Couch (Potato) to 5K

So Elizabeth and I have started a "Couch to 5K" program. This is a plan designed to get non-athletic types such as myself, out the door and running. If you know anything at all about me, you've probably already figured out that this was Elizabeth's idea...not mine. I've always considered running something one does only when being chased by a viscous animal.

This week's workout involves a brisk 5 minute walk, then alternating 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking for the next 20 minutes, then cooling down with 5 more minutes of slower walking.

We began yesterday, and right out of the blocks I knew I was in trouble. Elizabeth is "vertically challenged" just like me, however, she can walk faster than a person with legs twice as long. I was already puffing by the time we neared the end of our 5 minute warm-up walk. Well, I was pleasantly surprised by how "easily" (relatively speaking) I made it through the first 60 minute jog. But lest I become overconfident, the second jogging segment was more challenging, and by the third time I was pretty sure that Elizabeth had misread the the stopwatch forcing us to run at least twice as long as we were supposed to ... After that, I think I stopped "jogging" and instead I just leaned forward and walked faster. Probably not the best form, but ya' gotta start somewhere, right?

So, I will try to keep you posted on my progress over the next few weeks. Hopefully there will be lots to report.

Weekly Pic--You Can Call Me Sandy

HannahKate took great pleasure, perhaps a bit toooooo much pleasure, in burying her sister in the beautiful white sands of Gulf Shores.

Weekly Pic--Sunset Palms

Sunset at the Beach Club

Gulf Shores, Alabama

Ignorance is Bliss

Driving through Louisiana, one sees lots of strange things...like this sign. It made me wonder what exactly is a Baptist Pumpkin Center? How does a pumpkin become Baptist? Are there Methodist and Presbyterian pumpkins also? Do they celebrate Halloween at the Center?

However, when I googled Baptist Pumpkin Center to find out more about this religious movement among gourds, I learned that "Baptist' and "Pumpkin Center" are merely two separate towns in Louisiana (which is not nearly as interesting as the prospect of protestant pumpkins). Sometimes knowing too much takes all the fun out of things. *sigh*

To Top It All Off...

I took this picture at the grocery store a few weeks ago, knowing there was a blog post in there somewhere. However, I've wrestled with what exactly this product says to/about me. At first glance, I must admit, I thought "That's great!" I mean, honestly, who likes to eat the bottom part of the muffin anyway? I don't know why. It tastes the same, but there's just a little something different about the part that cooks in the pan as opposed to the part that rises above the cup. Am I the only one who feels this way? Don't answer that...

Anyways, my first thought was that this idea is pure genius. But then upon introspection, I began to wonder if this is what the world is coming to. I try to teach my girls life lessons such as "good things come to those who wait" that will instill in them qualities like patience. One of the ways I model this for them is in the way I eat a cupcake or muffin--the bottom part first, saving the best for last. I want them to understand the concept of delayed gratification because you can't always get what you want when you want it. The sooner we learn that in life, the happier we'll all be. If we can't even endure the bottom portion of a muffin, does that say something about our insatiable hunger for convenience and instant gratification? On a grander scale, what about the discipline of putting aside our own wants to consider someone else's needs?

I know, I know I'm reading waaaaay too much into a grocery item gimmick. I should probably just take heart knowing that someone at Eggo enjoys the top part of the muffin as much as I do.

But it did cause me to stop and think...

Weekly Pic--A Bite to Eat

Recently we went to the Dallas Zoo. I'm fascinated by turtles, so I took about a million pictures of these two guys. The reason I like turtles is because the turtle knows if he's going to get anywhere in life, he has to "stick his neck out". Corny, but true.