2005 USA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Interview with Deena Kastor
Reported by Parker Morse

Deena Kastor. (Photo by Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

Athens Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor finished fourth in the 10,000 in 31:45.08. Kastor had mostly crosstrained in preparation for this race, after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in May.

Q: Did your injury affect your stride at all?
Deena Kastor: Not to my knowledge, no. If anything, it's just because I haven't been running, so my stride might be a little awkward. I was in a boot for two weeks, and I was only able to run for 20 minutes to half an hour for a week out of the book, and my first run was two weeks ago today: it was a 10-minute jog [and] I was limping the entire way. So, to come back in two weeks off of coming out of a cast, and be able to run the national championships, I knew it was going to be a tough claw out there. I knew it was going to be one of my most challenging races, which it was. But I would've been really sorry if I didn't get out here and give it a shot.

Q: Does it tell you something about yourself, that you could do this off that little?
DK: Yeah, I mean, I was in pretty good shape when I got injured. It was my first injury, so I felt like I had a pretty good attitude about it. I just took it one day at a time. I was a little surprised to be able to commit last week to coming out here to run this race, but I also wasn't going to be disappointed if I didn't make the team, because of what I've gone through this past month. I've gone from trying to make the World Championships team to now just focusing on trying to get my feet back under me, and maybe racing on the roads this summer, since I won't be making a track season out of it.

Q: Were you able to convince yourself that you could win, or did you come here thinking it wasn't going to happen?
DK: I had a very good perspective, from the very first day this injury happened, to getting the word from the doctor and the MRI that it wasn't good news, to being in a boot, to hobbling through a 10-minute run just two weeks ago. I feel like my expectations have been put in check on that. I've been able to maintain a really positive outlook for the fall. I know that whenever we have challenges, we end up gaining a lot from them, and I feel like I've gained a lot of strength from this.

Q: Could you ever incorporate an underwater treadmill or something like that into healthy training?
DK: I think in marathon training, if I'm in the middle of a 140-mile week, and my body's just not responding well to another mile pounding on the pavement, it's a great alternative. But I feel like being on the underwater treadmill didn't exactly keep my fitness where it was; it helped me from digressing farther, as if I'd been just spinning on the bike or not able to do anything at all.

Q: Did you feel any problems with your foot today?
DK: No, my foot didn't hurt during the race at all. A tiny bit, it always seems to hurt at the beginning of a warm-up, or the first 10 minutes of a run, but after that, it seems like the tendons and muscles loosen up, so I really feel like I am injury-free now. It's just going to take time for all those muscles to gain their strength back.

Q: So now you can concentrate on a fall marathon?
DK: Yeah. Obviously I can't make any decisions without my coach and husband and agent around, but I'm thinking more along the lines, immediately, of focusing on road races that are going to help me at least obtain my marathon goals, since my track season is out of sorts, as far as reaching my goals there.

Q: Any idea what races?
DK: I have no idea. I'd have to look at a schedule. Probably a half-marathon in there.

Q: Was this a running injury?
DK: I rolled my ankle in the front yard. I don't know if it was a pine cone, or a rock, or what. I didn't stand around to find out; I ran into the house and iced it immediately, and tried to get through my next run. I didn't think it was as bad until, in the middle of my tempo run, I turned to my training partner and said, 'All of a sudden I can't step down on my foot.' It was inflamed where I'd rolled it. So I got the MRI. Luckily in a small town, you have connections. Andrew had a doctor who was one of his training clients, and had his phone number in his phone. He called the doctor, who was backcountry skiing. He met us at the hospital, ordered up an MRI, and we found out immediately. That was four or five weeks ago.

(Interview conducted June 24, 2005.)