Let Your Mind Run

TRAIL RUNNER AND OLYMPIAN DEENA KASTOR ON WHAT SHE’S LEARNED IN HER LONG CAREER

- Megan Janssen

When I first became a professional runner, I thought the hardest part would be the physical training. After all, what could be tougher than running to the top of an 11,000 foot peak while trying to fend off a pack of highly trained male distance runners? What could be more taxing than interval workouts so intense you taste blood in the back of your throat? The answer quickly became clear: wrestling with my mind.

—Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

Most recognize Deena Kastor’s name as one of the best American female road runners in history. Kastor, 45, is the American record holder in the marathon. At one point, she held records in every distance from the 5K to the marathon. She is a three time Olympian (earning bronze in 2004) and eight-time NCAA All-American.

Kastor has just released a new book, Let Your Mind Run (Penguin Random House, April 2018), a memoir that dives into the lessons she’s learned throughout her life and running career (which started at age 11) about the importance of mindset, gratitude and how, ultimately, attitude really is everything. Living in Mammoth Lakes, California, Kastor does the majority of her training out her backdoor, in the mountains at 8,050 feet. “I love being on the trails—it’s my happy place,” she says.