Here at runladylike.com, Fridays are all about sharing the inspiring stories of fit people who motivate all of us to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday. My Friday FITspiration series profiles runners, triathletes and casual exercisers who are making choices every day to be as healthy as they can be – in both huge ways and through simple, small victories.

And speaking of making choices, Deena Kastor – one of the greatest female distance runners of all time – believes everything in life and in running is about making choices.

I had the chance to hear Deena speak last night at the Atlanta Track Club annual social. She said that making choices in a race often reveals more about us as a person than it does as a runner. We can choose to throw in the towel or drop the hammer. We can choose to give up or to dig down.

“Make choices daily that have significance on who you want to be,” Deena shared.

Deena Kastor holds American records in the marathon, half marathon and numerous road distances. Her marathon personal best (and American record) is 2:19:36 – a time it takes for many people to run half that distance. She won the bronze medal in the women’s marathon at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. This past September, Deena proved that she is continuing to choose to put in the work that makes her great by setting the world record in the women’s masters division for the half marathon in a time of 1:09:39.

Deena reminded us last night that we get to make the choice of how we want to define ourselves.

Through stories of her heartbreak during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing when her foot “snapped in half” from a sudden stress fracture early in the race to getting through tough training runs with self-talk, Deena shared some powerful insights and advice that we can all take away as runners:

• Use your miles to become a better runner, but use the moments in those miles to become a better person.
• To get through some runs, sometimes we just have to get out of ourselves (and out of our heads).
• Passion is important, and it’s important to have passions outside of running. Having a passion for life can take you a long way.
• Family and health should come first. Running and business should come second.
• Running allows us to keep finding the best version of ourselves. Wake up tomorrow and know you can be better than you were today. Only you can make this year extraordinary.

Deena says her fastest days are behind her, but her best days are ahead of her. I have no doubt Deena’s best is yet to come.

You can learn more about Deena and her incredible running journey here.

Ways to connect with Deena:
Twitter: @DeenaKastor
Instagram: @deena8050
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deena.kastor

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In case you missed it, read the running insights Meb Keflezighi shared with me when I met him at this event last year.

What advice from Deena Kastor resonates most with you? Have you ever met Deena or another elite runner? What did you learn from them?