Sammi Kozin gains strength and wisdom during her first marathon

By Lilly Blomquist

Sammi Kozin receives third place in her first marathon.

When Elon University senior Sammi Kozin crossed the finish line after her first marathon in Charlottesville on April 6, she felt exhilarated, proud and grateful. With a race time of 3 hours and 34 minutes, Kozin received third place out of all of the women in the race and 25th out of the total 300 participants. After four months of early morning runs in the cold weather and 26.2 miles later, Kozin achieved the graduation goal she had set for herself.

Ever since Kozin had to push pause on her rowing career in high school after tearing a segment of her spine, she has developed and cultivated her passion for running.

In college, she decided to experience with long distance running and fell in love with it. To her, running is therapeutic and energizing. Running allows Kozin to consistently grow, improve, become mentally and physically stronger and develop confidence.

“It’s the best way to start your day with endorphins and with accomplishments and feeling strong and confident in yourself,” Kozin said. “Even if you don’t have a great run and if you’re not at the pace you want, it’s still an accomplishment that you pushed your body.”

Kozin’s passion for running inspired her to register for a marathon. She wanted to facilitate her enjoyment for the sport and channel her energy toward increasing her speed.

But, it was not an effortless journey.

During the race, Kozin experienced unanticipated hardships. The route had rolling hills, which tested Kozin’s strength and endurance. Despite the strenuous course and her aching muscles, Kozin never stopped running, and she finished just four minutes over her goal time.

“I wanted to finish,” Kozin said. “I wanted to complete it. My biggest thing is I didn’t want to stop. If I was going at the slowest jog of my entire life, then that’s fine. As long as I kept going and pushed through it.”

Kozin was able to persevere regardless of the difficulties she encountered due to a positive mindset. Rather than complaining about the hills, rushing through the race or questioning her ability, she shifted her outlook. She viewed the race as a challenge that she was eager to overcome so that she could become stronger and more confident in herself.

She also chose to immerse herself in the experience so that she could fully enjoy and appreciate the opportunity.

“There was a mental shift during it of, ‘I have to run 26.2 miles’ to ‘what a special experience and a gift to be able to do this,’ so every step I was thankful for, and every mile was a big achievement for me.”

Sammi Kozin says she practiced gratitude while running her marathon.

With gratitude and mindfulness, Kozin became more motivated to complete the race. She replaced fear and doubt with positivity and excitement, which propelled her forward.

In addition to the mental strength Kozin developed and demonstrated, she also performed well due to the physical progress she made during training.

Kozin started preparing for the marathon in January. She followed a training plan that she accumulated from online research, which focused on consistent exercise, proper nutrition and adequate sleep.

During the training, Kozin had to make sacrifices, such as restraining from many social outings, alcohol, some unhealthy foods and sleeping in late. She said training in a social setting, like college, was difficult, but her discipline and hard work allowed her to succeed.

“I worked so hard and had given up some things to make sure that I was successful,” Kozin said.

Her exercise regimen consisted of daily runs, strength training and yoga. On the weekdays, she ran between 5 to 7 miles three times per week and between 8 to 10 miles two times per week. She dedicated the weekend to long runs, which started at 11 miles and increased to 18 miles.

Kozin also had to adjust her diet to ensure that she was fueling her body with foods that made her feel her best so that she could run faster. The nutrition plan allowed her to become more aware of her body and develop a more positive relationship with food.

“Relationships with food are really interesting, and I’ve always struggled a little bit with it,” Kozin said. “Via this training and incorporating a bunch of carbs into the diet and certain foods that are really good to fuel yourself, it actually shifted my relationship with food.”

Instead of viewing food as something to fear or restrict, she learned to regard it as a mechanism that helped her become faster, stronger and happier.

When Kozin is not training for a marathon, she still prioritizes her health and runs every day for pleasure and maintenance.

Her love and talent for running has also inspired her to compete in other races. In addition to this marathon, Kozin has also run three half marathons, one 11-mile race, one 8-mile trail run and numerous 5K races.

She is planning on registering for another marathon in the near future, and she hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon next year.

For individuals who are interested in running longer distances or in races, Kozin encourages everyone to strive for progress rather than perfection. She explained that becoming faster or running farther is challenging but rewarding, so she often reminds people to avoid pushing their bodies to the extreme and to be patient with the journey.

“Listen to your body,” Kozin said. “Listen when it tells you to go. Listen when it tells you to stop. Be very aware of your body, and be thankful for the body that you have. It’s okay not to go too fast or go as long as you want to go. Whatever stage you’re at, that’s okay.”