Texas Lou

For the past six years, I’ve run the Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler, the most popular local race that raises breast cancer awareness and money to support local breast cancer research.  The race is overwhelmingly popular, so much so that it increasingly closes in record times.  Last year, it closed in 10 hours and this year it closed in 5!  I usually set my alarm to wake me up so I can sign up as soon as race registration opens so I can secure a much coveted spot.

This race is especially important to me because it is the race that got me started running.  I’d always been into treadmill running throughout high school and college but let’s face it, treadmill running and outdoor running are just not the same.  Back in the summer of 2008, I joined the Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler Training Program where they taught me everything from how to run properly to how to choose the correct type of running shoe.  Since then, I have run the Four Miler ever Labor Day weekend with my sister-in-law Sarah and many other amazing friends and women.  My sister even ran it unofficially a couple of years ago because she was in town visiting.  I’ve also gone on to complete 2 half marathons, the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco and the Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia beach, the Charlottesville Ten Miler (hardest race I ever ran), and many other smaller races since I got my start in the summer of 2008.  I owe my love for the sport of running and my incessantly improving skills to the many people who have organized the training program and the Four Miler.  If it weren’t for them, I may have never found this hobby or shared it with my husband (we run together alot).

I’m so proud of myself and all of the other women out there who run this race every year. This year, the winner of the race even beat the 30 year old record, running the 4 miles in 21:39…AMAZING!  I can’t wait to run this race for many years to come and maybe one day, if I have a daughter or a granddaughter, she might run it with me!

Sarah and I before running the Four Miler for the 6th year in a row!

Good friends and I getting pumped before the race!

This year, I beat my personal record for the Four Miler coming in at under 42 minutes.  Not bad for a 30 year old!

Here are my stats for the past 6 years:

2008 Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler Results

2009 Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler Results

2010 Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler Results

2011 Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler Results

2012 Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler Results

2013 Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler Results

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