“You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.”
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent" Calvin Coolidge
"Cassidy early on understood that a true runner ran even when he didn't
feel like it, and raced when he was supposed to, without excuses and
with nothing held back. He ran to win , would die in the process if
necessary, and was unimpressed by those who disavowed such a base
motivation. You are not allowed to renounce that you have never possessed, he
thought." (Quenton Cassidy - 'Once a Runner')
I just finished up "once a runner" and it's one of the best damn running books I have EVER read... gave me chills just reading the final chapter
ReplyDeleteI just read the chapter where he does the three interval sets of 20 quarters...then proceeds to urinate blood. AMAZING.
ReplyDeleteAh that book is so freaking riveting!! I love how his coach just doesn't tell him about the next phase until it's there. Teaches you to just focus on the "here and now" and forget about what you have to do later on.
ReplyDeletePlus the way he describes track meets is spot on, my hands started sweating when reading the final few chapters and I was all jacked up after finishing it. So much so that I couldn't fall asleep without thinking about ripping solid quarters off...