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Separated at Birth
Posted on January 2nd, 2010 Kristen 6 commentsIt happens this time every year. Someone, usually my 7 year old daughter, asks the question: Do you think you will win this year?
I think that this question arises from ignorance, mostly, but also from the fact that Deena Kastor and I have enough in common that we could have been separated at birth. For the uninitiated, Deena Kastor is the darling of American Marathon circles. She won the bronze in the Olympics in 2004, had a spectacular win in Chicago in 2005, and finished Berlin in 2:19 in 2006.
It is easy to see how someone would get us confused. There are the obvious similarities: we both run marathons and are stalked by clowns (more on that later). But there are also weirder Lincoln/Kennedy type things going on that simply can’t be explained by coincidence alone. I will list just a few.
- My VO2 max (41) is exactly one half of hers (82).
- Her marathon pace is exactly my marathon pace divided by 2.
- Deena weighs 104 pounds, I weigh 140.
- We are both 5″ 4′ tall.
- Both of our last names have 6 letters AND end in the letter ‘r.
- Both of our ages are divisible by 4.
- We both write blogs.
- Deena is an Olympic medalist, while I once worked at the sailing venue of the 1996 Olympics.
- Our running wardrobes appear to be virtually identical.
Since Deena and I have never been seen together during a race, there has been much speculation that we might actually be the same person. I think this type of speculation is just silly, and detracts from the two goals of the marathon: running and fund raising. To end this speculation forever, I am sharing with you two images of myself and Deena taken during last year’s marathon season. If you look closely, you will notice that Deena’s bib number is in the single digits, while mine has five digits. This is one of the best and most reliable means of telling us apart on the course.
If you still need help telling us apart, remember this advice – look to the clown. The clown that stalks Deena is very different than the one that stalks me, as seen in this side by side clown comparison.
Notice that while my clown sports a disguise that consists of only a wig and, occasionally, fashion eye wear, the clown that stalks Deena is usually seen in full body attire. The full face coverage of the costume and the presence of faux fur in a neon color is a dead giveaway that one is looking at Deena’s clown, and not mine.
Hope this helps to clear up any confusion.
109 days…
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6 Responses to “Separated at Birth”
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A very enjoyable post. How does one figure out their VO2 max if they don’t have access to Deena Kastor type coaches and equipment? But I did rule out the possibility that you were her based on the thought that she can afford to train anywhere and certainly wouldn’t be training for Boston in the cold and snowy Northeast.
But seriously, how do you figure out your VO2 max?
I once signed up for the Runner’s world forums, though I haven’t been there in years. I chose the handle of VO2 Neal, so I could say that I was Max’s brother.
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Kristen January 2nd, 2010 at 9:07 am
You basically run as fast as you can for 12 minutes (after a warm up) and then plug that into a calculator. Here’s a link to one…
http://www.concept2.com/us/interactive/calculators/vo2max.asp
I confess I have never actually DONE the VO2 max test, but I have contemplated what my time MIGHT be had I done such a test…
Average VO2 max for a woman my age is 40, so I assume I am either at that or slightly above it…
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PMPL I loved this post!
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