Quote Day

Some quick anecdotes I got from surfing the web during sustained silent reading:

Paul Tergat, the great Kenyan distance runner who holds the world marathon record of 2:04.55, described the depth of preparation for his re-match with Haile Gebrselassie in the 10 km at the 2000 Sydney Olympics (Gebrselassie won gold in Atlanta in 1996 to Tergat’s silver; the result was repeated in Sydney):
“I would be on the track, running hard, collapsing, getting up, and running hard again. And when I was done I couldn’t stand. I was so tired. I couldn’t eat. I felt sick. I had no energy to do anything other than take a drink of water and lie down. Then I’d think of Haile and know that he was training even harder.”
I like that one, it de-mystifies Tergat. Sure, he has great talent, but he works pretty hard as well. Speaking of talent, here is another quote I found out in cyberspace:

Dr. Glen Gaesser, professor of exercise physiology at the University of Virginia, referring to the definition of "talent." The professor was lecturing when someone asked him how to identify the most talented athletes. He paused dramatically to allow everyone to poise their pens, and then he said, "Go to a race and stand at the finish line. Then . . . see who crosses the line first. There is the most talented athlete."
That is great, it shows that talent is a combination. It's a mixture of genetic abilities, work ethic and competitive spirit. Lacking one of these three will not allow you to cross the line first. Very cool way to put it. And finally, I have to throw in my favorite
Lance Armstrong quote:
“Lance hates losing, but he’s not afraid of it.”
Lance used to train so hard, every day, because he was afraid of losing the race. He trained all year round, as hard as he could, covering every base, in order give himself the best chance he possibly could to win. On the other hand, he was never psyched out, he always had complete confidence in his abilities, and he never tied his deep self-worth to his race results. This mind-set freed him and allowed his superior mental and physical preparation to blow the doors off of competitors who were held back by the consequences of losing a race.