Last updated on July 21st, 2022 at 03:06 pm

Four of our employees–Nancy, Nathalie, Kay and Heather–are signed up for this year’s More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half Marathon on Sunday, April 13 in New York City’s Central Park. Each week until race day, the girls will chronicle their journeys to the finish line right here on our blog. This week, meet the members of #Team Arnicare!

Meet Nancy: Hi, I’m Nancy! I’m looking forward to the race to get me back into shape. I used to be pretty fit; I even ran a marathon nine years ago. I don’t have one overall goal for the race, but I do have several mini goals. I’m a jogger, not a runner, so I’m not looking to come in first place, but my first goal is to not come in last place—someone’s got to do it, but it won’t be me. Second, when (not if, but when) I finish, I want to know I did my best. I don’t want to start reciting the “if only” list (if only I would have trained harder; if only I’d trained more; if only I’d eaten better, etc.). I need to remember training for the race is half the fun—enjoy it!

Meet Nathalie: My name is Nathalie. I’m 28 years old and was born and raised in Enghien-Les-Bains, France, a cute little town 20 minutes north of Paris. If you ask my childhood friends, they will tell you I always hated running. When I was 16, I dislocated my elbow trying to make the team for parallel bar. (I’d do anything to avoid being forced to join the running team!) About a year ago, I got to a point in my life when I needed a goal. Something to keep me focused; something to surpass myself. So I decided to join a running club. That’s where I met Melissa, who had just completed her first half marathon. I left the club that night with a goal. I wanted to take on this challenge and prove to myself I am a strong woman in charge of my own destiny. Six months later, I was running my first half marathon. Since then, I have completed four half marathons with more or less success. Running brought me so much empowerment. I want to keep pushing my limits, eventually, I want to train for a marathon. And even though crossing the finish line in April in no more than two hours would be a major milestone towards that goal, my top priority is to finish without complaining of how hard it was every step of the way.

Meet Kay: My name is Kay, and I am the consumer experience specialist at Boiron USA. I’m in my 40s and the mom of two young kids. I am happy to be training again and excited to do my first half marathon on the East Coast.  Since I have had back and knee injuries in the past, I am going to stick to a timed run/walk alternate pace for this race. I also have very little training time and am focusing on endurance over speed. My race goal is not about time but the desire to cross the finish at a run, feeling good and injury-free. This will be my third half marathon, and the first one outside of always balmy California. I’ve been training for a few weeks, running three times a week. My long runs are up to 6.5 miles—now if it would only stop snowing so I could get off the treadmill and hit the streets!

Meet Heather: Hi everyone! I’m Heather, and this will be my first half marathon. Up until now, my longest race has been the ten-mile Blue Cross Broad Street Run in Philadelphia, which I’ve participated in for the last three years. I have yet to break that barrier into the half-marathon world, and to be honest, knowing that I have to do just that in 12 short weeks scares me. I’ve had so many people say to me, “Oh come on, it’s only three more miles. No big deal.” No big deal?! I think three more miles is a HUGE deal. I’m ready for several bottles of water, a carb-loaded lunch, and a nap after 10 miles, but now, I have 28 more minutes of running before I can enjoy my rewards. Running is a mostly mental game for me–convincing myself to get out of bed early on weekday mornings to hit the pavement or the gym before work and again on Saturday mornings for those long runs; forcing myself to take the route with the hills that make my lungs feel like they’re on fire; willing myself to never slow to a walk; and now, pushing myself to finish those last three miles. So that’s my goal–I can’t let my head beat my feet so I can finally cross that finish line after 13.1 miles of running.

Have you ever run a half marathon? Do you have tips or advice for #TeamArnicare? Leave your thoughts in the comments. And be sure to check back every Thursday for the team’s latest update!