Hi, everyone, this is Win Powell in the finally-cool mountains of Asheville in Western North Carolina. The first Olympic Games I specifically remember were the Helsinki, Finland, games in 1952. There, a Czechoslovakian runner named Emil Zatopek won the 5,000 meter, the 10,000 meter, and the marathon in a period of eight days, setting Olympic records in all three events after having been warned by a doctor not to compete because of a gland infection AND despite having never run a marathon before.

You need to know Jill McConnell. She is new to VitaLife Fitness, having returned from Germany with her husband and two children just last year. Jill is a graduate of North Dakota State University and teaches dance classes. She just returned from a visit to North Dakota where the walking and running weather was great. Most any summer weather is good for walking and running compared to the sweltering, humid clime in Valdosta, Georgia, where Jill and her family now reside.

My Buddy, Jill, has entered her blog and inspired me to get busy and answer the questions e-mailed by Lisa.

My favorite color is blue--deep blue.
My favorite dessert, it's so hard to pick just one, is pecan pie.
My dream car is an AC Cobra.
Fitness Goal: to maintain my current weight and keep control of cholesterol.
The most interesting part of VitaLife Fitness is the competition (and I see that there are others who feel the same).
The best thing that has happened to me is meeting and marrying Muriel.

There is an infinite number of excuses to skip a day or two of our chosen form of physical exercise--I've used most of them. 

Muriel and I walk around a small lake, also used by quite a number of others who walk or run.  Two days ago we met a man, about 60 years old, who had one lung, diabetes, and a large ulcer on each foot.  We saw him again yesterday and he proudly called out "ten laps (about 6.6 miles) today".  Sure sheds a new light on my paltry whining. 

Over the years of running/walking/exercising, it has been easy—for one inclined to procrastination (a better word than “lazy”)—to skip days of physical exertion.  I had only myself to convince that it was too hot, too cold, or too inconvenient to run/walk/exercise, and I am very persuasive with myself.