Imagine running from Goshen, Indiana to Chicago, Illinois. Justin Gillette runs this distance around town on a weekly basis. Gillette visited Goshen College to interview with students of Write on Sports on July 7, 2015. Gillette runs 115 miles a week, on average, or one marathon and 74 miles. His normal training routine involves running an average of 23 miles every day. At 11:15 a.m., Gillette eats his lunch. Then, at around 1:00 p.m., Gillette takes his afternoon nap with his two-year-old daughter. Once he wakes up from his nap at 2:00 p.m., Gillette goes on a fourteen-mile run, all while pushing his daughter in her stroller. For the first two miles, Gillette maintains an easy, relaxed pace. Yet, for the next ten miles, he alternates between one minute of a hard pace and one minute of a race pace. To finish his run, he jogs the last two miles.
However, Gillette has had some family health issues in the past year that has affected his training. His mother-in-law had a tumor in her neck, and he had a close family member pass away. This year, “Has been kind of a sabbatical for me,” Gillette says. Since he spends so much time at his in-laws homes, he doesn’t have much time to train or recover. Gillette can’t take cold baths to relieve him of the soreness in his legs, can’t stretch, and has to adjust his diet. Gillette can choke easily so he has to eat soft foods. Yet, his in-laws don’t buy that type of food. So, the only option Gillette has is to eat bologna and cheese sandwiches. “Whatever you put into your body, your body gives back to you,” he says. Eating bologna and cheese doesn’t give Gillette the best energy to run on. Despite the fact that the last year for Gillette may have been difficult, he still continues to train and become a better athlete.