Deena is running Chicago!!!

Deena is coming to Chicago!!! Press release is here.

"The terrible timing of my injury in last year’s Olympic Games left me with a hunger to perform well on the world stage," explains Kastor. "Chicago sets itself above other marathons in the U.S. in that it is the fastest, which is a big reason I am returning this fall.” Kastor continues. "The familiarity and comfort level I have with the course, the staff and their attention to detail certainly will allow me to concentrate on my goals while the enthusiastic Chicago crowds provide the constant support every athlete needs to perform their best."

Pretty exciting to have one of the big marathoning names come back to Chi, especially in light of the upcoming Chicago Olympic bid for 2016. She has also declared she is gunning for sub 2:18, which would lower her American record - I guess she is trying to make it harder for Kara in the future ;) She hasn't run too many races since her ill-fated Olympics injury in Beijing, and chose the Shamrock Shuffle this March as her comeback, which she won. Deena actually won the 2005 Shamrock Shuffle and 2005 Chicago Marathon (do I detect a pattern here?), so would be pretty cool if she could pull off yet another victory this fall.

And for those who aren't familiar with one of the greatest American distance runners ever, go purchase Spirit of the Marathon and watch Deena's quest for her first marathon title. Absolutely amazing documentary that truly captures the essence of marathoning - I will post a review about it later this summer. Great preview on Youtube below:



Last night, dragged Crystal out to the track for our 400 repeats. Was pretty hot outside during the day, and was in the process of cooling down when we started - sunny, in the 70's, and humid. Strategized to break up the 400's into 2 sets of 4 (several minute break in between) while alternating the inside lane, then pushing 2 more reps at the end. Did quick warmup, and we were on our way. First few reps didn't feel too hot - legs were tired, and turnover wasn't where I wanted it to be. Crystal was flying around the corners, and looking good. Was trying to stay on her heels, but she was clearly dictating the pace. Hit pretty aggressive splits for the first set, so "tried" to slow it down on set 2. Got into a much better rhythm, and seemed a lot easier. Legs were heavy, but pretty much felt that way all day so just went with it. Last 2 reps were fun, wanted to hit sub 1:20 on those. First one, I led us through a decent pace through first 200 meters, then slowly accelerated and kicked the last 100. Last rep, pretty much the same philosophy, only the last 100 I saw a couple walkers about 15 meters from the finish line and my competitive drive just took over and went flying down the straightaway to catch them and pass them right at the end - I think I hit 33 seconds on the last 200. Fun way to end a good workout - did 1/2 mile cooldown afterwards then went home to shower/stretch. Total mileage: ~3.5 miles - 400 splits were: 1:23, 1:21, 1:21, 1:20, 1:24, 1:21, 1:27, 1:21, 1:18, 1:13.

Legs feel ok today - joints are still a little sore, but will take it easy tonight with a light 3-4 easy run. One final note concerning track etiquette - if you are walking or jogging while others are running, please do not use the inside lane. Leave that lane open for the faster runners. On one of the earlier reps, had to completely run off the track into the grass to avoid two girls who were walking at snail's pace, while we were trying to execute a rep at 5:20 minute/mile pace - no need to push effort even further when already going that fast. I think people got the clue later as we didn't have any further problems, but still an unnecessary thing to encounter on a track workout.