Runners

JULY 2018 RUNNERSWORLD.CO.UK 061``````LEFT: THE SHAPE WOMEN'S HALF MARATHON, 2017,WHICH KASTOR WON IN 1:16:18ABOVE: DEENA LOVES TO RUN IN THE WOODSBELOW: MARATHON, 2004 ATHENS OLYMPICS. KASTOR (BRONZE)WITH MIZUKI NOGUCHI OF JAPAN (GOLD) AND CATHERINE NDEREBA OFKENYA (SILVER); WINNING THE 2006 LONDON MARATHON (2:19:36)``````tough parts. Only one more mile. You’ve got this. Turning my attention inward,to my breathing, stride or arms, worked in other situations. My job was simply touncover the tool necessary for the moment. Often I found it on the first or secondattempt. Sometimes, it took several tries. But each time, a shift in perspective gotme through the crux of a workout and built more endurance, more speed andgreater confidence.In one of my final workouts before the US trials, winter delivered one of itscoldest days to date. The temperature dipped below zero and the wind was brutal.We had an eight-mile tempo run and the minute Coach sent us off, gusts took mybreath away and nearly made me trip over myself. Just adjust. Prepare for thegusts. We turned right and wind smacked my face and belted my quads. I focusedon slowing my breathing to give my mouth and nose time to warm the air beforeit entered my lungs, and I imagined my lungs happier for my effort.``````ONE WARM BREATH AT A TIMEI ran on, turning away from thoughts that the run would leave me half-frozen bybeing glad I’d worn soft gloves, better for the constant wiping of snot. I thoughtit’d be better after the turnaround, when the wind was at our backs. But the windmust’ve been coming from the side all along because we took its punishment thewhole way back. Its driving force numbed my quads. Numb is good; numb is notfeeling. My mind became a mediator between the wind and the wrath it wasinf licting on my body. Mile after mile I stayed focused on the positive things Icould do to keep going, one warm breath, one snot wipe at a time. What couldhave ended in massive irritation concluded as an accumulation of successes –countless moments of resilience throughout the run – that made me feel tough.After that, I knew I could handle any and all race conditions.PHOTOGRAPHS: J COUNTESS/GETTY(SHAPE HALF MARATHON), HOLLY ANDRES (TRAIL RUN),TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (ATHENS``````), ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (LONDON)