Guard Runner Accepts Challenge of Marathon during Competitive College Season

SSgt. Tyrell Heaton
Public Affairs (MNANG)

Most reasonably fit Guard members would consider a six kilometer competitive race in cold, windy conditions over grassy terrain a tough challenge. Six kilometers is roughly 400 meters short of four miles. SPC Casey Schmitt (MN ARNG) not only had to compete at her college’s conference cross country meet, she also had to worry about driving ten hours from South Dakota to Chicago afterwards to make the start of the Chicago Marathon the next morning.

Schmitt, who is an early childhood education major at Minnesota State University - Mankato, is a member of the All-Guard Marathon Team. In fewer than 24 hours she toed the starting line twice; pulling double duty as she competed in a highly competitive NCAA Division II cross country meet and then in one of the world’s biggest stages of distance running to represent the All-Guard Team in the Chicago Marathon.

While Schmitt finished her conference cross country meet as one of her teams top performers, she had to come back physically and mentally to run a full marathon which is 42 kilometers, seven times farther than her precious days race. Typically runners taper prior to running such an enduring distance of 26.2 miles. Tapering involves slower, shorter runs a couple weeks before the marathon to let one’s body rest for the upcoming challenge.

Schmitt’s routine was much more demanding as she had to prepare for two types of races at the same time.

“Our running week usually consists of Mondays and Wednesdays being speed days, Tuesdays and Thursdays being distance days and Fridays are our pre-meet day, Saturdays we race a 6k,” said Schmitt. “Besides that I added a couple long runs in my routine, my longest run was 16 miles, which made me nervous because I usually try and get a couple 18 milers in and sometimes even a 20 miler,” she added.

Despite the hectic physical training regimen Schmitt wanted to honor her commitment to the All-Guard Team as they competed in the world’s third largest marathon. New York City and London boast the number one and number two marathons with Chicago closely behind.

No only is it difficult to step up physically, but in order to mentally prepare for two important races in such a short time frame is challenging. The weather and course can be a major factor in one’s mindset prior to the race.

“I was scared going into the race because the last time I checked the weather forecast it called for a 70% chance of rain,” Schmitt said. “I thought I would end up being cold while I ran, so I packed a bag of spare clothes just in case, but the weather ended up being a great day for a marathon, minus a little wind, rain and snow,” she added.

Schmitt ran a personal best in Chicago with a time of 3 hours 34 minutes, 50 seconds on a cold and windy day.

“I realized I was going to PR at the half marathon mark; I was ahead of the time I needed, at that point and I was still feeling strong,” said Schmitt. “It really did surprise me how well I felt, since I had run a cross (cross country) meet the day before in South Dakota, jumped in the car and drove ten hours to Chicago. By the time I got to bed it was 1:30 and we had to get up at 4:00, so that night I kind of told myself this race was just for fun and I did not really expect a good race,” she added.

Schmitt said that being on the All-Guard team is motivating because everyone on the team cheers each other on.

“There is a big difference between a college races vs. running for the National Guard,” Schmitt said. “College is very competitive and to me seems solely based on performance. Competing at the college level your mind set needs to be on beating the other school. Where as the races I run with the National Guard give me the competitive edge I love but it’s also fun because we are running because that’s what we love to do. Sometimes running for a College makes me forget the fact that I love running; sometimes I feel like I am doing it for someone else and not because I want to. I also feel more honor stating I am on the National Guard team vs. a College team. People hear that and think it is really neat and they want to know more about the team,” she added.

Although challenging at times, running for both the National Guard and College enables Schmitt to maintain focus when it comes to races she needs to race hard. She ran a 6:40 per mile pace at her conference meet and came back the next morning and ran a personal best in the marathon.

College coaches set up training and race schedules to help their runners achieve top performances during certain points of the season. That schedule melds well with the race schedule the All-Guard team has established.

“I want to try and beat my time from the race before and you need to train in order to do that,” Schmitt said. “I also think I use some of the races as training runs. I ran the half-marathon at Dayton and San Diego and I think the combination of those two races is what really helped me PR in Chicago,” she added.

Schmitt, who is a medic in the Minnesota Army National Guard, also runs races on her own when she has free time and like most All-Guard runners she wears her state National Guard team uniform or All-Guard team uniform.

“I like wearing my state uniform because when I am racing the fans always shout GO MINNESSSSOTA,” Schmitt said. “It’s really funny to me when they try and talk with our supposed accent. It makes me laugh and I think that really motivates me when I am feeling tired. People also really notice our All-Guard Team’s bright yellow jackets too; they want to know all about the team and how they can get on it,” she added.

While Schmitt maintains a highly organized training and race schedule she also has to balance a full college load as well as a part-time job.

“It is hard at times because with school, work, my guard drills, cross country, and the All-Guard team I feel like I don’t have a lot of free time,” Schmitt said. “Since school has started I’ve one weekend on campus, otherwise I have been off doing other things. It gets stressful at times when I’m trying to get my home work done. But in the end everything gets done and I would never imagine doing things differently, she added.”

With more than one and a half million spectators along the course the National Guard was well represented with strong race performances and an easily recognizable logo of solid block lettering “National Guard” printed on the front and back of the race uniforms that were worn by team members.

“It was amazing; Chicago up to this point is my favorite marathon,” Schmitt said. “At first it was a little crowded but after a few miles it spread out. The spectators were great too, they really got into it,” she added.

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