Runner's Poems and Quotes

"Runner's Poem"

The knees, the knees, oh, lord, the knees.
They hurt as bad as doctor's fees.
Piriformis, tendinitis
Shins that splint, severe arthritis
Meniscus torn? The pelvis scanned,
Beware the iliotibial band.


"Running"

My breath is hampered, my face is bright red.
My legs are becoming weak and useless,
And now my hair is matted to my head,
From all my gross sweating I look a mess.
The hills seem to grow with each step of mine,
The wind whips my legs, as the cold grows worse.
I concentrate on the sidewalks cracked lines.
Blood pumps through my veins, my heart is the source.
When I run my world quickly whizzes by.
Running lets me contemplate my troubles,
My options seem to extend to the sky.
Running down the hill my slow pace doubles.
I start to head home, looking for my street,
Cleansing mind and body, running is a retreat.

Author: Amanda Rae Klohmann, USA


"Long Distance Runners"

They don't like running in the heat,
because only so many layers can come off
as their shoes bounce along the street
and the city's exhaust makes them cough.

Because only so many layers can come off,
unlike the adding of shirts in winter,
and the city's exhaust makes them cough
they sometimes wish they were sprinters.

Unlike the adding of shirts in winter,
they prefer long distances in fall.
They sometimes wish they were sprinters,
though their talent in speed is small.

They prefer long distances in fall,
though spring is also nice.
Though their talent in speed is small,
long distance runners pay the price.

Though spring is also nice
as their shoes bounce along the street,
long distance runners pay the price.
They don't like running in the heat.


Running Quotes

“It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse.”
Ann Trason

“You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming.”
Frank Shorter

“I've always felt that long, slow distance produces long, slow runners.”
Sebastian Coe

“We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.”
Will Rogers

“I'm going to go out a winner if I have to find a high school race to win my last race.”
Johnny Gray

“I always loved running - it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.”
Jesse Owens

“Running is my church.”
Joan Van Ark

“I believe that the Good Lord gave us a finite number of heartbeats and I'm damned if I'm going to use up mine running up and down a street.”
Neil Armstrong

“Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?”
Peter Maher

“A lot of people run a race to see who's the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts.”
Steve Prefontaine