Students train for half marathon in Baltimore

"It's a race against ourselves." These words from senior Luella Kauffman describe the challenge that she, along with seven other EMU girls are undertaking later this month.

Kauffman, along with Alexis Sauder, Maria Landis, Kiara Yoder (former student), Deanna Brubaker, Laura Beiler, Kristen Jones, and Amy Dubrovich will be participating in the Blue Shield-Under Armour Half Marathon in Baltimore, Md., on Oct. 15. They have been training for the past 16 weeks to get themselves prepared for the 13.1-mile run.

Training can be different for each individual, and the girls have each picked their own methods. However, Kauffman said that a few of them have tried to do a long run each weekend, adding a mile to the distance each weekend, and three to five runs of shorter distances during each week.

Their training has not been without obstacles. Things such as sickness and schedules get in the way, as well as the two bigger hurdles to cross: loss of motivation and injury. "Getting sick of training," Kauffman said, is something that can affect anyone after training for 16 straight weeks. Many of the girls have also dealt with shin splints, and Sauder also has had trouble after hyper-extending her foot.