Chasing Greatness: 26.2 Ways Teaching Is Like Running a Marathon

by Mike Roberts

Whether you're teaching a class or running a race, Chasing Greatness is your road to success

"Mike's analogy, comparing teaching to running a marathon, is spot on. Not only does teaching require great endurance, it is something, much like running a marathon, that you never quite master. Both require dedication, sacrifice, and perseverance to succeed."

--DEAN KARNAZES, marathoner and author

"Roberts does a wonderful job of weaving together the challenges of teaching and the hard earned lessons that come with running many miles over a long period of time. You'll read this book and be inspired to do more in both your running life and your classroom!"

--ADAM WELCOME, educator, marathoner, and author

Veteran teacher and marathoner brings you strategies to succeed at both challenges

After twenty years of teaching and more than fifty marathons, Mike Roberts is still chasing greatness. Now, he shares his experiences, while showing you, teacher and/or marathoner, how to run the most enriching race of your life.

Chasing Greatness helps teachers and


Commit to excellence Overcome stress Set goals Pace yourself Find greatness all around you Get your second wind Find balance Discover the right tools Overcome the desire to quit Gain wisdom And 16.2 more strategies to perform at your best Learn from the best teachers and runners

A Utah English Teacher of the Year and longtime competitive marathoner, Mike Roberts is connected to some internationally-recognized educators and runners. He punctuates each Mile of Chasing Greatness with a teacher/runner profile, in which these renowned authorities answer hard questions that bear out the strategies that Roberts shares.

Grab Chasing Greatness now, and teach and run like never before.

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2019

Reviews

[Joyce Kinkead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthusiasm and ideas plus

I've seen Mike Roberts at conferences, and after his first presentation, I made sure to attend the annual conference if only for his presentation. He has genuinely great classroom ideas. I share them with my own university students, future teachers. It may seem at first that it's only practice and not theory but intrinsic to these ideas is a good working knowledge of interpersonal communication, educational theory, and human psychology. I play marathon bridge, 26 hands at a time. It's not running but also requires discipline and diligence. Thanks for investing in the time required to share and to teach teachers.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It combines two of my favorite things- teaching and marathon running (I don't run but race walking is awesome too!) I loved how Mike ties the two together. I felt inspired to improve my classroom and my race walking work.

[Shena Vasko · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a middle school English teacher with 19 years of experience and a distance runner with six years of experience, I could connect with Roberts on multiple levels. I laughed several times (especially when "Allison" threw up) and garnered some great running advice.

However, when it came to the teaching advice, I would have appreciated concrete examples. I struggle with transitions between activities in my classroom (my students ALWAYS talk) and therefore I need sure-fire ways to combat that.

This book was a gift from a fellow English teacher, and I will pass this on to all my friends who are teachers, runners, or both! :)