Eduardo Recaps 12 Miles

Running 12 miles this week did not seem like it was going to be much
of a challenge. I had ran multiple times that week and had been
anticipating the run. Coming in the morning on Saturday, I was ready.
I did some pre-stretching and made sure that I had hydrated myself. As
I walked in Mrs. Schooler told me that one of my fellow running club
members, Jonathan, had some shot blocks. Based on the taste of the GU
we had a few weeks prior I was willing to try any other form of
energy. I was also looking forward to the chocolate milk that RBO
promised us once we finished the run.

Running around the lake the first time was probably the hardest. I kept a steady pace and made
sure that I tried to get into the motion. After the first lap I felt
pretty good and somehow on the second lap I wound up leading the
entire group. I was amazed, even though I was at the same pace I began
with, I was all the way in the front of the group. I kept this lead
all the way though that lap and once I reached the end of the second
lap I took my shot blocks and was amazed on how much it tasted like
candy. If I was able to I would replace all my meals with it. I wanted
to eat all it, but I kept my cool and went back to running. Going
through the third mile the shot block worked. I had enough energy to
keep going and I began to speed up while still pacing myself. By the
time I reached the last lap I made sure to drink some water and then
took the last of my shot blocks.

The last lap I kept that same pace and was just ready to finish. My feet began to go numb and as I saw
the tent I began to sprint to the finish. Once we finished Don told me
that we had ran 12.8 miles in 1 hour and 42 minutes. I did not realize
how fast I was going, but I was happy to know that I was close to my
goal of finishing in under an hour and forty five minutes. After that
I ran to the cooler and got my chocolate milk. That was probably the
best chocolate milk of my life. After this run I feel ready for the
half marathon and am prepared for whatever comes on that day.