Hometown: Medfield, MA
Major: Biology and History
Class Year: 2014
How and when did you first gain interest in running marathons?
When I was in middle school, my teacher had us create a bucket list. Items included summit Everest (hah) and run the Boston Marathon before I turned 21. At the time, I couldn’t have run a mile. I wrote it down because I was insecure and trying to prove I was as tough as the boys. Fast-forward to December of my first year at Mount Holyoke. I had picked up running through my high school volleyball team so I could now finish several miles. A senior on the riding team texted me and said, “Want to do this 200 mile, 12 person relay called Ragnar?” I said yes without having any idea what I was getting myself into.
I remember the first time I ran up Cold Hill during training. I thought my legs were going to collapse from under me. When we headed out to the start line in New York, I was probably the weakest and least conditioned person on the team. But when the twelve of us crossed the finish line, it was such an empowering feeling. When 12 people run 200 miles, it doesn’t matter how fast; it matters that you did it. For the first time, I saw my body as a machine
What was your first marathon experience like?
Boston was my first marathon. In a way, it was kind of a fluke. I run a fall half marathon in 1:55 and had decided to try to run Boston the following spring. Since I knew I couldn’t qualify (women 18-35 must run a sub 3:35 in order to qualify), I figured I’d run it as a bandit, or an unregistered runner at the very back. Several weeks later, I saw a post from the New England Patriots on Facebook inviting runners to apply to their charitable foundation marathon team. I had no idea that people could get bibs by being charity runners. I applied and got accepted. I had to fundraise a minimum of $4000 but it was totally worth it. There is only one word to describe Marathon Monday from the perspective of a runner: incredible. The crowd, the energy, and the realization that you’re running the same race as some of the world’s elite distance runners…it’s such an honor to participate.
Several people had told me, “You leave the marathon a different person.” When I think back to before 2:50pm, I did change during that 26.2 miles. I learned how mentally tough I was. I learned how I could still push when every fiber in my body hurt. I learned to embrace challenge in pursuit of a big finish. I was also lucky – I trained hard and had as close to a perfect race as I could for my ability. It was really satisfying to see four months of training translate to a great time.
How do you train for a marathon as big as the Boston Marathon? What is it like to manage your time with training, the Equestrian Team and academic work?
Marathon training is definitely a life style. When I was training last year, I had one goal: finish. I logged three 6-mile runs and one long run, 8-21 miles depending on where I was in the training cycle, per week. I never exceeded 40 miles a week (To compare, our track and cross country runners do about 60-70 a week) and never did speed work. I built my academic schedule so that I could always squeak in my run at the warmest part of the day and had an afternoon completely free mid-week so that if I had to reschedule a long run due to weather, I could.
This year, balancing everything is both easier and harder. I’m taking fewer classes to pursue a thesis and have most afternoons free so I have more flexibility about when I run. That being said, I’m training harder so it’s more time and energy consuming. I’m running over fifty miles a week between a long run, two speed workouts and three recovery runs and incorporating more strength training. Enough sleep is imperative to recovery. It’s definitely a challenge to make everything a priority and thankfully I have an awesome support system that helps me balance it all.
I also admit to having three calendars and a love affair with multitasking. My dad once said there are three parts to college: sports, academics, and social activities. A person can only successfully do two of the three. I’ve chosen the former two. It hasn’t come without sacrifices but for me, I wouldn’t have done my college experience any other way.
In reference to the last marathon, what was your reaction to the incident – during and after? Could you share with us a personal anecdote on what you were doing at the time and what the atmosphere was like?
I turned onto Boylston Street and the blue arches spanning the finish line came into view. I thought, “I’m going to make it. I’m really going to make it!” I saw the runners pick up speed around me and begged my legs to run faster, to which they replied, “Absolutely not, you crazy woman!” The next thing I remember is my phone buzzing on my arm. I’d taken it out of its sleeve to snap a picture and saw that my roommate had texted me. Then the first blast went off. I initially thought the noise was fireworks. But I realized that didn’t make sense because they only shot off fireworks in the harbor and we were nowhere near the harbor. I turned around and saw the smoke. Then the second blast went off, a streak of fire piercing through the smoke. I immediately knew it was a terrorist attack. My first instinct was to call my parents, who were waiting in the family meeting area about a block away, to tell them I was alive. It took three separate phone calls to finally reach them. They were so calm and told me to just come to the family meeting area. I was like, don’t you understand there was a terrorist attack?! I later learned that they’d thought the blasts were electrical explosions.
The volunteers ushered us through the finish line shoot as police officers ran toward the finish line. Surreal is an understatement. I got my space blanket, my medal and my bag of food. Text messages started to pour in. At this point, phone service was cut off so iMessage was the only communication working. I picked up my gear bag from the busses and had just zipped up my black jacket when a stampede came at me yelling, “RUN!” I didn’t know what they were running from; there could have been another bomb (though I knew I would have heard it), a sniper or a fire. All I knew is that I wanted to be in front of it because I realized I’d die if I got caught up and trampled. So I took off. It didn’t matter that my legs were exhausted. Several other runners and I who were out in front didn’t know what we were running from or where it was safe to run to. Barricades blocked the roads so we literally crashed through them. I finally stopped at the corner of Newbury and Arlington outside of a Burberry. Two women saw I was upset and comforted me until my parents arrived. Then the three of us walked about 5 miles before someone offered to drive us back to our car at Cleveland Circle.
At one point, I remember getting the NY Times alert on my phone about it. I laughed because I was living it. Running a marathon is already such an emotional experience that it was an overload. A friend at her apartment in Boston kept texting me news updates but it was still weird to not know what was going on. Yet despite everything going on, people had come out onto the streets, offering snacks and drinks to anyone walking by. They were especially eager to help and support the runners. I got so many high-fives and congratulations from random people. It highlighted the best of Boston: the community comes together to support each other, no matter the occasion.
What keeps you motivated and encouraged to go back to training and running? Do you plan on pursuing it as a career – professional athlete?
Several things keep me running. I love the way it makes me feel. If I’m having a bad day, it gives me a chance to think about life and I come back a completely different person with a can-do-anything attitude. No matter what kind of run I have, getting out the door is an accomplishment. Who doesn’t want to succeed in one thing on a daily basis? I also love seeing a different side of myself. I’ve only been running consistently for about three years. So much of training and racing is so novel that it’s really exciting. Riding is athletic in one sense but I’ve never considered myself an athlete-athlete until now. Plus, I’m setting goals and structuring training because I want to. It’s fun to push yourself because you want to do it and not because someone’s making you. I do not. Frankly, I doubt I’m fast enough. I’m actually headed to veterinary school in the fall and hope to pursue a career in equine sports medicine. My dream job is working with professional equine athletes!
Where are some of your favorite places to run around campus?
I love running down 47, hooking a right on Pearl Street and following Pearl St to 116 and taking 116 back to campus. One of the things I love about that route (and really any of the routes around South Hadley) is the variety of terrain. Hills are mixed in with stretches of flat so I never get bored. Running up Mt. Holyoke is another one of my favorite routes. When training for a course like Boston, it’s important to train uphill and downhill. It’s brutal going up but going down is so much fun. It also gives me good practice running downhill on tired legs.
What’s your favorite season to run outside?
Fall is definitely a favorite. The foliage is beautiful and the temperatures are almost always perfect. But I also love seeing the transition between winter and spring. Running the same routes, I get to see the first patches of grass or daffodils springing up.
What’s your favorite snack and drink during your marathon runs?
Last year I ate pretzels and gummy bears. This year, I’m loving Jelly Belly Sport Beans for runs under 15 and I usually eat a mini cliff bar at mile 15 if I’m running 15-22. On any run longer than 10, I also run with cool blue or strawberry Gatorade.
Anything else you want the Mt. Holyoke community to know about you?
I love baking! I also love mountain climbing in Colorado.