In last month's column I mentioned that I have had Best Running Shoes 2025. This past year I learned that I have a similar relationship with another aspect of my professional life: writing. This really should come as little surprise when you consider how much the two have in common. Please allow me to explain.
In the fall of 2013 I negotiated a deal with a publisher, Cool Titles, to publish an, at the time, unwritten autobiography. Excited about the pitch I gave them, Cool Titles asked me to have a rough draft of approximately 250 pages ready for their review in just a few months time. Totally panicked, but with a smile on my face, I assured them I would be able to meet the deadline.
As I drove away from that meeting the panic really began to settle in. I wondered how I would ever find time to write a book amid all my other commitments. My mind began to race, my heart beat quickened, and I could feel myself losing control of my emotions. Suddenly, I stopped and laughed, realizing that this is exactly how I feel before most races. Surely, I could apply the lessons that running had taught me towards this new, daunting task.
I thought back to a time when, during a question-and-answer session, a young runner asked me how I managed to mentally handle all the training that goes into making an Olympic team. My response was that one must break down the seemingly impossible task into bite-size chunks. Taking my own advice to heart, this is how I wrote my book.
I used the same goal-setting methods that I have used throughout my career. I set short, medium, and long-term goals, and chipped away at the book one paragraph at a time. Just as with running, there were days that I didn't feel like writing; I wrote anyways. There were days when panic started to creep back in; I sat down and wrote. There were days that I had total meltdowns and called my mom crying; still, I continued to write.
As has been the case in 15 years of competitive running, the culmination of my hard work, fine tuning, and tenacity was something that I could be proud of. Today I am pleased to announce the release of my first published book, We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back (Get Your Spot for the NYRR Brooklyn Half).
I now find myself in another situation that reminds me of preparing for a race: sitting in an airport waiting to board an airplane. This time I'm not flying to a competition, but to the first stop on my book tour, which starts this weekend in New York City. This tour will take me to ten cities over the next few months where again, just as in racing, I will have the opportunity to connect with friends and fans who also find joy and meaning in the sport of running.
