Marathoner Meb Keflezighi's Distance Running Tips

The 2009 New York City Marathon winner and Olympic silver medalist shares tips to be a better distance runner and discusses his foundation's work.

1. BE RELAXED "When some people start to run, they are really tense," Keflezighi says. To keep from being too tense, "imagine there's an egg in your hand. You don't want to squeeze it too hard and break it. Having your hands relaxed allows your whole body to relax," he says.

2. MIX UP YOUR TRAINING "You want to plan when your days are easy and when your days are hard," Keflezighi says. That means don't just go out and run a long distance. Some days do short, hard sprints, and on other days jog easy so your body can recover from hard workouts.

3. DO MORE THAN JUST RUN Being a great runner "is not just about the running part," Keflezighi says. "It's about having a strong core. My high school coach would not let us leave practice until we did 50 push-ups and 125 sit-ups. Doing strength training is going to help your core be stronger, and that will make you run more efficiently." It will help prevent injuries and muscle cramps too.

How Meb Gives Back: The MEB Foundation

Keflezighi wants kids to have a balanced life focused on health, fitness, and education. He has donated more than 7,000 pairs of shoes to encourage kids to run, and his foundation gives grants to athletic organizations that stress academics. To learn more, click here.

PHOTO: MICHAEL STEELE/GETTY IMAGES (KEFLEZIGHI)