July 5, 2010

A great weekend!

My brick:
I got up super early on Sunday because I had a 3hr. bike/30min. run brick scheduled and I wanted to get it done before all of the festivities began!  I set my alarm at 4:45, and got to the bike trail by 5:40.  This is what the sky looked like when I got out of my car:
There were some pretty ominous clouds overhead and I was just hoping that I could get my ride in before it rained.  I set off and right away I loved how quiet and peaceful everything was.  I was the only person on the bike path, the air was crisp and cool, and the early morning light made everything look beautiful.  I definitely need to do more early morning rides!
I decided to do a route inside Chatfield Park because it has a good mix of hills, fast flats, and lots of steady inclines. I got into my groove and started cranking out the miles.  Because of the impending storm there was some wind.  And of course, the headwind was during the steady inclines and hills.  Ugh!  It started sprinkling a little bit, and I was afraid the skies might open up, but they never did.  Phew!  My legs started to feel fatigued around the 1:45 mark, but I kept on keeping on and ended up riding for about 2:40.  I would have ridden longer, but I made it back to my car sooner than I thought and didn't feel like going back out again.

The sky was still pretty dark, so I was hoping again to finish my run before the rain came.  I actually don't mind running in the rain, but it's nice not to have soaking clothes when you finish a workout.  I changed into my running stuff and headed out.  I thought my legs would be completely dead, but I was surprised by how good they felt.  There were a lot of people on the trail by this time and I saw lots of families biking with their kids.  It was awesome!  I got back to my car and snapped this picture:
Another brick for the books!  Woohoo! :) 


Rain and fireworks:
Later that night we got everything ready to take our boys to see the fireworks.  The city of Aurora puts on a great display around 9:30pm and people just park on the roads/parking lots and watch them from around their cars.  Usually, you can park and sit in an open field to watch the fireworks.  Mother nature had other plans though.  Remember the rain I was afraid about?  Well, it decided to start pouring around 6:30pm.  We didn't know what we were going to do about watching the fireworks, but we made our way over to the area anyways around 8pm.  The rain actually stopped for about 30minutes and we set up a canopy tent just in case we had to watch the fireworks in the rain.  We were all able to play soccer/frisbee/beach ball outside, and the boys were having lots of fun.  But then, it was like a scene from Armageddon.  The sky got black and the dark clouds started moving across the sky super fast.  Then, came the lightning and the rain.  We had just enough time to get in the car before it started pouring once again.  The car is where we sat for about an hour.  Now, if you have small children you know that being couped up in a car is not ideal.  But, they did pretty good and pretty soon the fireworks started.  We headed out, in the pouring rain, and huddled underneath our canopy.  It was pretty hilarious actually!  In the end, it was completely worth it to see the excitement on our boys' faces as they watched the sky light up with beautiful colors! :)

Birthday fun:
My oldest son turned 5 today.  :)  Because his birthday is right after the 4th of July holiday, we always have his birthday party in late June.  So, what do you do to make a boy's 5th birthday fun?
How about a trip to Chuck E. Cheese!
 Gotta love the off-road jeep ride! Ha ha :) 
Oh, but that's not all.   After the boys took a nap, we loaded them up in the burley and rode our bikes to the swim beach.  I think the whole city was there, but we still had fun swimming in the water and playing in the sand.  After we had our fill of vitamin D, we rode to Jimmy John's for some dinner, followed of course with a chocolate dipped cone at Dairy Queen.  They're right next to each other and you have to give your kid some kind of dessert for their birthday!  Right?  Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! :)  I think we were able to make our son's day special, and it was just a great end to a great holiday weekend.  

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!  

21 comments:

Maggs said...

I loved Chuck E Cheese as a kid. And I can't wait to take my nephews there someday.

AM! said...

Happy B-day to your oldest dude! soooo cute! our lil dude is 4 1/2 and would freakin' love that as a b-day. you have me thinkin'...

and nice job getting in a 5:40 am workout!!! Dang! and i was proud to do it at ~7am!;-)

Jill said...

I wondered if anyone was shooting off fireworks! Where I live (SE of Aurora), it rained nonstop so I was worried all the kiddos would miss out. Glad there was a display for you guys! I was in the mts running on Friday and got stuck in a monster storm with thunder and lightening, so scary! Looks like more rain after tomorrow...hello monsoons! Nice bike ride, yay!! And happy birthday to your son!! :)

Patrick Mahoney said...

Please please please tell me how to make a 5 year old boy still take naps...I'll give you another shirt...

Tiffany @ The Chi-Athlete said...

Great brick, way to go! I love it when we get "lucky" and the weather actually listens when we go "Ohhhh please don't rain, please don't rain...". :D

Caratunk Girl said...

Awesome ride/run brick! I love getting things done in the AM! Happy Birthday to your oldest boy! Looks like the boys had fun!

RunToTheFinish said...

I do love those super quiet mornings when you are the only one out!! Great job on a kick arse brick.

Ahh chuck e cheese, it's been a long time since I've been there, but that used to be the place for birthdays!

ONEHOURIRONMAN said...

I love C.C. Too bad mine are over 12 and I cant' go anymore (the wife doesn't want to go there on date night), because I loved playing the games.... even though the place is over priced... but they do serve beer

Jon said...

Glad to read you had an awesome weekend of workouts, fireworks, and birthday fun!

Christi said...

Wow, sounds like you had a great weekend!

misszippy said...

Sounds like a fun weekend. Glad you dodged the rain...like you said, not so bad for running, but riding in the rain is another story altogether!

Unknown said...

Sounds like you had a fun weekend ... and great brick!

DRog said...

Great brick, I am impressed! Storms at 630p are better than 5a ! I miss those crazy weather changes of the front range...have a great week!
DR

Regina said...

I am not a morning person, but I always train in the morning. It is so peaceful as you found. Great brick work!

As for Chuck E. Cheese...my sister used to work there years ago and was the 'rat' in costume; she hated it. My son asked to go there for his third birthday. After much begging we relented. I don't know what they are like by you, but walking into a Chuck E. Cheese around here is like walking into the pit of hell. We swore we would never go back. I don't care how much my son begs.

Julie said...

Hi Aimee,
We have been having some crazy weather here too! Nice job on the brick and woo hoo for legs that keep on working:)

We have a Chuck E Cheese here too, my little guy loves it! Enjoy your week Aimee!

Unknown said...

what a great 4th! Lots of activity. Thats how it should be. And chucky cheese.....oh what memories. Happy training!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

So CUTE!! WE have had rain lately too, but wow those clouds look SCARY

Whitarican (White-A-Rican) said...

nice brick and way to not let the weather stop you!

Unknown said...

Great job on the brick! :) And I get not being soaked when you are done!

I love that you were still able to see the fireworks through the rain. Probably a 4th you'll remember forever! And happy belated b-day to your son!

funderson said...

sweet! happy birthday oldest son

Big Daddy Diesel said...

What a nice 4th you had, I love the fact you always smile, then I read that its a brick or a bad run, but you always smile, now that is impressive. I am gonna start calling you the Chrissie Wellington of the Age Groupers