Keira D’Amato is back on the show after breaking the American record in the half marathon. Just two weeks ago, she ran 1:06:39 at the Asics Half Marathon in Gold Coast, Australia. She took 13 seconds off the previous record held by Emily Sisson. This is getting fun because Sisson broke D’Amato’s marathon American record last fall in Chicago.

This was a big moment for D’Amato after she was forced to pull out of April’s London Marathon due to inflammation in her knee. She was back to racing in May and is now preparing to run the marathon at the World Championships in Budapest

Watch my video with Keira in Central Park here.

Host: Chris Chavez

Guest: Keira D'Amato

NOTABLE QUOTES

It's been about two weeks or so since you ran 1:06:39. That's an average of 5:05 per mile. You broke the previous record by 13 seconds. What are your major feelings and thoughts after having time to reflect on it?

"I'm pumped and I'm really excited and it doesn't feel half as awesome. Even though it's a half, it feels fully awesome. It’s funny because a half isn't the end of your season, whereas like a marathon, you train all year and then you have your downtime afterward. It's funny that with the half you just get right back into business, so it's a little bit of a different feeling. But it's given me a lot of momentum and confidence going into the final six or so weeks before Worlds."

You hinted at it when we were on our run together in Central Park before the cameras started rolling that you've been feeling really good in practice. We were seeing the signs that this was going to be possible. Alright, green light, it's a go to get after the American record.

"When you start a training block, it takes a few months for it to really take hold and to start to feel the training effect. But once you get into that, like every week you're having the best workout of your life. I started seeing hints of that back in June. So it's neat to have another five good weeks like this. I could be within striking distance. I went into the half thinking I was probably right around 67 minute shape. And if it went well and I had good weather, maybe I could take a crack at it…It was winter there, so the weather was perfect…And it was a really flat course. I think those conditions really helped me have a good day."

When I was watching the broadcasts, it was sort of that last half-mile to a quarter-mile that you really turned on the jets. Where did that come from?

"Some dude passed me and that really got my competitiveness going. But also Ben, the pacer, was so calm. When that guy passed me with maybe a thousand meters to go…Ben turned around and was like, ‘Go get it’. That was the first thing he said to me the whole time…So then I was chasing down that dude. It was a really big help to have someone to race. I had no idea where I was compared to the record, but I sure as hell was going to leave it all out there. I just found another gear and I think like a lot of the workouts that Scott Raczko and I do. We do a lot of gut checks and stuff at the end to help me find that gear. So I feel like I've trained my body to be able to find a gear like that."

When you were discussing the splits and falling off pace, it was interesting to hear that your mindset was, ‘Oh, shoot, I'm not on record pace and I need to get back to it'. At what point in your career did that start to become a thing that you were no longer scared of? When was that mindset shift in your racing?

"It was when I went after Houston in 2022. Going into that race, I could not wrap my head around going for the American record…I've learned that you have to play whatever game you need to play in your head so that you can wrap your head around it… you're trying to go somewhere that no one's ever gone…I think it's just training and allowing yourself to go there a little bit in practice and building up that trust with your body and your mind and in practice. So I feel like I practice that a lot. When I'm training, I'm training with those goals. So I’m a little more used to it."

The post-race interview that you did on the broadcast–I feel like it's some of the most emotion we've seen from you after a race. You described it as a tough year. Does a performance like this help cast those ghosts away? What led to that outpour of emotion?

"Being injured it's so easy to think, 'This is it! This is all she wrote! That was a good run, Keira.' You can't help but let your mind go there. It was the fact that I was able to have another high and I never thought I'd get to experience anything like I experienced in Houston with that day. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime thing that I got to experience. Part of me said, 'That might be it!' The fact that I experienced something else that was a different kind of high and win was special. That week, I doubted if I would even make it to the starting line. My daughter was having a hard time with me going so there was a lot of mom guilt going on...It was a lot of doubts and insecurities."

What will make for a successful showing at the World Championships?

"Time doesn't matter at the World Championships. Our goal in the next month is to be as fit and healthy as possible going into it, and then we'll figure out what our race plan is. Eighth is a decent bar, but I definitely want to improve upon that. I think I can with how everything's gone this year. It has the potential for being a hot race. Richmond, Virginia is super hot and humid…I've been training through all of that, so I feel like I'll be prepared for a hot race and if it's cool then I'll be thrilled. So hopefully I'll set myself up for a good race and just be able to compete on a world stage."

Listen to the episode on the CITIUS MAG Podcast feed. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major podcast publishers.