Interview with Deena Kastor
by Beth Whitney

Deena Kastor front-running the 2005 NYRR National 8K Championships.
(Photo Courtesy of PhotoRun)

Deena Kastor, 33, of Mammoth Lakes, California, will return to the Flora London Marathon on April 23 in an attempt to better her 2003 performance there, where she placed third while setting an American record of 2:21:16. The winner of the 2005 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 2:21:25, Kastor is perhaps best known for her performance in the 2004 Olympic Marathon, where she captured the bronze medal by slowly reeling in her competitors as they wilted in the heat. (Kastor was in 28th place at three miles and passed eight runners over the final 10 miles.)

While earning a degree in journalism and creative writing at the University of Arkansas, Kastor was an eight-time NCAA All-American. She has won two IAAF World Cross Country Championships silver medals and 11 national titles. In addition to her American record in the marathon, Kastor holds national records at 10,000 meters (30:50.32) on the track and 5K (14:54) and 8K (24:37) on the road. At the Berlin Half-Marathon earlier this month, she set three more national records (38:24 for 12K, 51:31 for 10 miles, and 1:04:07 for 20K) en route to claiming yet another American best with her half-marathon time of 1:07:34.

Fast-Women.com contacted Kastor at her training camp just outside of London, where she has been training since her race in Berlin. Always gracious and articulate, she shared her thoughts about pacing, racing, and what it's like to live the life of a professional athlete.

Fast-Women.com: Paula Radcliffe set the world record of 2:15:25 at the Flora London Marathon in 2003. Last year she won again, posting a mark of 2:17:42, which is referred to as the "unassisted" world record, because there weren't male pacesetters provided as there had been for the lead women in 2003. London is returning to employing pacesetters this year to create optimum conditions for the women's record to fall again.

Major marathons have traditionally employed rabbits for the men's races, the difference being that those rabbits do not run the entire course, or if they decided to do so, would still be eligible to win the race. Do you foresee races like London eventually splitting pace duties between the men's rabbits, with a second runner entering the course and taking over pacing duties for the latter stage of the race, to create a situation equally conducive to fast times?
Deena Kastor: I have not given thought to how male pacemaking in the marathon will evolve. I have, however, thought deeply on whether having “pacemakers” is an advantage or disadvantage to my own situation. The advantage comes with running within a group, because that is the way I train. I enjoy and thrive with having people around to train with, so naturally, I would also thrive under this in a racing situation.

The times that I thought it a disadvantage: London 2003, the man running with me was without a watch and throwing up in the later stages of the race. I forewent my last bottle of carbohydrate drink and gave it to him because he was suffering so much. In saying this, I ran my best race that day. Another situation that has hindered me is when the men, feeling so comfortable at my pace, get excited from the crowds or stop focusing momentarily and the pace quickens; the mile split may be fast and they get back on pace, but I suffer from the fluctuation. It is a challenge, but I have learned to stay entirely focused on my own pace and just thrive off of people being around. I would call it “company” and not pacing.

FW: You've run extremely well both with and without pacesetters. What are some of the differences in how you approach races depending on whether assistance is provided? Is your psychological preparation different?

DK: Last year I ran the New York Road Runners 8K national championships on the roads. It was an all-women’s field. I won in a time of 25:05 and was within three seconds of breaking the American record. The next weekend I ran an 8K in Chicago—the LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle was a combined start line. I used this to “race against” the men in an attempt to break the American record.

The difference in the two races was my mindset. In the women-only race, I ran with the women for about a mile to see how they were breathing and who appeared comfortable or strained. When I picked up the pace to pull away, I made an aggressive move and then settled into a strong pace. The next week in Chicago, I was aggressive every step of the race. I was continually focused on catching men in front of me. I ran 24:37 in Chicago, which ended up being a new American record and only a few seconds off of the world record.

FW: How much of a distraction is worrying that assigned pacesetters aren't overstepping the line of acceptable assistance? Earlier in your career, when you were running in mixed races, was deflecting unsolicited aid and support from male runners something you had to worry about?
DK: My only conflict with “acceptable assistance” came this year in Chicago. Race officials emphatically told us that our “escorts” were not to be used as wind blocks if race day was to be windy. It was windy. Along with my three escorts, about five other men, with the knowledge that we were attempting to run sub-2:20 and that they may possibly get on TV, attached themselves to our group. I was leading this pack of men through the windy streets of Chicago. I did not know that Constantina Dita, the returning champion, was also in the back of this pack. I took the requests of race organizers very seriously, but also defied an enormously beneficial race tactic to draft off of the other racers, and suffered the consequences of battling the wind for 26.2 miles. In hindsight, maybe I should have drafted off of one of the men that didn’t have “race escort” titles.

FW: On to the topic of coaching, Terrence Mahon gradually took over the position of head coach from Joe Vigil, your primary advisor and mentor. Mahon worked very closely with Vigil, so I'd imagine their training philosophies are very similar. In what ways does their approach to your training differ? How much input does Vigil still have?
DK: Coach Vigil and I worked together for eight years, and he remains a tremendous inspiration to me. The knowledge he has shared with me is truly a gift of a lifetime. When he retired after the Olympic Games, Andrew, my husband, and I did some serious searching as to what coach could continue to help me improve and reach loftier goals. Terrence Mahon was the first person we thought of. Our only trepidation was that he was a close friend, and we didn’t want to put any strain on our friendship with him or his wife, Olympian Jen Rhines. We have all heard the words of wisdom that you are not supposed to go into “business” with your friends or family. The transition was easy, and we have the added bonus of spending more time with Terrence and Jen now.

I have definitely made some changes in my training, but I believe in everything Terrence tells me to do. He has an amazing wealth of knowledge for how young he is. He is a coach for no other reason than to help each of us athletes reach our potential. You will hear a lot about him and the success of his younger athletes in the next couple of years.

FW: I've read that you've shifted gears a bit after Athens, and you've been concentrating more on quality than quantity. In your London build-up, did your weekly mileage ever climb back up into the 120 range?
DK: One of the changes we have made recently is to lower my mileage a bit. I have typically run a series of 140-mile weeks in preparing for a marathon. Terrence advised me to harness this need and focus on the quality of my runs instead. The result has been amazing. The 140-mile weeks were good for me, and they are still in these legs somewhere, but the quality of my tempo runs and interval workouts have definitely been enhanced with taming the need to run so much. I still trained about 120 miles a week, which is quite a bit.

FW: Are there elements that you’ve introduced into your training that weren't there before? Have you adjusted your program at all after analyzing how the women who've run under 2:20 in the marathon prepare? How open are they and their coaches about how they train?
DK: I tend to be very open with my training and philosophies, but I won’t say that others are as generous with sharing what they are doing. Terrence is reading and learning all the time, though he has a very solid training routine. My job is easy, in that I merely listen to what he tells me to do. I think this belief in him is what helps us be successful. Since I started running at 11 years old, I have always gone out aggressively in workouts and races and tried to hang on for as long as possible. Terrence’s focus with me has been to control the beginning of workouts and make the finish impressive. This was not an easy task on his part, but his persistence has paid off in that I am finally running negative splits in my workouts.

FW: Has Paula Radcliffe's recent withdrawal from London changed the way you anticipate the race playing out? Were you hoping a battle between the two of you would ensure a fast finish time without relying on the pacers or racing the clock?
DK: I chose to run London this year because of the talented field the race director had put together. Naturally, I was disappointed to hear that Paula withdrew. The current line-up remains tough, and I will have my work cut out for me on race day.

FW: Will the new World Marathon Majors series affect your choice of racing venues over the next two years? What do you think about the series in terms of its effect on elite marathoners as well as the popularity of the sport in general?
DK: The World Marathon Majors is a spectacular network of our greatest marathons. These five events would most likely be the marathons I choose to run other than Olympic Trials and Olympic Games. I would have chosen these five prior to them coming together to form this alliance, but I believe marathons around the world will follow the successful examples of London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, and New York in order to become more grand themselves.

FW: Based on how you felt during the recent Berlin Half-Marathon, where you set a new American record, are you exactly where you want to be in terms of fitness going into London?
DK: I was really excited about my Berlin Half-Marathon performance, especially because we had only got there two days prior, and I was still very jet-lagged. Before the race, I did not think or feel I could run that fast, considering we had just flown over. I was ecstatic to run that well. I am even more ecstatic to be tapering and focusing on London now. My husband, coach, training partner and I are currently outside of London for final preparations. The weather has been uncharacteristically beautiful for London in the spring. We are all excited for race day and hope that I can achieve the two goals I have set out to accomplish: win the race and run sub 2:20.

FW: Can you pinpoint a specific place in time when you stopped daydreaming about what it must feel like to win an Olympic medal and began to think of yourself as an athlete for whom that accomplishment might be attainable?
DK: The Olympic Games are the epitome of sporting achievement. It was stressful when we—coach, agent, husband, and I—were deciding on whether to run the 10,000 meters or the marathon in the Olympic Games. I was worried about the heat, pollution, and humidity. The list of negatives surrounding the marathon was lengthy until I thought of what the Olympic Games are actually about—winning medals. I asked myself where my greatest chances are to represent my country on the awards podium. I don’t have the speed to run a 59-second last 400 meters required to medal in the 10,000. I can, however, run a smart race and medal in the marathon. At this precise moment, I believed I could do it. I never doubted it in the four months of training.

FW: In what ways was the experience of winning the Olympic bronze medal and having the title "Olympic medalist" attached to your name similar to how you assumed it would be? In what ways has it been different than you thought it would be?
DK: I never had expectations of what life would be like after winning a medal. It was merely a fulfilled goal. Now, I have other goals I am chasing. Life is the same because we have kept it that way.

FW: Were you offered any unusual opportunities after your performance in Athens? How do you decide what kinds of projects and partnerships to accept?
DK: I have had a lot of opportunities that are not running-related, but were a product of my running. It is difficult to decline such generous offers, but not when you are still a competitive athlete. It is impossible to think of having time to do anything else.

FW: Which is more daunting, the physical or psychological discomfort of racing 26.2 miles?
DK: The physical and psychological discomforts of the marathon are the same. Your body and mind work together, and they are also vulnerable together as your glycogen gets depleted.

FW: Given your background in journalism and creative writing, I'm surprised that, unlike many other elite runners, you don't post a journal on your Web site. Do you keep a personal chronicle of your experiences?
DK: I have attempted to keep an online journal in the past and it was more of a stress than an enjoyment. I have recently gained knowledge on how to work with my Web site, so it might be easier in the future. I keep a journal with me and write when inspired, but this is usually non-running-related.

FW: Which is more challenging, the training process or the writing process?
DK: I find it impossible to balance writing and running. At first I thought it was a great combination, but both require too much emotional energy.

FW: Where does your creative interior life intersect with the more external, extroverted, physical one you lead as a professional athlete? How do your two interests support or detract from one another?
DK: As a runner, I thrive on other people being around. Running, from when I began at age 11, has always been social. In saying this, the reason my parents wanted me to join the local track club was because of how painfully shy I was. Running has helped tremendously in being open and comfortable with others. We all need a good balance of sharing time with others and being reflective and alone.

FW: You have a supportive team of people behind you who believe in you and are fully invested in helping you become the best athlete you can possibly be. How has this let you achieve some of the things you've been able to so far? On the flip side, how do you keep the pressure of their expectations and hopes, along with your own high standards and goals, from becoming overwhelming?
DK: I could not imagine having success without the support of my husband, parents, coach, teammates, physiologist, friends, etc. What each one of them offers may be called “pressure” to many people, but I look at it as an incredible support and belief in what we are achieving together. The only embarrassment comes when I am getting the recognition for an achievement, because each one of my “team members” plays an extraordinary role in our successes. We all believe in one another.

FW: Finally, if you were to create a passage of internal dialog for an elite marathoner standing on the edge of the marathon starting line, leaning forward, in that eerily quiet moment just before the gun goes off, what would you write?
DK: The dramatic hold on the starting line is so brief; I just have time to squeeze in one instruction or affirmation. It is never planned, just something that comes to me in those last seconds. Something like: “define yourself today.”

Editor's Update: Kastor won the London marathon in 2:19:36 and also broke the U.S. women's marathon record.

Interview conducted on April 14, 2006, and posted on April 20, 2006.

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