By ANTHONY BOTTAN
It was the first marathon that the varsity girls soccer coach from Valley Stream Central High School had ever run, but said it was something she always wanted to do.
"It was amazing," Maturando said. "It was definitely a mental challenge."
Maturando said she trained for months for the marathon by following a strict training regimen outlined by the New York Road Runners - a local runners club. She started by running a 10-mile race in May, and then a half-marathon - about 13 miles - in July. Her goal time for the New York City Marathon was four hours and 15 minutes. She finished in four hours and 12 minutes.
"It's a hilly and windy run. I really wanted to break 4:15," she said. "Next year, I want to break four [hours]."
Maturando, who also teaches physical education and health at Central, admitted it was tough training for the marathon, coaching her athletes, teaching her students, and then coming home to be a mom to her 2-year-old son, Ryan. She started her training workout by running 25 miles a week, and then bumped it up to 40 miles a week as the race drew closer.
Many days before the sun had risen, Maturando was out running her morning warm-up of six miles. She then came home and got ready for a full day of work. Sometimes, she said, if she couldn't squeeze in a run before work, she would run four miles during her lunch break. Before the 9 a.m. weekend practices with her varsity soccer team, Maturando said she fit in a practice run - of 18 miles. But now that the race and soccer season are over, she said she wants to spend more time with her family. "It's a very tough balance," she said. "I have to take a break and be a mom again, but I'll still train for the next half marathon."
She credited her husband, Joe, for stepping up and taking care of their family while she was training. She said a person needs to be committed to running a marathon, and many times, after training for the day, Maturando said she would come home so tired she would "be good for nothing." If it wasn't for her family, she noted, she would be itching to run another marathon. "I would have signed up for one right now," she said.
Eating right and staying hydrated are keys to running a successful race, Maturando said. While running, she said, she downed four, 10-ounce bottles of water, a couple of Fig Newtons and a few Gu Packs - an energy gel that bicyclists, runners and other athletes eat. At mile 22, she said, she felt her muscles cramping up. She told herself to relax and stay focused. It must have been hard to relax though, considering while she was running across the Queensboro Bridge, a runner collapsed right next to her. "That was definitely intense," she said.
Maturando calmed herself down, engulfed herself in the techno music she listens to on her I-pod, and kept plugging away. She actually became so relaxed, she said, that she ran her fastest during the last three miles of the race.
It was important to Maturando to finish the race, she said, not only for herself, but for her students. "It's important to model the behavior you teach your students," she said. "It earned me credibility with my students because they know I know my stuff, and I think they will get more out of class." She added that any person thinking about running a marathon should do it because it is a life-affirming event.
"It will change the way you look at yourself and what you're capable of doing," she said.
Comments about this story? ABottan@liherald.com or (516)569-4000 ext. 246.
