By Chanel Nardone

This is the first of a three part series chronicling two students preparation to run the Boston Marathon.

Jim Rice ran through the streets of Boston last year with three Gummy Bears wedged in his bottom lip. The candy was giving the junior chemical engineering major’s body a slow sugar intake so his muscles could carry him the full 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon.

Following behind him was middler biochemistry major Lauren Skeffington, who sported a tank top on which her roommates had written her last name so spectators could cheer her on as she passed.

Both students have dedicated countless hours to training for this year’s Boston Marathon, and though they have not yet graduated college, the two have already run multiple races.

Building steam

While most students spend only a few days each week at the gym, Rice and Skeffington spend almost every day running and training for April 18 — Marathon Monday.

Skeffington said she chooses not to run every day because she does not believe in overworking the same muscles. Instead, she alternates running with cycling classes and working with a personal trainer at Boston Sports Clubs.

Unlike Skeffington, Rice runs six days a week. Although their training patterns vary, both athletes run on a “pyramid” schedule.

“I look at it by week, so I do a certain amount of miles per week and I increase that for the months before [the marathon], and then I decrease it, almost like a pyramid. That’s what works for me,” he said.

A typical run for Skeffington usually lasts an hour and a half on a self-set course down Huntington Avenue, stretching to Massachusetts Avenue, continuing down Boylston Street and circling the Boston Common.

Most days of the week, Rice can be seen running at least six miles around the Watertown area via the Charles River. He said his swimming background taught him to stay entertained with his own thoughts.

“I think when you swim, it’s such an individual sport,” Rice said. “You get used to thinking about stuff and entertaining yourself; you count, weird stuff like that.”

For Skeffington, music is key.

“I always listen to my iPod; I have different playlists,” Skeffington said. “I don’t like to listen to myself breathing, because if I can hear myself breathing I’m thinking, ‘I’m getting tired.'”

Besides staying motivated, the athletes must be mindful of their training terrain. Rice said he tries to incorporate hills into his routine to be better prepared for “Heartbreak Hill,” a section of the marathon route where many runners reach their breaking point because of the long, steady uphill run.

Skeffington admitted she didn’t train as much as she should have last year. She had only run up to 17 miles, which is nine miles short of the set course. Also, she had not trained for the first half of the marathon, which she said is flat and downhill.

For this year’s race, Rice and Skeffington have already qualified, which means they both finished the Bay State Marathon within a set time for their age and gender.

This year’s Boston Marathon will mark Rice’s third time running it, although last year was his first marathon as an official participant. He said he ran it in 2002 as a bandit runner, which means he didn’t have a number but jumped in at the end of the pack and ran anyway. He said he took 2003 off because he hadn’t trained.

Skeffington also ran the marathon last year, but as a bandit runner. This year’s race will be her second Boston Marathon and the first as a qualified runner.

When training for the marathon, the athletes not only work on physical conditioning, but also their eating habits.

Rice said although he’s not on a special diet for the marathon, he needs energy from carbohydrates like pasta and stays away from junk food.

“Everybody likes McDonalds once in a while, but I try not to do it; I don’t really crave candy, more fast food type stuff,” Rice said. “I eat a lot because I’m going on big runs. I think it’s like for a 12-mile run you burn 1,600 or 1,700 calories, or so says the treadmill.”

A balancing act

While the stress of training can add up on its own, the runners have had to balance their daily training regimen with their class schedules as well.

Although she described her major as “intense” and has even missed some of her sorority meetings, Skeffington said she has been able to juggle her academics and extracurricular activities efficiently.

“I think it’s because I really enjoy [running] and I want to do it. It’s not like I need my free time, plus running, plus schoolwork,” Skeffington said. “My free time is running time. I get my work done, but running is definitely a priority for me.”

Similarly, Rice said his major comes with a demanding workload, and despite his full schedule, which includes bartending on the weekends and peer tutoring, he too is able to manage his time.

“I work hard day and night. My couple of free hours during the day is best spent running because it gets me out, it gets me doing something. Other people lift weights, other people watch TV, but going out to run is what separates me from school a little bit, which I think is healthy for everyone to do,” he said.

Because of the timing of the race each year, the two athletes must find time to study for final exams while training.

“Last year I had a thermodynamics final at 8 a.m. the following morning of the marathon. It ended up being fine, but I was definitely tired,” Rice said.

Skeffington said she is even hoping to switch her co-op rotation so she is not in class when the marathon occurs and so she can focus on the race.

First steps

Ironically, Skeffington said she wasn’t interested in running during high school, although she played soccer, basketball and lacrosse. She said she began running her sophomore year at Northeastern after she transferred from Endicott College, and once she trained her muscles, she found she liked running after all. She said it works well for her because she can do it whenever she has time.

“My dream is to run until I’m like 60. There’s a 70-plus category in the marathon and I know that’s pretty unrealistic for many people, but I always see the fathers with their children holding a sign that says like ‘go mom,’ and I think that’s so cute,” she said.

Unlike Skeffington, Rice first started running in elementary school. He ran alongside his mother in road races, and also ran on the cross-country team during his junior high and high school years.

“Fifth, sixth, seventh grade I was winning age divisions. Not that there’s a lot of sixth graders that run road races,” he said with a smile.

Rice’s mother is one of the “lifelong runners” who acts as a role model for him, he said.

“That’s kind of what I want my running to be, which is why I decided not to do cross country or track in college because I wanted my running to be something I can do for the rest of my life and enjoy it as an individual,” Rice said.