Sunday, February 14, 2021

26 Marathons by Meb Keflezighi

 
I've been a fan of Meb Keflezighi ever since I watched him win a silver medal in the marathon at the Athens Olympics in 2004 for Team USA. In his long career as a distance runner, he ran 26 marathons altogether, winning both the New York City Marathon in 2009 and the Boston Marathon in 2014. With every marathon he ran he learned something....a key takeaway from every challenge, triumph, struggle and defeat he faced; he shares those life lessons in this book. Here are a few of my favorites:
  • Consistency is key!
  • What matters is what you do, not what you say you're going to do.
  • You'll never know if your time has come if you don't try.
  • Celebrate every personal best.
  • Never give up on your dreams.
  • Giving your best over the whole course is what life is about.
  • In whatever we do in life, it's important to finish strong. You can always rest when you're done.
This is such a great book! Even if you've never run a day in your life and you have no desire to ever run a marathon, this book is still an accessible, interesting, honest and heartfelt read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Happy Reading!
 

30 comments:

  1. He is quite amazing. I grew up just a few hundred yards from Heartbreak Hill on the Boston Marathon course so while not a runner, I always follow it somewhat. What made you pick up the book?

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    1. I ran a bit in high school and I've always been an admirer of people who can do these long races so well. Plus, it's Meb. And Meb is awesome! :)

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  2. I've never been a runner, but this sounds so good!

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    1. I ran cross-country in high school, but I was not very good at it. I mostly did it to fulfill a PE credit. :)

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  3. Sounds like a great read! I'm glad to hear this book is accessible to all readers even if you are not a runner. I'm not a runner myself but am interested in reading about runners/running in general as I have a few long distance runners as relatives.

    My sister in law has run the Boston marathon 5 times and has participated in triathlons and ultra-marathon trail races, so I wonder if she's read Meb Keflezighi's book?

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    1. She'd certainly relate to all his attempts to run and win the Boston marathon! And it's a book I think you'd like, too. :)

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  4. This sounds great! I used to run track in high school . . . but it's been a long time since I've run!

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  5. Sounds like a good one. I'm a fan of long-distance running, too, but had to give it up when my knees finally became so chronically painful that I couldn't do it anymore. Still miss those days. I did manage to get six marathons under my belt before I was 45, and I was running half-marathons until almost 50. I missed running so much that I dreamed about it for months after being forced to giver it up. I'll be looking for this book.

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    1. Wow. You ran six marathons? That's amazing! I think you'd like this book. Meb's journey through his 26 marathons is a fascinating one. :)

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  6. Sounds like a good read. And a Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours.

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  7. Excellent! I might just get this for my sister. She's run a few half marathons already. Me - I'm a couch potato!

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    1. I'm mostly a couch potato, too! I do like to go out hiking and walking, but running? Nope. :)

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  8. This sounds so good! Very inspiring! Those life lessons you list are are great. :)

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  9. I admit I'm not a sports person but I certainly can appreciate the dedication athletes have to achieve their dreams. Inspiring!

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  10. He sounds like an impressive guy and I love the messages he shares about running and perseverance in this book. I'm trying to read more nonfiction books this year so I'll have to keep this one in mind.

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  11. Like Iliana, I'm not a sports person but I find many athletes' stories are inspiring and some even touching.

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    1. I'm always inspired by people who set high goals and then work hard to achieve them. :)

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  12. Oh, I hate running, but I admire his determination and his learnings!

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    1. I don't run any more, but I admire people who do.

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  13. I don't even run for a bus...too many times the driver would leave just as I reached the doors! I couldn't deal with the embarrassment!!! I doubt this guy would bother-he could beat the bus to its destination with no problem!

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  14. I've run two half-marathons and I'm signed up for another in May. We'll see if it gets canceled (for the 3rd time) again. This sounds like a wonderful story! I can't believe he's run 26 marathons! I'd like to do a full marathon someday when I have more time for the training. That's what gets me, the time you have to devote to training. It's a challenge just with a half-marathon.

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    1. I can't even imagine running a half-marathon, but I really admire anyone who runs one. Fingers crossed yours in May doesn't get cancelled this year!

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