The Incomplete Book of Running

by Peter Sagal

People ask me about the benefits of running, and there are many, even more than the ones discussed in this book, and I have realized many of them—better health, increased energy, the deep-seated thrill of setting a goal and, through difficult work, surpassing it. I have run many miles in many different places with many different people, and each one was worth the effort. But if there’s one thing that I have gained from my running career, it’s not the strength or cardiovascular fitness to run ten or twenty-six miles at a time, but the patience and focus to stay in the mile I’m in. Run long enough, and everything comes into view, be it a finish line or a home, a new one or one remade. What running has given me, most of all, is the practice of persistence. And maybe, too, a habit of hope. Running sometimes sucks, but every