{Note/Disclosure: I received a complimentary advanced review copy of Meb For Mortals: How to Run, think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner.}
Meb Keflezighi has become every runner’s hero. While he’s been on our radar as a fan favorite for several years now, we grew to love him even more after his unexpected victory at the Boston Marathon in 2014, just two weeks before he turned 39. While, like you, I’ve read article after article about his training, I wanted to know more.
In the book, Meb For Mortals, we finally get a more in-depth look at how this aging athlete trains and continues to set new personal records as well as how to apply some of his methods to our own training regimen. He also shares personal insights and admits he sometimes listens to Eye of the Tiger to get pumped up.
The book written by Meb and Scott Douglas is a quick easy read. Each chapter is dedicated to a different element of training and doesn’t leave any area out. Strength training, cross-training, recovery, mental training, eating and racing are all covered in the book.
What I liked most about the book is the insight into Meb’s training and life as a professional runner and the inspirational nuggets buried in each chapter. As someone who is 39, I appreciate how throughout the book he explains why and how he’s changed his routine in the past several years.
The book includes Meb’s strength training and stretching routines and details on how and when to incorporate them into your own training program. What the book doesn’t give is a specific training plan. So if you’re looking for a plan to follow you won’t find one in this book.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book but I think I would have enjoyed it even more if it were a memoir instead of a “how to” book.
Meb For Mortals: How to Run, think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner is currently available for purchase here.
Edited: Meb actually wrote a memoir in 2014, titled Run to Overcome which I should add to my bookshelf ASAP!
Agreed! I’m reviewing it too and I guess it’s not what I thought it was going to be. I felt like it was more of a training manual for beginner runners with not a lot of personal stories or overall great info. Oh well, I still love Meb and I think you did a great job with this one…
thanks for the review, I can’t wait to read this book! Love Meb!
I finished this book last week too and I liked it. What I liked most about it was all the running drills, strength training workouts and stretching he shared. I thought those were all really good mini-workouts and things most of us don’t do enough during any given week. It was interesting to see a snapshot of some of his training and diet. I would have liked to see a little more about translating it into real plans for real runners and a little less on his sponsors, but otherwise I thought it was worth the read. He wrote Running to Win (I think that’s the name of it) which is more about his inspiring life story. xoxo