Game plan is set

Kastor is ready for anything

BEIJING - Deena Kastor departed the United States track and field training camp in Dalian and settled into new accommodations here a few days before the women's marathon tomorrow morning.

It was all part of her meticulous plan designed to win a second Olympic medal in the event.

"Training has gone well since the trials in Boston, more specifically this past month, when I've been able to focus on training in the mountains of Mammoth Lakes, Calif.," said Kastor. "We have trained specifically for this flatter course and moved some of our marathon simulation workouts to the high desert, where we could run on flatter roads and in the heat. The adjustment here in China has been easy and I believe it's because I'm well prepared."

If Kastor proved anything with her bronze medal in 2004 in Athens, it was that she is thorough when preparing for a major marathon, and smart when running one. In 2004, Kastor overtook Ethiopian Elfenesh Alemu with less than a mile to go. She looked strong enough to keep up the pace and win gold if the race had lasted a couple miles longer than the 26.2.

Kastor handled the heat and hilly course in Athens with a combination of talent, guts, and scientific know-how, wearing a cooling vest before the start and drinking special fluids during the race. She will employ similar strategies to combat the heat and humidity here.

With hot weather expected tomorrow morning, Kastor will likely forgo a traditional warm-up and don a cooling vest to slow the rise of her core temperature. When running a marathon in high temperatures, competitors have an advantage if they can keep from overheating or if they overheat later than others in the field.

But even with plans in place to guard against the heat, Kastor knows the weather will greatly impact the way she and other medal contenders run.

"I am definitely more concerned about weather than about pollution," said Kastor. "The weather is a concern when thinking about what paces to run or what moves to cover during the race."

When discussing unpredictable fluctuations in Beijing weather in recent days, from thunderstorms, to sunny, to overcast and relatively cool, Kastor added, "Although I have anticipated hot and humid conditions for [tomorrow], it was actually cool and rainy [when I arrived]. I expect the race to be aggressive either way. Every athlete is here to win and a slow tactical race isn't suited to this mentality . . . I definitely have to be flexible with race tactics. The weather changes here so drastically. I will need to be ready for anything."

And that includes some unpredictability from her competition. World record-holder Paula Radcliffe suffered a stress fracture in her left femur earlier this year and was not expected on the starting line. But after heavy cross-training the last few months, Radcliffe will try to win her first Olympic medal tomorrow.

Another runner to watch is China's Zhou Chunxiu, who won the 2007 London Marathon and has a home-course, home-weather advantage. Then there are the usual favorites - Ethiopia's Gete Wami and Kenya's Catherine Ndereba.

Kastor expects to be in the mix. She easily won the US trials in April, in 2 hours 29 minutes 35 seconds. In Boston, she looked and felt ready to go much faster.

"As an athlete, I'm always trying to improve on previous performances," said Kastor. "I would be happy with getting on the award stand again, but will be fighting for a gold medal. My competition is great. I expect the Chinese team to be strong, as they have proven in many of the Olympic events already."