I want to ride my bicycle...

This summer, when we arrived in the US, I offered to purchase bicycles for Alex and Tyler. They both declined and instead, they requested scooters. So for July and August, they scooted around our apartment complex and various parks.

This week, as part of the Camp Mommy experience (more on that soon), we spent one afternoon at Peace Valley Park with friends. We played wiffle ball, rode scooters, fished, rode paddle boats and thoroughly enjoyed an amazing afternoon. Toward the end of our excursion, Alex decided he was going to try to ride one of his friend's bicycles sans training wheels. Much to my delight, he hopped on and did it! Alex often needs to do things at his own pace, and although I frequently felt the urge to force him to ride without training wheels, my patience finally paid off. We are so proud of him for trying and succeeding!



After riding his friend's bike, of course Alex was geared up to get one of his own. He had long outgrown his bike that is still in Dubai, so off we went to find his new bike. Yesterday afternoon, we started at Peddaller Bike Shop, but they were closed for the holiday weekend. Then we travelled to Toys R Us and Performance Bike to no avail. Alex did not like the colors, the words, the size.... You get the idea. This afternoon, we hit Target and Wal-mart. Same story. Finally, we visited BikeWorks in Harleysville. They were fabulous! Dan treated Alex like his most important customer, and the whole experience was a treat. Alex finally found the bike he wanted, and it was high fives all around. BikeWorks totally won me over for their customer service and selection.




Tyler also scored some new wheels. We'll be working on taking his training wheels off in the next few weeks. He particularly likes that his helmet and his bike match. Go figure.



My bike should be here in about 6 weeks, and I can't wait to be able to ride with the boys!

Run, Forrest, Run.

In response to my training, Monika continues to inspire and ridicule me with her quotes from Forrest Gump. My mileage is increasing, along with my speed and endurance, and I can't wait to run the ING Philadelphia Distance Run on September 20th. Already, I've completed a 12 mile training run, so I am well prepared.

The Distance Run has been in existence since 1978 and promises to be a great course. The race begins and ends at Eakins Oval near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, winds through historic parts of the city including Fairmount Park and boasts musicians all along the 13.1 mile route. I even convinced Monika to run it. My cousin Carrie will also be on the course, along with more than 13,000 other runners. Maybe I'll even make some new friends at my pace, since Monika and Carrie are both speed demons compared to me.

This past Saturday, I ran the EMC Relay for Life 5k in Horsham. All summer I've been trying to break my personal best (PB) time for a 5k which was 27 minutes flat. Not very fast, at all. On Saturday, I blasted through my PB and ran the 5k in 24:24, averaging a 7:52 mile according to my Garmin Forerunner 305. I was thrilled. I placed 46th overall in a field of 160, and I was the 5th woman in my age group. Had there been 5 year age brackets for awards, hardware would have been mine. Next time, maybe. At least I am finally fast enough to keep up with Natalie.