Like Father, Like Son: My Story on Running, Coaching and Parenting

I finished reading Like Father, Like Son. My story on running, coaching, and parenting by Matthew Centrowitz (Sr.).It’s a great book. But, don’t expect flowing prose and vivid sentences of filled with imagery. Matthew Centrowitz Sr. is runner, not a writer. And, that is exactly why this book is so good. It’s raw. It’s authentic. It’s a book that anyone – including you – could aspire to write.The book’s title is a solid synopsis of its content. This is a book on running, coaching, and parenting. What gives it depth is that it is a book on running at the University of Oregon during it’s heyday, on coaching from one of the top collegiate coaches, and on parenting to the reigning 1500m Olympic Gold Medalist.This book is a great history – similar to many of the books I enjoy. It recounts stories of running for Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger (“Just call me Bill”) at the University of Oregon. The cast of characters include legends such as Frank Shorter, Alberto Salazar, and Steve Prefontaine. These were the contemporaries of Centrowitz Sr.. Written from the point-of-view of the author, these stories are fresh even if the facts will be known to most readers. There are flashes of youthful bravado, which the seasoned reader (ahem, older like me) can relate too and find humor.But, I’d ask you to consider reading this book differently. Consider reading it as a book on parenting and raising children.In the final chapters of the book, Matthew Centrowitz Sr. focuses on his role as a parent. He is the dad to a daughter (an accomplished athlete) and son – Matthew Centrowitz Jr. the reigning 1500m Olympic Gold Medalist and one of the best middle distance runners in the sport today. Given his elite running background, you would think that Centrowitz Sr. would be heavily involved in the daily coaching on his son. You might even think that from the book’s title; however, the reader will find this is not the case.Centrowitz Sr. had a bad dad growing up who vanished from his life at an early age. For many, this situation creates a recurring cycle of deadbeat dad to their kids. Role models are powerful – even deadbeat ones. Fortunately, Centrowtiz Sr. breaks this cycle. He spends much of his teenage and young adult years filling the father-figure void left by the absence of his own dad.When Centrowitz Sr. has his own children, he behaves differently as the reader will discover. By all accounts, Centrowitz Sr. becomes a great dad who applied the same discipline to parenting as he applied to running – showing up on the hard days, logging the miles, managing pain/disappointment, and listening/learning/getting better every day.There’s a quotation in the book that Centrowtiz Sr. receives from an early coach.“When you become a dad, put your medals away in a drawer.”Makes you think. Let your children measure up to themselves and their goals – not chase yours or even your unfinished dreams. Like most great advice, this is hard to do. Maybe that’s why it takes a runner to pull it off. -George

On the surface, the stories that Matt Centrowitz offers are about running, providing just enough detail to keep readers on the edge of our seat. However, the crux of his message is about mission commitment, self-discipline, overcoming adversity and the joy of doing something in life that you really love and maybe are even good at. His approach to these stories is powerful…and that’s an understatement.The subtle power in Matt’s writing is the way he translates lessons learned on the track, into developmental guidance that’s applicable ANYWHERE in life. His conversational writing style takes the complexity of training and mental preparation, and places them within emotional reach of any reader, even if you’ve never set foot on a track. And he does so without lecturing or condescension. I can hear his insights resonating in my swimming, my previous IBM career and my leadership coaching business. Essentially, anyone who has ever faced a difficult challenge will find lasting value in his words and he can back them up.Full Disclosure: I had the pleasure of running “with” Matt during his freshman year at Andrew Jackson High School in Queens, NY, before he transferred to Power Memorial. “With” really means I was one of the mediocre teammates who usually saw Matt before and after the workouts, because during the workouts he was too far ahead of me to see. I remember watching in awe as he powered through those workouts like a bull, as we asked ourselves, “How can he be THAT strong?”Having lost direct contact since high school, while following his career from a distance, it’s no surprise that he crafted a stellar career as a record-setting world class runner and coach over these past 50+ years. He seemed superhuman back in 1968 and has consistently shown those who thought this was an “exaggeration”, to be quite wrong.This book captures the depth of that physical and mental strength, and a lot more. It fits the bill for reading on a relaxed Saturday afternoon at home, a stressful day at the office, or a reflective moment before a good workout.

I've been a huge track, cross country, running fan my entire life - never did anything after High School, but never lost the love of it. Watching Matthew Centrowitz at the Olympics this last year was my absolute favorite part of the Olympics (and I LOVE the Olympics), but seeing his dad (Matt), sister and family react to his winning has to be one of my favorite memories of all time in any Olympics. As a parent myself, it was heartwarming and emotional to watch it and to then get to read it again. I loved the book, mostly because I think Matt did a good job of telling his story and although the coaching and patenting were crammed in the end, I don't think those areas needed more attention than Matt gave them. He had very good insight and don't think they needed to be dragged out. Overall, I loved the book and can't wait to see more about this family in the future! I'd recommend to any running fan and/or parent with kids in sports!

The best part about this are the stories about how Matt bonded with Bill Dellinger over their years together at Oregon, how Matt discovered his special run along the beautiful McKenzie River Trail, and some of his stories about Pre. He includes a couple of classic tales about how insanely competitive Pre was, once even mock (or maybe not mock) choking Matt for not giving Pre the lead in a relay race. And how Matt and Pre spent most of the day together a few hours before Pre died. Great stories about Matt and Matthew Jr's races, too, but those are mostly for hardcore distance running fans. Matt Sr. is is a legend of Oregon running. I got to watch in person when he ran his incredible 13:12 5000m in Eugene and outkicked Alberto Salazar to break the American Record. Classic stuff for a running fan -- especially if you like Univ of Oregon and Track Town running history.

Such a great book. True insight into the centrowitz family. Matt sr tells his own story and weaves in the story of his Olympic champion son Matt jr

I bought this book because I was interested in the story behind the success of Matthew Centrowitz Jr. in Rio.If you want to learn about how the US track & field culture was back in the 70's I highly recommend it. I found it interesting, well written and very easy to read. And... bonus: you might learn some life lessons reading this book.

The book chronicles the unique life of Matt Centrowitz as runner, coach and parent. There are many interesting events and perspectives. Worth reading. I gave 4 starts instead of 5 due to writing quality.