From a beautiful, thoughtful short profile of elite runner Ryan Hall in The New Yorker on 16 March 2015:

"... I want everyone to experience the elation of what it's like to win the gold medal, but obviously that's not possible. But we can experience a joy that's even deeper than that—like, every single person, every moment of every day. It's possible."

... and ...

" ...that's where it comes back to excellence. I try and get everything out of my body that God's put in me, the best I can. You hear it a million times—'Just do your best'—but, really, that's all you can do."

... and ...

"I like to go into a race not expecting anything. Not expecting to feel like a million bucks. Not expecting to hit certain splits or the race to unfold a certain way. I like to go into a race with not a real strong, set game plan, but just knowing that I'm going to take my swing at some point in the race, and then see what happens."

... and ...

"A lot of athletes are trying to prove themselves through their performances. I'm trying to be aware of who I am so I can perform at my highest level. Which is a lot different."

^z - 2015-03-23