Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory
Deena Kastor was a star youth runner with tremendous promise, yet her career almost ended after college, when her competitive method—run as hard as possible, for fear of losing—fostered a frustration and negativity and brought her to the brink of burnout. On the verge of quitting, she took a chance and moved to the high altitudes of Alamosa, Colorado, where legendary coach Joe Vigil had started the first professional distance-running team. There she encountered the idea that would transform her running career: the notion that changing her thinking—shaping her mind to be more encouraging, kind, and resilient—could make her faster than she’d ever imagined possible. Building a mind so strong would take years of effort and discipline, but it would propel Kastor to the pinnacle of running—to American records in every distance from the 5K to the marathon—and to the accomplishment of earning America’s first Olympic medal in the marathon in twenty years.
Let Your Mind Run is a fascinating intimate look inside the mind of an elite athlete, a remarkable story of achievement, and an insightful primer on how the small steps of cultivating positivity can give anyone a competitive edge.
Reviews (195)
Required reading for highly motivated people... not just runners
Which comes first success and winning or the thoughts of success and winning? The answer is - yes. Expertly written. Easy reading whether you are a runner or not. Concrete real examples of how your mental game (in sports and life) can develop through victories and defeats. As a professional certified mental game coach I will now have this as required reading for my clients. This is a must have in your library.
An enjoyable, easy read about Deena's running career with some helpful pointers on positive attitude
[Full disclosure - I am a fairly serious recreational runner and a Deena Kastor fan. I have enjoyed following her career over the years.] The book is an easy-to-read chronicle of her running career interwoven with the development of her positive mental attitude over that period. I'd say for at least the first half of the book, if not longer, it was really enjoyable (and helpful) to read about the different mental strategies/perspectives/tactics she developed and put into action to help her achieve her running goals. Some of them you will have surely been exposed to (but others you might not have), however it is helpful to read about how she implemented them to her advantage. The reason for only 4 stars? The message does start to feel more contrived by the end, especially when she is also discussing how she has up to 3 top male college athletes with her every day for training, will spend weeks at the Olympic training center, has a husband who is a physical therapist/masseuse, etc. Of course, I am happy she had all those things - I'm all for supporting world-class U.S. athletes to compete on the international stage. Positive attitude is important, but there were many other components to her success and by the end, the way that message is incorporated starts to feel a lot like, "I was shaken by something... and then I remembered to be positive and grateful!" The writing for many things she discusses (notably races but also life events) can feel cursory, especially when contrasted to what I recall as some excellent, turn-by-turn descriptions of races by Dean Karnazes in Ultramarathon Man. I did enjoy it and would recommend it if you're interested in reading about her career and picking up some helpful pointers on how to incorporate positive thinking into your life and endeavors. I commend her for writing a strong book on her career. I am certain it will be inspiring to both men and women in athletics; I know it was for me.
A helping hand up!
Feeling overwhelmed? Depressed? Down on yourself? This book is helping me with all those feelings/ fears and more. 1.5 year ago I had a bad stroke. My own upbeat mindset recently crashed, this book came along out of the blue to help me see things more clearly. I am determined to run and walk right again. Deena’s guidance is helping me to remember mindset is everything and self love is part of the balance. Very freeing book. I’m so grateful for it right now. So grateful! Thank you Deena and Andrew!
A Motivating Memoir!
I don't usually read motivational books or memoirs, but I have become a runner recently, and one who has become disenchanted with my progress.This was the book I needed - without being cheesy or giving overly-broad advice, Deena shares her story of overcoming the limitations she had set for herself, showing you don't always win, and showing that you can work hard and not always see the results of that work but that is - in itself- part of the process.This was a quick read and motivating. I also like that she didn't overshare about her personal life but kept on point.
Fantastic
Great, great book! I don’t usually read books like this because they tend to be boring to me, but not this one! I loved reading about how she retrained her brain to counteract the negative thoughts as they came to her. She is a fine athlete and this is a good read. Highly recommend.
Stop letting your thinking get in the way of your action.
I'm not typically one for non-fiction or one for reading about athletes, but this book was just what I needed to get out of my head and start enjoying running again. While I can't relate to being an elite runner (this 10-minute-miler has no aspirations of running really anything under a 9:00 minute mile), I can relate to finding a way to take the negatives and turn them into positives. A really good book for runners or for anyone who needs to embrace positive thinking.
You'll be glad to read this ..
First non technical book I've read in over a decade, it was the first book I couldn't put down, and simply engulfed it in under 2 hours. After taking my dogs out for a run around the farm I pick up the book again and read it again. It has put a different perspective on my outlook. I now look for good instead of looking at the negative side of the moment.
A way to influence one's life
Deena's running experiences and her lessons along the way are an offering to us all. I may not be striving to be a world class runner, but Deena and her coaches knowledge were explained in such detail that I, at 75, can use it. How? Strive to be healthy, positive imagery, maintain purpose and most importantly remember to play. Inspirational and good reference material. And Deena, loved your walk then run over Morgan Pass. I will hike it this summer. Keep sharing. You do it beautifully.
Wonderful book
Beautifully written book that re-inspired my running and gave me new purpose. I love Deena’s writing style and detail. It is a book I will read often to recommit to positive thinking for racing and every day life.
Beautifully Written
I loved this memoir by one of the great American distance runners, Deena Kastor. This book is extremely well written and insightful. There is a strong message here ... positivity can have a powerful impact on all that you do. Dr Joe Vigil was an incredible mentor and coach to Ms Kastor. This is a story well told that every runner and coach should read. However, this book’s audience should not be limited to runners ... there is something here for everyone.
Comments
Post a Comment