Dec. 7, 1998

by Jane Hawes

Even after setting an American collegiate record in the 10,000 meter run her sophomore year at Villanova, Carole Zajac wasn't sure she'd ever pursue running as an income-producing career. As career paths go, professional running is not exactly a well-traveled route -- and even less so for women.

"I didn't really know how far I could take it ," said Zajac. "I certainly didn't know how it was out there."

Nevertheless, Zajac, who now goes by her full name Caroline, has been among the first wave of women who could graduate from college and make a living from their sport. The 1994 graduate sociology/elementary education graduate left the Main Line with four NCAA titles -- two cross-country and two 10,000-meter titles -- to her credit and began a journey that has now taken her to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"I was training in Boston for a couple of years after graduation," explained Zajac, "but that just kind of crumbled. I took a trip then to do some training out her, just to get out of the harshness of the Boston winter, and decided to stay."

That was in December of 1997. Now, Zajac and her "significant other" Sean Tynan, a runner and chemical engineer, have settled into their high-altitude surroundings and find life to their liking.

"The trails are great and the year-round weather is also what attracted us," said the Pittsburgh, PA native. "The first month was tough, getting used to the (5,000 to 6,000 foot) altitude, but after then you're adjusted.

Soon, too, after the move to New Mexico came a switch in coaches. Dr. Nial Moyna, an Irish physician who works out of Hartford (CT) Hospital, met Zajac at a race earlier in 1998. He directs the department of exercise physiology at Hartford and has focused much of his work on altitude training.

"His accent's kind of thick, but after being at Villanova, you're kind of used to hearing that," Zajac admitted. She also likes the program that she and Moyna have developed for her.

"I only do about 60 to 75 miles a week, but a lot of it's quality," she said. "I've never really been the type to go much higher. It's just not right for my body."

The game plan for now is to continue concentrating on the 10,000-meter track event, while possibly also making a bid for the marathon Olympic Trials in 2000. Short term goals include making the U.S. world cross-country team in February 1999. She competes for and is sponsored by Nike International.

Rounding out her life when she's not on the track, trails or road is another priority for Zajac these days. She has begun working about 20 hours a week at a nearby substance abuse counseling center.

"It's mostly working with 13- to 18-year-olds, very intense stuff," explained Zajac. "But it adds a dimension I've been missing in my life until now."

Zajac speaks with a kind of measured thoughtfulness that probably serves her well in counseling work. She has a contemplative manner likely bred from thousands of miles of solitary running in the 26 years of her life so far. But, interestingly enough, solitude is not what she treasures most about her training.

"I definitely miss the team aspect of training at Villanova," said Zajac, who explained that for most of her post-collegiate years she has been searching for something similar.

"It could be stressful at times, but the intensity was so helpful and it really was great at times," she said of her Villanova days. "I think my favorite memories are of the team, when we won those four cross- county titles, knowing that we had all worked so hard, day in and day out, pulling each other through streaming and knowing what we had accomplished."

Zajac still sees many of her former Villanova teammates at races and often rooms with them.

"I see Cheri Goddard and Kate Fonshell a lot," she said. "Nnenna Lynch and Kathy Franey, too."

Zajac said a small group of elite athletes has begun to settle in Albuquerque. Former collegiate stars Shelly Steely and Elva Dryer train with her, as does a rotating cast of Russians and Kenyans.

"It took me a good year and a half to start figuring out what I really needed," said Zajac of her burgeoning professional career. "You start hearing all these ideas from people -- "oh, you should start increasing your mileage" or "you should train here" -- and you've just got to figure out how to pull all the components together."

"There are so many question marks out there," she continued. "And you do want to explore all these opportunities."

Zajac said that any opportunity that offered a group training base is one she would advise a young runner to consider.

"You're so used to a regimented schedule and a routine in college," she said, "and then it's gone. Training partners become really key because you help provide motivation for each other." Zajac figures that she and Tynan will likely remain in Albuquerque only another two or three years. "We're both from the East Coast, and we miss the history of that area," she said.

Wherever she heads next, though, Zajac will continue to have exciting new challenges before her.

That, after all, is one of the perks of taking the career path less traveled.