Race for the Cure

A few Sundays ago, we participated in the Komen Race for the Cure here in Phoenix. We've been doing it for years in St. Louis and it has always been a good time. Like the year Eric was recovering from knee surgery and forgot the handle for the running stroller and was forced to hobble along, bending over the boys the entire way. This year, we were all healthy, we remembered the handle, and we were over prepared. Not that there is anything wrong with that. We hadn't registered ahead of time, nor do we know our way around downtown Phoenix the way we do St. Louis. So we showed up an hour and a half before the race to fight the crowds....that were not there. Don't get me wrong there was over 30,000 people there, but it was nothing compared to the Race for the Cure crowd in St. Louis. And I had mapped out where to park....no problems, where to register...sort of crowded because there were only 4 pens, and where the race begins. We were set with an hour and ten minutes remaining. We walked around a bit, got some balloon animals for the kids, met up with our friends, and lined up for the race. It was the first time we have ever had plenty of room for the start and crossed the starting line within 2 minutes of the actual start of the race. One more complaint about the Phoenix race then I'll get to the positives....the race route was not well thought out. There were so many turns it was ridiculous. Phoenix is a grid, let's run straight up, turn once, turn twice, then run straight back.

Okay, now the good stuff. The weather was awesome! There was more shade than there was in STL. And there was no one in the kids corner. We had the entire play area shared with only three other kids, and one was our friend. Perfect.

Here all the boys are getting ready to start the race.

Looking towards the starting line.

After the finish..we made it! The boys got out and ran about the last 1/4 mile.

And Caleb was very happy at this point! :)

It was a perfect morning get outside, get some fresh air, and to celebrate Bushia being cancer free for 10 years!

WARNING!

Stay clear of all scales!
I think someone broke into our house over the holiday weekend and turned our scale to add 5 pounds. Either that or I ate WAY TOO MUCH over the weekend. I'm going with the first option yet still trying to get back into a routine of eating "normal" portions and working out regularly. This blog may need to be my accountability for the next few weeks. Fish tacos for dinner last night and blue cheese chicken salad pitas tonight, which by the way were amazing. 40 minutes at the gym yesterday and a hike up Squaw Peak this morning. Slowly but surely we will make room for all those Christmas cookies! :)

Gym Members

Yesterday Eric and I joined a gym. It's called Pure Fitness. They're a bit over the top in their presentation and "selling" of themselves, but for our needs, the prices couldn't be beat. We stopped by last week after picking up Caleb from school just to check it out. They were talking body dynamics and supplement mumbo-jumbo. Asking about short-term and long term goals. Trying to take measurements. And taking note of everything.
Dude, I just want to look around and ask about pricing. My goal is simple. Don't get frumpy. Do you want to write that down? We somehow, slithered out of there without buying anything or signing up for training. Then the phone calls began. These guys are persistent, I'll give them that much. More so, annoying.
Anyhow, we ended up signing up with this gym and I agreed to an initial complimentary training session. I did this last night. After I had already ran in the morning and did a core and bun workout after which my legs were twitching. The training session was painless...at the time. Although, the guy was trying to get me to lift way more than was physically possible. I may look athletic, but don't be fooled. I am a wimp. Today I can't move my muscles AT ALL. But I felt less bad about the 50 Cheetos I threw down after today's workout than I would've on a normal day! Perhaps that's how I should have stated my goal. I would like to eat significant amounts of Cheetos and ice cream on a regular basis, followed up with a few glasses of wine, and do all this without changing my current pant size. Can you fit that into the blank?

Moving...

One of the greatest things about moving is that you get a new start. A new start to daily routines, such as working out or housekeeping. It's sort of like a new year when many people make resolutions to change certain things about their life. That never works for me. But so far, moving has. The house keeping is coming along. We are still working out some of our storage solutions for our holiday decorations as well as what pictures to hang where. I think, should we really be putting all of these holes into the walls of a house we are leasing and moving out of in one year? But, I do want it to feel like home, right? Despite this, reorganizing my kitchen cabinets and finding new places to store games, workbooks, and crafts makes me happy. And we are all settling into a routine of keeping the house in order. Video coming soon...I PROMISE!!

As for the workout routine, it has improved greatly with the move. We live in a neighborhood with copious trails for running and biking and they afford some incredible views. Here is just a peek...

The boys have even taken part!