Workout Wednesday video with U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials 15th place finisher Keira D'Amato (formerly Carlstrom maiden name as an all-time great runner for Oakton High School and American University).
The mother of two and local real estate agent, D'Amato has found a renewal in her running dominating local races and emerging nationally as one of the country's fastest marathoners after taking a break from competitive running to start a family. She was a Virginia state champion in cross country and track at Oakton and went onto earn NCAA All-American honors on four occasions at American University in Washington, D.C. including three times in cross country.
The Workout
3 Mile Tempo - 15:50
5 Minute Recovery
2 Mile Tempo - 10:20
She married a former Midlothian high school runner in Anthony D'Amato and their family resides in the Midlothian area, which Keira is a regularly welcomed visitor at the Midlothian high school track practices by their long-time coach Stan Morgan. Midlothian junior Caroline Bowe asked Keira D'Amato if she could coordinate a date to help pace her on the time trial, which worked out on a day that Keira was also going to be doing a track workout.
In the weekend time trial, D'Amato and Bowe went thru the first 400 meters together in 64 before Bowe was on her own to finish the last 200 meters. The Midlothian state champ finished off the time trial by chopping 4 seconds off her prior best clocked at 2:12.25 hand-held, which rounds up to a 2:12.3.
D'Amato actually had a workout prior to pacing duties on the time trial which she ran 3 miles at tempo pace on the track in 15:50 (5:17, 5:19, 5:13) and following a 5 minute active recovery then ran 2 miles at tempo pace in 10:20 (5:10, 5:08). The coronavirus shutdown impacted D'Amato's racing plans as well post-Marathon Trials as she had been selected to run for Team USA at the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland this past March which was canceled due to the pandemic.