After months of intense training, Emiliano Fragoso, 3L, laced up his running shoes and accomplished a feat not many people have achieved. He recently completed the grueling 26.2 mile run in the Chevron Houston Marathon.
"Running a marathon was always on my bucket list, and it was something I felt I needed to do before graduating from law school," Fragoso said. "The Houston Marathon was the first full marathon I took part in."
Last month's marathon marked the 41st anniversary of the race. The marathon and half marathon drew more than 25,000 runners.
"On race day I remember hitting the wall at mile 18," he said. "Every inch of my body was in deep pain. What got me through the race was envisioning the finish line with my friends there waiting for me and imaging the feeling of pride I would get by finishing the race."
To prepare, Fragoso competed in several local races ranging in distance from 8K to a half marathon. He began training 10 months before the race.
"Marathon training is about planning, persistence and patience," he said "The key is to give your self enough time to get into the shape to withstand 26.2 miles. You are not going to get into marathon shape overnight, and it was important to increase my running length in small increases to get my body in shape."
Balancing a training regime, law school, and an internship proved a large challenge for Fragoso.
"I always considered myself a creature of habit, so I set up certain days and times to run and stuck to it throughout my training," he said. "The key is reserve a time when you know you would otherwise spend not being productive and use it to instead train."
Fragoso was a member of the advocacy team at the Law Center. He hopes to get involved in criminal prosectution or immigration law upon graduation.
