Susan G. Komen - Race for the Cure

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever.

In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, they have invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill their promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

A portion of the funds are generated by The Breast Cancer 3-Day®. The Breast Cancer 3-Day® is a 60-mile walk for women and men who want to make a personal difference in the fight against breast cancer. Participants walk 60 miles in three days and help raise millions of dollars for breast cancer research and patient support programs.

Theresa and I weren't exactly up for a 60 mile walk so we opted for the 5k. We Joined a team of SUN Hydraulics Employees and headed up to St. Pete. They hosted one heck of festival! All the major sponsors were present with all kinds of freebies! Anything from bags and "scarf belts" to Panera bagels and Sun Chips. Of course there were the usual suspects after the race as well including apples, bananas, oranges, and water. All in all it was a great experience that benefited a great cause. If any of you are into running or just want to support a good cause check out www.komen.org to find out more.

Canes Crunch!

Theresa and I finished the first race of the season, The Canes Cross Country Classic. It was held at GT Bray Park on September 3rd (our anniversary) at 8:00 in am. We headed over to the start line about 10 minutes before the race was scheduled to begin and stood there acting as a landing pad for all the gnats, mosquitoes, and other annoying little bugs. Despite the early start the temperature was nearly 80° with about 87% humidity when the air horn sounded!

The beginning of the race was no different than any other race we've run in. We started out nice and easy. That, however, is where the similarities end. About 8 minutes into the run we started huffin and puffin. We quickly realized that we have let ourselves get completely out of shape when it comes to running...again. Despite being completely and utterly out of breath we managed to plug along. I decided to look behind us to get a look at all the other "out of shapers" and realized that we were close to being in last place! Oh well, it's for fun right?

The terrain changed significantly after about 1 mile. The course took us off the paved trail and through an area of the park with some very large trees. Although the much needed shade was nice, the route took a turn for the worse. It gave way to an obstacle course of roots, trail ruts, and paved walkways. This, at least, took our minds off of our suffocating lungs.

Side walks were the next running surface. They were great for stable footing but didn't provide much shade. At this point the temp was probably around 85°. Now, not only were we gasping for air, we were completely soaked with sweat as well. Still, we plugged along!

The race continued on through a combination of concrete sidewalks, roads, and paved and root infested trails. I guess that's why it's called a "Cross Country" race. By the time we crossed the finish line the temperature had soared up to about 90°! We helped ourselves to a few of the bananas that were offered and headed out! We celebrated finishing the race by treating ourselves to a nice breakfast at "First Watch" (A great breakfast/lunch cafe!).

One Down. Many, Many to go!

Yay or Nay? It's Up to You!

Theresa and I are asking for your advice. Last year we ran in the Sarasota Half Marathon. The training was grueling and lasted for months. Crossing the finish line, however, made it all worth it. We have not yet decided if we are going to try it again. We need to make up our mind soon though so we can begin training for it. We have set up a poll on our website for you to vote. Do you think we should run in it or not? If you get this post via email or a feed please visit www.theschroderfamily.com to cast your vote. The poll is located directly under the welcome picture. Thanks in advance for your opinion. Our future depends on it!

The First of Many...Again.

It's that time of year again. Time for the fun runs to start. You see, there aren't too many races during the summer months in these here parts. It's simply too darn hot! Most of them take place in the fall, winter, and spring months. Theresa and I started participating in a them last year, and believe it or not...we actually enjoy them. Of course were not out there to win anything. We just like having an event to look forward to every once in a while and, most important of all, having something to help keep us in shape and healthy. The first race of the year will be the "Canes Cross Country Classic". It's a 5K (3.1 Miles) and is being held at GT Bray Park here in Bradenton. Last year Theresa was unable to run due to a nasty fire ant bite she received while tailgating at a Devil Rays game. She ended up getting an IV needle stuck in her arm for two days and an ugly bandage wrapped around her foot. Hopefully we won't have any unlucky accidents this year. The race is being held on Monday, September 3rd at 8:00 AM. Wish us Luck!

New and Improved!!! NOW FITS 4!

That's right, the new and improved 4 bike system is here. What used to carry only two now carries four!!! Absolutely amazing, space age, and stunningly sexy! Ok, So maybe I over exaggerated a bit. But it does carry 4 now...and I think that's an improvement over 2. I'm talking about the number of bikes that we can carry in the bed of our HUGE Toyota Tacoma. DOI! Thus far we have been traveling around from park to park with the ability to carry only two bikes in the truck. We actually do have friends here and some of them even ride bikes. Wouldn't It be awesome if we could pile 4 bikes in the bed of the truck and 4 people into the cab? Well the 4 people thing came standard when we bought the truck but the 4 bike thing wasn't even an option. So...I sat down in front of the drawing board (My work laptop with CADD) and started working on the patented "4 Bike System". After considering multiple ideas and possibilities I decided on the most "stunningly sexy" one (Got the idea from my friend Steve) and set out to make my dream a reality. It took me about 45 min, some hardware from Lowes, and a 2x4 from my garage. The result..."Pure Magic" (The slogan from a great seasoning salt). You can view the result from the "Fortune 500" photo shoot below. Let me know what you think!

Theresa's gone clipless!!!!

Today was Theresa's first try at clipless peddles. When she first got her fisher she had me take off the clipless pedals and put on some platforms. Real nasty ones too! She said that she was scared to use clipless because she thought she might fall. Whatever!!! Anyways...After she got 10 stitches in her shin form the nasty platform pedals she decided that she might want to try riding clipless. Weired! Anyways, we bought her some clipless shoes...and...get this...she still didn't want to try them. So...I made her agree on a day to try em out. After switching out the pedals and prepping the bikes we headed out to Emerson Point. She didn't even fall!! Can you believe it!!! No scratches, No bumps, No Bruises, and No injuries to the ego. What a great ride! She even admitted that they made her feel more confident on the bike. Why didn't any one think of these "clipless pedals" before?

Join us next update...same clipless blog...same clipless time!

Keep on ridin!

Our Week in Georgia.

Theresa and I spent a week in and around Cleveland, Ga. Some of our activities included panning for gold in an old gold mine, Mountain Bike Riding, Running in the Peach Tree Road Race, 4th of July festivities, and Hiking up Blood Mountain. And those are just a few. Check out the pictures below. They tell a much better story than I. Keep in mind that Theresa did all of this with 10 stitches in her shin!

A Wee Bit of an Accident

Theresa and I were up to our usual today...riding out at Alafia. We were having a great time riding on new trail...well...new to us. Anyways, the trail was a bit rough. Theresa was headed down a hill when her foot slipped off her pedal. She came to a stop at the bottom and was catching her breath. All of the sudden a baby alligator came out of the shrubs and latched on to her leg. She started FREAKING out and was trying to get it to let go. I came flying down the hill to try to help her. My swift and sly movements must have scared it. It let go and went scurrying back into the bushes as fast as it could. The damage was done. She had some nasty cuts on her shin so we were going to head straight to the emergency room. We were still about a mile from the car and she still rode all the way back, sporting her battle wounds the whole way. 10 stitches later we were walking out of the ER.

Did you actually believe that?!?!?!?HA HA!!!

She got cut when her pedal came up and smacked her leg. I can't believe you actually bought that!!! Good Grief. She did get 10 stitches though. BAD ASS!!!

29ers

Theresa and I recently got new bikes. As many of you know I was really into mountain bike ridding while I was up in Washington. Well...after listening to me whine and complain since the day we met, Theresa decided that she'd had enough. We got her a Gary Fisher Marlin to start out on. I on the other hand ordered a Gary Fisher Paragon 29er!!! After one ride together out at Alafia River State Park we realized that Theresa was going to tear through that Marlin pretty quick. We returned it for a Gary Fisher X-Caliber 29er and she loves it! Now for those of you who are not familiar with all the bike lingo, 29er refers to the wheel size. Most mountain bikes come with 26" wheels but the 29ers come with...well...29ers. They Kick Ass!!!

We don't have any photos of us ridding yet but you can see the bikes if you follow this links above.

Kobe - Our New Mini Doxie

We got a new miniature dachshund. His name is Kobe and he is a bruiser! (Check out the pics below!) He is all black, a little bigger than Dottie, and is definitely still a PUPPY!!! He loves attention and loves stealing it away from Dottie. He also loves sealing Dottie's toys...little punk! We love him anyways. We just hope he calms down a little in the near future.

Tyring a new approach

Hey, I am going to try a new approach to keeping our website updated. The old one was a bit cumbersome so I am going to try keeping a blog. Wish me luck.

Falcon 5k Race

We ran in a local 5k (3.1 Miles) race called the Falcon 5k. It was held at St. Stephens Episcopal School here in Bradenton. It was a perfect day for a race with a clear sky and a temperature of 56^. The route took us along the Manatee river and past some historic Florida style homes. Of course it also included many of the ridiculously LARGE homes that come with any water front view. Despite the depressingly over sized abnormally large absurdly expensive houses we both felt pretty good during the entire race. Most likely due to our half marathon training. It seemed quite a bit easier than any other race we have run in yet. We'll have to see how the half marathon goes next weekend!

Click here to learn more about the Falcon 5k.

Party at the Schroder's House!

We decided to host a party at our home in celebration of the completion of our landscaping. The shin dig was held on Saturday, January 27th. About 20-25 people showed up to admire our yard. Of course we couldn't take all the credit as the landscape design artist made an appearance. Damn him! We wanted all the compliments to our selves. All kidding aside, he did a great job. We honestly couldn't ask for a better design. We have a HUGE paver patio that everyone can chill on (or sweat...this is Florida after all). We even have a fire pit to toast marshmallows on. There are different species of palm trees littering the landscape as well as plenty of pink hibiscus plants giving the feeling of being in a tropical paradise. That's right, we have a tropical paradise in our back yard! Oh yeah, it doesn't snow here either! We can enjoy it year round.

Our Home

Brad's New Xbox 360

Theresa and I occasionally watch our friend's son, Brad. He comes over on either a Friday or Saturday night and plays video games ALL NIGHT LONG! He has a PS2 and a PS3 that he would usually bring. He would also play the XBox that Theresa and I had. We hadn't actually played it in about year but Brad loved it. It was decided that the XBox would make a perfect Christmas gift for him. We handed over the controllers to him for Christmas, he played the system twice, and the third time he got an error message saying that the hard drive was a piece of crap and didn't work anymore. I had seen this message once before but managed to get it working again. Brad and I decided to tear it appart to see if we could fix it. We soon discovered that the hard drive really was a piece of crap and didn't work anymore...and would never work again. Now Brad had about 6 or 7 XBox games and no XBox to play them on. One of the games he seemed to really really really like. So, Theresa and I decided to do something about it. The pictures are pretty self explanatory. Check em out!

Brads New Xbox 360