This week I decided to attempt some actual journalism. I sat down at my computer with a warm cup of POWERade Jagged Ice and had an email interview with Michael McKeeman. Mike has qualified for the U.S. Marathon Trials with a 2:17:50 and is in the unique position of being Deena Kastor’s training partner. He trains in Mammoth Lakes, CA with Team Running USA, runs for ASICS and is a 1999 graduate of The University Of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. How did you end up with Deena, what is your role? I ran with Terrence Mahon just about every day for 2 years when we were neighbors in the Philadelphia area. He moved out to Mammoth Lakes in January 2005 to start coaching Deena and some other athletes in the Team Running USA group. He called me up about a month later to ask if I wanted to be Deena's training partner. My role is simple...run with Deena every morning. What exactly is expected of you? A lot of people use the word "pacer" and I don't think that's an accurate description of what I do. In both workouts and races, we usually do an equal amount of work. Sometimes I lead, sometimes she leads...usually we run side by side. Basically my role is to challenge her and help her get better. She does the same for me. We do a really good job of pushing each other without getting too competitive and racing each other in workouts. What are some perks of your current scenario? The biggest perk is that I get to train with some of the best runners in the world. I run most of my workouts with Deena. I run with Ryan Hall on a lot of my easy days. Terrence put together the training for Deena's 2:19 and Ryan's 2:08, so I have a great coach. It's easy to be confident on race day when you train in such an environment. So I imagine you have gotten to travel? I spent a month in Belgium with the group last summer while Deena was getting ready for some European track races. Before the 2006 London Marathon we spent 3 weeks just outside of London. Since I started training with Deena in 2005 I have been to Chicago, Berlin, London, Lucerne, Rome, New York, Boulder, and Jacksonville. Is this a job? I guess you could consider it a job, although not in the conventional sense. I rarely have to wear a shirt and tie to work What if you don't feel like running? Is that an option? It's rare that I don't feel like running at all, but there are times when I don't want to run as far as Deena is going. She runs more mileage than me. During marathon training her long runs may be as long as 3 hours. I've found that if I go any more than 2:30 it really beats me up. Sometimes I complain enough that they let me cut something short, but other times she and Terrence just tell me to suck it up and keep running. Does Deena get mad at you and beat you with dirty running shoes when you are off? We've never had any incidents like that, but I guess we occasionally get on each other's nerves during a workout. If you run as many miles together as we have, it's bound to happen. The key is that we never hold a grudge about anything that happens in a workout. We may have a little disagreement from time to time but then it's over just as quickly as it happened. Do you consider yourself a professional? I don't really think I qualify as being a professional runner. I'm not fast enough to have a shoe contract or to win any significant prize money. What do you consider to be your main event? I always thought I was a steeplechaser, but I realized in October of 2005 that I was a marathoner. It was a terrifying revelation. What groups have you run with? Where? Currently I train with Team Running USA in Mammoth Lakes, CA. I also run for a team sponsored by the Bryn Mawr Running Company in Bryn Mawr, PA. You like to run with a visor, does it give you special powers? Deena was so happy when I finally retired my last visor. Now she's mad that my new one is covered with so much dirt and salt. The thing is disgusting. It's hard to break one in, so I usually keep the same one until it disintegrates. I said I was going to throw the previous one into the Thames River after the London Marathon, but I just couldn't let it go. Ever run with music? Foo Fighters are great to run to. Foo Fighters are probably my favorite band of all time. I'm listening to their new album right now. We usually run as a group out here so I don't listen to music while running very often. When I do run alone I typically have my iPod playing Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver, Yellowcard, or something else that sounds best with the volume turned way up. How did you qualify for the U.S. Marathon trails? I first qualified at the 2006 London Marathon. I was one of the escorts for the lead woman, which ended up being Deena. At 22 miles I was dying. She dropped me and I was running by myself. I kept doing the math in my head to figure out what I needed to run for the last 4 miles and still qualify. I didn't think I was going to make it until I saw the sign for 200m to go. I ran 2:20:27 there and then got an A qualifier later that year when I ran 2:17:50 with a 2nd place finish at the Philadelphia Marathon. Do you have a plan for that race or is it a secret? Anyone who has ever seen me race knows that I go out slow and then pick people off during the second half of the race. Should you be considered a "dark horse"? I think my horse is so dark that light cannot even escape it, like a black hole. It's great to set lofty goals for yourself, but I think you also have to be realistic. How do you remain healthy? That's a really good question. I don't stretch and I don't get regular therapy, and yet I've never been injured so badly that I missed more than 1 day of training. What sports drinks, bar, gels do you actually think work? During the marathon I use GU energy gels and drink Gatorade Endurance. I also like the Clif Builder bars. Ever take any breaks? When I take a break, I really take a break. It's crucial for me to recharge physically and mentally. After a marathon I take 3 weeks off and just destroy myself. Eventually I slow down and start training again. When you say destroy yourself, are we talking McDonalds and roller derby? Exactly, only if we replace "McDonalds" with "cheese steaks and beer" and "roller derby" with "10 hour poker games and very little sleep." Do you have an XBOX 360? I suck at all video games made after 1994. I'm more of an old school Nintendo guy. I like the games where you can only move from left to right, and once you go past a certain point on the right you can't go back to the left anymore. It's gone forever. I can still beat Mike Tyson's Punch Out and I can still beat Contra with only 1 life. Last summer I rushed for over 5000 yards with Barry Sanders during a season of Super Tecmo Bowl. And the most important question of them all, who should have the kids, Britney or K Fed? People always used to rip on K Fed, but now it turns out that Britney is the crazy one. True, but let’s not forget to keep dissing K Fed, after all, its just harmless old-fashioned fun. Ah, the life of the professional training partner. Stay in shape, travel the world, and hang with only the best. Kind of like the Army…only without the getting shot at part. GOOD LUCK MIKE AND THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND INSIGHT!!! -Nate