Deena Kastor is hungry for more. And so far, this modern-day running icon hasn't bitten off more than she can handle. The way things are shaping up, the table will be set for something extraordinary when Deena runs The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Oct. 9.

The dynamo known as Deena has been on the Olympic podium, collecting a bronze medal a year ago for her heroic marathon run in Athens. She also has held the U.S. record at 26.2 miles since her stunning 2:21:16 at the 2003 Flora London Marathon. But Deena, 32, keeps raising the bar on a career that has been nothing less than sparkling since her days as a high school state champion in California. Previously on record as saying she would like to join the elite five- member sub-2:20 club of women's marathon runners when she runs Chicago, Kastor now has zeroed in for a run at 2:18 on the streets of Chicago.

"Sub-2:20 is what I'm kind of hoping for in my training," said the Team Running USA athlete while visiting Chicago the weekend of July 22-25. "But I'm training more specifically for a 2:18 - if conditions are right." That training will be punctuated by two major prep events for Chicago, the SBLI Falmouth 7 Mile Road Race on Aug. 14 in Massachusetts and the Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run, one of the world's premier half-marathons, on Sept. 18.

During a weekend of media appearances, speaking to marathon training groups and throwing out the first ball at both Sox (she got it over the plate, just slightly outside) and Cubs games, Kastor pronounced herself on schedule with her training despite a minor foot injury that had set her back during the spring.

"It was a stress reaction, which is not as bad as a stress fracture, in my left foot," Kastor said of the injury that sidelined her briefly in late May and early June, causing her to miss Colorado's Bolder Boulder 10K over Memorial Day weekend. "It's feeling great now."

After wearing a stabilizing boot for two weeks with some additional time off, the Arkansas grad resumed training for 10 days before running the USA 10,000 Meter Championship on June 24, placing a game fourth in 31:45.08 - her PR (and U.S record) is 30:50.32 set in 2003 and therefore not making the U.S. team for the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland in early August.

"I didn't make the world team (one of her preseason goals), but it seemed that just a couple of weeks after that, the training clicked back in and now I'm in similar preparation to how I felt going into Athens. Actually, in the next few weeks (August), I'll put in my higher mileage weeks. I had a great long run last week and a couple of tempo runs that were slightly faster than marathon pace."

But in late July, Kastor mixed business with pleasure on her visit to Chicago with her husband Andrew, especially enjoying her time speaking to marathon training groups with executive race director Carey Pinkowski early in the morning along the city's lakefront.

"Yes, it was fun visiting everyone," Deena said. "We're all together putting in the same dedication and hard work that it takes to make it to the finish line.

"It's been a wonderful trip already. We've been trying to take in everything that Chicago has to offer, from the restaurants to sporting events to the other runners. We look forward to returning in October."

Back home in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., she'll ratchet up her focus for The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. The Kastors' home is at 8,000 feet above sea level. That means all of her training will be done at between 7,000 and 9,000 feet.

Last time she ran here, Deena shattered the U.S. 8K record at The LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle with a 24:36. You get the sense more good things are yet to come.

It's high season for marathon training. You can bet Deena Kastor will be doing her homework.