Races in Arizona

I like to run in foot races. Anything from a 5k up to the marathon. But, race organizers don't always advertise races in the papers. So, where do you find them? My favorite is GetSetAZ. They have a race schedule for every state. Running, biking, triathlon, specialty races, you name it. Other places I find races at are Arizona Road Racers, a great group of runners. Arizona Running Events Calendar. Runner's World Online Magazine.

If you want to run I recommend these places to visit online. If you need motivation I'd go to this great page.

Now here's some races you should run in September:

8/31/08 8:00 AM
Arizona Road Racers Jerome Hill Climb

4.6 miles Run, 4.6 miles Walk

Website

9/1/08 6:30 AM
Saguaro National Park Labor Day 8-miler

8 mile Run, 2 mile Fun Run/Walk, 2 mile Walk

Website

9/13/08 8:00 AM
"Life Without Pain" 5K Fun Run/Walk

5K Run, 5K Walk Website

9/14/08 7:15 AM
Arizona Road Racers I-Did-A-Run 10K, 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run

10K or 5K Run, 10K or 5K Walk, 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk Website
Reach 11 Arizona Horse Lovers ParkPhoenix, AZ

9/20/08 7:00 AM

Air Force Birthday 5KRun
Pima Air and Space MuseumTucson, AZ

9/21/08 7:00 AM
Race JudicataRun
Tempe Kiwanis Park, AZ

9/27/08 7:00 AM
Moon Valley Grasshopper Bridge 5K

5K Run, 5K Walk Website
Moon Valley ParkPhoenix, AZ

Street Light Repair

Most cities have a phone number you can call to report a street light that is not working. Some cities now have an on-line reporting option as well. Here is contact information for requesting street light repair for East Valley cities.

Chandler Street Light Repair - Hotline 480-782-3460

Gilbert Street Light Repair - 480-503-6488

Mesa Street Light Repair - 480-644-3191

Tempe Street Light Repair - 480-350-8033

SRP Daily Energy Usage

When I got our electrical bill from SRP this week I noticed that it had a note on it - "As a customer with a Smart Meter on your home, you can go online anytime to My Account and view your daily electricity use. Sign up at www.srpnet.com/myaccount." So, today I went and signed up for an on-line account. Sure enough, I was able to click on "Smart Meter Daily Usage" and see our daily electrical use for the last month. It even breaks out off-peak usage and on-peak usage. I'm going to try to use this to see if we can reduce our electrical usage. It is a bit difficult to see if small changes at home will affect this because the outside temperature obviously has a big impact on electrical usage from day to day.

Not all SRP customers have a smart meter. For more information - Smart Meter.

You should also know that SRP has a discount in conjunction with ACE Hardware for 20% off new or rebuilt solar shade screens purchased between 7/1 and 9/30. For more information on this and other offers - SRP Offers.

R.L. Brown Housing Report

If you are curious about the R.L. Brown Housing Report, this month they are offering a free on-line copy of their report. Normally to get the reports, you need to pay a subscription fee. It would normally cost you $65 to get this single report. This report is widely used by the local real estate community and often referred to by the press. To access the free report, just click on the R.L. Brown Housing Report link and scroll down almost to the bottom of the page. Right click on the "Housing Market Reports" box and open in a new window. The report discusses new home builders, the resale market, and the impact of bank owned foreclosure properties on the market.

Chandler Mayor's Fitness Challenge

I'm all for getting fit and Chandler is asking residents to get fit in September. They're even having a big fun day on October 18th to celebrate. Join me in getting Chandler Fit.

Here's the list of ways to get fit in Chandler(my activities are in bold):

1. Walk, bike or jog the Paseo Trail or Environmental Education Center Trails at Veterans Oasis Park
2. Walking the dogs on the neighborhood greenbelt or to a local Bark Park
3. Swim in your backyard, neighborhood or Chandler pool
4. Play Tennis at the Tumbleweed Tennis Center, another City court or (indoors!) at the PGA Tour Superstore *
5. Play Racquetball at the Tumbleweed Recreation Center or other area courts
6. Jump Rope for 20 minutes on the patio
7. Lift Weights/work out at the gym
8. Take a yoga class *
9. Dance, dance, dance the night away…or take a dance class through the City *
10. Play Frisbee, Frisbee Golf at Mesquite Groves park site or play catch with the kids
11. Start a Bike-to-Work day at your jobsite
12. Coordinate a beach volleyball tournament with friends or co-workers at a City park
13. Walk the course at Bear Creek or other Chandler golf Courses
14. Play softball at the Snedigar Sports Complex or other City fields *
15. Play basketball at a neighborhood Park *
16. Bowl a few games at one of Chandler bowling centers
17. Walk the Chandler Fashion Center Mall, or better yet, walk around the mall!
18. If it’s an option, take the stairs at work for the whole month
19. Walk around one of Chandler’s community parks (like Desert Breeze or Chuparosa Park)
20. Run the track at the Tumbleweed Recreation Center (10 lap minimum)
21. Ice Skate at Polar Ice (Ray & I10)
22. Roller skate/roller blade around the neighborhood (don’t forget the helmet!)
23. Hold a Bike-a-thon (using indoor stationary bikes) with friends
24. Fitness Bootcamp at Chuparosa Park *
25. Enjoy Chandler’s Adult Sports Programs or join a local sports team *
26. Use the open Gym/Weight Rooms at local Junior Highs *
27. Walk, bike or jog to the supermarket, department store or gym
28. Fall cleaning! Pull weeds, rake leaves or other yard work (this can be great exercise)…better yet, volunteer to help others through the City’s Neighborhood Resources office
29. Take a Martial Arts class *
30. Aerobics *

* These, and many more organized activities available through the City’s Community Services Department
**This list was taken directly from the Chandler Fitness webpage.

Please leave a comment if you plan on joining in. I, also, plan on running the 5k on the 18th. Maybe we can have a race within the race!

Chandler - Good Planning for Job Growth

Chandler started planning for job growth a number of years ago. It seems like the plan has been a good one. They have preserved areas, empty lots, for commercial development. They resisted putting a strip center on every corner. This should yield a good balance of residential houses with nearby employment now and for in years to come.

Recent article in Chandler Republic:

Chandler Plans for Job Growth, High-density Housing