Meb is the perfect teacher on marathons and life lessons in his inspiring tale on what he learned over the course of 26 professional marathons. His pro career included vastly impressive accomplishments, setting records at various distances, winning both the Boston Marathon and NYC Marathon, and an Olympic marathon medal. Meb took more than medals from all these accomplishments, the mindset he gained from the trials it took to get to these podiums is something every runner should strive for.
One of my favorite things about this book is the focus on how much marathoning reflects life and how every race has something to teach you. He summarizes this perfectly, stating: “one way the marathon is different from other races is that its lessons often have parallels in the rest of life. The patience needed to master the marathon is a transferable skill. Taking the long view, putting in the unglamorous daily work, finding joy in the process, saving something for the inevitable challenges”. Personally, I know I’ve grown so much in life through running because I’ve let those lessons carry over into everything I do and it was amazing to hear a pro talk about experiencing this as well.
While I believe strongly in the power of the marathon, you don’t have to take on the distance to appreciate the many powerful lessons this book has to offer. A top lesson to learn is a positive mindset on running and racing, as Meb puts it “run to win” which “isn’t about finishing first, but about getting the best out of yourself.” To me this is the ultimate golden lesson running has to offer; it will teach you how to focus on giving your best, not only on a big days but in your everyday life. Throughout the book Meb comes back to this motto, reminding the reader the importance of this key lesson. It’s a helpful way to make his story of global greatness somehow feel relatable. While getting to the podium at a world major or the Olympics is very rare, the mindset and lessons Meb has to offer are unifying and can be utilized by any runner.
Additionally, any runner can benefit from learning about Meb’s race day strategies. Races can be stressful for any runner, learning to manage race day as best you can is an important skill to gain. Meb has a helpful outlook throughout the book on approaching races with a focus on controlling what you can, letting go of what you can’t, having multiple goals, and not giving up when things get tough or top goal slips from reach. He gives epic examples of how these lessons allowed him to perform well even when a race was not going perfectly well, which it’s important given race day is very rarely going to go perfectly.
Lastly, I really enjoyed Meb’s community focus and discussion around sportsmanship in running. It was heartwarming to hear stories about see competitors cheering each other on in marathons and how much respect he has for his competition. This is another thing I love so deeply about running, the running community it wants everyone to do their best. Everyone can have wins on race day, regardless of your time or place.
Whether you’re new to running or a veteran of the sport, there’s a lesson worth learning in this book! A perfect read for first time or long time marathoners especially as it has so much to teach about how to conquer the great challenge of going 26.2 miles.
Next month: Do Hard Things by Steve Magness