After 30 minutes,I started having headaches for just few minutes,then it disappered at this point Im focusing, all over sudden I was distructed by someone asking me questions in Arabic language,”weno mafish rhamadan?” He meant are not on Rhamadhaning? I told him “Ana rhamadhan aleom ina sabath mafish .”I told him doing it now without food in the stomach. That takes few seconds off of my focus.Perhaps he thought I need food before training as I do at night with the girls.

I asked my athletes to joint me they say they have no energy for it only after dinner.We have been doing that in the last 9 days at the stadium at 10pm.This is how things goes during Rhamadhan days for 30 days.People work at night and during day time is fasting along with nice words coming out of your mouth.

I continue thinking I will do it until I finish 60 minutes by 55 minutes,another distruction comes by these two speaks both arabic and english,by then I stop hill climbing and start telling them,who Im and what Im doing in Yemen.

They were saying they have seen me here with a bunch of guys early in the morning three months ago.

I had alot of pain from the top of my head to toes.I got home and fall a sleep like a rock for threes.No appetite untill now at 11:45pm for only water and green veges and electrolize is important now.It was achallenge today.I will do it again!!!
Henry

The first day of the championships chaos erupted,so we stop immediately and make few phone calls.Nobody bother to come for help,no security,they say its athletics thing.So we decided to go to athletic office to put our heads together.

Finally,we were given an oppointment to meet the sports minister at night.After getting to his home to discuss about this matter it became a long story it never ends.

In the end I was given a chance to talk,I told the minister,”I have been here for almost 10 months and what I have seen and witness, specially in the Arab Championships,there are people in the administration that they want athletics not to succeed in Yemen unless they are given attention.

I have said that and they know it,I will discipline athletes and coaches in the close camp,but as soon as we left close camp another mind comes on the way to Egypt,problems begins and no translator for me.By the time the running starts on the track the 95% shape have come down to 70% physical shape performances.

Why? there are three things,first, the technical management have control of athletes’s minds,secondly the age changes in which it affeted one of the athlete in Egypt,and finally we were lost in the everybody eyes and I dont speak Arabic language for me to lead athletes.Because one of the clubs in Yemen wants to lead athletics that why a fight erupted today”

The minister suspected Rhakhama club and the following morning I was in the office as a technical manager.That first day of the meet went by peacefully, the second day another fight begins at the starting line,when a assistant minister sitting watching with the audiences.

What happen? God KNows!

However,the problems is at technical management that boils up things.We have to go through alot of mental imaginations which are harder than training the athletes in the hills.If you dont understand the rituals in the room you fall short of a breathe.

There is people knows how to twice things from the right to the wrong directions.I feel dizzy everytime Im in that room until come out of the room.I say,”running is straight forward thing and it unites people.”You are not going to lead me to go the wrong way,I said.

They fear one another to face the professional ways of running.By June 12,2010, I will know the next step to take.Im have the same number of athletes I had in Egypt;however,the officials are even more than athletes,these causes alot of problems.

They dont run, ever try or ex-athletes, have been push down to listen or get confuse,if one think the right way of athletics is out of business.

Henry

Now another training camp coming after the trial on Tuesday.Im will take one minute at the time,Im used to though.I do have good self talk that it gets me through the day.

Hold on with this for now.
Henry

The reasons is that the officials are more than athletes.All of these people are to make troubles.Before getting on the flight in Yemen,the problems begins,when I handedover my passport on the security counter,he said,”when did you get here, what are you doing in Yemen, where is your visa on passport?Im showing them stamp visa.”Its not that….” he said,finally I was let lose after phone call rings across the offices of Yemen immigration upto USA embassy.

When we were at the airport in Cairo,additional problems keep adding up.I told, the General Secretary of federation “the film begins remember to go and see the pyramids.He shake my hand, “it is a morning movie,”he said.

I have to cut this story and jumpt to competition.Out of 7 athletes one athlete brought home Bronze medal in 10000m.In the steeplechase we got 4th/6th but times were great!! compare with the 10000m the time was very poor.The high altitude time was even much better time than racing in low altitude by one minute.The 800m guy posted 1:56.03 the same as he did in Yemen and the 400m hurdles runner clocking 56.o3 seconds the same as he did in Yemen. He was lucky he competited. He wasnt sure if he might ran it/even me.This one had too many obstacles to deal with in the team,leave alone the barries in the track.

By then I can tell,why the competition will not come as I was expecting its within the principles of sports pyschology. The energy of running is misdirected to the wrong places, we were not expecting to happen to us.It comes by surprises.

When they posted 31/32 minutes in 7000ft in Sanaa,Yemen, I thought they will run under 30 minutes in lows altitude.I didnt know what was going on as soon as arrive Egypt. I was led blindly and just deal with problems other than running,until our follower man got upset with the Yemen team. “Are you getting late too?” said the man,who was assigned to Yemen team.

Im telling him, “Do I know whats going on?”Im here to stay like a two year old kid. I dont even have a translator or any one who speaks English until I meet you.He is telling me, “what is wrong with your team”.You guys got late to go to the meeting for two hours last night.

There are too much pressure in these people and everybody in Yemen feels somekind of pain of panic as if there is earthquakes coming to hit them.I told him,their ears/eyes are not around here its somewhere else.

The team alone among athletes is a problem without a translator.They do things that can make us look like we are cray lunatics.I didnt see these these problems in Yemen, I told them,in my English language,whether they understand or not but they can tell by my frowning face.So they cool a little.They actually respect me,but the pain in them cant hold for too long.

After that there is alot of scoldings to a point the General secretary wants to sent back one of the athletes.Its crazy, they dont know they are in front of others, they do what they feel like.”We are going to be suspected,he told the athletes.”Where did you put your passports?”If not that probelm,there is another problem coming…until.

Finally,we did what can and arrive Yemen in one piece.

Someone was asking me if I will bring them to compete with other athletes internationally. I say look at these times first.It doesnt mean these athletes are not capable of competing with other runners internationally they need goog program that it last more than a year with good administration or event more in order to have the feelings of running internationally.

These athletes have been short changed by the administration system.
Henry

I have no hurt feelings towards Rakhma Club in fact I love them.This is about disciplining athletes in close camp.No outside coaches here or any relatives not even friends are allowed into this camp until the test is over.There is time for playing and for seriousness right! They agree we shake hands and we all friends no hostility.They know,they made a mistake.They are teacher also and should be treated as students in classroom for better results.

We want to give athletes the right way of coaching.This is what Im doing here. I get paid for this job, I want to do the right thing for them.I also want Yemen coaches to watch me coaching and learn by asking good questions and most importantly to use their eyes and ears.Means observing and the key is listening very carefully.Otherwise they will miss all of them and we are back where started,who wants to keep going in circles.The system in this athletic federation like this circles.I dont.

This is about physical training for physical-Fitnes for good perfomances in order to do well in the running sports.Please dont get on my way while Im focus on my athletes!!!This is like a classroom on the exam period.

Thanks

Henry

Im encountering with alot of work in the Yemen Athletic Federation. I stay busy doing alot of running even on holidays here in Yemen in order to accomplish the assigments in the administrative office between Ministry of Sports and Athetic Federation.I feel I have been use to settle the scores between the two administration.

Doing alot of paper work in the office in the process screaming alot which is something new for me.Write three papers and sign here and there that you are responsible for these athletes if they dont win medals.”How can they win medals if you dont feed them?” I said.They sleep with their eyes open all night nothing in their stomach! Then you tell me feed them.”I gave them hard look.They notice that I have a big mouth and not coward to deal with them, when some one get on my territory(Athletism).

One has to develop a character that can protect athletism if you are in the middle of wild characters that they want things for free out of athlete’s sweats.Someone wants something for free here.This one is the lazy one.Just like that I think and keep on going……etc.Im glad I stay in shape better than my runners to deal with this,otherwise I can get heartattack.

Before the test on April 21,2010 to select Arab championships team,I dont sleep,they dont sleep until they know the resuilts and who will make the team.The clubs are making me crazy with alot of confrontations!!

Im glad I dont speak Arab language to understand what they are saying.We always get excited before the meets in whict it leads to be stop by something out of blue sky as it happen in the last four international meets. Actually, I heard someone say “you can not go because you are not together from the beginning.”

Henry

The day I lost the race to Salazar in Medison, that didnt disapointed you.You wanted to have a feeling of human by observing other athletes and perhaps see me in person.This is how I got motivated when I went and saw Kipkeino in 1971 in Kapsabet,Kenya. I was 19 years old by going back home that evening.I was up in running until got home in the distances of 8 miles. I couldnt wait for the Sun to rise up in the morning to start running.

Seven years later here is me in the running world with 4WR more than what Kipkeino did during his time.

Hugh,you are one of those athletes,who gets the message from observing other athletes and it help the coach to coach you.

Thanks Hugh Please edit this message.Im in a hurry but I had to respond to this good message for us to read and understand how athletes gets the knowledge of running.

Henry

Today’s Boston Marathon and the winner’s namesake prompted me to google an early life hero – “Henry Rono”.

In 1977 at the age of 16, I showed up for pre-season Cross Country training at my rural school in northeast Ohio. The Coach said run three miles around the block and having never run more than a basketball court and back, I thought there is no way it’s humanly possible for a human to run that distance. 28 minutes later and behind all the girls I made it back to the track.

I trained hard for 2 1/2 weeks and made last person on the JV team. 4 meets into the season I made the varsity team. And a mere 3 months after I ran my first mile ever, I led the team to a first place win at the District meet in Akron against 20 other regional teams and off we went to the State meet.

I would find out l later that after that first pre-season workout, Coach had asked a few of the seasoned runners to tell me to go home and forget any ambitions I might harbor about making the CC team. I never got the message however and after the District meet Coach gathered the team and said he owed someone a big apology.

I had a pretty good inaugural track season in 1978 running a 4:32 mile. I started paying more attention to what was going on outside my little village and the one name that kept re-emerging during was “Henry Rono”. I was inspired. I had no real guidance but somewhere I had read you had run a lot of miles at this time in your life so I decided to run 10 miles a day x 100 days. And I did.

During the first meet of the season, I shattered the school cross-country record. Course records continued to fall throughout the season and I again led our team to the State finals.

In November of that year I had an opportunity to see you run as I made a pilgrimage to Madison, Wisconsin to see the NCAA Cross-Country Nationals. Salazar won but it was you I had come to see and was mesmerized by. I still remember that feeling of being locked frozen in admiration and awe as you ran by me.

Your story is amazing. I’m glad you made it out and are passing on your wisdom both on and off the track to a future generation.

You are for me and will always be, the Greatest Distance Runner of all time.

Best,

Hugh Bosely
San Francisco, CA