Wise Words from Meb

I met Meb five years ago at the Rock n Roll Chicago Race expo. I had the kids in tow, then ages 4 and 8. They were on the prowl for expo booth candy, and had apparently succeeded in scoring some, as the first thing Meb did when he met me was peel a sucker stick off the side of my pants.

For me, Meb and sucker sticks will always go together.

Thanks to Runners World, I had the opportunity to preview Meb’s new book: Meb for Mortals: How to Run, Think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner, by Meb Keflezighi with Scott Douglas.

Kids, this book felt like I was sitting down for coffee with Meb and he was spilling all his training and racing secrets…except Meb doesn’t keep that stuff secret. He talks about all things running: from goal setting, training, diet, race strategy, stretching, crosstraining and more. To whet your appetite, here are some tidbits according to Meb:

• Have the confidence from your training that a good warmup isn’t going to drain you.
• It’s ok…wise even…to take more recovery when your body tells you to.
• Learn from others without thinking you need to copy them. Take advice but modify it to what works for you.
• How close you come to getting the most out of your fitness is largely based on making good decisions and staying strong mentally.
• When to DNS a race and when to DNF.
• Super-efficient, experienced runners burn fewer calories.
• Losing weight before a key race is fine but sustaining that weightloss long term has risks.
• Strength training promotes better form, eliminates weakness and imbalances and helps keep you lean.
• It’s important to crosstrain when you’re healthy.
• Recovery is the key to getting fitter.

Reading through this book, it becomes apparent: Yes, of course Meb is talented. He claims he’s not the most talented runner out there, but darn it, he’s got the market cornered on discipline. His sincerity shines through every page too. This was a super-inspiring book, especially heading into Boston Marathon weekend.

Check out Meb for Mortals for yourself here. Follow Meb on Instagram, and Twitter.