U.S. Olympic Marathon Runner Meb Keflezighi Talks Running & Sports Nutrition with Life Time
Life Time Run - January 04, 2013
"Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things will turn out for the best.” - Meb
Consistent, hard work and successful. Those are the three words and phrases recent fourth place Olympic marathon finisher Meb Keflezighi used to describe his running career to date. Commonly considered “the top US distance runner” for almost a decade by USA Track & Field, Meb has astonished coaches ever since he ran a 5:20 mile in junior high. With a first-place finish in the 2009 New York City Marathon and a Silver Medal win in the 2004 Olympics for the marathon, Meb is more than just an accomplished long-distance runner. He's an inspiration to runners across the U.S.
On Thursday, Dec. 6 at Life Time Fitness Allen-McKinney, our members were priveleged to hear a motivational speech from Meb. His speech was followed by an educational session with Life Time Run and Generation UCAN experts.
We caught up with Meb in early January to learn more about his running career and how UCAN, an innovative sports nutrition products with a one-of-a-kind energy source — SuperStarch, has improved his athletic performance.
Who or what inspired you to start running? I started because I wanted to get a good grade and I always have to go back to that. The first time I ever ran was in P.E. class at Roosevelt Junior High. They said that if you run hard you’re going to get an 'A' or a 'B.' If you mess around you’re going to get a 'D' or an 'F.' I wanted to get a shirt that said “Roosevelt Junior High Mile Club”. That was my driving force. I ran a 5:20 minute mile.
You have had many great achievements, including the NYC Marathon win and a silver in Athens. Tell us about your latest Olympic experience in London. Getting 4th at the Olympic Games is a huge accomplishment. My goals during the race ranged from thinking about dropping out, to just finishing the race to finishing 4th place. The result is a huge accomplishment for me, my family, friends, the sponsors who stuck with me and our county. It is another milestone in the resurgence of USA distance running, along with the strong Olympic performances by Galen Rupp, Leo Manzano, Bernard Lagat and Matt Centrowitz and Duane Solomon.
Do you plan to train for and compete in the next games in Rio? This was 99% my last Olympics, but if I’m running personal bests and doing well, I might keep going – even to Rio. As of now, I want to see what next year brings. After that, qualifying for the Olympic Trials starts in 2014. If I can get that, anything can happen in the marathon.
What would you tell someone who is interested in running but afraid to lace up their shoes and go? How would you motivate them? UCAN do it! The toughest thing to do is to take the first step outside. Even for someone like me, the toughest part is making it out of the house. It’s a huge step. Once you are outdoors, you can enjoy the scenery, push yourself for an extra minute or an extra mile. It helps to have a running partner, so you can keep each other accountable.
What is the best piece of running advice you have ever received? Why? I have two. Steve Scott, the former American record holder in the mile, taught me to visualize my races during my training, not the night before the race. Visualizing my races during my training allows me to push myself just a little more, and keeps me relaxed when race weekend arrives.
Paul Tergat, the former world record holder in the marathon, taught me that we cannot increase our training overnight and get results overnight. I asked him to give me his training plan so I can train and race like him. He indicated that without the right type of conditioning and gradual development, I would not be able to handle his training plan. For example, I run over 100 miles per week now, but in high school I thought 30 miles a week was tough. So you have to condition your body to train and race at a certain level.
How was your experience speaking with Life Time Runners in Texas? Tell us a bit about your speech. It was a great honor to speak to the Life Time Runners in Texas and be a part of the Texas launch for Generation UCAN. I hadn't been to this part of Texas (Dallas area) before, so I was glad to meet my fans and supporters in the area. In terms of my speech, I love sharing my experiences and my overall story with people. It’s one thing for people to hear about me and my family on TV or in articles, but seeing is believing. I was happy to share my running tips, use of Generation UCAN, challenges in my career and any other issues people had questions about. For me, it is a great honor and privilege to have this type of platform.
Tell us how the SuperStarch in Generation Ucan has revolutionized your nutrition and training plan.
What benefits does it provide for you, personally? Generation UCAN has been very instrumental in my training. Some of the reason I’ve been running PR’s is because it allows me to recover so I can train hard consistently. For me it has been a huge difference with recovery. UCAN definitely does its job. I really look forward to it after my intense workouts. During my cool down, it's the first thing that goes into my body."
I also use it as part of my diet to help keep me lean. After I won the New York City Marathon in 2009, I was doing a lot of appearances and wasn't able to train as hard. People were saying ‘you look lean' and asking me how many miles I was running and I said ‘not much.' People thought I was running a lot of miles, but it was really UCAN helping me stay lean.
How does UCAN compare to other sport drinks (e.g., Gatorade, Powerade, etc.)? The SuperStarch carb in UCAN is a very slow burn. It gives me a steady feeling of energy. Since the New York City Marathon in 2009, I haven’t used anything else for recovery.
Have you noticed a difference in the amount of energy you have? UCAN does give me more energy. I used it before the Boston Marathon in 2010 and ran my PR for that course.
You can learn more about Meb's running career at marathonmeb.com. You can also find out how you can purchase Generation UCAN at generationucan.com.