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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Tufts chapter.

Name: Kristina Barounis

Year: Senior

Hometown: Westwood, MA

Major: Quantitative Economics  

Why did you decide to run the marathon?

I’m always so inspired by the runners on Marathon Monday, so it’s been on my bucket list for a while. After what happened in 2013, I was even more inspired by the resilience of those injured. That’s why I chose to run in Boston, and specifically for the Brigham and Women’s Stepping Strong Foundation, which raises money for trauma care and research in light of that horrific day in 2013.

 

How did you train for the marathon?

I ran 3x/week, strength trained 2x/week, and took a spin class 1x/week. Every Saturday was a long run, which started at 6 miles during week 1 and went up to 21 miles at week 17. I did the long runs with the charity team I was running for and that was awesome. They provided water, Gatorade, and snacks every 2.5 miles and the team was so fun and encouraging. 

 

Favorite training meal/food?

Bagels and bananas

 

Favorite training/pump-up song?

I listen to Latin music when I run, lol. The songs provide a steady beat and also keep me thinking about the Spanish lyrics rather than how many miles I have to go.

 

What was your experience running the marathon?

It was a hot day, and the heat definitely got to me. I had to slow down my pace quite a bit. I also lost my running buddy at mile 19 right before heartbreak hill, and ran the rest alone which was pretty tough, but my goal was just to finish, which I did!

 

Would you run it again?

The first thing I said to my friend after meeting up with her at the finish was, “Not doing that again.” Now that I’ve had a few days to rest and recover, and can actually walk across campus, I would definitely run another.

 

Junior at Tufts University 
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Courtney is a junior at Tufts University where she is majoring in International Relations with a double minor in Communications & Media studies and Economics. She has previously worked for Santander Bank US as a Digital Marketing Analytics Intern as well as Jumpstart Knowledge Adventure where she focused on Social Media Content Creation.