“Two weeks before the race I quit all caffeine and alcohol,” said Woo, sticking instead to “stuff that doesn’t dehydrate you and doesn’t disrupt your rest patterns.”
While the runners said they did not adhere to any specific diet plan leading up to today, most of them mentioned the importance of filling up on carbohydrates and protein during meals.
Woo said she loaded up on protein to help restore the muscle fibers broken down during training, and also buffed up her intake of zinc and vitamins C and E to ward off illness.
Several of the runners said they were planning to fuel up on helpings of carbohydrates like pasta and bread last night.
“I’m going with a couple of friends to dinner at Bertucci’s and we’ll eat as many rolls as we can,” said Gordon.
Fiascone divulged similar intentions.
“I am going to have a pasta dinner and drink as many Nalgenes of water as possible the night before,” he said.
AT THE FINISH LINE
The students are each bringing a slightly different set of goals and hopes to the marathon. Some of the runners are primarily motivated by the knowledge that their physical trial is benefiting worthy causes.
“For me, it’s definitely centered around the charities I’m going to be giving to,” Madigan-Curtis said.
Woo was looking forward to personal fulfillment, but also remained dedicated to her cause. “I really truly hope that every step along those 26 miles I can remember the cause I am running for.”
Rizzo wants to shed the memory of last year’s marathon, when exhaustive heat slowed everyone.
“After the first one, with 86 degree weather, I thought ‘I’m never doing this again,’” he said, but he decided to give the marathon another chance.
“I want to finish and I want to feel good about it,” Rizzo said. “Last year I finished, but I felt sick afterward because it was so hot and brutal.”
McDonough, who also competed last year, set a time goal for herself.
“I’d like to run it in under four hours and I’d like to have fun,” she said.
Others said that they would be happy enough to simply cross the finish line.
“This is my first marathon, so I’d like to finish without having to walk,” said Fiascone. He added that he hopes to finish alongside his friend and training partner Rizzo.
“The goal in this is definitely to cross the finish line,” said Gordon, who has come a long way since her middle school days when she took 13 minutes to run one mile.
“It’s been empowering to realize that these things that seem so large and impossible are actually within reach if you put the effort in,” she said.