If he wins seven golds and ties what I did, then it would be like I was the first man on the moon and he became the second. If he wins more than seven, then he becomes the first man on Mars. We'd both be unique.
Mark SpitzRead
The only side effect of too much training is that you get into better shape. There is nothing wrong with that.
Interpretation
Training leads to physical improvement and is beneficial.
Mark Spitz's quote emphasizes the positive outcomes of rigorous training, suggesting that the only downside to excessive exercise is improved physical fitness. It highlights the notion that commitment and hard work in training yield significant rewards without the burden of negative consequences.
In practice
During a motivational speech for athletes focused on pushing their limits.
If he wins seven golds and ties what I did, then it would be like I was the first man on the moon and he became the second. If he wins more than seven, then he becomes the first man on Mars. We'd both be unique.
I got beat real hard and heavy in the Olympic Games in 1968 by a guy who swam an incredible race one time in his whole life, but he did it right at the right time. I'd like to be that guy now. Maybe that's what I'm going to have to pull out of my hat to make the Olympic team.
If you are relaxing and subconsciously thinking about your coming race, you are going to perform at just about 100 percent efficiency.
I get up early in the morning, 4 o'clock, and I sit at my desk and what I do is just dream. After three or four hours, that's enough. In the afternoon, I run.
In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running.
You were born to run. Maybe not that fast, maybe not that far, maybe not as efficiently as others. But to get up and move, to fire up that entire energy-producing, oxygen-delivering, bone-strengthening process we call running.
Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.
One thing is certain: That is that the power of belief, the power of thought, will move reality in the direction of what we believe and conceive of it. If you really believe you can do something, you can. That is a fact.
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