October Blog Post - Huey P Long Bridge Run

For my October volunteer activity, I channeled my inner Oktoberfest beer maiden and served beer  with the Ainsley's Angels group at the Huey P Long Bridge Run hosted by Oschner Fitness Center.  I volunteered for a total of 3 and a half hours from 7:30 am to 11 am. Although waking up before 7:30 am on a Saturday wasn't exactly how I would have liked to kick off my weekend, I was really surprised at how great of an experience it was. Ainsely's Angels is a group that normally volunteers at different runs by pushing the wheelchairs of disabled participants along the route, but due to the steep nature of the route of this run they weren't able to do that this time and instead worked the beer tent. All the members of the group that I met were incredibly kind and motivated, there was even a couple who finished their 5k run in under 20 minutes and came straight to the tent to volunteer! Some misconceptions I definitely had before the event was that I would be overworked due to the over 1,000 participants estimated for the run, and that I would feel uncomfortable talking and working with strangers I did not know. As more runners finished and came to the event, I was proven wrong - 

It was a very rewarding experience in that I could see how passionate so many people were about creating a sense of community and about their personal health, so many people were willing to wake up so early in the morning on a weekend (when many of these people likely only have weekends off from their busy schedules). In class we are in the midst of the cardiovascular model, and we have been learning about things such as the effects of exerted exercise on the heart. Running over time is beneficial for the heart because it makes the muscle stronger, and improves heart rate and blood pressure levels. It was interesting to think about the physiological effects while watching people running, also while they were drinking the beers we were handing out. I couldn't help but think that drinking immediately after running was not a good idea because alcohol can elevate blood pressure and can lead to heart failure. Thankfully, no one was injured and no one in our vicinity needed attention from the medical tent. 

here's a selfie mid-action 

this is one of the sweet dogs I was able to pet, and he was awarded a metal for completing the race too!