Katie Heibeck opens her blue eyes and wakes up at 6 a.m. every morning except Saturday. By 6:15 a.m., the 6th-semester dietetics major laces up her Nike sneakers, puts her brown hair up in a ponytail and heads out to dimly lit streets and sidewalks. At a pace of 9 minutes and 30 seconds per mile, she is well into her second mile by 6:30 a.m.
"Running makes me feel energized and it really clears my mind," Heibeck said. "If I'm having a bad day or missing my family and friends at home, I run. I run so that I can feel good about myself and have it reflect onto others."
The Redding native is running for more than just enjoyment. She is training for the Rock and Roll Marathon on May 31 in San Diego, a race to benefit research for leukemia and lymphoma.
"I went to the information session [about the race] and they told us stories," Heibeck said. "You couldn't sit in the room without crying. One woman told us about how her husband died six days after being diagnosed."
Heibeck's grandmother passed away from leukemia in 1996. Thirteen years later, her other grandmother is in the hospital suffering from the same disease.
Heibeck is preparing to run the longest race of her life in their honor.
"When I was a junior in high school, I tore my ACL [anterior cruciate ligament, a ligament in the center of the knee that controls forward movement of the shin bone]," she said. "So I had to quit playing soccer. I began to run at my own pace and now I've been running for about four years."
Heibeck joined the West Hartford running team put together by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in December 2008. Her sister Meghan, 23, and her parents Barbara and George, couldn't be more excited.
An endeavor of this magnitude has altered Heibeck's daily routine significantly. Every day the college junior writes down what she eats and has to stick to a strict running routine. In between reading her organic chemistry textbook and meetings for her food systems management course, she sends out letters to local businesses asking for donations. Her goal is to raise $4,200 by the time of the event.
In order to achieve her monetary target, Heibeck has the benefit of walking down her street, Highland Avenue, and asking her family to contribute as well. Family is a huge part of her life, Heibeck said. With 12 cousins and three generations of her family living on the same block, she says that the constant support from her loved ones is what keeps her going.
"Everyone's told me [a marathon is] the most enlightening experience of your life," she said. "My coach was saying you feel great not only physically but also mentally, especially running for a cause. It's supposed to be tear jerking."
Training for the marathon leaves little room for participation in other extra-curricular activities, according to Heibeck. Besides running, she participates in Husky Reads, a program providing undergraduates opportunities to visit public pediatric clinics in Hartford to play games and read books with children waiting for appointments with their physicians. Community service is one of her other passions, and lengthy hours of volunteering and schoolwork commonly leave Heibeck exhausted and ready for bed.
When Heibeck's head hits the pillow on May 31, she will have conquered her first full marathon. But it's not all over after she crosses the finish line in the Golden State.
"I want to run two races by the time I'm 22," she said with a giggle. "My friends might think I'm crazy, but I do what I love."
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