Take a photo of a barcode or cover
travellingcari's review against another edition
4.0
A little Meb history, but mostly an advice column for runners bucketed by topic. I really mostly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to runners of all stripes. While Meb is a legend and has done what almost none of us reading this book could or would, his advice scales. What I found especially useful is his tips about using the pace you feel you're running on a recovery run to judge whether you're recovered. I also liked how in the the Kindle edition the graphics actually worked vs. being laid out weirdly. I look forward to trying some of his stretches and wholly agree re: prehab. He plugs his sponsors, mostly within reason. I think he could talk a little less about Elliptigo though.
My one quibble. Most of the book he said "now this is what I do, but it might not work for you" but he's weirdly anti water bottle:
"Now, let’s be honest—if you carry a bottle for a 5-K or a 10-K, then we have some problems. But for a marathon or a half-marathon that’s going to take more than 2 hours, if carrying your own drink will make you feel comfortable, I’m okay with that."
Who makes Meb the police of what drinking frequency works for other runners? Does it really affect him if John Q. Runner needs a drink on a mile fun run?
My one quibble. Most of the book he said "now this is what I do, but it might not work for you" but he's weirdly anti water bottle:
"Now, let’s be honest—if you carry a bottle for a 5-K or a 10-K, then we have some problems. But for a marathon or a half-marathon that’s going to take more than 2 hours, if carrying your own drink will make you feel comfortable, I’m okay with that."
Who makes Meb the police of what drinking frequency works for other runners? Does it really affect him if John Q. Runner needs a drink on a mile fun run?
amanda_noel's review
4.0
I feel like Goldilocks! If the Higdon book was a bit too aimed at beginners then this was the opposite. Meb’s book does exactly what it promises- describes how he goal sets, trains, eats, etc… and most of those things are in ways you can’t really replicate if being an elite runner isn’t your job. (I would LOVE to get massages several times a week but that os not happening… I am not going to have the same diet as him being vegetarian and honestly just not prioritizing running to the point of never indulging in an alcoholic beverage etc)
That being said, Meb is a huge inspiration and I kind of want to go back and re-read his book 26 marathons which was full of so much kindness and inspiration. It also reminded me of some stretching and recovery work.
That being said, Meb is a huge inspiration and I kind of want to go back and re-read his book 26 marathons which was full of so much kindness and inspiration. It also reminded me of some stretching and recovery work.
red3horn's review
Not going to rate this as I skimmed most of it because it's a piece of arrogant and elitist trash.
I have read numerous books from elite athletes and books on elite athletes and no one has pissed me off this bad. Not even Steve Prefontaine, but I always imagine Pre as Jared Leto so he has that out.
This started out decent enough and I liked that Meb's goal to win Boston was to pay tribute to those killed and/or injured in the Boston 2013 bombing. I liked that, but that was about all there was to like about this.
I don't know who the intended audience was with this book of training methods but it wasn't me. I can get passed the ignorance and flippant attitude towards dietary issues, though I really want to give Meb a good old V8 smack in the head for eating so much damn red meat, but the rest of it?
The strength training, stretching and recovery was nothing special. Google all of those terms or follow a few running blogs and you get the same if not better workouts. The cross training was another selling point on a machine that he uses... the amount of product plugging in this was crazy. I get that they pay him but good lord, enough already.
In this book, we get "advice" or "guidance" from an elite athlete on how to run like he does and basically what you get is an arrogant man telling you how expensive his toys are, how great the shoes he runs in are because they have his name on them and how shitty of a person you are if you dare to carry your own bottle of water or electrolyte drink *gasp* with you on a 5k or 10k because...
Wow, thanks for your approval on if and only if I am running for 2+hours other than that, I have a problem.
My only problem is picking this up and thinking it would have any relevance to the runner that I am and that I want to become. I had hoped to cheer Meb on tomorrow in his race (Boston 2015) after reading this but... let's just say what comes out of my mouth for this Champion Marathoner won't be of the positive variety.
I have read numerous books from elite athletes and books on elite athletes and no one has pissed me off this bad. Not even Steve Prefontaine, but I always imagine Pre as Jared Leto so he has that out.
This started out decent enough and I liked that Meb's goal to win Boston was to pay tribute to those killed and/or injured in the Boston 2013 bombing. I liked that, but that was about all there was to like about this.
I don't know who the intended audience was with this book of training methods but it wasn't me. I can get passed the ignorance and flippant attitude towards dietary issues, though I really want to give Meb a good old V8 smack in the head for eating so much damn red meat, but the rest of it?
The strength training, stretching and recovery was nothing special. Google all of those terms or follow a few running blogs and you get the same if not better workouts. The cross training was another selling point on a machine that he uses... the amount of product plugging in this was crazy. I get that they pay him but good lord, enough already.
In this book, we get "advice" or "guidance" from an elite athlete on how to run like he does and basically what you get is an arrogant man telling you how expensive his toys are, how great the shoes he runs in are because they have his name on them and how shitty of a person you are if you dare to carry your own bottle of water or electrolyte drink *gasp* with you on a 5k or 10k because...
As a professional runner, I get to have bottles with my preferred drink waiting for me on the course, usually every 5 kilometers in a marathon. Now, let’s be honest—if you carry a bottle for a 5-K or a 10-K, then we have some problems. But for a marathon or a half-marathon that’s going to take more than 2 hours, if carrying your own drink will make you feel comfortable, I’m okay with that.
Wow, thanks for your approval on if and only if I am running for 2+hours other than that, I have a problem.
My only problem is picking this up and thinking it would have any relevance to the runner that I am and that I want to become. I had hoped to cheer Meb on tomorrow in his race (Boston 2015) after reading this but... let's just say what comes out of my mouth for this Champion Marathoner won't be of the positive variety.
jamietheriault's review
4.0
Easy little read - lots of validation and I did pick up a few new pointers, mostly in the way of form and nutrition! Always learning!
jasminsroman's review
4.0
Some words of advice from one of running's heroes ... and what I needed to keep the motivation from this weekend going!
tombuoni's review against another edition
Great book with a full range of running tips from Meb, an inspiring marathon runner who grew up as an Eritrean refugee in the United States and who trained to become the only person to achieve an Olympic medal and win both the New York Marathon and Boston Marathon. Here’s a few of his tips:
“Your goals should have [a] pull on you. They should be things you want to achieve for yourself, not to meet someone else’s expectations. Training to reach a goal requires a lot of hard work. When you hit a tough stretch, either physically or mentally, if the goal you’re working toward has deep significance for you, you’ll find a way to persevere. But if someone else thrust the goal upon you, when you hit tough stretches, you’re going to think, “Wait, why am I doing this?””
“IT’S BETTER TO BE UNDERTRAINED THAN OVERTRAINED. As runners, we tend to think more is always better. We all want to be known for going the extra mile. At times, that used to be me, but not these days. In my own running and that of many elite and recreational runners, I’ve seen more problems arise from going 1 mile too many than 1 too few.”
“There’s always a balance between taking others’ advice and doing what’s best for you.”
“On the start line, I take time to calm myself and just be thankful I’m there. One of the things I was thinking before the 2014 Boston Marathon was “Last year I wasn’t healthy and couldn’t run here. Now I’m healthy. I’m thankful to get to run this race, and I hope to give my best.””
“For me, goal A is usually to win. For you, it might be to set a personal best or, if it’s your first time doing a race of that distance, to get to the finish line. My goal B is usually to get on the podium (finish among the top three). Yours might be to run the fastest you have for the distance in the last 5 years. My goal C might be to be the top American. Yours might be your fastest time ever on the course you’re running. And so on down through several more possible outcomes.”
— Meb For Mortals: How to Run, Think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner by Meb Keflezighi, Scott Douglas
https://a.co/j492BJq
“Your goals should have [a] pull on you. They should be things you want to achieve for yourself, not to meet someone else’s expectations. Training to reach a goal requires a lot of hard work. When you hit a tough stretch, either physically or mentally, if the goal you’re working toward has deep significance for you, you’ll find a way to persevere. But if someone else thrust the goal upon you, when you hit tough stretches, you’re going to think, “Wait, why am I doing this?””
“IT’S BETTER TO BE UNDERTRAINED THAN OVERTRAINED. As runners, we tend to think more is always better. We all want to be known for going the extra mile. At times, that used to be me, but not these days. In my own running and that of many elite and recreational runners, I’ve seen more problems arise from going 1 mile too many than 1 too few.”
“There’s always a balance between taking others’ advice and doing what’s best for you.”
“On the start line, I take time to calm myself and just be thankful I’m there. One of the things I was thinking before the 2014 Boston Marathon was “Last year I wasn’t healthy and couldn’t run here. Now I’m healthy. I’m thankful to get to run this race, and I hope to give my best.””
“For me, goal A is usually to win. For you, it might be to set a personal best or, if it’s your first time doing a race of that distance, to get to the finish line. My goal B is usually to get on the podium (finish among the top three). Yours might be to run the fastest you have for the distance in the last 5 years. My goal C might be to be the top American. Yours might be your fastest time ever on the course you’re running. And so on down through several more possible outcomes.”
— Meb For Mortals: How to Run, Think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner by Meb Keflezighi, Scott Douglas
https://a.co/j492BJq
alisarae's review
4.0
This was a good book that collects a lot of running resoures into one place: stretching, body strength exercises, drills, all with photos of Meb illustrating how to do them properly. I come from a swimming background, so I have hundreds of swimming drills in my back pocket but zero running drill knowledge. I know that there are many free resources online for this type of thing, but it's nice to have all of it in one place.
As other people have said, there are some goofy sponsorship messages (at least he is honest about saying it's a sponsor), and some of the advice is basic (set well defined A, B, and C goals, for example) but it was still interesting. As an athlete who literally has decades of professional running experience, it is nice to learn what training principles he lives by:
- It's better to be undertrained than overtrained
- Constantly evaluating choices in light of the bigger goal ('Can I have this doughnut? No, because my goal is to win the Boston Marathon.' -- maybe a little extreme for recreational runners but... he did go on to win the Boston Marathon. A more relevent question might be: Should I log on to facebook after 9:30pm? No, because it will tempt me to stay awake too late and compromise my workout tomorrow, and my goal is to run a sub-4 marathon.)
- Patience is key. Long distance running is not for the impatient.
- Diligence, discipline, and consistency in all areas of life
- Stay humble and honest
I understand why Meb is such a beloved figure in American running. His stoicism, commitment to excellence in his professional and personal life, his faith, and his humility are very inspiring.
As other people have said, there are some goofy sponsorship messages (at least he is honest about saying it's a sponsor), and some of the advice is basic (set well defined A, B, and C goals, for example) but it was still interesting. As an athlete who literally has decades of professional running experience, it is nice to learn what training principles he lives by:
- It's better to be undertrained than overtrained
- Constantly evaluating choices in light of the bigger goal ('Can I have this doughnut? No, because my goal is to win the Boston Marathon.' -- maybe a little extreme for recreational runners but... he did go on to win the Boston Marathon. A more relevent question might be: Should I log on to facebook after 9:30pm? No, because it will tempt me to stay awake too late and compromise my workout tomorrow, and my goal is to run a sub-4 marathon.)
- Patience is key. Long distance running is not for the impatient.
- Diligence, discipline, and consistency in all areas of life
- Stay humble and honest
I understand why Meb is such a beloved figure in American running. His stoicism, commitment to excellence in his professional and personal life, his faith, and his humility are very inspiring.