Running Times, Online

I am still trying to figure out all that has happened in the past 4 days. One thing I know for sure is that this was by far the best marathon I have run until now. I am glad it happened to be on Sunday at the Olympic Trials. Going into this race I had a very important goal to achieve and that was to run for something better than myself (Coach, sponsors, family, and friends) I am very proud to say: “Mission accomplished”. There is nothing more rewarding than to be able see all of them come together and enjoy this wonderful moment of my life with me. I am grateful to have the opportunity to share the best in me with the people I love, respect, and care so much about. Thank you so much to all my fans that follow my steps and keep me in their thoughts and prayers. Congratulations to Deena, Magdalena and Blake for a wonderful race and the very best in the Olympics. We will be cheering for you. God Bless Us All!

MISSION CUMPLIDA

Aun estoy tratando de comprender todo lo que ha pasado por los últimos 4 días. De lo que si estoy muy segura es de que este fue sin duda alguna el mejor maratón de mi vida. Estoy muy contenta que fue en el selectivo Olímpico. Para esta carrera tenia una meta muy importante por cumplir y esa meta era el correr por algo mucho mejor que mi misma (Mi entrenador, mi familia, mis patrocinadores, conocidos y amigos) Estoy orgullosa de poder decir: “Misión Cumplida”. No hay premio mas grande que el poder verlos a todos unidos y disfrutando de este gran momento de mi vida conmigo. Estoy agradecida de tener la oportunidad de compartir lo mejor de mí con la gente que amo, respeto y quiero mucho. Gracias a todos mis fans que siguen mis pasos y me mantienen en sus pensamientos y oraciones. ¡Dios nos Bendiga a Todos!

Gomez Grabs 4th

Today at the US Olympic Trials for the Women’s Marathon RT Blog contributor Zoila Gomez ran a spectacularly strong and gutsy race and was rewarded with a 4th place finish. The top three finishers earn berths on the Olympic team, but the 4th place finisher is first alternate. If something should happen to Kastor, Boulet or Russell, Zoila will be the one to take her place.

Zoila started out running with the large chase pack. Magdalena Boulet was running slightly quicker for each mile and had built up a sizeable lead very early on in the race. The chase pack consisted of all the expected names and faces: Kate O’Neill, Elva Dryer, Deena Kastor, Mary Akor and Zoila. Around mile 15 Deena struck out from the front of the chase pack to chase Boulet on her own. Her move caused the pack to string out and Zoila seemed to be falling towards the back of the large pack.

She kept her cool though, and worked her way back up as slowly, others started to drop back or drop out altogether. O’Neill & Dryer were two notable DNFs. By the start of the last loop, around mile 20, Zoila was well within sight of Blake Russell in third place and seemed to have a shot at catching her. But it was not to be. Russell was too strong at the end this time.

Rounding onto Boylston for the final 400 meters though, another runner had caught up to Gomez: Tera Moody, a complete unknown coming into the race and sporting the bib (and therefore, seed number) 152, Moody was having the run of her life as well. Around the bend, onto the sunny section of Boylston as they entered Back Bay, the two were neck and neck, trading the lead on every stride. Zoila managed to cross the line one slim second in front of Moody to claim 4th in 2:33:53, a PR by over 1.5 minutes.

Alyanak 7th

Speaking of unknowns, we here at RT Blogs obviously know about Ann Alyanak, but she wasn’t getting a lot of press otherwise. That could change now though, if her runner-up performance at the US Women’s Marathon Championships here in Boston last year wasn’t good enough, Ann’s performance today was certainly notable. Knocking another 4 minutes off of her PR, Ann finished less than a minute back from Zoila in 7th place with a time of 2:34:46.

Emily LeVan did not come close to equaling her qualifying time, but she was thrilled with her race none-the-less. Her light training schedule this winter, and heavy cancer-treatment schedule for her daughter meant that her expectations for herself were not nearly as high as they have been in the past. She finished in 67th place in 2:45:45.

But in the past three months, the general public has come through and greatly surpassed all of Emily’s expectations for it. As of last Friday, Emily’s Two Trials project has raised over $64,000 for a Maine’s Children’s Cancer Center. Her total goal for the project was $52,400, and over the weekend, NBC aired a segment about Emily & Maddie on the nightly news. She expected to receive even more donations from that publicity.

Last, But Not Least

Finally we have Jackie Dikos, with perhaps the most valiant effort of our four bloggers. In her last post she mentioned the tendonitis she had been dealing with. In the lead-up to a big race, runners must, by necessity, talk down the seriousness of an injury lest she feel defeated before she gets to the line. Jackie was unusually forward about the gravity of her situation, but she toed the line this morning with determination — she was at least going to get the finisher’s medal.

As the race developed, she slowly started losing the pack she had been running with. One could see from the sidelines that her stride was short and awkward and the pain, both physical and mental, was obvious on her face. Throughout the field, runners were dropping out, from top contenders to the heartbreaking woman whose arm cramped and she ran with it frozen to her side for 10 miles in last place before finally dropping.

On the official results, Jackie is the last runner listed with a time: she finished last. But. She finished. And for that, in such a situation, with tens of thousands looking on and no where to hide, for Jackie I have the greatest respect.

My sister Alicia and I are finally here in Boston for the most anticipated race of the year “The Women’s Marathon Olympic Trials”. We arrived yesterday afternoon and had the privilege to stay at Amory’s house. It was wonderful to be able to spend some time with Amory and her husband David Salem. As always, they went the extra mile to make sure we felt like at home and prepared a delicious meal all of us enjoyed.
I got up this morning around 7:00 a.m. had a banana for breakfast and went for a 45 minutes run around 8:00a.m. I came back stretched and had a real breakfast before I took a shower and got ready to be taken to our hotel for a press conference.
The press conference was quite exciting. It really made me feel more relax and I realized I am not alone in this. There will be 153 women at the starting line on Sunday, April 20th. I am exited and honor to be here and be part of such an amazing event, surrounded by amazing people. Every single one of us, have a story to share, have a goal to achieve, and most importantly had work hard to make it this far.
I am also very happy to be able to share this experience with my sister. The weather for Sunday is expected to be ideal for the race. Thank you so much to all of you that follow my career for your e-mails and messages of encouragement.

PD: Amory is the founder of “In the Arena”

SALUDOS DESDE BOSTON

Bueno pues mi hermana Alicia y yo por fin ya estamos en Boston para la carrera mas anticipada del año “ El selectivo para el equipo olímpico del maratón”. Llegamos a Boston ayer por la tarde y tuvimos el privilegio de quedarnos en la casa de Amory. Fue padrisimo poder compartir un rato con Amory y su esposo, David Salem. Como siempre, hicieron todo lo posible para que nos sintiéramos como en casa y prepararon una comida deliciosa que todos disfrutamos.

Esta mañana me levante a las 7:00 a.m. desayune un plátano y salí a correr por 45 minutos a las 8:00 a.m. Regrese y tuve un desayuno mas real antes de que nos llevaran al hotel para acudir a una rueda de prensa. La rueda de prensa estuvo muy emocionante. Me hizo sentir mucho mas relajada y me di cuanta que no estoy solo en esto. Habrá 153 mujeres compitiendo el domingo 20 de abril. Estoy emocionada y es un privilegio estar aquí, ser parte de este evento y estar rodeada de gente maravillosa. Cada una de nosotras tenemos una historia que contar, tenemos una meta por cumplir lo mas importante hemos trabajada arduamente para llegar hasta aquí.

También estoy muy contenta de compartir esta experiencia con mi hermana. El clima para el domingo será ideal para la carrera. Muchas gracias por sus correros electrónicos y mensajes alentadores.

PD: Amory es la fundadora de la organización “In the Arena”

My training for the last month has been great and I thought I would give you just a little glimpse of what training in Alamosa for the marathon under the guidance of Coach Damon Martin is all about. My weekly schedule consists of 3 easy days, 2 hard workouts, 2 long runs and double workouts 5 times a week.

My easy days are on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. These days I normally run 11 miles in the morning starting at 7:30 minutes per mile and finishing up at 6:50minutes per mile. Then I come back in the afternoon for a 6 mile run at the same pace. If I am pretty tired then I forget about pace and just go for the mileage. Hard days are Tuesday and Friday. This Tuesday I did 5 sets of 5 times 1 minute all out or as fast as I could go with 2 minutes recovery between sets. Today, Friday I had 10 times 1 kilometer with 2 and ½ min recovery between each one. Then, I have a 5 mile easy run later today. My long runs are on Wednesday and Sunday and I only run once. Sundays, I can be running between 18 and 24 miles. Last Sunday, I had what I think would be my last 20 miler before the trials. The Wednesday run is still long 13-16 miles.

Even though, my training might look somewhat challenging, difficult or maybe just too much, I do enjoy every single step I take. To make the process much more enjoyable, I do take long naps after long sessions, take a massage at least once a week, and I try to have as much fun as possible by having my love ones involved. Last week, my mountain run turn out to be a picnic day for my sisters and nephews and a great training run for me as they came along, cheered me on, and gave me water during my 14 mile run. You can check out some pictures from my most recent mountain run in the following link. http://in-the-arena-zoila.blogspot.com/ Enjoy the beautiful scenery Fort Garland Colorado has to offer.

PD: Fort Garland is a small town located 24 miles east of Alamosa.

UN PASO A LA VEZ…

Mis entrenamientos en el último mes han ido de maravilla y pensé en darles una pequeña idea del tipo de entrenamientos que hago para mi preparación del maratón aquí en Alamosa, Colorado; bajo la supervisión de mi entrenador Damon Martin. Mi horario semanal consiste en 3 días fáciles o de recuperación, 2 días de resistencia, 2 entrenamientos de intensidad o difíciles, y 5 días de doble entrenamiento.

Los días fáciles o de recuperación son el lunes, jueves y sábado. En estos días normalmente corro 11 millas por la mañana (18 kilómetros) comenzando a 7:30 minutos por milla (1600 metros) y terminando a 6:50 minutos por milla. Después regreso por la tarde para un segundo entrenamiento que consiste de 6 millas (9,600 metros) al mismo paso que el entrenamiento de la mañana. Si me encuentro muy cansada entonces me olvido del paso y del reloj y solo me concentro en la distancia. Los días difíciles o de intensidad son los martes y viernes. Este martes mi entrenamiento consistió en 5 sesiones de 5 veces 1 minuto. Este entrenamiento consiste en correr lo más rápido que puedas por un minuto y descansar por uno. Después del quinto tienes un minuto extra de descanso. Hoy viernes me toco hacer 10 veces 1 kilómetro con un descanso de 2 minutos y medio después de cada kilómetro. Luego tengo 5 millas (8 kilómetros) por correr por la tarde.

Los entrenamientos de resistencia o largos son los miércoles y domingos y solo corro una vez en estos días. Los Domingos puedo estar corriendo de 18 a 24 millas depende de la semana. El domingo pasado tuve lo que creo será mi última sesión de 20 millas antes de el selectivo. Los miércoles el entrenamiento es aun largo y consiste de 13 a 16 millas.

Aunque, la preparación parezca un tanto exagerada, difícil o un gran reto, la verdad es que disfruto al máximo cada paso que doy. Para disfrutar aun mas este proceso, duermo mis siestas después de las sesiones largas, voy a que me den un masajito de perdido una vez a la semana, trato de divertirme lo mas que pueda al involucrar a mis seres queridos. La semana pasada mi entrenamiento en las montañas se convirtió un día de picnic para mis hermanas y mis sobrinos y para mi fue un gran día de entrenamiento ya que tenia compañía, me echaron porras y hasta me dieron agua durante las 14 millas (aproximadamente 23 kilómetros) que corrí ese día. Pueden mirar algunas fotografías de esta aventura en las montanas en la siguiente página.http://in-the-arena-zoila.blogspot.com/ Espero y disfruten el hermoso paisaje que el pueblo de Fort Garland Colorado tiene para ofrecer.

PD: Fort Garland es un pueblo localizado a 24 millas (38 kilómetros) al este de Alamosa.

Recently, I received and e-mail from my dear friend Jessica. I met Jess back in 1996 when both of us were taking English as a Second Language classes at Davis School in Costa Mesa, California. After a year at Davis, we both went different ways and lost track of each other. It was not until yesterday night when I got her e-mail that we got connected again. The e-mail reads in part as follow:

“Hi Zoila, I don’t know if you still remember me. I am Jessica. We met at Davis School (Costa Mesa). I have been curious to know what had happened to you so “I goggled you” I had done that before, but could not find your e-mail address. This time I had more luck and found your In the Arena’s blog site. I am glad to know your running career is going great. If you do not remember me it’s fine. Either way Congratulations and I hope your dream to become an Olympian becomes true and as a bonus I hope you bring back with you a medal.. God Luck! Jessica”

This e-mail really touched my heart and basically made my day. So many great memories have been running through my head. Jessica and I did not speak a word of English when we first met. After regular classes (9:00a.m-12:00p.m) at Davis we both would stay for a conversational class from 1:00p.m until 3:00p.m. When we were invited to join the advance group at the conversation table our conversations would always go like this:

“Hi, My name is Zoila/Jessica. I am from Mexico.
I do not speak English. What is your name?”

Those were in fact, great times and getting this unanticipated e-mail really makes reflect upon my life and the blessing God has granted me. I truly appreciate who I am and where I come from. I am so proud of my background, friends and all my memories. I guess Jessi and I will have to make some time to share what we have done and where we have been for the past 10 years.

UN CORREO INESPERADO!

Recientemente recibí un correo de mi querida amiga Jessica. Conocí a Jess en 1996 cuando ambas estábamos toando clases de ingles en la escuela Davis en Costa Mesa, California. Después de haber estudiado un ano en Davis las dos tomamos caminos diferentes y perdimos todo tipo de comunicación. No fue hasta hace poco cuando recibí una nota de ella que textualmente decía así:

“Hola: Zoila. No se si me recuerdes soy Jessica, nos conocimos en la Davis school (Costa Mesa), la verdad es que tenia curiosidad de saber que había sido de ti, así que “I Google you”. Lo había hecho tiempo atrás pero nunca había encontrado un email address tuyo. Esta vez tuve mas suerte y encontré tu site/blog. Me da mucho gusto saber que tu carrera como maratonista esta de maravilla. Si no me recuerdas de todos maneras no importa hace mucho tiempo que nos conocimos así que no lo tomaría a mal. Pero de todas maneras Felicidades y que tu sueño de ir a las olimpiadas se te haga realidad, y de pilón que te traigas una medalla.¡Buena Suerte! Jessica”

Este mensaje realmente toco mi corazón y me alegro mi día. Tantos recuerdos comenzaron a correr por mi memoria. Cuando Jess y yo nos conocimos no sabíamos ni una palabra de Ingles. Después de clases regulares en la Davis, ambas nos quedábamos a clases extras de conversación de 1:00 a 3:00p.m. Cando nos invitaban a la mesa de conversación con el grupo mas avanzado. Nuestras conversaciones eran algo como:

“Hola, Me llamo Zoila. Soy de México,
No hablo Ingles. Cual es tu nombre?

Esos fueron en verdad grandes momentos. El recibir este no tan esperado correo me hace reflexionar acerca de mi vida y las bendiciones que Dios me ha brindado. Verdaderamente aprecio quien soy y de donde vengo. Estoy orgullosa de mi pasado, mis amigos y todos mis recuerdos. Creo que Jessi y yo tendremos que hacer un espacio para poder compartir que es lo que hemos hecho y donde hemos estado por los últimos 10 años.