Past Book Review (November 26, 2020): "26 Marathons"
New book review for 26 Marathons: What I Learned about Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from My Marathon Career, by Meb Keflezighi and Scott Douglas, Rodale Books, 2020:
Great read about all the marathons Meb ran during his 2002-2017 career, which just happen to equal 26! Almost half of these, 11, were for the New York City marathon, 5 were for the Boston marathon, 4 for the Olympic trials, 3 for the Olympics, 2 for the London marathon (one of which he did not finish), and 1 for the Chicago marathon. The appendix provides a table listing the dates of all these running events alongside his finishing place and time. And while very short, the introduction and epilogue provide some additional context, with the epilogue in agreement with my philosophy that "the run never ends"!
At the outset in the introduction, Meb discusses what this book is all about. "The undercurrent running throughout this book is my 'run to win' philosophy. 'Run to win' doesn't mean always trying to finish first. Even for elite runners, finishing first is the exception, not the rule. I broke the tape at only three of my twenty-six marathons. Sure, I hoped to and tried to win most of them, but when I placed something other than first, I was content as long as I had 'run to win' in the broader sense. What do I mean? Simply that 'run to win' isn't about finishing first, but about getting the best out of yourself. I started using this philosophy long before I became a marathoner."