By: Paula Gil
Today I want to talk about my first time
competing with the National Team at the World Junior Championships… The BEST and
WORST day, altogether.
Let me start by saying that life is tough
and no matter where or who you are, it is going to hit you hard at some point
in your life. To me, it hit me very hard three and a half years ago, about two
months before my debut with Spain. I was here, in the United States, having a
great time while competing at Regionals for the Steeplechase; and suddenly,
life changed. I was only 18, and one of the most important persons in my life
passed away back home, my Dad.
My Dad woke up to see me race not long
before this happened. He woke up at 5am one morning to see me race at Oregon
State and hit the qualifying time that Spain was asking for in order to have a
chance of going to Worlds. I was incredibly excited; this had been his dream
almost as much as it had been mine. He was like my second coach, the person to
lay on every time I doubted, the person that made me believe in myself because
he believed in me more than anyone I have ever met…
I heard the news about what happened to my
Dad and I flew home as soon as I possibly could. Between all this unexplainable
feeling of shock and confusedness that didn’t really let my mind understand
what was going on, I had Nationals for track. My entire family came and
supported me, which allowed me to get the strength needed to finally be
selected for Worlds. At this point, my (our) dream had come true… I was going
to wear my colors, I was going to represent my country. However, the most
important person that I wanted to live this with, wasn’t there with us.
A month later, July of 2013, we took off
for Worlds, hosted in Eugene, OR, USA. It is ironic to see how what you believe
can truly make a difference in your life, for the good, or for the bad. This
was clearly the best and the worst moment of my running career. I´ll start with
the ‘worst’.’ Our dream had come true. I was there, with the National Team,
with my colors, representing my country, experiencing what only a couple
athletes can experience in their lives. And yet, he wasn’t there with my family
to watch me do it. So, at some point, I thought it was not worth it if I didn’t
have the person that helped me get there. That’s what made it incredibly hard.
On the other hand, he taught me how to be strong, how to be positive, how to
keep fighting, and how to enjoy whatever I decided to do in life… and that´s
what made it the best. My family -every single one of my relatives-, got
together to watch my race online. They were so excited and so nervous, that
they were probably suffering more than what I was suffering on the track. The
support of every person I loved, the union that this situation created in my
family, and the motivation I had to give not only 100%, but 180% for all of
them and all the support they had given me in this competition, it is what made
it the BEST one I have ever experienced. I raced for my Dad -I have him with me
everywhere I go- and for my family -they are what keep me going, and the ones
that helped me believe that things are possible-.
I still remember, standing there in the
start line, next to athletes that were holding their national records and had
already the qualifying time for the Olympics. And there I was, a little one in
between all those beasts. However, I had somethings with me that one else had
with them. I had a type strength that I never felt before in my life. I
believed that he was going to help me fight. I believed that he was with us,
with me. I was going to give it all, for him, and for them. And I did. I PR by
11 seconds and qualified for the finals, something that did not even cross my
mind before. And the truth is, you can do so much more when you do it for
someone else than when you just do it for yourself. That´s wat made it my best
race by far. The fact that I knew every step I took was for my Dad and my
family, and somehow, I was much stronger than I have ever been.
I guess the moral of the story is that you
decide how you want to look at things. You can let them depress you, or you can
let them push you. If you decide to let them push you, you can find how you can
be much stronger and better than you ever thought you could.
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