Running Times, Online

by Scott Bush
National Editor, MileSplit.us

Born Lisa Aguilera in Phoenix, Arizona Lisa has always stayed close to home. After high school she attended Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona where under the watchful eye of Louie Quintana, she developed into an all american in track (1500m & 3000m steeple) and cross country. She started running the steeplechase in 2001 and by 2002, placed 6th at the NCAA championships. Lisa married Anthony Galaviz and settled in Phoenix but her progress as a runner has taken her far from home.

In 2005, she placed second in the steeplechase at US Nationals with a big PR of 9:40.58 but 2006 was a bit of a disappointment. She ran a 9:46 in her first steeple race of the season and never broke 9:50 again that year. Lisa seems to have turned a corner in 2007 though. She has set PRs in every event she has contested this year - 1500m, 3000m, 2000m & 3000m steeple. Her latest PR was also a new American record in the 3000m steeple of 9:28.75.

You have had an amazing season thus far, capped off with an American record. What are your thoughts about your season thus far and what is up next?
Lisa Galaviz (LG): I was rather disappointed after USAs, so I had to sit down and really think about what would best prepare me for next year. I decided that it was most important for me to run a really fast steeple this summer. Unfortunately the Pan American Games were at the same time as all the steeplechases in Europe. I talked to my husband (Anthony Galaviz), coach (Louie Quintana), and agent (Chris Layne), and all of us thought going to Europe and running multiple races would give me a better opportunity to do this. I didn’t expect an American Record, but it was a ‘really’ nice surprise!

It’s been a few weeks now since you broke the AR. Have you had time to reflect on it much and what it means to you?
LG: I don’t think the impact of it hit me right away. I was just so excited to PR and by 10 seconds! The AR should give me more confidence in going out a little harder when I race. I have a tendency to go out slow because I fear hitting the wall and not having anything left. My husband is extremely proud of me. He told me a couple nights ago how he was telling his sister, “She has the fastest time by any American EVER in the entire HISTORY of Track & Field.” I hadn’t thought about it that way, but it made me smile.

You’re American record race was a fun one to watch. The crazy thing is that even though you are the AR holder, you still didn’t qualify for the World Championships. The depth in the women’s steeplechase in the U.S. is amazing. What are your thoughts on how good the event is becoming?
LG: I think it’s great that the depth in the U.S. is so strong! It will force of all us to train harder and rise to the competition. It would be so great to have 3 American’s make it to the finals in the Olympics next year. I think that should be a goal among us ’steeplechics!’ I think you will continue to see faster times in the steeplechase since the event is still so new.

You ran at ASU and still continue to train there. What do you like about ASU and what is your training situation like (fellow athletes to train with and coaching) presently?
LG: My coach Louie Quintana is the ASU Head Cross Country Coach and Distance Track Coach. The ASU Women’s team won both the Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field NCAA Championships. I really like that there is always someone to run with. I train with Victoria Jackson who was the 2006 NCAA 10k National Champion and Amy Hastings who was the 2006 Indoor NCAA 5k National Champion. This summer it seemed like everyone I trained with was gone one weekend, so I asked a couple of the sophomore guys (Miki and Craig) if I could do a long run with them, and they were so nice! I do feel like the freshman keep getting younger and younger. ASU has a great weight room and training room. They have an ice bath that is like a jacuzzi and you can get up to your waist in 47 degrees water. (more…)