Marathon Talk Episode 39: Coach Andrew Kastor

This week’s guest needs no introduction to Deena - he’s her coach, her husband, and now a Boston Marathon qualifier after an admirable performance in LA.

It’s a joy to catch up with Coach Kastor fresh from his three-hour and 13-minute effort at the Los Angeles Marathon presented by Asics, as he shares the unique experience of coaching himself, his best recovery tips, and how to prepare your training cycle for a marathon far into the future.

‍Elsewhere in the show we spotlight a stacked field for the upcoming London Marathon, and in Training Talk we guide you through the do’s and don’ts of the final phase of your training.

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In this episode of Marathon Talk

0:45 - Deena and Martin catch up on the last two weeks, from the LA Marathon and speaking at UCLA, to Martin’s Purbeck Loop and a sweary sheep-herding story, plus coverage of a staggering new World Record‍
9:50 - We bring the latest on a London Marathon field that’s absolutely stacked with elite runners, and a men’s lineup which will bring us a first-time champion‍
20:00 - Training Talk this week focuses on the do’s and don’ts in the late stages of prep, why ‘less is best’ at this point, and the unexpected power of doing a ‘kit lay’‍
29:10 - Deena’s coach and husband, Andrew Kastor, takes us through his recent LA Marathon experience, how he coaches himself through races, his top recovery advice, and how to build a training schedule to target a marathon 12 months out

Episode highlights

“I think it's a privilege that we both have with our experience in this sport that we get to share with others that aren't in our immediate circle here at Marathon Talk. ” - 5:20 - Deena Kastor

“It’s going to be an absolutely stacked field. Watch out London, because Brigid Kosgei this weekend smashed the field to bits in the Lisbon Half Marathon that she won in 1:05:51.” - 10:00 - Martin Yelling

“There's so much that could go wrong by making a poor choice, as opposed to just focusing on rest and recovery. It should be more about pampering and self-care than it is about doing.” - 25:30 - Deena Kastor

“This was the first race I had ever worn a GPS watch in, believe it or not. All these years of running and racing, andI finally put on a GPS watch so I could see what my pace was like, and I was just trying to keep the numbers within reason.” - 31:50 - Andrew Kastor

“I made a conscious decision to stop weightlifting and weight training, just because I didn't want to put on any more muscle mass than I needed to carry around the streets of LA. Looking back on that, I would definitely start incorporating squats and walking lunges into my programme to strengthen up my legs.” - 45:35 - Andrew Kastor