DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK, by Keira D’Amato a Book Review

posted 1 day ago in Health :: Books

After hearing Keira D’Amato on the Strength Running Podcast share her comeback experience from an eight-year hiatus and setting American records in the marathon and half marathon, I knew I had to get a hold of her upcoming memoir. I contacted the publisher and got an advanced copy, which I breezed through in a week.

Keira’s story of resilience and courage to start over resonates with me. I’m not a professional athlete, and my challenges are related to chronic health issues, but her attitude, charisma, and approach to life and training offer a lot to those startingover or struggling to see the best parts of their life aren’t in the rear view mirror.

I’m always interested in reading people’s stories, but writing good memoir is a skill only a few possess. More often, we move through a series of “this happened, then that happened, before this happened.” Don’t Call it a Comeback suffers from this as well, but Keira’s humor and personality dominate her writing, as does her grit. The chapter titles give you a good idea of what’s in store: “Failure is a Superpower,” “Fun isn’t Inversely Connected to Success,” and “Be a Bulldozer” are not only connected to the linear aspects of her story, but also the bits of advice she distills at the end of a chapter in little sections she titles, “The Punchline.”

The story that hooked me from the podcast and kicks off the book is Keira describing her first run after being out of competitive running for eight years, post-surgery and now with small children. She heads out, in what feels like a moment of throwing hands up and reaching back to something that used to make her feel powerful and alive. She aimed to run for just 3 minutes but ended up having to walk after 90 seconds, and walked back home in tears. Five years later, she broke the marathon record and points to the courage of this moment — to begin again — as what she is most proud of.

Here are a few more takeaways I gathered from Keira’s story.

Progress is rarely linear; it’s full of setbacks and unexpected challenges we can use to improve. Tools for her toolbox.
She shares she’s experienced more failures and subpar races than successes — failure, essential for growth, is “by design.”
She illustrates it’s possible to come back stronger after injuries or disappointments, something that I’ve had to do almost every year for the last ten years, from surgeries and setbacks related to Crohn’s Disease.
Detaching self-worth from performance is a challenge we all face in a culture that stresses achievements, and Keira takes us through a journey that uncouples her confidence and self-esteem from being solely related to her running results.
Chapter 6, “Win or Learn,” puts a bow on this approach — become the person you want to be, creating the life you want, and have the curiosity to find out how to use your passion to see what you can accomplish.

Listening to the Strength Running Podcast episode, I got 80% of the stories, experience, and wisdom from the book. However, Don’t Call it a Comeback (out in September) stacks everything together, allowing the inspiration to build and sink in. It’s a great book for anyone dealing with injury or illness, looking for the courage to start over, and new mothers struggling to embrace their own ambition. We are all forced to start over some time and Keira’s story shows us that the ceiling isn’t determined by how close to zero you’re starting from.

Cover image courtesy of NetGalley/St. Martin’s Press