UIC Italian teacher and marathon runner, Antonella Bonfiglio, slowed down just long enough to chat with HC UIC about her active hobby!
HC UIC: Ciao, Antonella!
ANTONELLA: Ciao, Nicole. Thank you so much for thinking of me for an article about running! I am flattered.
HC UIC: What class/classes do you teach at UIC and for how long?
ANTONELLA: I teach 103 and 104 Italian this semester. I’ve been teaching at UIC since 2008.
HC UIC: How long have you been a runner?
ANTONELLA: I’ve been running on my own since I was 18.
HC UIC: How many marathons in total have you run and which ones?
ANTONELLA: I’ve run 12 in total, most of them here in Chicago, three in New York City, and one in Sacramento, California.
HC UIC: What made this year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon different from any other marathon you ran?
ANTONELLA: This was my first post-baby marathon. I hadn’t run a marathon in two years, so I was curious to see how my body reacted. I was pleased with the result, I finished in under four hours.
HC UIC: Did you run for a specific cause this year?
ANTONELLA: I ran for PAWS, the largest Chicago no-kill animal shelter. It felt really good to run for a cause you believe in.
HC UIC: What types of things did you do while training?
ANTONELLA: While I train, I do a lot of yoga and biking in addition to running.
HC UIC: How often and how long did you train for this marathon?
ANTONELLA: I ran four times a week; on weekends I do my long run which increases from week to week.
HC UIC: Was there a specific strategy that you had going into running this marathon?
ANTONELLA: My strategy was: don’t run the first mile too fast. You will pay for it later.
HC UIC: Will you run any marathons in the near future?
ANTONELLA: Hopefully this winter, but not in Chicago!