly as many 5K races, half marathons, or sprint triathlons as others, but I have been able to push myself harder with the added support and “words of wisdom” from many of you fellow bloggers out there! Thank you, thank you.

With that in mind, I have compiled a handful of some of my favorite quotes. These quotes do a pretty good job summing up the things I have learned or experienced along the way:

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan

"You only ever grow as a human being if you're outside your comfort zone." - Percy Cerutty

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." - Mark Twain

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

"Continuous effort -- not strength or intelligence -- is the key to unlocking our potential." - Liane Cardes

"Obstacles are those frightening things that become visible when we take our eyes off our goals." - Henry Ford

"The Truth is that Running Hurts. No one gets faster without meeting their personal pain barrier straight on. No amount of junk miles, fun runs or affirmations are going to get you over the hill at the five mile mark in a 10k. However, what will pull you through is solid prep with hard hill runs and interval work." - Manciata's explanation of the Truth about Running

"The more I talk to athletes, the more convinced I become that the method of training is relatively unimportant. There are many ways to the top, and the training method you choose is just the one that suits you best. No, the important thing is the
attitude of the athlete, the desire to get to the top." – Herb Elliott

"Pain is weakness leaving your body." -USMC

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." - Beverly Sills

"Top results are reached only through pain. But eventually you like this pain. You'll find the more difficulties you have on the way, the more you will enjoy your success." - Juha "the Curel Vaatainen

And finally, one of my all time favorites…..

“If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan