How to train for Boston and survive PT school: Meet Lauren Hill

Name: Lauren Hill, Class of 2017

Hometown: Flat Rock, MI

Undergrad: Saginaw Valley State University

Fun fact: Never wears matching socks…ever.

They’ll tell you PT school is a marathon…not a sprint.

I apparently took that a bit too literally.

I’ve run two marathons and two half-marathons since starting PT school; that’s over 2500 miles of training and racing.

Let me back up a bit:

I’m Lauren. Born and raised in Michigan. I went to Saginaw Valley State University for undergrad and double majored in Exercise Science and Psychology. That, for me, was where running really started. I walked on to our cross country/track teams back in 2008 and was—for lack of a better adjective—terrible. I’m not sure why they let me stick around…maybe for entertainment…or to make everyone else feel faster? Well, after some frank talks with myself and a few good friends, things started to come together. I went from the track equivalent of the “12^th man” to placing in the conference, nationally, and eventually becoming a two-time All-American. When I graduated, I felt lost: the last five years had been dedicated to my teammates, mileage and chasing All-American accolades.

So there I stood: two bachelor degrees in hand, PT school applications underway and no longer a delineated reason to run. I realized I needed a new challenge.

New Goal: Run the Boston Marathon

Why not?

I qualified and planned to run Boston in 2015…which happened to be the week before finals of my second semester at Regis.

Training for the Boston Marathon (or any marathon for that matter) is not a particularly easy task. Now, add to that 40+ hours of class per week, 10 hours commuting, a significant other, 2-4 hours studying per day (and way more on weekends) and trying to get an adequate amount of sleep… As you can imagine, life got got incredibly busy very quickly.

A typical day looked a lot like this:

6:15 Wake up, Breakfast

7-8 Commute to Regis

8-12 Lectures

12-1 Lunch break—Run 3-6 miles

1-4 Labs

4-5 Commute

5-??? Run #2–Anywhere from 3-10 more miles depending on the day, Dinner, Study ‘til bedtime

11 Bed

You learn a lot about BALANCE when training for a marathon. You also learn to say “no” to a lot of extracurricular activities:

“ Do you want to grab a beer after class?”

No, I can’t, I have to run.

‘Do you want to go to the mountains this weekend?”

No, I can’t, I have a long run.

“ Do you want to want to hang out tonight?”

No, I can’t, I have to get up early tomorrow and run.

My goal for Boston was sub-2:50—an arbitrary time that I let consume me for those 16 weeks (and beyond, if we are being honest). On the outside, I had fun with training, but inside I put an overwhelming amount of pressure on myself to reach that mark.

I failed.

3:01.

Regardless of the weather conditions, (34 degrees, head wind, pouring rain and Hypothermia by the end)….I was pissed.

I had failed.

But, after months of reflecting (and even while writing this), I have begun to see the race and the months of training as a chapter in life with a lot of little lessons learned (some the hard way).

I do my best thinking when I run, and over time have created what I call My Truths—These are things I realized about myself, running, PT school and life. Take them for what you will. This list will inevitably change, as I do, but it’s a framework that works for me today. These 13 truths won’t change your life, but I hope you may relate or take something from at least one of them.

Lauren’s 13 Truths

If it doesn’t make you happy, re-evaluate your decisions.
Just because it makes everyone else happy doesn’t mean it’s for you.
Places/destinations are always there…family is not.
What’s monitored is managed.
Be realistic with your goals. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Morning workouts make for a more productive day.
Fix problems at their root; don’t just put a Band-Aid on it.
“Hope is an excuse for doing nothing” – Coach Ed
No matter how much you plan, there are some things you can’t control.
Who you were has shaped you, but to be who you will become you must accept change.
Don’t go or plan to do anything when hungry.
If it’s supposed to be fun but feels like a job, you need a break.
…..coffee first.

I do plan on running Boston in 2017. It seems only appropriate to finish at Regis the same way it began, only this time, I hope to bring a clearer perspective on running, life and happiness.

Happy Strides!

– Lauren