Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category

Back in November, a good friend convinced me to run the Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon.  At first, I didn’t even give it a thought as I had no desire or faith in my ability to run 13 miles.  I can’t remember why, but I did give it a second thought.  I’m not sure what made me change my mind…maybe the realization that all runners were greeted at the finish line with free beer.  I decided to go for it and that began the 5 months of training and injuries I endured to get to where I am now.  It was also the start of my new love for outdoor running.

Before beginning to train for the half marathon, I preferred running inside on the treadmill where air conditioning and television were my good friends.  The farthest I had ever run outside had been the Charlottesville Women’s 4 Miler, which both times I had to walk a great deal of .   But now I find running inside pretty boring without the constantly changing scenery, and I can run 4 miles without stopping or walking pretty easily.

Yesterday, I ran my first half marathon and am so proud of myself today!  The day couldn’t have been more perfect!  The race was in beautiful Virginia beach.  It was a glorious, sunny day with temperatures in the 60s to 70s.  I ran most of the 13.1 miles with my friend Dana, but had to slow down a bit during the last 4 miles of the race due to an increasing need to go to the bathroom.  The race ended on the Virgina Beach Boardwalk where I crossed the finish line as they called out my name.  As I slowly wandered past the crowds of people, volunteers showered me with gifts:  a medal, a t-shirt, a hat, water, and snacks.  The rest of the day was filled with friends, FREE BEER, food, fun, and the sun on the beach.  I met old friends and new friends and had a blast!  Yuengling sure does know how to put on an after-party!

Even though everything about the day was wonderful, the best thing was knowing that I had accomplished my goal!

Here are my stats:

I definitely plan on running it again next year!

Friday, February 12th, I drove to Virginia Beach with three friends from work to compete in the Virginia is for Lovers 14K.

We were all a bit worried as the weather forecast was calling for a 90% chance of snow.  However, I consider us to be lucky that the race wasn’t canceled and the snow didn’t begin until halfway through the 8.68 mile run.

This race was part of our training for the Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon that we are running in March.  All in all, the race went well.  Aside from the sideways snow and the 20 mph wind that started around the 5th mile, it was a fun race!

My stats were as follows:

After the race, we got to enjoy free Yuengling and burritos at the after party.  Despite the cold weather and snow, it was a pretty awesome experience and I can’t wait to do it again next year!

On Sunday, I’m walking in the 2009 Charlottesville Area Heart Walk!

I’d love it if you could support me by going to this website and donating money.

If you can’t donate money, I totally understand.  You can also support me by getting out there and walking.  I walk with coworkers 3 to 5 days a week during my lunch break.  It may not seem like much, but adding activities like these into your daily schedule can make you feel better both physically and mentally, improve your overall health, and add years to your life.

Start moving!

Saturday, I ran the Charlottesville Women’s 4 Miler  for breast cancer.  I was excited for the race because it’s basically a huge party in the street with lots of people cheering you on and tons of strong women running for a good cause.

However, I was also a little nervous because I hadn’t really trained for the race this year.

Well I’m proud to say that I finished the race, had a fun time running it, and beat my time from last year.

Thanks to Charlottesville Women’s 4 Miler website for the stats.

About a month ago, I had an accident at softball practice and got hit in the head with a softball.  Luckily I was alright, but I went to the emergency room just for those warm fuzzies (cause you never know with head injuries).

I was maybe in the hospital (which is actually not even a real hospital but an urgent care center being converted into an emergency room) for an hour and a half, was given no meds (not even ibuprofen), and didn’t even see a doctor (I saw a nurse practitioner).  The only instruments used on this visit were a sphygmonanometer to take my blood pressure, a thermometer to take my temperature, a flashlight to check my eyes, and a wheelchair because I wasn’t walking so well.  They didn’t even prescribe me anything and all this cost $411!  Imagine how much it would have been if I had actually seen a real doctor or required some sort of x-rays or an MRI.

Lucky for me I have health insurance which covered the bulk of the bill although I still have to pay around $120.  I just wish I knew what caused the bill to be so high.  Maybe those expensive laytex gloves?  They were a hot commodity in high school Biology…the teacher used to sell them for 50 cents a glove during dissections!