Only 10 days to go until the Chicago Marathon and I am thrilled with the way my training has gone in the last 2 months.  Today marked my last tempo run and the official beginning of tapering for the race.  Although I still have a couple quality workouts to do, my mileage will reduce considerably.  I have been running about 115 miles a week and will reduce to about 80 the week leading up to the race.  Tapering is when we expect to feel exuberant with energy, but our bodies have something else in mind.  Tapering never feels as good as we want it to.  My week usually consists of restless night’s sleep (from not taxing myself in training), a mild headache (endorphin withdrawals) and a sudden feeling of loosing fitness (a five mile run doesn’t feel as easy as it should).  But our bodies have a self-preserving mechanism when it comes to marathon preparation.  We train for months to condition ourselves and then taper to store energy.  Race day arrives and we have all the tools to accomplish the distance.  When you add the buzz and enthusiasm of 45,000 people on the starting line, I consider this the special ingredient, the added boost that drives us.  Tomorrow is my last day at altitude before heading to sea-level to rest. 

I’ll be lounging in Southern California for a few days before heading east. We call these interim days “Camp Oxnard” since the sea-side town calls for a leisure existence.   I look forward to arriving in Chicago next week.  If you are there, please visit the ASICS booth at the Marathon Expo on Friday, October 9th from 1:30-2:30.  I’ll be there to visit with runners and running fans, sign autographs and enjoy the camaraderie of so many fit people on a 26.2 mile mission.  I look forward to sharing the experience with all of you.

I just came home from the gym which means I am “clocked out” for the day.  Although I still need to make dinner, I can’t help but get my blog out on the computer.  With the marathon quickly approaching, I guess I was feeling a little sentimental as I went for my second run through the meadow Andrew and I got married in and through a grove of changing Aspen trees.  The leaves on the wind sounded like rushing water and their color was magnificent in yellows and oranges.  On the run I reflected on this morning’s tempo run.  It was my fastest 10 mile tempo in about four years which, given my leap of fitness every week, has me excited and confident for the Chicago marathon just two weeks away.  I was excited during this tempo because I dug down for something greater when I needed to.  This run was important and I gave myself a little pep talk half-way through the workout.  I needed to find some form of strength right then or I would not have the tools to persevere during the marathon.  Although I was beginning to fatigue, I knew there was something greater inside of me.  Andrew was shouting encouragement from the van.  My teammates Mike McKeeman and Josh Cox had shorter tempos runs because of their half-marathon races in Philadelphia last week.  That is where my answer came.  Although it was going to be my strongest tempo in some years, Mike and Josh jumped out of the team van and ran my last mile with me.  They pushed me.  Hard.  I have never been able to close a run with my fastest mile but my teammates brought the best out of me.  They were the strength I was searching for.  I have always been grateful for my teammates, but this morning moved me.  Literally and figuratively.  This morning will be imbedded in my mind when the going gets tough in Chicago.  At the 20-mile mark, I expect to pull out the image of Mike and Josh and let them help me the last 6.2 miles of the race.  There is strength in numbers and there is nothing like a team when you are trying to accomplish a difficult task. 

 Another great week of workouts under my belt and another week closer to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.  With the announcement of more elite runners joining the starting line, I get more excited for the race.  I love the thrill of competition so much that I tried to break away from Andrew, who was  riding the bike, during a 12 mile tempo run this week…what was I thinking?  In my pursuit, I ran my fastest 12 mile tempo run, so I guess it worked out even though I couldn’t shake him going up the last hill.  As I think of the marathon coming up and the 45,000 people I’ll be sharing the starting line with, I can’t help but think that the October 11 race day may be a little extra special for all of us.  Why? Because the 2016 Olympic bid will be announced 9 days prior.  On October 2, the International Olympic Committee will announce which city will host the 2016 Games.  If Chicago wins the bid, there will be extra electricity in the air.  Besides fully supporting Chicago’s bid, I think the timing of the announcement will elevate this year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon.  Chicago and its people are great hosts to the world I learned when reading Devil in the White City.  The city pulled together for a great World’s Fair, and being a sport fanatical town seems a perfect host for the 2016 Games.  I have always loved running and racing in Chicago because of the sport-friendly fans that line the lake front.  Whenever I run there, I always receive encouragement from runners and cyclists getting in their morning workouts.  Now, we wait to hear if this great city will be hosting the world in the Olympic Games.  There will be quite a celebration on Marathon weekend if that is the case.  I’ll toast to that!

Deena Kastor's September 2009 Playlist that helps motivate and inspire her training prior to the Chicago Marathon.

Where's mama bear?

Only one month to go and I am excited about how my training is progressing. This week I "nailed" three key workouts in a 22 mile long run, 6 X mile repeat, and an 8 mile tempo run. Each of these workouts was superior to anything I've done this season. More than ever, I appreciate the flow of a good streak when it comes. They say things come in threes, but I'm hoping that my groove continues. My main focus on this marathon buildup has been on rest and recovery. I am eating well, sleeping hard and icing in the creek to aid in recovery. All of it seems to be paying off as my mileage continues to climb and my workouts get better. I am currently reading Born to Run (thanks to Santa Monica High School Cross Country team) and it is feeding me with the simple joys of running. I normally don't read about running since most of my day is consumed in it anyway, but this book has been a witty and motivating force of words. The book is filled with great quotes and I've been dog-earing the pages when a great saying comes up. On our chalkboard right now is a saying from the Tarahumara runners: When you run on the earth and run with the earth, you can run forever. As I buzzed through the trees and over trails yesterday, I repeated this during the course of my 90 minute run and it made the run go by so quickly. The saying is perfect when you're an endurance runner and your office is an immense forest.

Yesterday our team had an easy run up at the lakes basin. As we were leaving we saw two baby cubs. It just so happens that ASICS was in town visiting and photographer John Barnhart captured a great photo of the cubs playing. While he was inching closer to get his photo, I was on the lookout for bear number 3, Mama bear. She wasn't anywhere in sight. We enjoyed watching the cubs wrestle with each other before scampering off into the trees. I am ready to scamper off to bed, read a chapter of Born to Run and rest up for tomorrow's training session.

Deena's husband, Andrew Kastor passing water off during her long run yesterday.

Deena taking an ice bath in the river...looks like her husband could only get his toes in

All week we have been forced to take our runs up the mountain to avoid the smoke that has settled here from both the Southern California and Yosemite fires.  The smoke finally gave us a reprieve this morning for our 12 mile tempo run.  Although the visibility wasn’t as clear as our Mammoth days usually are, I didn’t smell smoke in the air when I woke.  We all had good workouts this morning and Ryan ran in some sweet custom-made ASICS shoes that seemed to work for him, but I’ll let him tell you about it.  The creek didn’t seem as cold this morning as we iced after the workout.  It may have been because Mike gave me an Atomic Fire Ball and who can focus on the cold creek water when there is a fire inside your mouth?

Earlier in the week Ryan and Sara Hall had a house warming party.  Their new place is great and who needs a television when you have huge windows with bats flying around outside!  We were entertained after dinner by moths outside attracted to the lights coming from the house.  It was scary even with a thick pane of glass between us, but we were all glued to the windows.  The bats, in their clumsy flight, flew by the windows and scooped up the moths one by one.   It was fascinating.  And how can I forget the bear I saw a few days ago.  I was taking Aspen, my chocolate lab, up to the lakes above our house when a bear peaked out from the bushes.  He didn’t even reveal his whole self, just his big knobby head.  When he saw Aspen, he retreated back into the shrubs.  Aspen was too obsessed sniffing around to notice, but it never gets old seeing the wildlife here.

Just as the previous week, my mid-day is filled with a lengthy nap.  I’m not too productive from noon to 3.  With my marathon training at its peak, I am sleeping a lot more to balance out the workload.  Last week was my first week over 100 miles since I broke my foot last summer.  I was pretty psyched to know I can handle the workload again.  The next couple weeks will be full of marathon specific tempo runs and long runs.  I’m off to the gym for lifting followed by a second run.

Of course I’m counting. Only 44 days until the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I still have 650 miles to go in training. In my closet are three more Kayanos and two more Hyperspeeds waiting to wear thin. Numbers are everywhere these days. The past week had me jumping up in mileage and intensity which means I’ve been sleeping like a dog. 12 hours to be exact. I get into bed with a book at 8pm and can’t finish a paragraph without slipping into a deep sleep. Before I know it, the dog is waking me up for breakfast and a walk. After our hard training session, I sit in the creek for 10 minutes. I still shiver through lunch and get into bed for a nap before heading out for a second run and the gym. My husband Andrew told me today that I should not put emphasis on a single workout, but look at putting good weeks together. If that is the case, I had a great week. I have done one of my better long runs in a while, followed by a speed session and a tempo run later in the week. It is fun to look at the specifics as I not only break in my shoes, but today I started breaking in my water bottles. These little details get me focused on the task ahead. The task is tall as I attempt my second win in the Windy City. As my day unwinds I look forward to tomorrow. We will have an easy day around the lakes basin at 9000feet altitude. Our coach is also arriving after spending the summer in Europe with our teammates who ran the World Championships. His homecoming is a symbolic mark of the fall marathon season. I always look forward to the inspiration he brings to practice. We look forward to the next sign of marathon season, the crisp fall mornings.

There is nothing like a disappointing race to light a fire under my feet.  Last weekend at the New York City Half Marathon I thought I would have raced better since I had finally put in three good weeks of training.  In what was my worst half marathon time since trying the distance in 2001, I finished so far back from the winner that I stopped counting places.  I can’t blame my performance on the weather, lack of desire or a sore foot.  The truth is, my foot felt fantastic and I am just lacking fitness. Today was my first hard workout after the race and was the best speed session of my season so far.  I have seven weeks until the Bank of America Chicago marathon and nothing gets me going in practice more than the pressure of getting ready to meet my goals.  After this half marathon test, I have a sense of urgency to make every day count.  My focus in workouts is one thing, but I also know I need to focus on resting well, eating well, getting in good weight lifting sessions and believing in my ability to get in shape quickly.  It is easy for me to round into fitness now that my foot is completely healed.  I had a scary setback in June and July when my foot was inflamed and had to take a few weeks off.  It was the same foot I had broken last summer, so I took it very seriously.  My training came to a screeching halt and I rested with some acupuncture and ice baths.  Once the inflammation was down, I did some balance work and strengthening of my feet.  Since returning to running my foot feels strong and my workouts are getting better.  I have less than 2 months to pull everything together.  I have the mind for it and my body is pulling together just in the nick of time.  I look forward to sharing the intensity of the coming weeks with you.  Let’s get going!

Edinburgh, Scotland (May 3, 2009) - In her first international race since breaking her foot at the Beijing Olympic Games, Deena Kastor (Mammoth Lakes, CA) showed she will be a force to reckon with during the summer road racing circuit after she crushed a world class field in this morning's Bupa Great Edinburgh Run.

Running in Scotland for the time, Kastor found the course to her liking as it resembled much of the same uphills and downhills she trains in everyday in Mammoth Lakes. Her winning time of 32:38 over 10K was 36 seconds better than the 2nd place finisher as she ran unchallenged from the 2K mark all the way to the finish line.

Kastor said that she still doesn't feel 100% fit after taking almost an eight month layoff from racing. She did not worry as much about the tough course as she focused more on the competition she ran against. "Fortunately it is what I'm used to back home and I always run stongly on hills.". Kastor added that her foot felt great in practices so she did not anticipate any problems with it during the race. "The only thing I was questioning before coming over to race here was being mentally tough because I'd been away so many months."

Irvine, CA (January 20, 2009) - ASICS America Corporation announced today it has re-signed marathon runners Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor, and hurdler, Lolo Jones to contracts through 2012. All three extraordinary athletes represented the U.S. in track and field in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

"These athletes are the best in their events and are great ambassadors for the ASICS brand. Each has qualities that are in line with the company slogan ‘Sound Mind, Sound Body,'" says Benjamin Cesar, ASICS athlete manager. "Ryan is the future of men's distance running in the U.S., Deena is one of the greatest women's distance runners of all time and Lolo is the current face of USATF."

Ryan Hall has been a part of the ASICS team since 2005, and is best known for setting a new Men's U.S. Marathon Trial record on November 3, 2007 in New York City's Central Park making him part of the Men's U.S. Marathon Team that competed in Beijing. Hall's next major race will be the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2009 where he is predicted as one of the favorites.

"I couldn't be more happy to stay with ASICS, a brand that has been faithful to me from my first pursuit of breaking the four-minute mile barrier, to qualifying for my first Olympic team, to now, as I pursue winning a major marathon in the U.S.," says Hall. "As I have matured as a person and an athlete, I have learned how important it is to surround myself with people I trust, who support me through the good and bad seasons, and who are working to make the world a better place."

Deena Kastor won the Women's U.S. Marathon Trial on April 20, 2008 in Boston, Mass. earning her a spot at the Summer Games. Although she had to drop out at mile three due to a foot injury, Kastor has been recovering and is expected to return to competition at the Yokohama Ekiden, a long-distance relay in February 22, 2009. Kastor will likely be ready to run a full marathon by the fall of 2009.

"Long before running with the ASICS logo, I have admired the quality of ASICS shoes," says Kastor. "Since signing with ASICS in 2001, I have learned to respect the standards in which they operate. The acronym Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, a sound mind in a sound body, is a philosophy that every person within the corporation works under. It is a huge honor for me to continue representing a brand I believe in 100 percent."

At the 2008 U.S.A. Track & Field Trials (USATF), Lolo Jones set a personal best of 12.29 in the 100 Meter Hurdles, which tied her for the second fastest time in any condition and earning her a trip to the Games in Beijing. Jones was favored to win in Beijing, but hit the ninth hurdle and lost the race in the finals. Her first major return to competition will be at the USATF Championships in June 2009, which is the qualifier for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Outdoor World Championships.

"I have no Olympic medal and by ASICS committing to my dream of achieving that goal over the next four years represents to me that they are willing to support me not dependant on my current medals, but by their belief in my abilities to achieve those future medals with their support," says Jones. "I am truly grateful for this relationship."

ASICS Corporation, with more than 50 years of footwear manufacturing experience, offers a full line of performance-driven athletic shoes and technical active sports apparel and accessories. For more information, please visit www.asics.com.