Deena Kastor > Quotes

“Oh, you're doing it again, I said to myself when I became aware of negativity, being careful not to rebuke myself and therefore wind up being negative about being negative. I told myself: Find a thought that serves you better.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“At the core of many of his stories was a distinction between success and excellence. Success was “having”: money, awards, status. Excellence was “being”: living your values, having them guide your daily life. Pursue excellence, Coach would say, and success will follow.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“I'm alone, but I'm not lonely. I like who I am. I like who I'm becoming.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“That’s when I understood there is no such thing as overtraining,” he said, “just underresting.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“She was compassionate and empathetic toward everyone around her, including herself.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“Our life is what our thoughts make it. —MARCUS AURELIUS”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“Every aspect of a run, from the pain it produced to the weather conditions, offered me a choice: Is this a thought that will slow me down? Or can I find a perspective that will speed me up?”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“If you believe you are fragile, the biochemistry of your body unquestionably obeys and manifests it. If you believe you are tough, irrespective of your weight and bone density, your body undeniably mirrors it.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“I’m alone, but I’m not lonely. I like who I am. I like who I’m becoming. I felt whole and good and content, and lay there letting the feeling soak in. When the water cooled, I grabbed a towel and climbed out of the tub, feeling like I had everything I needed to succeed.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“You don't run with your feet- you run with your heart.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“What was a 4-mile tempo run or an 8k race after the suffer-fest of 26.2?”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“My competitive days had a short window, but I could push my mind and strengthen my positivity for a lifetime. How optimistic could I become? How much richer could I build my life? What joy and potential lay ahead. Pursuing positivity felt infinite, limitless.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“It has been challenging, but obviously rewarding, to balance out being a mom and distance runner at the same time, but there are so many mothers out there who have proven it to be doable, so I've had inspiration from a lot of people.”
― Deena Kastor

“I found the words to encourage myself: Focus on the next mile. Keep going.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“Around the halfway point when the pace required more effort, the internal cheerleader stepped in—the encouraging voice that pushed me in every race. Good job, work this hill. Just focus on the mile you’re in. Drive your arms. Drive. Drive!”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“Each day, I noticed Coach sent us off with a positive comment. “It’s a great day to work together toward our goals,” he’d say after we’d gathered for the workout. On a particularly windy day, it would be: “What a great day to challenge and shape our perseverance.” Sometimes his words were simple—“Okay, let’s go”—and it was his upbeat, let’s-get-it-done inflection that set the tone for the workout.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“Deena works to be present in each moment, and take her goals, large or small, one step at a time. Doing so gives her greater joy and appreciation for each moment of the journey.”
― Deena Kastor

“What I needed in the moment was a family vacation.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“You can't show love by hurting others”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“When I looked at recreational runners, I was amazed at how well they balanced family, careers, and running. Shouldn’t I have it easier since running and my career are one and the same? At a race, I asked a father of twins how he did it. He responded quickly: clear priorities. So I set mine. I decided health and family would come first, and running and career would come second.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“If you believe you are fragile, the biochemistry of your body unquestionably obeys and manifests it.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“With a simple shift in perspective, I had changed the outcome of the summer, and myself. I was stronger, more enduring, flexible, and independent. And I knew now that whatever I needed I had within me.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“There is no such thing as overtraining, just under resting.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“A caring gesture to encourage his fading teammates. The camaraderie moved me.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“I always say it’s because my family is enough, with all their smothering love and unwavering support; I never felt like anything was missing.”
― Deena Kastor

“Deena recommends immersing yourself in the moment, truly celebrating it and finding the pure joy in it. She likes to start sentences with a "sense of thrill or vibrancy" and to throw her hands up in the air in celebration. She says "it may seem silly, but hormones are released." "Now I find myself throwing my hands up going I love this. I love living here. I love my family!”
― Deena Kastor

“Sometimes she chose to stay home while Coach traveled, prioritizing her own schedule and needs. Her independence reassured me. Caroline’s ability to balance independence and devotion, though, showed me it could be achieved.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“primary methods of succeeding in hot conditions: (1) Acclimatize; train the body to handle heat. (2) Increase fluid intake, since sweat evaporation is the primary means of cooling; if the body cannot sweat, it loses its ability to cool itself. (3) Get fit; the fitter you are, the more efficient the body’s cooling system.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

“What the mind sees and thinks, the body feels, and what the body feels, the mind, or at least the subconscious, learns.”
― Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory