Let's start with a bit of a recap. Earlier in the week Chris had mentioned that he had heard something about a local fun run/health fair that was completely free, but could not remember exactly where or when it was. So the search was on. We both checked the local run calendars with no luck. Then as I was driving home from picking my son up from tennis practice I happened to hear the ad on the radio. It was for the Kohl's Family Fun Run. So when we hit the driveway I immediately ran into the house, jumped on the computer, and there it was. My next move was to email the link to Chris. By the next morning we had both signed up along with our kids. Which kicks ass!!
So Saturday morning rolls around and I am once again wakened by the 3rd shift beast around 3:30 am. Oh well, it happens. I tried to go back to sleep with no luck. After watching about 3 hours of worthless tv I decided it was time to get my lazy ass out of bed, grab a bite to eat and make sure the kids were up. The plan was to pick Chris and his daughter up around 8.
Picked up Chris and his daughter and we were off. After a brief detour, thanks TomTom, we arrived at Iroquois Park. I was a bit surprised at the turnout. It took a few minutes to find a place to park. We then headed to the health fair area. There was everything from Radio Disney to a Hot Air Balloon ride. The best part was that everything was free. The plan was to hit the first 1 mile fun run a 9 am. But once the kids saw the balloon, we were in line for that. So we missed the first of three runs. No big deal, this was about the kids anyway. Also, it was my first time in a hot air balloon. Pretty cool. After the balloon ride it was time for the second run. We headed over to the starting line and found a good spot about mid crowd. There was no need to be in the front, since we were planning on running what ever pace our kids set. Since I had both of mine with me, I decided I would stay with who ever was running the slower pace. As I expected when the countdown hit zero, my son shot out like a bullet. In my head I thought, he will be walking before too long. It was a 1/2 mile out and a 1/2 mile back. The bad part was that the first half was mostly up hill. I ran with my daughter the whole way. I had told both of the kids that morning that the goal was to set a pace that you thought you could run without stopping. It worked. To my complete amazement my son ran the whole run without stopping. He probably finished about 45 seconds in front of my daughter and myself. She did stop for about 2 seconds. I told her we were almost done and she jumped right back in. I couldn't be prouder of both of them. I forgot my camera, but as always Chris remembered his. Here a a couple of pics courtesy of him.
After the first run Chris and I decided we would hit the last run without the kids and see what we could do. As were standing in the crowd waiting for the start, we decided we would try and hit 7:30 for the mile. As the run started we made our way to the front, where we stayed most of the time. As we got to the top of the hill and the turn around I noticed that we had an older lady not too far behind. The down hill part of the run was nice. As we got within about 1/3 of a mile from the finish we were passed by the older lady. I was content to let her have it, but Chris had other plans. Next thing I know I'm chasing him. We overtook her and Chris finished about 3 seconds in front of me. He said he wasn't going to give it up after leading the entire way.We then let the kids check out the booths and then headed home. He had a volleyball game to coach and I had some shopping to do. So I dropped him off and headed home.
Later in the afternoon my wife and I headed to the Disney Christmas Carol Train that was in town for the weekend. Another free event. We had to stand in line for about an hour, but it was worth it. The train is like a traveling exhibit for the upcoming movie. They also had a blow up theater. It was a first for me. They showed several clips from the movie in 3d. It looked good enough that I might have to go see it.
After that it was off to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. Awesome food and a nice way to end a great day.
Sunday we headed to my aunt's house to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. It was nice, since my brother and his family came in. I don't get to see them too often.
All in all it was a great weekend. And to top it off, today marks my 18th Wedding Anniversary, and I couldn't be happier.
Sorry for such a long post, but I had a lot to say.
Later
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