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NICK WILLIS & MIKE AISH INTERVIEWS
Deena Kastor: 2004 Olympic marathon medalist and American marathon record holder
© 2008 The Runner's Tribe, all rights reserved.
With an Olympic bronze medal to her name from the Athens Olympics, there is no doubt that Deena Kastor hopes to climb back onto the Olympic podium in Beijing, hopefully standing just a little higher than four years ago. Kastor, the American record holder over the half marathon (67:34) and marathon (2:19.36) as well as winner of the 2005 Chicago marathon is definitely America's greatest hope for Olympic marathon gold since Joan Benoit-Samuelson won in 1984. We catch up with Deena to find out what's happening and what's new.
RunnersTribe: Deena, thanks for your time. How is the training going and where are you currently based?
DK: Training is going well as I prepare for the marathon in Beijing. I am currently at home in Mammoth Lakes, California. The intense training at 8000 feet altitude gets me ready for major competitions. I will be heading to China for the last three weeks of training.
Montage of Deena Kastor's accomplishments
RT: Is the volume and intensity still there or have you started to back off and taper? What sort of sessions have you been doing?
DK: I am definitely in the height of my training. I won't back off until the week of the race. My weeks consist of long runs, short or long interval sessions and tempo runs. The next two weeks of training look very challenging, but after that the bulk of the work will be done.
RT: Four years ago in Athens you dealt with the brutal heat by employing very successfully the tactics of going out conservatively and coming home strong over the last 10 km. As everyone knows there were blow ups left right and centre in that race. It seems that there is a good chance that Beijing will be quite similar with the humidity and pollution? Do you plan on using similar tactics?
DK: I can't run the same race in Beijing because I want a better outcome this time around. I will run a bit more aggressively since there are no hills to challenge us in Beijing..
Deena Kastor -Road to Beijing
RT: Have you been doing anything special to prepare yourself for the conditions in Beijing?
DK: Living in the dry mountains I have had to manipulate my training environment by wearing excess clothing. It is a bit uncomfortable, but worth the adaptation.
RT: You have been on the circuit for quite some time now. Do you have any plans post-Beijing?
DK: I really hope to run an early spring marathon. Since Beijing won't be a particularly fast race, I look forward to racing a fast marathon early 2009.
Deena Kastor at 25 mile mark of Boston Olympic marathon trials
RT: You seem to spend a lot of time training at altitude. Is this something that is just a necessity for an elite distance runner these days? I mean, it's rare to find anyone that's truly successful that doesn't spend the majority of their time in the mountains?
DK: I really believe in altitude living and training. All of the world records in the middle distance and distance events are held by people that train at altitude. There are many physiological benefits to living and training "high", but the greatest benefit is being in a simple environment and living in a town full of athletic people who support our profession.
RT: What are your plans from now until Beijing? How long before the race will you arrive in town?
DK: I am almost exactly 1 month out from the race. At this time I am pretty focused on getting these next few weeks of intense training in. I am even more focused on the rest and recovery in order to maintain my health from now until the Games. I look forward to heading to coastal China with the US Track team for my final preparations.
RT: Deena, thanks for your time. All the best for Beijing and we hope to catch up with you again soon.