Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory Hardcover – Illustrated, April 10, 2018

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.

[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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

I 'm fascinated with Deena's career and accomplishments, so I couldn't wait to read this book. It exceeded my expectations. She's an inspiration to everyone, not just runners who are striving for a significant goal and can't seem to "get over the hump." Summation: It's not about training harder-with the ensuing pain and suffering; its about overcoming the mental obstacles you've set for yourself.Read the book if your a runner or fan; its enjoyable at that level, but non-runners can still take these lessons to heart. My biggest takeaway may be Deena's conclusion after winning silver at the 2004 Olympics. Be the best version of the athlete and person you can be.Bonus: The book's final chapter is on building an optimistic mentality. These are principles everyone should remind themselves of or be cognizant of-every single day.

Deena’s attitude to life and training is so inspiring. I’ve learned more from her use of positive thinking than from all the professionals’ books on the subject. I didn’t want this book to end. I’ll be nowhere near as fast, but this will help me on my training journey for Chicago 2018.

as a relatively new running this appealed to me yet I do not often seem to be able to read a full book they need to grip and interest me and this one did.A lot to think about not only as a runner and some interesting concepts

I liked the reflections on running with a positive mind. The book is written in an easily understandable format and once I picked it up, I didn’t want to put it down.

Beautiful, honest, positive and inspiring.

Brilliant book really grips from the beginning and written honestly. Didn’t want to put it down or end loads of life lessons that you will adapt in your everyday life.