-

-

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Spectating Another Race with the Kiddos

Hubby was signed up for the Lake Country Half Marathon (HERE) in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin on Saturday. This was his first half marathon in almost a year. He's been focusing on other distances and has had a lighter than normal race schedule this year. When you're on a tight budget, $50 race entries just don't fit into the plan. We have only been competing in races that we had signed up for last spring. Nothing else.


We woke up at 4:30 am and dressed the kids at 5:00. We headed out the door for nearly an hours drive. We arrived to a cluster of cars that they were jamming into a church parking lot (out in the country). It was chilly and the kids and I were wearing three layers of clothing. It had been a high of 90 degrees just six days earlier and we were not yet comfortable with this cool, fall-like weather. We opted to stay in the car, keep it running with the heat (I know, not very green of me!), eat breakfast and watch some DVDs I had rented from the library.


Our healthy breakfast
(though the fruit-by-the-foot I gave them 30 minutes later isn't pictured!!!)

Hubby ended up PR'ing by 4 minutes (finishing just under 1:50). He said that he was happy with performance at the race, but wouldn't do this event again. His not-so-glowing race report is available (HERE).

The kiddos have survived spectating another race!!!

After the race, we headed towards Milwaukee and let them play around in McDonald's playland and went to Milwaukee's Lakeshore and rented a surrey bike. We drove the bike around the park where hubby and I will be finishing our marathon next month. I realized that the marathon is less than one month away -- yikes! It was cool and windy, but fun. We finished our journey with a trip to Sonic and Cold Stone Creamery. The kids love eating in the car for some reason. And we're fine with the (mostly) chaos-free experience in the minivan! I worked off some of my treats on an eight miler (I had six on my plan.) when we got home that afternoon.

I love how racing has helped us experience new sites and cities with the kids. In cities small or large, it's fun to learn about the history of the town, find a neat restaurant, and enjoy new experiences and activities together.


What things have you and your family
experienced through racing?

18 comments:

  1. Rats! Yet another opprtunity to meet you missed!

    I completely agree with all your husband's comments about this course. That said, I'd love to run this next year when the route is around Lac LeBelle like it was supposed to be. It got great reviews last year and sounds much prettier than the neighborhood run we got...

    ReplyDelete
  2. The best thing about racing is your kids are learning to appreciate fitness with you. It is a lesson they will carry throughout their lives!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats to your hubby on his PR!
    Taking the kids to a race can be such a schlep--especially if there are super early mornings involved. That said they LOVE to go!
    We've raced in Hawaii, Boston, NC, MI, WI, NV, IN, and more. Great memories!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds like a fun day! Glad you guys got a cooler front through there! We did too but it wasn't nearly cool enough for jackets! A nice break from the heat, though! Yay for a PR!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a fun-filled day! I think it is great for kids to join in on the adventure of races. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations to your husband on his PR! Nice job, particularly through a not so great course. I think you rock taking the kids to spectate. That can't be easy, but they're learning the value and fun of fitness. That's a great lesson for kids today!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congrats to your hubby on his PR. I love how you get your kids up early in the morning to spectate. I'm sure they are enjoying the experience and are very proud of their parents! I love Sonic ..... Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congrats to your hubs on a great race. I think it's great that running is such a family event for you guys!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love how the girls get to see me out there and being active. I usually only do local races because my husband doesn't always have a lot of patience for watching them when we're out like that... and he's also not a runner so we can't take turns like you and your hubby do.

    But the Disney Princess Half was a great one for our whole family! We live so close to Orlando and had never been, so it was fun to stay in a hotel and hit the park after the race. My husband had wanted to wait til the girls were a little older to go to Disney World, but it worked out pretty well. (too bad I was so exhausted from sitting out there shivering at 4-something AM!)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like a great way to spend the day! And while I liked the cooler temps we had this weekend, it was almost a little TOO cold for me.

    Congrats to the Hubby on his PR and yay for another spectating effort by you and the kids!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I bet the surry bike was fun. Some day you will also be watching your children in their races !!!! They are sure to follow in you and your hubby's foot steps.

    The weather has been GREAT for running !!! Cool - I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is awesome that you were able to make that a family event! Your kids are going to grow up excited about exercise, what a gift you are giving them.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sounds like a beautiful day! Loving that you involve the kids! Mine have come out to cheer me on and now my daughter wants to do a race of her own.

    Winks & Smiles,
    Wifey

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sounds like a fun trip! Congrats to hubby! I wish half marathon entries were less expensive...I would definitely do more but the cost forces me to prioritize!

    ReplyDelete
  15. When we do any kind of race we really try to make it a new one. Of course we have are usual local races we do but it is so fun to go somewhere new and experince new sites it makes the races more enjoyable.

    ReplyDelete
  16. It's just me, but I love races because it's one place where everyone has something in common and it's easy to strike up a conversation :)!

    Great job on the PR by hubby!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great race report. This is a very clear and informative post. I like it.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Congrats to your husband. I bet he can make sub-4 hours in the marathon. At least I hope so since his half marathon was faster than mine and I'm going for 3:50!

    ReplyDelete