Basketball Words of Wisdom for Runners
Whether you’re a college basketball fan or not, it’s hard to turn on the TV or log onto Twitter or Facebook without hearing about the latest bracket challenge, watching a free-throw or reading about how all your friends feel about their favorite team.
With March Madness in full swing, it occurred to me earlier this week that as runners, we can take some motivation and running inspiration from college basketball. I was recently watching an ESPN special about legendary North Carolina State University coach Jim Valvano, who led his 1983 team to an NCAA Basketball Tournament championship against all odds. Just 10 years later, he sadly lost his aggressive battle against bone cancer.
This month marks 20 years since he gave his inspirational speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards. As you go for a run this week, think about these words from Jimmy V to help you get through a mental rut, overcome excuses that creep into your brain and to remember to be the best version of yourself you can be!
“How do you go from where you are to where you wanna be? You have to have a dream, a goal. And you have to be willing to work for it.”
“There are 86,400 seconds in a day. It’s up to you to decide what to do with them.”
“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”
What is your favorite quote for running inspiration? Are you a college basketball fan? If so, who are you cheering for?
Comments
I watched that story too on ESPN the other night! He was a very special coach and man, loved and admired by many. GOOOOOOO Gators!!
Jimmy V was very inspirational to many people. Thanks for posting this.
Oh, and I’m a University of Florida alum, so Go Gators!!
I watched his team play in 1983 and it was a very magical team. Every game they did not give up even though they played against teams with superior talent. They were the ultimate example of a team beating a Houston team for the NCAA championship that had two future NBA hall of fame players plus a couple of other NBA stars. Thank You Jimmy V. Lets go FGCU beat the Gators !!