My kids will be going to “Spring Break Camp” next week…something to keep them busy while they’re off school for a week. My oldest is taking a week long dance course, my middle child is taking a cooking class, and my son will be going each morning for a 3 hour basketball camp. We have a portable hoop at home and he loves to play out there. He’s hoping that the hoop at camp isn’t as high (we have ours set to regulation height) so that he can make more baskets.

Our basketball hoop actually got us in trouble a while back – turns out the HOA didn’t like it being on the sidewalk, and they sent us a letter to move it. Apparently the HOA frowns on kids having fun in front of their own homes. I was talking so some of the other parents in the neighborhood about it, and once our neighborhood is all sold out, and the residents take control of the HOA, we’d like to put in a play area for the kids in an area that is currently green space. Nothing fancy – a small play area, picnic tables, benches, and a cement area for playing basketball. For that, we’d need something a little nicer than a portable hoop – something like in-ground basketball equipment. It’s adjustable, so the bigger kids and the smaller kids in the neighborhood could all use and enjoy it. I’d much rather have the kids playing in a central area than roaming the streets bored out of their minds, ya know? A lot of the kids in the neighborhood enjoyed playing at our house before we had to start putting our hoop away each time we finished playing with it, and I miss seeing that.

Since Jim got back into jogging, he’s been talking about doing some local runs with his buddies. I’d join him, but I’m more of a short distance runner. Jim did cross country in high school, so he’s still interested in long distance. We’ve got a few marathons in Tampa, and half marathons too, but I just found out about a marathon in DC that sounds amazing – The Wirefly National Marathon will be held March 24 in Washington DC. Proceeds benefit local charities like the DC branch of the Special Olympics, the Five Star Foundation, and the Joy of Sports Foundation. I checked out the route map, and wow – the runners will have some of the best sights in the US to enjoy as they run! I’d love to be able to send Jim and watch from the sidelines! I think the hills in Washington would kill him though – it’s hard to train on flat ground and then transfer to a run with lots of varied terrains.

If you’re interested in joining the Wirefly National Marathon, be advised that they are limiting the full marathon and half marathon to 5000 participants each. If you know you will attend, sign up sooner rather than later. You must have a qualifying race in order to sign up. Additionally, if you can’t run, but still want to help, the Wirefly National Marathon is more than happy to speak to you about volunteering opportunities before, after, and during the race. Register walkers, or hand out cups of waters – lots of help will be needed to make the race a success!

It must be so neat to participate in an event for charity in such a historical town. I loved our 2nd day on the 3-Day in Philly when we went downtown and saw a lot of the old churches and buildings….I can imagine it’s just as fun doing it in Washington DC.

When we go skiing, we rent equipment. I bought ski bibs for everyone several years ago, but we didn’t want to invest in skis, boots, etc at that time due to the cost. That said, I’d like to look into buying our own ski gear now, because I know the rental stuff isn’t as nice. Also, for a family of 5, we wasted a LOT of time in line for rentals and adjustments last time – time we could have been skiing.

That said, I don’t really know much about the types of skis available. Living in Florida, there’s not a local ski shop I can run into and ask questions. I found an online ski outlet called Al’s Ski Barn that has a bargain catergory (right up this bargain shopper’s alley) as well as ski conditions and and skiing e-cards. Two things they’re featuring right now are the 2007 Salomon 1080 Gun Skis And the 2007 Salomon Foil Park Ski Boots. One perk of the ski boots is that they’re 20% lighter than other boots. I’m a lightweight, so I hate it when my ski boots make me feel heavy and weighed down. The skis look great, but they’re for a more experienced skier, so I’ll stick to the deals in the ski equipment blowout barn. Al’s does a nice write up on every product, letting you know the type of skier that would be best served by the style and the design, and for a novice like me, it’s very useful info.

I didn’t start skiing until I was 15. I had the chance to go on a youth group trip to North Carolina, and we spent 2 days on the slopes. I absolutely LOVED it. When I visited Colorado in 2001, I knew I had to go skiing again. It was a much different experience, because the runs and mountains were much bigger and better than North Carolina. Now my husband wants to go to ski in the Canadian Rockies, at perhaps Whistler or Blackcomb. Why? Whistler is probably the best place in North America to ski, because it’s home to the continent’s 2 greatest vertical rise ski mountains, and the largest terrain for skiing in North America. Now THOSE are some mountains!

That must be why Whistler Resort will be used in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. One thing I love – at the base of the mountain are clubs, shopes dining, and spas. It’s nice to know that after a full day of skiing, there’s still plenty to do and see. Or you can hop (or hobble) to the spa for a back massage and get all of the kinks out.

And Whistler has tons of accomodation options, like Whistler Condo Rentals. I actually prefer a condo over a hotel since you not only have more room, and privacy, but you have your own kitchen if you feel like dining in. Most come with a private hot tub too. And here’s another reason why Whistler is tops – some of the condo rentals are ski in / ski out! No need to drive to the lift, just ski out of your condo to it. Now THAT is luxury!

Speaking of luxury – this Whistler condo even features heated floors and an indoor hot tub! Where do I sign up for that vacation? I’m bookmarking this site to go back when we’re ready for another skiing vacation!

My husband and I have been looking into getting away without the kids this year, since we didn’t get to do anything special for our 10th anniversary last year. He thought skiing would be nice…and I agree! I didn’t even realize how many states had ski resorts – I had no clue that Minnesota and Maine offered skiing. There are lots of winter hotels online that specialize in catering to the ski crowd – some you can even ski in and ski out of – now that’s service! We’ve never been to Canada, so he was checking our resorts in the Canadian Rockies, and that area. Quite a bit different from the skiing we did earlier this month in January. I wonder if skiing counts as working out for the 3Day? It definitely IS a workout – every muscle in my body was sore the last time we went.

Skiing is great exercise. Not only are you outside, getting tons of fresh air, you’re working out muscles on your body that you didn’t even know existed. I’ve skiied in North Carolina, and Colorado, and I’d love to travel overseas and ski there too, like at Chalets St Anton. Could you imagine skiing in the Alps? Quite a difference from the small runs in North Carolina I’ve experienced. St. Anton offers a huge vertical ski area from nearly 2700m down to 1300m – that’s amazing. What a great way to get a cardio workout!

I saw this piece of exercise equipment on late night tv, and it’s called the Fluidity Bar. I think it’s an overpriced piece of nothing if you ask me – $200, and you could get the same workout by building yourself a bar out of PVC, or holding onto your kitchen counter. The video shows a woman doing a ballet style workout – exactly the kind of thing I dislike, having taken 10+ years of ballet as a child and teen.

Since I’m pretty clueless in the YMCA, I’m always looking for infomation on what I should be doing in my workouts to prep for the big walk.  I found a Bodybuilding Forum that has discussion topics like training, fat loss, exercise, and more.  There are lots of people in the know there, who are willing to give you information to help you have the best workout possible.

Since I’m relatively new to the world of working out and fitness, I don’t really know much about equipment, other than what I use at the YMCA (uhh…when I make it to the YMCA!)  I saw that Keiser Performance Equipment was featured in the latest edition of Sports Illustrated.  It’s the preferred brand for many top sports stars and training facilities. 

I checked out the lower body information on their website, as that’s where my focus is right now with my walk coming up in 8 weeks.  Their machines will assist with strength and power development, joint stabilization, and for sport specific needs.

Their TrekMill is a lot nicer than the treadmill I’ve been using too – it allows you to set inclines of up to 50% and has preprogrammed hikes as well.

During my training, I have found that it is much easier to walk on a treadmill than it is on actual ground. Easier on my body, feet, joints, knee & back. We walk on the treadmill at the YMCA because we are members and pay monthly for it…so what started out as a “get healthy & exercise”, has now, through the 3 day, turned into “build our stamina”. So we alternate between outside walks, since we live in paradise and can do so in January …and walking the treadmill inside the Y, which smells like the high school locker room and brings back bad memories of P.E. class wth Mrs. Lasher! I can set the treadmill for different heights, speeds, and set my own mileage, and I find that I burn many calories doing so…but it is still not the same as walking outside on actual pavement…so as we continue our training, I feel we must do more “outside” walking than “inside”.