Ready for the Challenge
Jennifer Carter-Battaglino, Shelton Hall's residence director, ran her first Boston Marathon this year.
For Jennifer Carter-Battaglino, Shelton Hall residence director, the hardest part about training for the Boston Marathon was not training for the Boston Marathon.
Carter-Battaglino was required to take three weeks off from her eight-week training period for recuperation after re-injuring the foot she hurt running in the Boston Run to Remember two years ago. “You actually want to know you can go out and do the long run,” she says. “Not being able to run makes you nervous.”
Even with this minor interruption, Carter-Battaglino, who has competed in several road races since 2004 and has chaired the committee that organized the BU Fun Run, will run her first Boston Marathon on April 16.
The Res Life director says training for the Marathon was very different from the way she trained for other races. “I had never really trained for anything,” she says. “Learning proper nutrition and breathing exercises and getting yourself out there to actually run 18 to 20 miles was challenging, to say the least.”
And while Carter-Battaglino’s goal is to qualify for next year’s Marathon, she says she’ll be happy just crossing the finish line. “I feel very confident right now,” she says. “Of course, I don’t want to jinx myself.”
Brittany Jasnoff can be reached at bjasnoff@bu.edu.