Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

Description

Deena Kastor was a star youth runner with tremendous promise, but her career almost ended after college. Her competitive method-run as hard as possible, all the time-had brought her to the brink of burnout and fostered a frustration and negativity that threatened to obscure her success. 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 what would become the dominant theme in her running career- the idea that building an elite runner meant developing the mind- Every gain in physical fitness would be dependent on and compounded by gains in mental fitness, which in turn depended on developing a mindset that could marshal powerful forces of belief and confidence capable of conquering negativity in all its forms. Building a mind so strong would be a decade-long project, but it would propel Kastor to the pinnacle of running- to American records in every distance from the 5K to the marathon, and to America's first Olympic medal in the marathon in twenty years. Let Your Mind Run is a granular look inside the mind of an elite athlete, a remarkable story of achievement, and a fascinating primer on how the small steps of cultivating positivity lead to outsize performance gains.

DEENA KASTOR is an Olympic medalist and the American Record holder in the marathon. She lives in Mammoth Lakes, California. MICHELLE HAMILTON is a health and fitness journalist. Her work has appeared in Runner's World, Bicycling, Women's Health, and other publications.

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2018 BY LIBRARY JOURNAL "A candid account about the self-doubt that enters the mind of an elite athlete and how positive thinking made [Kastor] a champion both on and off the course." -ATHLETES QUARTERLY "Long-distance runner Deena Kastor shows the secret to her success - and as an Olympic medalist and the American female record holder in the marathon, she's had more than a few - relies less on any inborn talents, but on 'the power of thought, attitude and perspective.' Through race day and training anecdotes, she reveals the mental habits anyone can use to unleash their physical and mental potential." -FURTHERMORE FROM EQUINOX (5 Books High Performers Should Read This Month) "I have been savoring every story, every morsel of motivation and empowerment; [Kastor] is one of my long time running heroes and I never want this one to end!" -RUNNING 'N' READING "Inspiring... [Let Your Mind Run] details the mental techniques [Kastor] used to improve not just as an athlete but as a person." -CONNECTICUT MAGAZINE "Let Your Mind Run is a fascinating read that has applications for all athletes in all sports... It's about cultivating positivity as the launching pad for achieving great performances." -SPORTING KID LIVE, National Alliance for Youth Sports "Inspiring, fascinating and insightful... Some inspirational books make you feel, 'Wow, I could never do that.' Let Your Mind Run makes you feel, 'Wow, I can be better today.' By focusing on the mind game, Kastor and Hamilton make this book practical for anyone trying to overcome the biggest impediments to climbing that next hill of growth." -SHAWN ACHOR, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential "There are running legends, and then there's Deena Kastor. I've always looked to Deena for inspiration in racing and in life. What she has accomplished is incredible, but how she's done it is fascinating. In her captivating new memoir, Kastor takes us on a run through her psyche so we can learn from a true master. Let Your Mind Run will fine tune your mindset for optimal performance both on and off the road!" -SCOTT JUREK, champion ultrarunner and New York Times bestselling author of Eat and Run "When Deena Kastor came from behind to medal in the Olympic marathon, it breathed life back into a generation of U.S. distance running. I've hoped many times since then for the most profound story leading to that day: Kastor's battle against fear and doubt (and heat). Here it is, as riveting as a race itself." -DAVID EPSTEIN, author of The Sports Gene "Deena Kastor is one of the greatest bodies in distance running, but this book captures what is so groundbreaking about her mind. Let Your Mind Run gives us the privilege of watching Deena's mind become her greatest asset as an athlete and as a positive, thriving, well-balanced person-from her earliest races to her Olympic career and beyond. Living and training with Deena in Mammoth Lakes has been a great joy of my career and has certainly shaped me into the athlete I am today. I invite you to explore Let Your Mind Run and peer into the life of my greatest mentor." -ALEXI PAPPAS, Olympian, writer, and filmmaker "In Let Your Mind Run, Deena Kastor captures the essence of the relationship between life and running, bringing her mental strategies and joie de vivre within stride for all of us. This is more than a memoir-it's a gift to everyone who looks to find balance and a healthy pace in life and sport." -JOAN BENOIT SAMUELSON, gold-medal Olympic marathoner and author of Running Tide "Engaging... [Let Your Mind Run] is a gift to all who are passionate about running and who seek to find balance with mental conditioning... A heartfelt and impressive memoir from one of America's treasured runners." -BOOKLIST "Let Your Mind Run shares the mentality of a champion without the cliches and platitudes we've come to expect from books on sports. This is something entirely different, a fascinating collection of specific moments of discovery and the ways they come to life on the run. Runner or not, this book will change you. Required reading for anyone in pursuit of excellence." -LAUREN FLESHMAN, co-author of the Believe Training Journal "Deena Kastor showed great promise as a high school runner, but lost her confidence. In Let Your Mind Run, she explains how she changed her thinking, got back on track, and became America's greatest-ever woman distance runner. It's not about doing harder workouts; it's about taking charge of your mind. Through her journey, we learn how to use her techniques to reach new heights in our own pursuits." -AMBY BURFOOT, winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon and author of Run Forever