Elite Insights: 10 Pieces of Awesome Advice From Top Runners

Meseret Defar, DeAnna Sodoma Heading ... Photos: 2016 Carlsbad 5000 One-Mile a...

Elite Insights: 10 Pieces of Awesome Advice From Top Runners

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Meb Keflezighi on what it takes to be successful

"No matter how fast you are, it all comes down to commitment, hard work, perseverance and passion. If you have those things and have the courage to test yourself from time to time, you never know how things might turn out or whom you might inspire. Reach for the stars; you might only get one or two or maybe 10, but you won’t get any if you don’t reach for them." Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Zach Miller on developing as an ultrarunner

"You’ve got to get yourself strong. It’s a long way. I see from my first 50K to JFK, I’ve seen myself develop as a runner. You’ve got to get strong. You need to be strong to cover that distance. Enjoy it and have fun with it. Once you’re strong and you’re ready physically, it’s a battle mentally. You got to love it and go after it. Stay positive. Just throw your heart into it. If you can get that mental component done after you’re physically in shape, you can be really successful." Photo: Franck Oddoux/ULTRA-TRAIL DU MONT-BLANC

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Desiree Linden on patience

“You need patience to understand that it’s a process just to step up to the start line and to develop into a better athlete,” Linden says. “I would’ve loved immediate results, but that wasn’t in the cards for me. I had to put in the work and chip away. It was the one controllable. That way, I could be satisfied with results even if I didn’t make the team.” Photo: Scott Draper

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Ryan Hall on quality over quantity

"If I could go back and do it again I would have put a lot more value on quality rather than quantity. I know there is a value for aerobic running and putting time on your feet, but I needed to be less married to the schedule and more aware of and in tune with my own body." Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Shalane Flanagan on the cumulative training effect

"I think the beautiful thing is that a lot of the work I’ve done since my first one has accumulated. I can go away from the marathon and go back to the track like I did [last] summer and jump back in it and my body remembers how to do it again, which is great. I don’t have to keep up this high volume all year round to be a marathoner so I’m appreciative that all those miles I’ve logged over the past five years or so are still in the legs and the body still remembers how to go the distance. So that’s nice to know—that I don’t have to out-do myself every time, and, in fact, I feel like I can actually do a little bit less volume and a little more quality now, which is fun for me." Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Lauren Fleshman on healing from injury

"When an injury has turned out to be something big and I realize I’m going to have to start back at ground zero, I do my best to try and let go. I take advantage of the time to be a more balanced human and do things with my family and friends. I think it helps with the healing." Photo: Scott Draper

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Rob Krar on easy days and recovery

"Fundamentally the biggest change I made [since turning my focus to the trails and ultrarunning] was taking my easy days easy and having focused hard days. There are really no exceptions to that. I think running by myself a lot allows me to do that a lot more. I don’t get caught up in a faster pace or the testosterone that builds when you get a bunch of dudes out there on the trails. So yeah, easy days easy and respect the recovery as well." Photo: Glen Delman

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Kara Goucher on dealing with doubters

“I hear it—people tell me I’m too old or my best days are past me. That’s too bad they think that, but it doesn’t matter what they think. I’m not running for those people. I’m 100 percent focused on what I need to do, and whether I make the team or not, it’s been worth the journey to try.” Photo: James Carney

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Steve Jones on dedication

"For me, it was about getting up in the morning, running to work, running at lunchtime, go back to work and then run home from work. It’s that kind of mentality, but I knew every stride was helping me. Sometimes I’d be out there at midnight, doing 4 x 5 minutes on a country lane and all I could see was a little dot of a light at the end of the road. I would be charging down that street in the pitch black, and in my head, Carlos Lopes, Mike McLeod and Brendan Foster were on my shoulder. I just drove myself, mentally, as much as physically." Photo: Scott Draper

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