5-K...No Hill for a STEPPER!!!

Tammy G and her parents, Barbara and Don
Tammy is a SERIOUS marathon mover and shaker!!!
I am proud of her!!!!

Yesterday I realized I'm going to have to get on board!!!  On board what?  The 5-K Walk Train!!!  Years ago I had the privilege to work under a principal that challenged me both as an educator and a healthy person.  Rebecca L. was and still is a sound educator that expected everyone under her authority to be the very best they could be.  I tried to rise to that expectation.  I had no problem doing that in the classroom or as an assistant to her in any of her efforts, because I love education, study education, live and breathe education.  I did have problems being the best example health wise.  I am and was then fat.  Rebecca challenged me to begin walking with her.  We walked three miles everyday after school for thirty pounds.  That is exactly what she walked off of me.  But you need the picture, sorry I don't have a physical one, so you'll have to envision this.  Rebecca is at least 5' ll'': she is a lean, mean, fighting machine.  I'm Pooh Bear; "short, fat, proud of that, in the mood for food."  One day she had her long, lanky stride at full steam.  You see we were also walking off all the stress of our day.  I was running, puffing right beside her with my short, fat 5'2" self, giving it all I had.  All of a sudden we heard the screeching of brakes.  I checked to make sure I had not fallen out in the middle of the road.  Sure enough I was still chugging along.  But there beside me was a little red truck and behind the wheel was a little old white haired man, probably an angel sent from heaven to save me.  This little old white haired man reached over rolled down his window and spoke real loud to me.  He said, "Lil Lady, (He had my heart right there.)  It don't matter how fast you try to walk, you are not going to be able to keep up with that long legged lady there!"  He chuckled and pulled off.  Rebecca and I both laughed.  I bet we looked funny to most of the people watching us.  We stopped walking together, I think Rebecca started running.  She had done her part, I was enjoying walking.  Another teacher, more my stride, started walking with me, Jo N.  Jo and I walked, talked and enjoyed solving every problem in the world.  When all of that was done we started dreaming.  We decided we would enter the 5-K Walk for the Natchitoches Christmas Festival.  I told Ken of our goal.  He said, "Debbie, Do you realize that the 5-K Walk is a Walk/Run and it is indeed a race?"  I, in my best teachery voice, reminded him that it was the tortoise that won.  This was not the way it turned out on that December morning.  You see Jo lived on the trek we had been practicing and on the Christmas route as well.  When I walk that much, I'm going to have to take a bathroom break and maybe a coffee break.  I did.  When I finished the race, along with Jo, there was one person behind us.  It was the policeman, in the car, assigned to follow the end of the race.  They had already given out all the fruit, water and congratulatory notes.  But we had finished the race, therefore we had WON!  I was reminded of this just yesterday when several of my teacher friends and students entered the walk for Columbia's Art Festival.  Congratulations Kim G., Tammy G. and Autumn G.  I am proud of you.  The journey is sweet because of challenges we meet and conquer!  Bring it on, I'm getting ready.  There just has to be a bathroom along the way...

Kim G., finished her first 5-K race in 56.36!
Yea You!!!