Friday FITspiration: Running Advice from Olympian Meb Keflezighi
Here at runladylike.com, Fridays are all about sharing the inspiring stories of fit people who motivate all of us to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday. My Friday FITspiration series profiles runners, triathletes and casual exercisers who are making choices every day to be as healthy as they can be – in both huge ways and through simple, small victories.
“Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things will turn out for the best.” – Meb Keflezighi
Last night, I had the tremendous honor of meeting elite runner Meb Keflezighi (pronounced Kef-lez-ghee) and hearing him speak at the Atlanta Track Club’s annual social event.
Meb is one of the top American marathoners, with career highlights including winning the silver medal for the marathon at the 2004 Olympics and winning the 2009 ING New York City Marathon. In the brief minutes I had with him before he gave his speech, I asked him for some advice for my upcoming half marathon next weekend. He said to be patient, be calm and to have fun. He also reminded me to not let the desire to run a PR overshadow the race and to be flexible and willing to readjust.
Running and life have not come easy for Meb. Meb grew up in a country in Africa called Eritrea, where he and his family had no running water or electricity and were living in the middle of a war with Ethiopia. Thanks to the undying commitment of his parents and a tremendous amount of hard work, Meb and his 10 siblings have been incredibly successful. Meb became a US citizen in 1998 and symbolizes for many that we can make what seems impossible, possible.
Here are 4 pieces of advice from Meb that we can all learn from as runners … and in our race through life:
- There are 3 ways to make what seems impossible, possible: Believe in what you’re doing. Work harder and stronger. And surround yourself with people who believe in you and what you are doing.
- Do not take for granted what you have today. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. We must always strive to do our best. There are times we can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is there. We have to choose to make it worth it.
- Never stop digging deep to find your inner strength.
- Run to win. Winning doesn’t always mean getting a medal or standing on a podium. Running to win means getting the best out of our individual selves. Choose to be your best self.
You can read more fun facts and a Q&A with Meb here.
Ways to connect with Meb:
Twitter: @runmeb
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarathonMeb
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What advice from Meb Keflezighi resonates most with you? Have you ever met Meb or another elite runner? What did you learn from that experience?
Comments
I love Meb. I read an article by an elite runner about his experience running the NYC Marathon this year, and how he almost DNF’d the race because he wasn’t meeting his goals, until he caught Meb, which was a dream of his. Meb was coming off an injury and this runner crossed the finish line with him. I was crying by the end of the article.
http://www.letsrun.com/news/2013/11/time-life/
I wish I still lived in Georgia just so I could have gone to this. He sounds like a genuinely kind person — and you have to be so inspired by his background! Lucky duck! 🙂
I love this advice: “He also reminded me to not let the desire to run a PR overshadow the race and to be flexible and willing to readjust.” I try to remind myself this during races, but sometimes I don’t follow it. Thanks for sharing his advice, this is great FITspiration for me right now. I’m lacking motivation to get going for training!
Great article, great runner, great advice!
So cool that you got to meet him! He must be a very inspiring speaker, and all of those points are great advice!
OMG I love Meb. And the being patient and adjusting part is something I learned the hard way. More than once! Good luck at your half!
So cool that you got to talk to Meb! He’s one of my favorite, most inspiring athletes. I can’t even pick a favorite piece of his advice. Doesn’t he have a book out now, too?
Hi Cassie! He is inspiring! His book is called Run to Overcome 🙂
I love all of Meb’s advice, but #2 (do not take for granted what you have today) probably resonates most with me. Ever since my younger sister, Taylor, was diagnosed with a fatal brain disease, I’ve lived each day with that mantra in mind. You can’t live in constant fear, but you SHOULD recognize the gifts you have, no matter how great or small they may be. Your path won’t always be lit, but if you believe, you’ll have more good moments than bad, and you’ll get to the end of the tunnel.
p.s. Meb served as the official starter for the Tar Heel 10 Miler in Chapel Hill, one of my favorite races. It was an honor just to be in the stadium with him. I’m so glad you had the opportunity to meet him. He’s an inspiration!
Thanks for posting that advice! Meb seems so down to earth!
I love #4!! I am not fast but I like to challenge myself to do the best that I can!!
I’ve met Kara Goucher a couple of times! I’ve seen Shalane Flanagan running a bunch of times too!
So jealous that you got to meet meb!!!
I loved this…—>There are 3 ways to make what seems impossible, possible: Believe in what you’re doing. Work harder and stronger. And surround yourself with people who believe in you and what you are doing.