Dreams Can Come True

I love to read in the morning, especially books that inspire me to dream and help me find ways to realize my dreams. I’m currently reading A Coach and a Miracle, by Jim Johnson. It is a book that the Greece Athena varsity basketball coach wrote about lessons he learned while working with Jason McElwain and the team. Most of you are familiar with Jason’s story as it received national attention. Jason, AKA J-Mac, had one main goal; to play basketball for his school. However, no matter how hard he tried, he never made the team. Jason’s persistence, great attitude, and knowledge of the game got him a spot as the team manager. He went to practices, basketball camps, and never missed more than one game. He was all heart and he never gave up on his dream to play.

If you know the story, you know that Coach Johnson got him a uniform and had him play in the senior game, the last home game of the 2006 regular season. J-Mac went in with just over 3 minutes to go. He took his first shot and while people held their breath, he missed. He also missed his second shot. Did Jason give up? He was told no for years, finally gets a chance and misses two shots. I might have. I might have been thankful for the chance, but hang my head and walk off the court. Jason did not give up. He kept the intensity and kept going for it, and wow, did he show what he could do! 3-pointer after 3-pointer, shot after unbelievable shot, scoring 20 points in just 3 minutes! And the celebration that followed went on for a long time!

We can all learn something from this dedicated young man. Know your goals. Work on them every day. Never give up. Make your moment come and then be prepared.

Watch the J-Mac story here and think of your own story. Is it a sub 2:00 half marathon you’ve been aiming for? Maybe you want to run a 5K in under 30 minutes? Do you want to qualify for Boston? Have you missed a few attempts at your goal? I know I have. But I also know that I can learn from J-Mac’s first misses…. And know that if I come to my moment prepared, maybe I can score big too!

On a side note, Jason is a crazy fast runner and just qualified for Boston again, wining 2nd in his age group at the Charlotte Marathon with a time of 2:57:17! Congratulations Jason!

Happy Running!!!