As if being a medical student isn’t enough of a challenge, second-year student Caroline Gosser recently became the first female to finish the 2022 Mini-Marathon. She began running competitively during her freshman year of high school.

“I didn’t know anyone in my class, so my parents signed me up for summer camps,” said Gosser, “Little did they know, this would lead to them driving overnight to meets in other states as I competed for the University of Louisville.”

Gosser now meets with various running clubs throughout the week as a part of her training regimen. “Making plans to meet someone for a run when the weather is awful or you feel unmotivated is a good trick for getting the run in, anyways,” said Gosser, “There’s a fine line between productive training and overtraining. Most of the time, the extra five miles to get a certain weekly mileage isn’t worth it, but the extra rest is beneficial.” Gosser found that in medical school, 70 miles a week is all she can handle both mentally and physically.

“Some days it does feel very overwhelming to balance school, research, projects, running, and being a good friend or family member,” Gosser mentioned, “Getting enough sleep definitely helps. I also always take Saturday afternoons and evenings off to do something fun that is not running or school related.” She says seven and a half hours of sleep per night helps her stay on track.

We are so proud of Caroline for her dedication to her training both inside the classroom and out. She’s currently preparing for Step One and will be taking some time to relax before her third year begins. When asked what her future running aspirations were, she said, “I am saving the marathon debut for a few years down the road.”