WELCOME TO ZUNI!

Zuni, New Mexico

November, 2007

This fall I traveled to Zuni, New Mexico. An Indian Reservation located just 150 miles west of Albuquerque. I was invited to be the guest speaker for the Zuni High School fall sports banquet. The experience was quite unique.

As soon as I arrived to Zuni, some members of the Cross Country team were already waiting for me to go for a 12 mile run. Luckily, they had it all planned out. The run was going to be made into a relay. For the first 4 miles I ran with a few of the girls, then a couple of guys joined me and took me to the 8 mile mark. Finally, I met with the last group that would take me back to the school. The scenery was beautiful. The surface was so soft; I could hardly feel the pounding on my legs. While running we had the opportunity to get to know each other. It was quite motivating to hear how pure all of the athletes talked about their running. After the run we stretched, elevated legs, took some pictures and I rushed to “The Inn at Halona” to get ready for the banquet.

To my surprise, at the banquet there were approximately 300 people. It was very rewarding to be able to share my experience not only to the athletes, but to some of their parents and relatives. One thing that I noticed and really impressed me was the fact that Zuni people really cherish their culture and tradition. They spoke Zuni and English during the banquet. According to a couple of the students, the Zuni were and are a peaceful, traditional people who live by the sale of traditional handmade crafts. As far as I know, some Zuni still live in the old style houses. If you ever have a chance to be in New Mexico, I will totally recommend coming to Zuni Pueblo.

The following morning, me and a few of the runners met at 7:00 a.m. to run up to the killer. The “killer” is the name athletes gave to a very steep, sandy hill that leads you up to the top of one of many enchanting mesas (mountains) that surrounds Zuni. The team uses the killer as one of their training runs during Cross Country season to get physically and mentally ready for race day. I have to say that running up the killer was quite challenging. I could feel my legs burning and my heart working at a zillion beats per minute. I have no idea how I survived the test, but I did. It was the best feeling in the world when we finally made it to the TOP! The view was beautiful. The scenery was spectacular. I have never seen or experience something like that before.

After the run, I rushed to the Inn at Halona for a warm shower and homemade blue corn pancakes. Although, my stay in Zuni Pueblo was very short, I really enjoyed every minute of it. I thank everyone for their warm welcoming and for making my visit to Zuni Pueblo a pleasant one.

A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE!

Osaka, Japan
September 2007

Throughout this blog you will understand that my experience at the World Championship was a life changing event. Although I may sound over-the-top with appreciation, I hope that everyone who reads this will see that the joy in my heart spilled over into these lines.
From my flight to Osaka to my return to Alamosa, Colorado everything I experienced was phenomenal, a dream come true and a tremendous blessing. During my 12 hour flight to Osaka, I could hardly believe I was on my way to the second major event in athletics “The World Championships” I kept thinking about all the sequence of events that had brought me here. I felt happy, excited and very honor to represent our country for the very first time. During my 10 day stay in Japan I was able to experience a new culture, dine, and compete with the best athletes in the world.

• Japan is a very industrial, clean and organized country. The transportation system, temples, and shopping centers are just out of this world. Japanese people are very kind, friendly and lovely. They would go out their way to give you a hand and make you feel at home.

• Being part of the best team in the world “Team USA” was a dream come true. Dining with all the world’s best athletes was indeed an honor. A couple of months ago, I had watched some of them perform on TV. Being around all the athletes gave me a close perspective on what it takes to become a world class athlete. It was obvious that training, stretching, taking ice baths, napping, eating, and sleeping were essential tasks in their daily routines. Massages and visits to the chiropractor were a must. By the last day of the championships some of us (USA athletes and staff) gathered at the stadium to cheer on our teammates that were still competing. That night Bernard Lagat won the 5000m race and the sprinters both men and women killed everyone in the relays.

• Warming up and racing against the best marathoners in the world was an experience of a lifetime. Once again, I have seen something similar on TV before, but actually being there was just a complete different story. To be honest there were times I wished someone could come up and pinch me to make sure I was not dreaming.

My favorite day of the trip was by far Sep 2nd, the last day of the championships and the day I competed. Ann Alyanak (my roommate) and I got up a 4:00 a.m to get ready for our race. As I am putting the USA uniform on I recalled an e-mail Amory Rowe had send to me a couple of days ago:

“Just think: there are 302 million people in the United States and more than half of those are women. That means that of over 150 million women, you have earned the honor to represent the US in the marathon. We’ll be supporting you and cheering you on (along with all of your family and friends) from a few thousand miles away. And enjoy that red, white and blue uniform, an enormously well-deserved and inspiring honor.”

Having that in my heart and mind I was ready to go, enjoy, and give my best. Wearing the USA uniform had a very significant and special meaning to me. It meant this was the result of endless hours of training and many choices I had to make during this journey. The happiness and satisfaction I felt as I was wearing the USA uniform has no price and I would make the same choices again and gain just to put on that uniform for a second time. It was obvious to me that hard work, patience and perseverance really pays off.

Going into the race I decided to leave everything up to God. I had done all the work and preparation possible for this race. It was time to relax, practice patience, get ready to roll and compete. My teammates Ann Alyanak, Dana Coons, Samia Akbar and I ended up running together for the first 25 kilometers. We encouraged and helped each other as the race progressed. Personally, I would say that this was not my best nor my worst marathon yet. In fact, I was please with the results 35th place overall, 2nd American, and we finished 6th as a team. During the race, at 25km I felt something shaky on my left knee (a sharp pain). The plan was to roll and leave it all out there after the 30km mark. When I reached that point I was feeling great, but I was very conscious about my knee, so I decided to keep the same rhythm. Still without hammering my last 10km I was able to pass a few runners and move up. The crowds were exceptional; I could hear people yelling my last name. That is when I realized there is something more to the sport other than to run a personal best. We were there to entertain, inspire people, touch their hearts and possibly bring some hope to their lives through our gestures, strides, fatigue, etc.

Inside Nagai Stadium, 300 meters to go, I could hardly believe the race was almost over. Once again, the crowd mesmerized me. I enjoyed every step I took on the track. As I was approaching the finish line I felt like I was floating on air, I was very conscious of my surroundings. I am so happy and I have nothing else in mind other than a deep and sincere “Thank you God” for such a World Championship Experience!