Elizabeth Bobo Katie Boren Deshelle Boyce Jessica Boyd Kristin Broaddus Jonathan Brooks Bethany Bullough Brandi Burton Andrew Calvert Casey Caton Emilie Chambers Kyle Chappell Brittany Chase James Chong Nicholas Clemmons fo~ lA ~~e, and a grade Junior Lauren Kumler had never been very involved in sports growing up, let alone long-distance running. Howeve1~ instead of taking a regular kinesiology course to fulfill her general education requirements, Kumler decided to enroll in a class to do just that. The course culminated in participation in the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital halfmarathon in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 2. "There is nothing like the feeling of entering a race and completing it for the first time, knowing that they want to do something extraordinary and can achieve what they set out to do," Sarah McGaha, adjunct kinesiology instructor, said. The class met on Mondays and Wednesdays, Wednesdays being the long run days in which students increased the length of their runs by one mile per week. They were all given schedules telling them how much to run each day in order to achieve their final goals. Kumler, who began training for the half-marathon approximately two weeks before the beginning of the school year, thought the class was an excellent opportunity to find out just what she was capable of doing. "I've been told that anyone, no matter how athletic they are or not, can do a half-marathon," Kumler said. "I wanted to believe that, so I wanted to try. I wanted something that would be challenging. I didn't want to do something that would just be kind of putting in my time." According to Kumler, until she reached the mile and a half marker, the run was difficult. After the runs, however, she began to feel significantly better physically and also slept better at night. "I listen to 'Harry Potter' on tape when I run, and that's really nice," Kumler said. "Having the time by myself to do that when I don't have to interact with other people is nice, too." Fellow classmate junior Tara Holloway said that although everyone had different experience levels, they encouraged each other no matter where they were in their training. "Lauren's a lot of fun," Holloway said. "She's very positive and very upbeat. She and I always try to push each other. If one of us is having a bad day, the other one will keep encouraging the other to keep going, especially on long run days." McGaha believed running not only pushed them physically but mentally as well. "I would definitely say that Lauren shows interest and motivation," McGaha said. "I think the students are really impressed with what they can do. Every mile they add to their running adds to their excitement. It's still hard work, but they are recognizing that they are capable of more than what their minds originally thought. That's one of those moments that's fun to watch, when they realize, 'Wow, I didn't know I had this in me."' Ashley Rosenbaum People ' - .+T
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