The 48-year-old novice runner has taken to the streets several times a week, training with 21 Ball State students and a co-worker as part of the university's first marathon training class.

While neither Gill nor the other participants have previously run a marathon, they've managed to brave thunderstorms, blizzards and sleet and ice to train for the 2003 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon April 26 in Louisville.

"I think one of the most challenging days was when I started at 4 a.m. to run 16 miles during a snowstorm with my husband following me in his Trail Blazer," said Gill, the administrative coordinator to the director of the Human Performance Laboratory. "It was snowing so bad and the wind was so strong that I couldn't see very well. I just kept going south until my husband let me know that I had completed 16 miles.

"I started this because I wanted a real challenge in my life," she said. "I knew it would be a stretch for me because I am not a runner. I really love tennis, but I wanted to see if I could do this."

Gill has been forced to spend more time on her bike and in the pool in recent weeks rather than running due to a series of nagging knee injuries.

"It has been tough for all of us," she said. "I probably won't be able to run the whole marathon. Instead, I'll do the mini-marathon (half the 26-mile distance of a regular marathon)."

Dave Whitsett, a visiting professor in the Human Performance Laboratory, said Gill's injury is common for people training for their first marathon.

"About 10 to 15 percent of people enrolling in this type of training class suffer some sort of injury that prevents them from competing," said Whitsett, who is co-teaching the class with Scott Trappe, HPL director.

"Most of the people in the class have never seriously run before," he said. "So, it is natural there would be minor injuries while running a total of 350 miles since January."

Whitsett helped originate the marathon training class while teaching at the University of Northern Iowa. He is an avid distance runner having logged about 1,500 miles annually for the last 25 years.

Ball State's foray into the marathon-training program will gather data to assist the Human Performance Laboratory in its research on the effects of exercise on various age groups.

"Over the years I've found that people basically have two reasons for doing a marathon," Whitsett said. "It's either a personal challenge or someone told them they couldn't do it.

"In our class, we give them a training program to get them to the starting line," he said. "I think the most important aspect is the group support that develops over the months of intense training. I told this group that they are closer than any I've worked with in the past."

Gill believes the group support has been a key to helping her and others maintain positive attitudes during turbulent weather.

"They are really a great bunch and very supportive, even though I am older than most" she said. "It seems that I am always in the back of the pack when we are training together, but it has been fun. I've come a long way."