http://www.deenakastor.com New Blog Post Updates from Olympic Medalist Deena Kastor en-us http://www.deenakastor.com Hi Marathon Fans,

As snow hit the east coast this weekend, Los Angeles was a warm and beautiful 70 degrees. The Dodge Rock n Roll LA ½ Marathon was another success in its second year running. Celebrities show up to rock and run, but you’ll have to enter to schmooze with any of them! Last year I was pregnant and ran with Jennifer Love Hewitt. This year, my daughter Piper was on the sidelines with my family and I was able to win my second race as a Mom. After the race, we sat in the VIP tent, ate Snickers Marathon Bars, drank mimosas and listened to Brett Michaels. This race marked the end of my post-pregnancy build up. Now it’s time to redirect my focus to preparing for the Olympic Trials marathon in Houston this January.

The intermission of my two training phases will have me enjoying Halloween at our beach house and then traveling East for the ING NYC marathon. It is always a busy week in New York. More than ever, Andrew and I like to be involved with the Youth programs of the New York Road Runners. Saturday I will be running my first road 5K since 2002. Why not? I would most likely be caught up in duel with another runner around the reservoir anyway. So, I’ll race officially in the inaugural New York Road Runners 5K Dash to the Finish line. Marathon race day will have me on the women’s lead motorcycle (don’t tell my mom) to commentate for NBC’s coverage.

We are sure to see some great performances out of the marathon runners Sunday morning. My two favorites are my Mammoth Track Club teammates, Jen Rhines and Meb Keflezighi. GO TEAM!


Click Here to go to Deena's Website »]]>Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:29:37 -0400by Deena Kastor Blog Posts http://www.deenakastor.com/blog_posts.php?id=106 http://www.deenakastor.com Hi Marathon Fans,

Mammoth is the training grounds for a lot of elite distance runners. For some of us it is “home” and others come here to incorporate an altitude training stint during their season. It was a particularly fun week to have Desiree Davila visiting. After her stellar 2nd place finish in the Boston Marathon this April, she took some down time and is visiting my Mammoth Track Club teammate Amy Hastings who finished an amazing 2nd place in her marathon debut at the LA Marathon this March. Amy, Desiree and I enjoyed some runs together. I felt as though I was chasing them down the dirt roads and hoping their recent marathon mojo would rub off on me.

One of our non-running highlights was taking a gondola ride to the top of Mammoth Mountain and watching my husband Andrew and Desiree’s boyfriend Ryan ski. The 5 of us enjoyed lunch on the sunny deck at the base of the slopes. It’s been a great year for skiing as we have had over 600 inches of snow. Whereas so many people are enjoying the early sprouts from their gardens, we still have 15 feet of snow in our front yard.

I am typing this on Sunday evening and I’m tired. It has been a great week of training not only because I had good company on my runs, but because I included some higher quality workouts to my weekly mileage. The inclusion of 200s, a short tempo-run and a long run with pick-ups has me wrapping up the week with a combined sense of elation and exhaustion. I am overjoyed with the fatigue from training and to have seen such great progress in my running. Whereas a lot of progress is gradual, this week proved a good sized leap forward.


Click Here to go to Deena's Website »]]>Mon, 23 May 2011 14:49:42 -0400by Deena Kastor Blog Posts http://www.deenakastor.com/blog_posts.php?id=104 http://www.deenakastor.com Hi Runners,

This last week, I dusted off my GARMIN and got my running shoes dirty. I even found myself relying on my MP3 player to get me jamming on a windy day. And, this Sunday I was elated to meet my teammates for practice while Andrew watched Piper. We are settling into a routine as we balance our new roles as parents with our careers. We are having a blast as we figure this all out. I’m sure just as we think we have it down, Piper’s schedule will change. I am not complaining about the changes because one of those changes allowed us to sleep for 4 straight hours last night. Yes!

I look forward to building up my mileage this summer and racing again come late summer and fall. While I chasing my fitness at home in Mammoth Lakes, I will also be hosting running camps. So, pack your bags and come to Mammoth this summer. All the proceeds of the camps directly fund the Mammoth Track Project. Our local, non-profit running club High Sierra Striders is in the final stages of breaking ground on this beautiful facility. These camps are available for youth, high school and college runners as well as an adult Marathon camp. The youth, high school and college camps will be held at our beautiful Cerro Coso Community college apartments and will be packed with running adventures. The adult running camp is sure to be a first-class experience as guests of this camp stay at the renowned Westin Monache here in Mammoth Lakes. Highlights of all the camps include runs to the top of Mammoth Mountain and Rainbow Falls as well as “Dinner with Olympians”. Find out more and register at www.mammothrunningcamps.com . It will be a summer to remember and I look forward to sharing it with you!


Click Here to go to Deena's Website »]]>Sun, 03 Apr 2011 19:31:13 -0400by Deena Kastor Blog Posts http://www.deenakastor.com/blog_posts.php?id=103 http://www.deenakastor.com Dear Runners,

Experienced moms have told me to take advantage of the baby sleeping and get some rest myself. I am choosing to blog instead because of the gratitude I feel for the support so many running fans have offered during my pregnancy and the congratulations that followed her birth. Andrew’s and my first child was born last week. My typical days of 12 hours sleep are long gone, but I have this new surge of hormones to keep me on cloud nine, at least for the time being. Piper has all her dad’s features with the exception of acquired my large, protruding rib cage. I’m not saying she’ll be a distance runner because she may be may be a flutist, a balloon-blowing circus clown or anything else requiring a large lung capacity.

I am itching to run again once we get this parenting thing down. I assume in a couple weeks we will have found a flow, and I look forward to blogging about my first run back after this long hiatus. After giving birth, no hill will be too steep, no interval too taxing and no long run too enduring. I was told repeatedly throughout my pregnancy that giving birth was like running a marathon. To that, I say certainly not. Giving birth was more painful from the very start as opposed to merely hurting the final 10K, it lasted longer than 2 hours 19 minutes, and the scenery never changed as time ticked by. The only thing similar was that I hung some inspiration on the bulletin board in our hospital suite just like I do when in my hotel room when I’m racing. I had the “I LOVE YOU” note Andrew and I have been passing back and forth for the past 10 years. It is always present when we are going through a landmark moment. The other poster on the wall was the ASICS acronym, Anima Sana In Corpora Sano, or a sound mind in a sound body. These qualities are necessary to succeed in anything we set out to accomplish. In running I reflect on these words often, but the foundation of the company is appropriate in so many of life’s endeavors.

So, it’s been quite a week and I relied on a lot of tools that have made me a successful athlete, but delivering a baby is no marathon. Delivering a baby is the hardest thing I have ever done, but our most difficult tasks are the most rewarding. I look forward to seeing you at the races with our baby girl in tow. We are grateful to raise her in such a supportive running community, full of positive role models.


Click Here to go to Deena's Website »]]>Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:32:55 -0500by Deena Kastor Blog Posts http://www.deenakastor.com/blog_posts.php?id=102 http://www.deenakastor.com Hi Runners,

We have snow, a lot of it. Mammoth has recorded the most snow of any place in the world as the New Year began and we are getting more as I type this. I have so much anticipation for 2011 and there is always a lot to look forward to, but we are especially excited to welcome our baby girl in less than 6 week’s time. My pregnancy has gone by fast and has been easy except for allergy problems this last fall. I feel great and I’ve learned a tremendous amount through all of this. I cherish the lessons life hands us so gracefully. That I haven’t been able to run for months, you’d think I’d be going crazy. The opposite is true. I got such bad side-stitches every time I went to run (or walk) that I took it as a sign to slow down. Combine that with the 18 feet of snow we’ve received and you can guess I’ve been inside wrapped around a mug of hot cocoa and feeding the fireplace a constant stream of logs. With all this rest, I feel so healthy and vibrant. I am taking this as a time to nurture and rejuvenate my body from so many years of focused work, grinding paces and energy zapping mileage.

In this coming year, I look forward to sharing our great life with our little girl. As my husband dreams of winning stroller races, I anticipate climbing back into fitness and getting on the starting line of races again. Our daughter will be well traveled which I feel is a great education. I’m not sure what my first race will be (I don’t even know when I’ll conquer my first workout), but I’ll use the beautiful summer in Mammoth to reconnect to the trails I love and explore others I have yet to discover. We are also hosting a variety of running camps this summer so you can play in this runner’s paradise too. I’ll keep you posted on that as the final details are being made right now, but all proceeds go to fund the final dollars needed for the Mammoth Track Project (www.mammothtrackproject.org) . We love sharing Mammoth with other people who share our passion for running. Hope to be able to run with you on this mountain during the summer months! As the snow flies, summer seems far away, but it will be here before we know it.


Click Here to go to Deena's Website »]]>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:46:47 -0500by Deena Kastor Blog Posts http://www.deenakastor.com/blog_posts.php?id=101