book review: Fast Track; Training and Nutrition Secrets from America’s Top Female Runner

About

On Finding your Path

“I have learned that there is no failure in running, or in life, as long as you keep moving. It’s not about speed and gold medals. It’s about refusing to be stopped. You might find that one particular direction proves difficult, but there are many directions on a compass. Infinite, in fact. As long as you keep searching, you’ll find your winning way.”

On Creativity

“Sometimes my main reason for running is simply to see where my brain will go while my body is meandering through the local trails or roadways. It can never be predicted, and it’s always a surprise.”

On the Need for Traditions

“In a world that perpetually moves faster never slower, we need all the anchoring points we can find. Chaos erupts spontaneously in our spinning lives. It’s the center of the wheel that we need to focus on more often.”

On Bouncing Back

“Losing isn’t contagious. It’s not a fatal condition, and it’s not forever. It’s more like a cold that makes you miserable for a week but then goes away, and you’re fine.”

On Goals

“When in the mountains, enjoy the mountain scenery. Nobody achieves his goal without having some fun along the way. Without fun, we’d give up long before the finish line. If there’s any way to make te road easier and enjoyable, I’m all for it.”

On Starting Fresh

“Live goes on, day after day, but it also has the ability to reinvent itself, to start over. This is what the seasons show us. We all have marveled at the apple tree’s ability to rest through a dark, cold winter, then to grow new leaves in the spring, to blossom again, to bear fruit. We don’t often think of our lives this way, but I think we should.”

—Amby Burfoot