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Fellow Wampanoag runner Maura Buglione was nursing a tweaked left knee and some general aches and pains as she enjoyed a steak tip dinner the night after the marathon, her first.
"I'm still functional," she assured me.
In training for the marathon, the 27-year-old Buglione improved constantly in her pacing, culminating in a personal best 1:46 time in the New Bedford Half Marathon. Heading into the Boston Marathon with a world of confidence, she finished in 3:54:19, ahead of the four-hour mark she hoped to break.
"It was definitely a huge feeling of accomplishment," she said. "It was an overwhelming task once I hit miles 18 and 20. For a little while I questioned why I decided to do it, but you get through the mental mind games and you get to see the finish.
"I always said to myself that someday I wanted to complete a marathon, but I didn't necessarily have my heart set on Boston. Then when the opportunity came about to run it for a charity, I was like, if I'm only going to do one marathon in my life, it really should be Boston."
That charity she ran for was Horizons for Homeless Children, a charity aiding homeless children and their families. Her sister and brother-in-law have volunteered with the charity for the last five years, while Buglione donated what she could. Just like she beat her marathon time goal, she beat her fundraising goal, surpassing the $5,000-mark by raising $5,300.
She's unsure about next year's marathon, but caught the running bug from the Wampanoags. For now, she's content to improve in the sport.
"I'd be surprised if I didn't end up running at least one or two more marathons," she said. "It is contagious, that energy and that vibe. I've definitely gotten the itch to do more. After how sore I am today, I don't think I'm in a rush to do my next one, but I definitely think it's something where I want to get that high again."
© Foxboro Reporter 2011
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