“What is the logic of punishing yourself each day, of striving to become better, more efficient, tougher?” This was a question that I would come to ask myself—and come to be asked quite frequently—the older I became. Prefontaine’s answer sums up his legendary mindset. “The value in it is what you learn about yourself. In this sort of situation all kinds of qualities come out—things that you may not have seen in yourself before.”