Early on a Saturday morning, when most Ohio State students are tailgating for the day’s football game, fourth-year Christine Glendon gets up and goes running.
Glendon will be running in the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon Sunday, her first full marathon. Her training program, which she found online, requires her to go on a long run every weekend.
“That’s huge for a busy college student,” Glendon said. “The later you get into your training, the longer that the run is and it can get to a point where it takes up your entire day.”
Glendon usually picks Saturday for her long run.
“That means I can’t go out with my friends on Friday,” she said. “It’s definitely hard to do when everyone goes out. I could go out with them, but I have to be dedicated and take care of myself.”
Glendon usually goes off-campus, running on the Olentangy Trail to avoid game-day festivities.
“Trying to be around campus is hard,” she said. “There are just too many people and they just get in the way.”
Even though it is difficult to stay in on Fridays and to get up early on Saturdays, she says it is worth it.
“It’s my priority,” she said. “It’s just a good way to push yourself both mentally and physically.”
Glendon, who began running in high school, has run in four half-marathons. She is also a member of the OSU Marathon Club, which begins training Winter Quarter for Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon in May.
“It can be a challenge to fit things in my schedule,” she said. “Now that I’m in the club, I prefer running with other people. They understand the balance.”
Third-year Ryan Jackwood will also be competing in the Columbus Marathon, his third full marathon.
“It’s so hard to motivate yourself,” he said. “If you’re just sitting at home doing your homework or playing video games, you have to try really hard to get yourself up and running.”
Jackwood tries to go on his longer run on Sundays.
The weekend runs “can definitely be hard,” he said. “Whether or I go out with my friends or not, I am always the first one up. When I’m up and running, there are times when I want to be in bed.”
Jackwood is majoring in biology and, despite a busy class schedule, has always managed to find time to run.
“There’s never a point in the day where I didn’t have a free hour to go run,” he said. “When you say, ‘I had no time today,’ that’s just kind of an excuse. Even if it’s just for a half hour, I’ll still go out and run.”
Glendon also squeezes running into a busy schedule.
“I usually use those weird hours in between class to go running,” she said. “I’m usually really efficient.”
Both Jackwood and Glendon are active in the OSU Marathon Club, which started last year.
“It helps with motivation, when you have to meet at a certain time to go run,” Jackwood said. “I prefer to run with other people.”
Greg Kuhl, a fifth-year in industrial and systems engineering, helped to start the club, along with other founding members. The club meets three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
“The idea just came from a lot of people saying that they would do a marathon if they knew how to,” Kohl said.
The Columbus Marathon route goes through OSU’s campus, and an OSU Cheer Zone has been organized at the South Campus Gateway, which served as a water station two years ago.
“This is the largest campus in the country; it should have the largest group of student cheerers,” said Jerry Johnson, Gateway spokesman and coordinator of the Cheer Zone. “It’s a way to promote the marathon more to students.”
The Cheer Zone party, which will also serve as a water station, will start at 8 a.m. and last until noon. Student groups have been invited and are encouraged to participate, as well as to donate canned goods. To encourage participation, the group that brings in the most canned goods will win a 42-inch plasma TV.
The campus section of the route will host a live band, and students at the cheer zone will be given signs and noisemakers to cheer on the runners.
“We’re at about mile 16,” Johnson said. “By the time you get here, you’ve been running and you’re cold. You’re going to need that spark of enthusiasm.”
Jackwood is looking forward to the run through campus.
“There are generally a lot of people and it’s always fun,” he said. “It’s very motivating to have them cheering for you. Any encouragement is awesome.”
For Jackwood, the weekend before the big race is always the toughest.
“I’m going to try to avoid all my friends,” he said. “And I hope that my roommates will go out.”
Glendon is also taking it easy.
“I’m just trying to rest,” she said. “I’m really excited and feel really prepared. I’m just ready for it to be Sunday.”
