Quotes from Seb Coe's book - Running my life.

I've written some of the best quotes from this book that resonated with me. I would recommend having a read of the book to get an idea of how one of the worlds best middle distance runners trained.

Pg 29 "x country running was literally the making of me, and it saddens me that it's now so overlooked. You are using every part of your body. It's hard and it's tough. You've got to maintain balance, .... Think ahead.... It's both physical and mental. It's the supreme all round conditioner and if you can deal with what's thrown at you on a tough x country course, you can deal with anything."

Pg 64 " training is not about running quicker, it's about running smarter, about understanding optimal pace levels that challenge or enhance specific systems. Only run at paces that will achieve the physiological adaptations you seek. By running faster than you need in training you run a higher risk of injury. "

Pg 314 "Kelly Holmes inspired more girls to take up sport than any government or sports body initiative, simply by winning the double (800 and 1500 m)in Athens"

Pg 320 "the only competitive advantage we all have is the ability to learn quicker than the opposition. Ron Clarke who was breaking records in the sixties, Emil Zatipek in the forties and fifties, and before them Paavo Nurmi from Finland in the twenties, were ahead of the game because in their era they were doing what nobody else was doing."

Pg 372 "all energy is total; physical energy and mental energy are inextricably linked. You summon it all up for one really serious moment. You don't start eating away at it."

Pg 374 "we need to give children the right opportunities, and expose them to extraordinary things at formative moments of their lives"

Pg 399 "...choose your fights. Pick those small enough to win but big enough to matter. "