FW: Let’s go to your recent half-marathon PR in Houston last weekend. Did this hamstring injury that you mention prohibit you from running it even faster?
ZG: Yes it did. Initially, I went into the half-marathon thinking that I was going to be able to place in the top three. I was explaining to my coach how good I was feeling during the race. After six miles, I felt like my body was pretty warm. The whole plan was to [make] a move after 10 miles and so I decided to wait even though I was feeling really, really well. After 8.8 miles we had to make a turn to turn around to head back into town, and it wasn’t until after nine miles that I felt that my right hamstring was a little bit tight and then from there it just went downhill. It felt tight and then all of a sudden I felt a cramp. It was strange because it was the first time I’ve ever felt something like that in a race so I didn’t know what to do other than think, “Ok. You have to stop and drop out.” I then asked myself if I was going to be willing to do that and then I decided to wait a little bit longer. I didn’t notice it, but my pace slowed and I was happy that it didn’t feel like it was something really, really bad, and I felt happy because my heart rate was pretty low. I was also thinking, ‘Oh my God, what if this is something really bad?” But, something just kept me going. In the last mile I remember I said, ‘Ok. If you pull your hamstring right here, your season is over, or you finish the race.” So I decided to push it as far as my hamstring would allow me. It went really well. I was able to finish the race with a PR so I am pretty pleased about it.

FW: So you gutted it out.
ZG: I believe there is always a reason for something. And I do believe that during the race it was a test to not drop out.

FW: You mentioned knowing your heart rate during the race. Were you wearing a heart rate monitor?
ZG: : No. I was not. I’ve been running for a long time and I know if my heart rate is really high or low.

FW: During the race itself, were you ever with the lead pack?
ZG: In the first two miles, I tried to stay pretty close to the front pack which [comprised] Elva Dryer, Kate [O’Neill] and Samia [Akbar]. Michelle [Lilienthal] was running with me and at one of the water stations she surged. So I decided not to do anything and wait until 10 miles before I tactically really started racing. But I kept contact. Actually before I pulled my hamstring, before the turn, I wanted to see Elva and Kate so I could see how much time was between us and how much distance that I needed to cover. I remember trying to make that estimation and saying [to myself], “How far am I going to have to surge at the 10-mile point?”

FW: So overall, you think the race was a good experience?
ZG: Yes. Other than pulling my hamstring, I think it was a good experience. I’m not the only one who goes through that kind of experience. To have a PR after it makes me feel better.

FW: Let’s go to your training now. Are you still coached by Coach [Damon] Martin?
ZG: Yes I am.

FW: Many of Fast-Women.com’s readers read these interviews trying to glean advice to improve their own times. With that being said, what in training contributed most to your recent PR?
ZG: I would say high mileage and training hard.

FW: What kind of mileage were you running?
ZG: The highest mileage week that I ran was 120 miles. My lowest [week] was probably 90 [miles].

FW: Did you run your high weeks in a combination of singles and doubles?
ZG: Yes. I run twice a day. I have two single long runs during the week: Wednesday and Sunday. On Sunday I run a little longer [than I do] on Wednesday. The rest of the week, I run in doubles.

FW: What kind of workouts did Coach Martin have you do before the half-marathon championships?
ZG: I was doing tempo runs and surges.

FW: Tell me about your surge workouts.
ZG: I was doing five-minute surges and nine-minute surges. I did a couple of three-minute surges and a couple of one-minute surges.

FW: How were you differentiating effort between surges?
ZG: It’s very hard to do. For nine minutes, you just have to be very patient and not go out too hard because it’s nine minutes. But your heart rate has to be 180 beats per minute.

FW: So you wear a heart rate monitor during your workouts?
ZG: Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. I think that I’m now able to differentiate. I go into these surges when I see the mile marks. So nine-minute surges would be 5:30 pace to 5:45 pace. And then the five minute surges would be about 5:20 to 5:25 pace. If I’m in really good shape, then I can go 5:15 pace for five minutes. And then the one-minute surges, you just go as hard as you can. We have one minute easy and one minute hard. A one-minute surge would be like running 400 meters on a track. [Keep in mind that this pace is at altitude].

FW: Are you doing your hard workouts twice a week?
ZG: Yes. We do these on Tuesdays and Fridays.

FW: Some would say it’s easy to know what to do on your hard days and on your long run days, but it’s not easy to know how to run on your recovery days. How do you run on your easy days? What kind of pace are you running on your recovery days?
ZG: There are times on my easy days where I don’t even wear a watch, and I just go by how my body feels. If I’m running a high-mileage week, like 120 miles, I would give priority to the hard days. On my recovery days, I start with eight-minute pace and if I feel good during the run, then I would pick it up to seven-minute pace, but no faster than that. If I don’t feel good at all, then I forget about the watch just to get my mind off timing.

FW: You were primarily a track runner in college. You are now venturing out into the longer distances such as the half-marathon and marathon, and actually have the ‘A’ standard for the marathon. Where are you going to focus your efforts in 2007 and 2008?
ZG: The marathon. That is the primary goal. I want to get myself ready for the Olympic Trials in April of 2008. Track right now is pretty much out of the question. That is secondary to [me]. I’m planning to run the 15K championships in Florida. My coach and I are also considering me running the Boston Marathon in April. If Boston does not work then we will focus on the USA Road Championships and hopefully the marathon at World Championships if [I am] selected. Running an international competition representing the USA has been a dream [of mine].

FW: Why are you thinking about running the Boston Marathon?
ZG: I’m in very good shape. I’m really, really strong. After how I felt at the Half-marathon Championships, I feel that Boston will be a good experience. It’s the U.S. Marathon Championship. I will get a marathon out of the way. [My coach and I] don’t know yet after that—if it will be short races and then getting [me] ready for the Olympic Marathon Trials. I really don’t want to be thinking about any marathon later.

FW: With an ‘A’ standard already in the bag, you are probably thinking, ‘Okay, now what do I have to do to make the Olympic team?’ With your PR at 2:35, it is arguable that you need to take your PR down another six to seven minutes to possibly make the Olympic team. How are you going to do this?
ZG: Yes. My coach and I have thought that in order to get a spot on the Olympic Team, I need to get a PR. If I run Boston or the World Championships, that’s the goal [there]: a PR. That’s what we are working on. What do I need to do different? Not much other than remaining healthy. At Twin Cities I had a problem with my shoe. I tied my shoelaces really tight. By mile 20, I had no circulation. That really tells a lot where I am. I keep telling myself that I need a good day to run a PR. In order to do that, I still need to work hard. I took a break; I’m coming back; I feel strong. I think that just remaining healthy and working hard and being smart—eating smart, eating the right things. It may not sound like it’s a lot, but your lifestyle has a lot to do with it. So I just need to keep focused on what my priority is and that [it would take] to make the Olympic team. For now I need to commit to run [well] every day, and go train hard, and eat well, and get my rest. All those things I think are important.

FW: I read in the July/August 2005 Running Times article that you were inspired by Deena Kastor, who has a connection with Alamosa. Do you correspond with her on a regular basis? Have you ever trained with her?
ZG: We don’t talk on a regular basis. She came here after the 2004 Olympics in Athens. She came here [to Alamosa]. We went running that day and whenever she comes to town, we talk. That’s one of the things I really admire about her: she is very down-to-earth. She’s so humble. When I see her, I realize how hard she works. She is so inspiring. I think to myself, “If she can do it, I can do it.” Today I watched an interview with her that I found on the internet where she was talking about her experience at the Athens Olympics and I was just in awe. I then listened to another interview with Coach Joe Vigil who said that Deena is the ‘whole package.’ She trains hard. She does everything right: her running, her diet, her rest. And I thought, “That’s what it takes; you have to be committed.” In the interview, she also talked about how a lot of people have been willing to help her. I feel the same way. I do believe that it’s just a matter of time and a matter of finding the right people and if people are willing to support you and help you, then anything’s possible. And Deena is a great example of that; she worked hard; she does whatever she needs to do, and she has the support. Putting all that together--that’s why she’s great. And I do admire her. She’s a great role model and a great person.

FW: Coming from a family of 16 children, you must have siblings all over the place. Do you have any brothers or sisters there with you in Alamosa?
ZG: Yes. I have one of my older sisters with me. She took care of me and four of my siblings when we were growing up. She’s like my second mother. We are actually rooming together right now. She has two beautiful children. We share the same apartment. Going back to the subject of inspiration, I believe in God giving me things and bringing people to [my] life. And I think [my sister] did so much for me in my life when I was a kid and now I think it’s time for me to do something for her and her children and husband. We came to an agreement. We help each other. They help me emotionally. I’m not by myself. We help each other. It’s really, really nice. My sister’s children are so free-spirited. They remind me that there’s so much else in life.

FW: Do any of your other siblings run?
ZG: No. I’m the only one. I’m the crazy one in the family!

FW: Do you get to go home and see the rest of your family much?
ZG: Actually, after the Twin Cities Marathon, I decided to take some time off and run away from the environment. I went back to Mexico and spent two weeks with my mother, which I’d never done in my life. It was amazing. It was such a wonderful experience to be with her. She was able to tell me more about my background. My father passed away when I was five. My mother had to take care of us. When I was home, I got to ask her so many questions about my father and my family history. It was a very nice time. We got closer. Before the trip, I admired my mother; she was my hero. After two weeks with her, I was like, “Wow. She is someone I really look up to.” It was really nice to go back to my roots.

FW: You have clearly had a difficult journey in life and have done much with yourself despite these difficulties. In light of these hardships as an immigrant, do you consider yourself an inspiration to the Hispanic community?
ZG: I feel that I am very blessed. I am blessed by all the things that have happened to me. I truly believe that, besides all my successes and all of the things that I’ve accomplished so far, I think that God has made them for a reason: that reason is beyond making the Olympic Team or running a PR or [running] in a national championship. It’s beyond that I think. I think God has a message for people and I hope some people see that through me. I hope they get inspired. I hope that they see that God provides. God will always be there for you and nobody is greater than Him. I say that because I went through a lot of struggles getting my citizenship; you know, with all the immigration issues there are out there, I always thought, “Why me? Why does every obstacle come? Why am I able to overcome it?” And I think it’s because God is greater than anyone else and no one else will stop Him from doing his will. I think He has me for a reason and that’s how I feel. I do feel that I have been able to inspire others and that makes me happy, but at the same time I feel that it is God that is inspiring them, by using me.

Interview conducted on January 21, 2007, and posted on January 25, 2007.