It’s a pretty simple rule: don’t eat a lot before working out or competing in an athletic event. But I, along with about 40 other people, signed up to run a mile after speed-eating a burrito in the fifth annual cross country-held burrito mile.

Saturday, Oct. 26 the cross country fundraiser took place. I am going to tell you about my personal experience with this physical and mental challenge and why you should sign up for the event next year.

It wasn’t that terrible. The closest I got to regurgitating was at the beginning of the burrito. I psyched myself out before the race, thinking, “Don’t vomit, don’t vomit, don’t vomit.” So, once the eating began, I immediately plunged into thoughts of failure; not finishing the burrito within the 10 minutes allotted for eating the burrito, spewing up rice, beans and steak, and not being able to run the four laps.

After taking the first two bites, the teenage boy in me took over and all of my worries and doubts went away. All of the sudden I realized the burrito was actually good — although I was disappointed in getting a Qdoba burrito rather than the advertised Chipotle burrito — and started treating this speed-eating as a regular lunch. And, I was hungry.

I proceeded to devour the burrito, bite after bite. It took me much longer than some of the faster competitors, but I still finished the entire burrito.

And then the running began. The first 200 meters felt great. I started at what felt like my normal mile pace.

Then I felt the burrito. Pains creeped up my chest and the worries returned. So, I slowed down, put my head down and focused on finishing the first lap.

Lap two came around and I was feeling pretty great. I reached a fairly constant pace and chugged along.

Lap three was the second closest I had been to getting sick. Around the middle of lap three I took a major set-back in speed, as another competitor had shoved his head into a trash can near me. I fought back nausea. Again, I found my focus and finished the lap.

Surprisingly, lap four was my best. I picked up my pace and managed to pass a competitor in the first third of the lap. In the final 50 meters of the race, I reached a full-on sprint, holding of a competitor who was sprinting behind me. Immediately upon finishing my sprint, I felt immediate regret. This was the third closest I had been to heaving up burrito.

Having finished the race, I dropped onto the turf of Phelps’ field and just sat. After about five minutes I got up and started to walk around and I didn’t feel awful.

30 minutes after the race, I felt like I had just had a big lunch. Two hours after the race I was back to normal.

So, this is why you should run the burrito mile next year. The main reason to avoid running the mile is because it sounds like a terrible experience. But other than the two or three moments when you almost cough up the burrito, the race is fun. You get to do something absolutely ridiculous, watch other people eat and run and celebrate finishing a tough mile.

For a burrito, t-shirt and fun you only pay $15, as well. To me, it seems like a pretty good deal, given that most Westside shirts cost $10 or more and a steak burrito at Qdoba is almost $7. And while getting a burrito and t-shirt, you also support the Westside cross country team.

When the cross country team holds the event next year, make sure to sign-up and have a blast.