Constantina Dita was considered one of the better–but not one of the best–marathon runners in the world before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her resume included a victory in the 2004 Chicago Marathon and a personal best marathon time of 2:21:30. But the Romanian-born resident of Boulder, Colo., proved to be the strongest woman on the day of the Olympic Marathon and won the race at the age of 38.

Now 40, Dita is still in the game, with hopes of defending her Olympic title in London in 2012. Her next stepping stone on the way there is Sunday’s Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon. She spoke to us by phone shortly before making the eastward journey for her first Rock ‘n’ Roll racing experience.

Competitor.com: What have you been up to since the Olympics?

Constantina Dita: After the Olympic Games I ran a few races, but I was traveling a lot,  going to many races as a guest. But I was still training and still running and very competitive. This year I ran the London Marathon and after London I took a little break. I got back into training and now I want to run Virginia Beach because everybody said it is a great race, like Nuta Olaru [a fellow Romanian elite runner], who has run many times there.

After the Olympic Games I was very busy, you know. Before I had the Olympic gold medal I didn’t know what happened when somebody won the gold medal in the Olympic Games. I was back in my country after the Olympic Games and I met the president of our country and the prime minister.

Have you been healthy? Have you had any injuries?

No, no injuries.

What was your most recent race?

London. I ran 2 hours 41 minutes for the marathon, and that was not a good time for me. I started to be a little sick before the race. Two days before the race I caught a cold. I had a problem with my nose, my throat, everything. In the race, my mindset was just finish the race.