Let Your Mind Run

A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

By: Deena Kastor, Michelle Hamilton

Narrated by: Deena Kastor

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times Best Seller

Deena Kastor was a star youth runner with tremendous promise, yet her career almost ended after college, when her competitive method - run as hard as possible, for fear of losing - fostered a frustration and negativity and brought her to the brink of burnout. 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 the idea that would transform her running career: the notion that changing her thinking - shaping her mind to be more encouraging, kind, and resilient - could make her faster than she’d ever imagined possible. Building a mind so strong would take years of effort and discipline, but it would propel Kastor to the pinnacle of running - to American records in every distance from the 5K to the marathon - and to the accomplishment of earning America’s first Olympic medal in the marathon in 20 years.

Let Your Mind Run is a fascinating, intimate look inside the mind of an elite athlete, a remarkable story of achievement, and an insightful primer on how the small steps of cultivating positivity can give anyone a competitive edge.

©2018 Deena Kastor, Michelle Hamilton (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“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, Five 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)

Inspirational and great for anyone

I took away so much from this book and two weeks after finishing it- I find myself interrogating my thoughts and thinking more positively. A great book for runners and non runners. A great book for chronic strivers, people struggling with negativity and/a cluttered mind. I’m grateful to have found this one!

Mixed feelings but wanted to like it

I thought this book would be more about positive thinking and focus during one's runs. Instead (although I knew it was a memoir) it seemed to focus on her being upset every time she didn't win or place. After a while that started to bother me. It's probably because I think running should be for fun, not to be focused on how "bad you did" because you didn't win or qualify for something. Also, she continued to call her pacing "slow" at times when she wasn't doing perfectly. After a while that gets old. I get that she is an elite athlete and has high expectations. However, it does not come across as very positive to be saying that throughout the book. So I think if I did more research and learned this was really more a biography and less about positive thinking and training your mind, it would have been ok. I did like the parts about her coach and his ways of motivating her and the team.

Inspiring story about running and life

As a serious recreational runner I loved this book and found so many inspiring elements in Kastor’s narrative. But this is also an account of how to live a fulfilling life, and I would say that’s the more compelling message. I highly recommend it!

Great source for Motivation and Inspiration

absolutely loved this book. great brain food for runners and coaches to help you with running and life. very good book and worth reading/listening to!

This is a book I will read/listen to again and again

Very inspiring. Not just for running but for life! Thank you Deena.
This is one of those books that I know I will reach for when I will need more joy, inspiration and new ideas :-)

Great book!

great book for those who want to be better runners and people through life adventures

So inspiring!

By far the best book I have listened to in a long time. Beautifully written and engaging. It made me smile often and it was very hard to put down. I learned so much and feel grateful to have found this book. Deena is full positivity and an exceptional example of how our minds can influence all that we do.

Absolutely uplifting

This is one of the most inspirational books I’ve ever read/heard. Highly recommend! Deena’a ability to reframe every negative emotion or thought is something all of us need to employ.

Deena Kastor is an inspiration!

Such a good book. Great performance, and her positive attitude was infectious. I enjoyed hearing from the actual author of the book.

One of my all time fav books!!

I read this several years ago and loved it. Listening to it now - I love it even more!