Deena Kastor's Journal

March 9, 2008 (Posted March 10, 2008)

I have just spent six days in Jacksonville, Florida. This marks my sixth year coming to the Gate River Run which acts as the US 15K Championships. On Wednesday Ryan Shay and I were inducted into the Gate River Run Hall of Fame along with race director Doug Alred. Although it proved tough to accept the honor on Ryan’s behalf, it was a great reminder of how much fun we used to have training for this race each year. In order to make timing easier in practice our coach staggered our starts so we were all finishing at about the same time. I was anxious to catch the girls in front of me and scared to be caught by those behind. Ryan and I were always fighting to the finish line. If either of us was having a bad day, the other was right there to keep the pressure on. So, when the Gate River Run added the equalizer of allowing the women to start 5 minutes early (the difference of the two course records) we were right at home in this challenge. One of many fond memories.

My Olympic Trials tune-up race in Jacksonville, Florida went great. Although I felt ready to run a personal best here the weather chose to challenge my efforts. The day before the race I was staying at the Ponte Vedra Lodge on the beach when a storm rolled in to hamper my efforts of finding a shark’s tooth in the sand. I was glued to the weather station waiting news of this menacing storm. The rain and winds were so bad that a tornado watch turned into a tornado warning! I bolted across the street to the gym and hopped on a treadmill for my prerace tune-up. I figured it was much safer to run indoors and that people at the gym would know what to do if things got scary. Everyone seemed calm so I became nonchalant myself.

Race day was much better. The wind was so fierce it dried the streets from the previous day’s rain. The only street that remained flooded was a quarter mile section along the waterfront where waves, white caps and what seemed like buckets of water were being thrown across the street. The wind here would prove mild compared to what we would face while running up and over the Hart Bridge. I spent the ninth mile running with one hand on top of my head in order to keep my hat on! This is where Andrew Carlson blew by me as if unaffected by the 40 mph gusts tossing us runners around. He ran a brilliant race and beat me (and 15,199 other racers) to the finish. I’ll get you next year Andrew!

This race has me excited for the Olympic Trials coming up. I’ll be ready if there is wind in Boston, but would prefer more mild conditions. We have a little more than a month of training before the Women’s Olympic Marathon team is selected. I need to get in the top three in Boston to earn my ticket to Beijing. There is still a few hundred more miles before I can fulfill another dream…and then anothe

March 1, 2008 (Posted March 3, 2008)

It is no coincidence that a great month of training was also one of the most fun. I don’t know which came first, but I’ll enjoy the flow of training and life that is upon me. Usually the more fit I get the leaner my cheeks that show the bonier structure of my face. Not this training phase. We have been laughing so hard at practice my cheeks have gotten an equally tough workout.

The highlight of this month’s laugh-fest came when our coach Terrence dubbed our day at Millpond an “adventure run”. These runs come infrequently when we explore trails for a new loop. Mike despises these runs as he claims they never pan out because we already run on all the good trails. There was only Terrence, Kate O’Neill, Ian Dobson, Mike McKeeman and myself. In the first two miles we stumbled on a dog cemetery. We split up as we walked up the slight hill and shouted the names on the graves and the offerings that bejeweled them. Water bowls. Collars. Stuffed animals. Milk bones. Faded photos. At the top of the cemetery we trailblazed through the sage in order to find another trail. This trail continued up a fairly steep, snow-covered hill. Once on the backside, the run got ridiculous; not in terrain but more so in conversation. The snow was melted due to sun exposure and we stopped at an intersection for five minutes to discuss breaking up in order to find the best option. You are not supposed to break up in the “wilderness”, so we proceeded together. Through soft sand Ian was jumping like a deer off the trail to get to the base faster. I, trying to keep up, misnegotiated each turn and ran into the sage brush each time. Once at the bottom, Mike told a story of his worst overseas flight that was exaggerated just enough to make it one of the most hilarious stories I’ve ever heard. Most of us ran too far that day and our purpose of finding a new loop could never be duplicated.

The run however proved to be too leisure for the competitive nature that drives this group. It was negotiated somehow that if Mike walked barefoot across the field of snow that blanketed the park he didn’t have to go to the gym later that day. So, he walked. Ian and Terrence walked next. The only similarity was they were barefoot. Ian quietly walked at a leisure pace with an easy swing in his arms. Terrence, in a falsetto only matched when he sings “Roxanne” was repeating, “It’s cold. Oh, it’s really cold” while pumping his arms and breathing Lamaze style. Kate, Mike and I sat on the sidelines to watch this hysterical show. At the end of the snow patch Terrence (acting out of spite now) turned emphatically and started walking back across the snow. Half way down the field of snow (picture Adam Nelson hyping himself up before stepping into the shot put ring) Terrence took his shirt off and threw it onto the ground. We were witnessing our coach going “nuts” and could not control how hard we were laughing. The final stretch of Terrence’s snow walk took us over the edge. Mike threw a snow ball in which Terrence caught and ATE in one sweeping motion! Mike went to the gym that night to workout.

The gym has also been fun despite having run over 120 miles each week this month. Terrence, besides providing comedy for us on the run and in the gym has prepared Kate and I perfectly to continue his successful Olympic Trials streak. With Ryan Hall already on the Beijing Olympic team Kate and I feel confident that our similar preparation will also earn us a birth on the team. Our workouts are some of the best we have ever done. In March, I will run the Gate River Run 15K then fly to Lisbon, Portugal for a half-marathon. These races are to break up the monotony of marathon training. April is our focus as Kate and I head to Boston for the Olympic Trials. It is clear as I reflect on our recent training that our coach is equally passionate and knowledgeable about getting us physically strong as he is about keeping our spirits up. Thanks Coach!

December 31, 2007 (Posted January 1, 2008)

I write this while there are only a handful of hours left in 2007 and look back at the far off travels and successes of our training group. We held training camps at home in Mammoth Lakes, California and down at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. We flew to Houston, Colorado, Boston, Jacksonville, Palo Alto, and New York. On longer flights we found ourselves racing in Rome, Stockholm, London, Madrid, Monte Carlo, Brussels, Kobe, and Osaka. Our team’s greatest moment came in New York City for the Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials where Ryan Hall, in the most dominating performance I have ever seen, won the race in record breaking time to earn a spot on his first Olympic team. I was so inspired by this race; it has me excited to prepare for the women’s marathon trials in Boston this April.

As I sat down to write this blog I intended to reflect on 2007. With an Olympic year just hours away, I keep being yanked into my preparations for the Trials and eventually the Beijing Games.

Beijing is only eight months away. Between now and then I will log over five thousand miles. I will go through 15 pair of DS Trainers. I will take 200 ice baths. I will log 600 hours of afternoon naps. I will get more than 200 massages and have a total of about 1000 acupuncture needles. All this in an effort to maintain health and get as strong as possible.

Along with training hard and intensely taking care of myself I hope to stay connected with the simple joys that have kept me running for the past 24 years. I hope to still hear my feet landing on pine needles. I hope to maintain playfulness as I toy around with a faster cadence. I hope to weave through the trees and feel the rhythm of my breath. I hope to notice the seasons changing. I hope I still jump at the chance to chase a leaf blowing down the street. I hope to be aware enough to feel sweat starting to gloss my neck. I hope to playfully hop over rocks and roots without breaking pace. The greatest thing I can ask for is to be joyfully running my way to Boston and Beijing. Greater still would be that our entire Running USA team will be together on that flight to China this summer.

Summer 2007 (Posted August 9, 2007)

I am typing this blog from the café I find myself in daily, Le Pain Quotidien (Daily Bread). Whether for a morning croissant and cappuccino, midday soup and sandwich or afternoon coffee and pastry, this is my spot. There is usually a good book in my hand, but today with my computer I check in with those back home. Our team has once again made a summer training base in Leuven, Belgium as we travel and race through the European track circuit. Whereas last year I found myself in record breaking high temperatures and eating an absurd amount of ice cream to cool off, this summer has me searching for soup and wearing my beanie cap. I welcomed the warmth of my last two races in Rome and Monte Carlo. After a rusty 5000 meters (15:13) in Rome, I was happy with my 3000 meters (8:44) in Monte Carlo which was just a few seconds off my personal best. With my main goal being a fast 10,000 meters at the World Championships in Osaka at the end of August, I feel my preparations are going great. This week I will run a 3000 in London followed by a 5000 in Stockholm. After Stockholm, I am off to Japan with Jen Rhines as we undergo final preparations for our World Championships events.

There is a certain sense of celebration as I compete on the track this summer. I’m not positive, but this could be my last hurrah on the track circuit being next year I will focus on the marathon for the Olympic trials in Boston and the Olympics in Beijing. Although I may not return to compete on the track, my near future has me very much consumed by “track” in a different way. My husband, Andrew, and I are teaming up with his running club, The High Sierra Striders, to put a track in our home town of Mammoth Lakes, California. Prior to leaving for Europe, I was in a continuous flow of lunches and meetings with Tourism and Recreation Commissioners and other town officials. Since leaving, we have gotten the approval of the board to continue moving forward. A lot of work went into this approval process, but there is a greater amount of work ahead. Off to work I go!

Mammoth is a distance runner’s dream location. When Andrew and I moved to Mammoth in 2001 it coincided with preparing for my first marathon-- ING New York City. It was so easy to increase my mileage and workload with so many trails to choose from. I wanted to keep exploring farther into the mountains. I wanted the thrill of another great view, another new trail to call a “favorite.” Mammoth Lakes has been home to multiple Olympians, national champions, US team members and Olympic medalists, but we can’t call it a running “Mecca” without the presence of an all weather oval surface to run on! We have an ambitious goal of completing the track in one and a half years. This ambition is something that running has taught me. When your goals are lofty, you become so much stronger and wise by pursuing them. By preparing meticulously for an ultimate goal, even if you fall a little short, you are far closer to reaching it than if you didn’t give it your all. In one and a half years, I hope to witness the community of Mammoth Lakes and visitors circling our new track. If we fall a little short, I hope to see these same people running around the track in two years. We are excited and determined to help running in Mammoth, but also to help runners around the world by bringing them there to train. So far, we have seen so much support for what we are trying to do. Running has also taught me that there may be some hurdles along the way, but they are for jumping over.

I’m hopping on my rented, disheveled bike to that secret spot in the Leuven town square in order to send this blog off into cyberspace.

I hope to see you at the ING New York City Marathon/Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials. The men’s trials are shaping up to be the most competitive in the history of US marathons. I won’t miss it and neither should you!

March 11, 2007 (Posted March 16, 2007)

I am typing this blog while watching "Grease" on the television of my hotel room in Jacksonville, Florida. The Gate River Run 15K was this morning, Saturday, March 10. This 15K is our National Championships at this distance. Because of recent workouts, I knew that my teammates were all in good shape. This fact didn’t take away from the absolute pride I felt when I, Meb, Jen Rhines and Ryan Hall took the top four finishes in The Equalizer race. This is a race within a race, which gives the top women a 5-minute head start over the top men, and challenges them to catch us on the course.

Jacksonville was a sweet end to an imperfect week. Prior to leaving home for Florida, I went to my dermatologist for two skin biopsies. One of the irregular skin samples was taken next to where I had melanoma in 2003. I am anxiously waiting for the results, hoping for my phone to ring and to see “Dermatologist” pop up on the screen. The biopsies have created an underlying stress since last Tuesday. I felt this stress, this insecurity, every time I threw my backpack on and felt the straps scratch into my cut shoulder. I’ve felt the stress every time I’ve changed the band-aids. My only comfort is that I’m actually going to the dermatologist every three months to get checked. I wear 30 and 60 SPF sunscreen. I wear a hat to block the sun when I’m running. I’m doing the best I can.

My recent races and training have been a great indication of my Boston Marathon preparations. But, now that the Jacksonville 15K is over, I can truly focus on Boston. I feel fresh and prepared. I am excited and confident. I also know this is a fragile feeling. The scales can tip any day and leave me tired and depleted.

I hope to continue to enjoy this fitness, to take care of myself and not to take any of it for granted. I am totally dependent on my husband Andrew, who keeps me healthy. I depend on my coach for inspiration, direction, and race strategies. I need my training partner, Mike, to share the intense miles with. We have made a great team this year.

As "Grease" is finishing on the television, I have to wrap this up and enjoy the last song. I have no idea what the lyrics mean, but the song is about being together, and it makes me feel good. This is the same way I feel with the people that surround me every day. It's the team that I know I can count on to get me in top shape for Boston: “We go together like rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong/Remembered for ever like shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yipitty boom de boom.”

Cheers!
Deena
www.deenakastor.com

Summer 2006 Entry (Posted August 11, 2006)

Following a leisurely post Flora London Marathon break, I was excited to speed up my legs and hit the track. I ordered new spikes and wrote out lofty goals of setting personal bests in the 5000 and 10,000 meters. My weekly mileage dropped from 130 miles during marathon training to 80-90 miles. In lowering my mileage I was hoping to sharpen my speed but this never happened. My mile repeats were slower than when I am marathon training; this was very discouraging. Every morning I was sore from the previous day's work despite training for over a month. My husband, Andrew, assured me that when I got overseas to join my Running USA teammates things would start to click.

At our training base in Lueven, Belgium, I got in a couple of awkward feeling track workouts. My first weekend abroad, most of my teammates and I were running a 3000-meter race in Lucerne, Switzerland. We took a train there and the weather conditions were great. In the race I just barely broke 9 minutes, but the worst of it was how much it beat me up. The following morning I was so stiff and sore that I couldn’t even run. What was happening to me?

It didn’t take too much brooding for Coach Mahon and me to call my season off. Things just weren’t clicking. I flew to Rome to watch some of my training partners compete and to meet Andrew, who was coming from the States. From there, Andrew and I decided to make the best of a bad situation and vacation in Italy; this is a luxury that time rarely affords us. We toured Rome, Florence and biked through the Chianti region of Tuscany. We indulged in great food, fantastic wines and met so many fun people. Finally, we made our way back to the training camp in Lueven, where we relaxed with teammates for our final week overseas.

On our way home to California, we stopped in New York City for a couple of days as guests of New York Road Runners. The days were packed just as New Yorkers like it. Andrew and I ran the last 10 miles of the ING New York City Marathon course; we took notes for this November’s race. Following that we talked with media and went to a New York Liberty basketball game. We opened the New York Stock exchange (which I hope to do again in November, as winner of the ING New York City Marathon). I cooked (and ate) in the Bar American kitchen with chef and owner Bobby Flay for an afternoon. Before buzzing off to the airport, I had the privilege of being in Central Park to talk with the young kids involved in the New York Road Runners Foundation. INSERT DEEP BREATH HERE!

Now that I’m rested, it’s time to focus on marathon training. I won’t have extra energy to type a journal entry. See you November 5th at the ING New York City Marathon!

Introductory Entry

On training in London:
While running through the many Royal Parks surrounding London, I couldn't help but wish the rest of my team was here to experience the great trails and wildlife. Coach Mahon, Mike and Andrew are helping me with final preparations for the London Marathon; this is a much smaller group without the rest of my teammates who are training in Mammoth and getting ready for track season. I look forward to joining them after this race.

On training in Woodside, CA
While training in Woodside, California earlier this year I was continuously complaining about the rain. Terrence kept telling me, "This is just like London"! I would roll my eyes while putting on my waterproof jacket. We got to London three weeks prior to the race and it was sunny and nice almost every day. Race day morning was cool and rainy. I immediately thought of Woodside; I was prepared for this! Moral of this story is THE COACH IS ALWAYS RIGHT!

On training in Mammoth Lakes, CA
While my teammates were racing in Japan for the World Cross Country Championships, Andrew and I were pinned to the computer and waiting to see how our young teammates would fare in such a large competition. We were anxious because we love cross country and knew they were all ready to run well. I kept hitting the "refresh" button. Results couldn't pop up fast enough. Finally, we saw they were all successful. Andrew and I were proud of them and started talking about this new group Terrence recruited. They are finding success while still so young and they are going to do exceptional things in the future.