TRAIL RUNNER AND OLYMPIAN DEENA KASTOR ON WHAT SHE’S LEARNED IN HER LONG CAREER
When I first became a professional runner, I thought the hardest part would be the physical training. After all, what could be tougher than running to the top of an 11,000 foot peak while trying to fend off a pack of highly trained male distance runners? What could be more taxing than interval workouts so intense you taste blood in the back of your throat? The answer quickly became clear: wrestling with my mind.
—Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory
Most recognize Deena Kastor’s name as one of the best American female road runners in history. Kastor, 45, is the American record holder in the marathon. At one point, she held records in every distance from the 5K to the marathon. She is a three time Olympian (earning bronze in 2004) and eight-time NCAA All-American.
Kastor has just released a new book, Let Your Mind Run (Penguin Random House, April 2018), a memoir that dives into the lessons she’s learned throughout her life and running career (which started at age 11) about the importance of mindset, gratitude and how, ultimately, attitude really is everything. Living in Mammoth Lakes, California, Kastor does the majority of her training out her backdoor, in the mountains at 8,050 feet. “I love being on the trails—it’s my happy place,” she says.
This story is from the June 2018, #128 edition of Trail Runner.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2018, #128 edition of Trail Runner.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
You Cannot Erase us
Over the years and through thousands of miles of running, I have thought about the words that marked the beginning of colonialism on the land and the end of Indigenous sovereignty.
Inside The Adaptable Mind
How Courtney Dauwalter uses adaptability to stay cool, calm and collected when the going gets tough.
Take it Easy
How to stay at aerobic pace when you live in the hills
Here Comes the Sun
Where pessimism meets its match
Connecting the Dots
How Laura Cortez uses her passion for trails to build community.
Carbohydrate Confusion
When it comes to food and nutrition, we tend to overcomplicate things. Eat this, not that. Run fasted, restrict sugar. Unfortunately, much of the controversy stems from observations and sensationalized media headlines vs. actual data, leaving the consumer more confused from their Google search than they were before.
This Wild Life
ONE MAN’S 92-MILE RUN OF GRIEF AND SELF-DISCOVERY.
Our Town
Trail running is all about the community it fosters and the beauty and diversity within the community. Here’s a look at seven places, and the faces that call them home.
Fueling for Females
Here’s how female runners can use recent research findings for performance breakthroughs
Lose Weight with a Shake
Being a health and nutrition correspondent means that companies frequently send me their products, and ask for my stamp of approval.