From the couch to 5K . . . this summer

So, I'm tagging along with Brad on his quest to get in running shape. It's been years since either of us rocked the run, so this should be nothing if not interesting. We're following the Couch-to-5K plan, which, if all goes well, will take 9 weeks to complete. They've got plans for running a 10K, half marathon, and marathon, but, as Chris Rock would say, sloooow down. 

We started this afternoon - you know, once it got nice and ripe outside (brilliant idea) - and it went pretty well. Brad and I had come to a compromise beforehand, since I'm a notoriously fast walker and also have a long history of running. It's too detailed to explain here, but suffice it to say that I get to go faster and he gets to go slower while we still manage to feel like we're working out "together." 

And we managed to avoid the bickering that almost always accompanied our walking last summer. (Him: Slow down. Me: Come on, go faster. Him: I'm going as fast as I can already! Me: If I slow down anymore I won't even be getting a work out! Etc. etc.) 

The plan starts you out slow - 5 min. warm-up walk, then alternating 90 seconds of walking with 60 seconds of jogging for 20 minutes - and the first three weeks seem pretty simple. But things start to heat up in week 4, at which point you're running a total of (though not non-stop) a mile and a half . . . eeks! 

If this works, I'll be more than halfway to my 5-mile goal. And who knows - exercise is supposed to be good if you're trying to get pregnant . . . . 

Wish us luck!