Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life

The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life What 35 Years of Running Has Taught Me about Winning, Losing, Happiness, Humility, and the Human Heart 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 way." On Creativity "Sometimes my main reason for running is simply to see where my brain will go while my body is meandering though 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 the road easier and enjoyable, I'm all for it." On Starting Fresh "Life 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 own lives this way, but I think we should." About the Author A lifelong runner and running advocate, Amby Burfoot has been executive editor of Runner's World magazine since 1985. In 1968, he won the Boston Marathon, the first American to do so in 11 years. He is the author of The Principles of Running and Runner's World Complete Book of Running.Burfoot, Amby is the author of 'Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life ', published 2007 under ISBN 9781602391857 and ISBN 1602391858.