25 Random Things About Me, Sports Edition

Inspired by the 25 Random Things lists on Facebook, I finding myself itching to write more.  As it turns out, my mind works in spurts of random, unrelated thoughts.  Is that good?  Hmmm.  Not so sure about that one. Without further ado, 25 Random Things About Me, the SPORTS Edition!

1. When I run, I always have to be on the right side, and I run so FAR to the right (even when I’m by myself) that I’ll oftetimes fall off the sidewalk.  Just like Shel Silverstein, it’s all about where the sidewalk ends.
2. One of my favorite sounds in the world is the “BEEEEEEEEP!” that emits when a timing chip crosses a timing mat.
3. I grew up always playing infield in softball — couldn’t judge a fly ball to save my life.  And then, after being shoved into the outfield, I have now fallen in love with it.  Every fly ball is an adventure!
4. Until the end of high school, I played a LOT of tennis.  Since then, I’ve played a total of about 3 times. I really miss it!  And racquetball is a decent substitute (and fun in it’s own right), but not the same.
5. When I was 12, I won the MVP award for a softball tournament because of a leaping grab of a line drive up the middle, which also allowed me to double off the runner on first.  My one time in the spotlight!  I was even written up in the local newspaper.  Want my autograph?
6. I have fallen off my bike rollers while working out, but I haven’t (yet!) fallen off the bike trainer (almost, though it was the dog’s fault).
7. My favorite jersey number has always been #5.  And I have no real reason for that, other than at some point in my early childhood I decided it was my lucky number.
8. I’m one of those “not a pure runner” type of runners who’s very happy that the USATF reversed it’s decision on the use of headphones during races.  So, while I will oftentimes not even have it turned on (or the volume so low I can’t even hear it), I like having the OPTION of being able to listen to my iPod while mercilessly pounding myself into the ground during a race.
9. BUT – I much prefer having someone to talk to rather than listening to music.  
10. Another BUT – sometimes I’ll both talk and listen to music.  I’m talented that way.
11. I gave up basketball in high school when I finally came to the realization that I was short, and probably not getting any taller.
12. I quit playing softball altogether for about 6 years before I started playing recreational softball.  And I started back in the sport due to serendipity:  a colleague’s wife was trying to reach him in his office, and when she couldn’t, she hit # to get to the operator.  Both the main operator and the second operator in the office weren’t answering, so I picked up.  I told her that her husband wasn’t around, and with no other preliminary conversation (and I had never spoken with her before!), she asked, “Do you play softball and can you play at 6:30 tonight?”  And that’s how I started playing again. 
13. Way back in time, I used to be very proud of the fact that I practically never sweat when playing sports. And now – my body is paying me back – double.  The older I get, the more it pours out of me.  And you know what? Now I love the fact that a 30 minute run will leave me drenched … it’s almost as though I judge the efficacy of a workout by how much I’m dripping by the end of it.  I know – ewww.
14. Cold, rain, whatever – I can take it.  The wind?  I hate it.  HATE IT.  And I think I live in one of the windiest places on earth.
15. During my first triathlon, I panicked in the water.  Like, needed lifeguard assistance panicked in the water.  Just as an FYI – it’s very difficult to swim and hyperventilate all at the same time.
16. Three years later, I did my first Half Ironman.  Shocking the heck out of me was the realization that the swim was the best, most relaxed part of my day.
17. My ideal vacations usually involve a race of some sort.  And if they don’t, they almost involve more hiking/camping/backpacking than most people find palatable.
18. I not only love playing just about any sport, I’ll also watch just about any sport on TV.  And I’m also one of those rare chicks who actually enjoys watching ESPN SportsCenter.
19. I have to admit, I’m a techno-freak.  I love the Garmin, iPod, HR monitor, CompuTrainer… all of it. Sometimes I don’t know what to do with all the information, but it feels so productive to gather it and try to analyze it anyway.
20. I bowled a perfect 300 game this past October.  During league play and everything, so I get all the accoutraments that come along with the accomplishment:  jacket, pin, patch, ring.  I still feel like it was a bit of a fluke, though.
21. When I run and listen to music that was recorded live, I pretend that the crowds are cheering for me.
22. I love my truck for the weekend racing/training trips, though the back end squeaks a bunch now… which just might be a result of the Dukes of Hazzard-like way I took a set of rough train tracks on the way up to Wisconsin last summer (and my first worry after vaulting those tracks was to see if the bikes were still hanging on the bike rack!).
23. I’m not sure that I ever want to actually DO an Ironman, but I know that I want to be able to SAY that I did an Ironman.
24. I’ve never been skiing, but would like to learn (actually, snowboarding sounds like fun, too).  I *am* a little freaked out about the real possibility of breaking a bone, though.
25. And speaking of which… I broke my arm (ulna and radius) in 2003 while playing softball.  My family’s first reaction?  They were surprised it took me so long to end up in the hospital with something broken.