Lauryn's Story

While she may have always been an active person, it was during college where Lauryn Miceli picked up a hobby that would follow her the rest of her life: running. What started as a couch to 5k program during college has turned into over 10 marathons up to this point.

She’s currently training for the Chicago Marathon, where her regimen involves running six days a week with one long run (which is about 21 to 22 miles). The goal wasn’t always to run marathons, as Miceli initially started running to lose weight in college.

“I remember the first time I ran an hour I was so excited. It was just on the track and I just ran in circles for an hour but I remember calling my mom,” Miceli recalls. “I was so happy and then I started thinking about races and the first one I did was just a 5k that wasn’t timed or anything.”

Now it not only is something she enjoys but she feels the positive effects it has on her health.

“I can feel a difference if I’m not running or if I'm not eating well… I just like the way I feel and I want to continue to be able to do these things,” she says.

“A big part of why I continue to exercise is to manage stress. Running, in particular, has always helped me to relieve stress. It can be meditative as well, a time when I can clear my head,” she adds.

Part of the fun of running for Miceli is the fact she is able to be social and run with people she knows. During COVID-19, most group runs were canceled and it was hard to stay motivated so Miceli took it into her own hands to create her own race for her and her friends.

“I've always wanted to run my birthday years in miles and this is the time to do it,” she says. “[It gave] me something to train for and then I won't be so disappointed that everything is canceled.”

Nowadays she runs right on campus the days she is here, but her favorite is the dirt roads close to where she lives.