Jogging

My children and I have started jogging.

It started Monday with Suzanna and me. I'd like to speed up my metabolism and shed a few pounds, and Suzanna likes to do things with her daddy, so she was my exercise partner for two days. This morning we were joined by Abigail, who is never one to be left out. It was pouring rain, but Abigail was sure that shouldn't stop us (and it didn't; when the rain eased off, we went out and ran in intermittent drizzle). Hillary would like to join us, too, but Abigail and Suzanna are skeptical; they fear that, even with Hillary at a sprint, the three of us would have to be walking in order not to get too far ahead of her.

We've got a routine that starts at 6:00 A.M. (another factor precluding Hillary's participation). Monday, Suzanna appeared in our bedroom, all dressed and ready to go, and woke me up. Tuesday, I had to wake her up. Last night, we set her alarm, so this morning she woke up to the alarm, then woke Abigail up. We don our shorts, T-shirts, sweatshirts, socks, and running shoes. Then we go outside and stretch in the sun room before heading to the foot of the driveway. We clip on our pedometers (from a promo at McDonald's several months ago; Suzanna remembered them and wanted to use them), then power-walk to the end of the block. We alternate jogging and power-walking, using the sidewalks and the biking/walking path near the river. When we get back home, we stretch again, then go inside to record our steps (from the pedometers) and weight. The whole routine takes about 30 minutes.

We're hoping to notice some weight loss as well as increased stretches of jogging and decreased stretches of power-walking. In the meantime, it has been great to have that time with my kids in the morning, enjoying some fresh air and exercise, and talking, talking, talking.

(That reminds me of another of Suzanna's favorite phrases that she used again this morning: "Oh, for heaven's to Pete's sake!")