Rochelle Kanuho didn't know what was wrong. Throughout the past two NAU cross country seasons, the sophomore runner couldn't move her legs like in years past.

Every stride felt weighted down; every step was aching. She didn't have the energy to keep up with her teammates and even running for 20 minutes at a slow place became a test for her pain threshold.

She no longer felt like she did when competing for Coconino, where she was a two-time Grand Canyon Region Athlete of the Year in track.

Kanuho redshirted in 2008 and didn't compete as one of the top seven runners in 2009, but spent all summer conditioning herself to earn a spot among the Lumberjacks' starters. This past summer, though, she knew something was amiss. Her energy was constantly drained, she had to take naps throughout the day, and it carried into the early part of this season.

"I felt weak all the time," Kanuho said. "Workouts were getting pretty hard and I came into the season not knowing if I was even going to make the team.

"I would cry after every practice. I would be like, 'What's wrong?'"

Fearing she was going to be left off the roster, Kanuho approached NAU coach Eric Heins, telling him she didn't want to compete anymore and asking if she'd still be able to practice with the team, even if she was no longer on it.

Heins was absolute in his response and assured Kanuho she'd be on the team. He suggested she undergo a blood test to see if that could explain her troubles.

It did. Kanuho was anemic. She had been since she was in high school.

After taking medication to treat her condition Kanuho rediscovered her ability to run.

"Two weeks later, I was able to do full workouts and go on long runs," she said. "I was feeling pretty good.

"So I stayed."

It was a good decision. Almost immediately, all the potential Kanuho harnessed was untapped. She vaulted past her NAU teammates and became the Jacks' top finisher in their final four meets, including a first-place victory on Oct. 9 at the Grand Canyon University Invite.

"I was kind of hoping to be in the top seven," Kanuho said. "I never expected to be NAU's top runner.

"I kind of hoped (I would), but I didn't think it was going to happen right away. I thought it was going to take a lot longer."

It was a remarkable transition for someone who had been struggling to keep up with her teammates over the past two years.

Heins only heard positive things from the Coconino coaches, but had yet to see Kanuho live up to that praise. He wondered if she lost the desire to run, but when she explained everything, Heins knew that she was likely suffering from a physical ailment.

"She was basically ready to quit," Heins said. "She didn't want to be out there because she didn't enjoy it.

"When athletes get to be like that, it's like, 'Hey, something's wrong. We need to figure it out.'"

Heins has seen other runners suffer from anemia, but nothing quite as drastic as Kanuho. Her blood test revealed a dangerously low level of iron in her blood and she realized she was putting herself at risk by running in that condition.

After receiving treatment, Kanuho hasn't felt any lingering effects from her anemia.

"Three or four weeks (after the blood test) -- bam -- she's back up there running amazing," Heins said. "She looked like a middle schooler out here next to Olympians last year and now she's crushing everybody. It was quite a big change."

Now that Kanuho's running with -- and sometimes in front of -- the pack, Heins can start placing expectations for her remaining two years at NAU. She finished 28th overall in the Mountain Region championship last weekend in Salt Lake City and didn't advance for the NCAA championship race, but it's something Heins believes she can do next year.

"I think she can be a national qualifier," he said. "That's a goal for her and I think she has the capability of it now that she has this figured out."

Kanuho, though, is putting her goals a step further.

"I kind of always had in mind that I wanted to be an All-American," she said. "It's probably a long-shot, but I can try."

Jacob May can be reached at jmay@azdailysun.com or 556-2257.