"I read a bunch of books about training for marathons," said Seelbach who designed his own training regimen. "I talked to [cross country and track and field coach Erik Nedeau] about a weight lifting program. He gave me some tips in general."
Seelbach's grueling training regimen included six days of running for 10 straight weeks. He ran three to seven miles during the week and eight to 20 miles during the weekends. Additionally, Seelbach spent two days of the week weight training for the marathon.
"My advice to people-those who I am not coaching specifically-is to find a good training schedule that seems to work best for you, which is what I had told him," said Nedeau. "If someone has not done a lot of running, high mileage, then it would not be useful to jump into a schedule that is geared towards higher mileage."
"With the marathon, people need to decide if they want to run it simply to finish the race and say that they completed one, or if they want to train with a goal time in mind," Nedeau added. "To finish a marathon is hard, but it is also easier to prepare for than to run for a specific goal time."
Despite being a longtime recreational runner, the New York City Marathon was not high on Seelbach's agenda until recently. "I thought I'd run a marathon after I graduated, but I stopped playing lacrosse after my sophomore year, went abroad last fall and came back and got into running," he said. "My good friend, Eric Edelson ['01] decided he wanted to run. We went into the lottery and we both got in."
Running in the race was an experience Seelbach will never forget, particularly because of the fans he gained along the way. "The crowd was the most enjoyable part of the event," said Seelbach. "The crowd was really enthusiastic and supportive of the runners. And if you wore a nametag they would call out your name. It was really neat."
The marathon will also be etched in his memory because of the agony involved. "It was one of the most painful feelings of my life," said Seelbach. "My legs felt like they were on fire. Coming down to the end it was exhilarating but I was in a lot of pain. But I was satisfied I reached the finish line and that outweighed all the pain." Upon completion of the race Seelbach, "drank as much as humanly possibly."
Nedeau understands the hardship Seelbach went through. "Any marathon, or even a real long run, if not prepared well for, is basically hell," said Nedeau. "When you are in the best shape, and the most prepared that you can be, it is still very tough for the last few miles. It is not so much the pace that gets to you. It is just the pounding and impact that you are going through during the course of the race. You will rarely get into oxygen debt like you will with shorter races; it is this gradual pain that starts to sneak up on you little by little."
Like the other runners in the race, crossing the finish line was the end of an important chapter in Seelbach's life, but he is sure that the final marathon chapter has not been written yet. "I'm hoping this will be the first of many marathons," he said.
"I probably won't run any in the spring, but I hope to run in New York next fall … It was a small step, it wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime event or anything."