Running not only requires a lot of physical preparation, but also takes a lot of motivation, time, and effort. Two Madison High School students, senior Olivia Stein (OS) and junior Amanda Galton (AG) decided to take their competitive running to the next level. The two competed in a half marathon this Sunday at Rutgers University, both finishing in only 1 hour and 47 minutes. Seeing as this was such an outstanding accomplishment, the Madison Dodger (MD) was fortunate enough to interview both girls about their running experience.
MD: How long have you been training for this half marathon?
OS: We started our training plan for the half marathon the last week in January, but we both had been running anywhere from three to six or seven miles almost everyday for winter track since early December.
AG: A few months, since winter track ended.
MD: Could you describe your training routine?
OS: Our training plan consisted of days that were devoted solely to stretching and strengthening (lifting weights and doing abs), easier days, track workout days, which consisted of running a certain number of laps and in a certain time, and longer run days which we usually ran on Sundays. Our training plan said that our longest run had to be 12 miles.
AG: Each week we would increase the distance we run by a mile or so, by following a half marathon training schedule.
MD: How long have you been running in general?
OS: I have been running through other sports for several years but I actually just started running track last spring. This winter Doctor L convinced me to switch to long distance running. I like it better than short distance sprinting because you have more time to settle into the race.
AG: I’ve always loved running, but I started competitively in 7th grade.
MD: How did you feel when you crossed the finish line?
OS: For the last half mile I kept on turning to Amanda and saying, “We got this, we are almost there.” It was hitting me that after all this time and effort, we were finally accomplishing our goal. And as we hit the last one hundred yards, hearing the crowd cheering made me feel emotional. As Amanda and I crossed the finish line together, I had tears in my eyes as we congratulated each other and celebrated.
MD: What advice would you give someone who’s thinking of running a half marathon?
OS: I would tell them that it does take a lot of commitment, time, and energy, but the sense of accomplishment is completely worth it. I’ve never felt so proud of myself before. It’s a great feeling not only to show others, but yourself, that it is possible to accomplish such a large, complex goal with the right mindset and training.
AG: It’s a lot of hard work and calls for a lot of dedication. But in the end, it’s worth it.
MD: How did your training affect your diet?
OS: Training caused me to constantly be hungry, which made me want to eat food all the time. But because my mom is a registered dietician, she made sure that I was eating healthy.
AG: My diet improved while training for the half marathon, especially as [the race] was coming closer.
MD: Did you have any injuries during training? If so, how did you overcome them?
OS: I actually rolled my ankle on the 12 mile run, which was a couple of weeks before the race. I got really worried that I wouldn’t be able to run the race. But I saw the doctor and he really helped me recover. I had to take a week off of running about two weeks before the race. At first, I was really frustrated that I wasn’t able to run and worried that I would lose all of the stamina that I had worked so hard to build up, but I’m glad I had that time off because I was almost all better and able to run the race!
AG: Luckily, I had no injuries while training.
MD: How did the recent events in Boston affect your marathon experience?
OS: I was obviously anxious about the Boston bombings, but with the police and security around the whole racecourse I knew we would be safe. There were so many people wearing shirts that said “brave for Boston” or “running for Boston” and Amanda and I actually wore yellow ribbons in our hair to show that we were running for Boston.
AG: Our race helped to support Boston by assigning colors for runners to wear, officials handing out American flags, and some people even made t-shirts for Boston so throughout the run I was constantly reminded of the tragedy.
MD: How did you feel the next day?
OS: I could barely move, but being sore every step that I took that next day reminded me of the goal I just accomplished.
AG: The next day I still had a sense of accomplishment…but physically, I was sore and tired.
MD: What’s next? A full marathon?
OS: [Laughs] Not in the near future, but definitely later in life. It takes a lot of time and I don’t really have all the time to put into training for a full marathon, but I will definitely try to run another half marathon within the next year!
AG: I would love to do another half marathon–but I’m going to take some time off before that, especially with track going on. But in the future I definitely want to run a full marathon.
MD: Thank you so much for giving your time to the Madison Dodger Online! We wish you luck in your running careers.