The Patience Of An Ain't

It doesn't do any good to hearken back to those carefree days long ago when one (me) could hit the track and run the pee out of a workout without bothering to warm up much or stretch or stride or change into lighter shoes or heavier shoes or whatever it is today that makes any workout seem like such a big damn deal. I wouldn't want to give anyone the impression that I was ever really fast but I've never been this slow.

I'm an ain't. Ain't young. Ain't fast. Ain't able to run high mileage. Ain't able to ice where it hurts. Ain't able to walk without a limp for a few days after running anything faster than a jog.

I'm learning to be patient. About increasing mileage. About adding quality. About nixing a workout even though it is on the schedule.

I decided to cram another square peg into the round hole of my running week last night. An interval workout, now performed on the treadmill. I do them on the mill because I will stick to the prescribed speeds, recoveries, and number of repeats without allowing any leeway or excuse to bail. Just hit PLAY and get it over with.

My goal times are 30 seconds slower per 1/2 mile than they were a year ago. Yeah!

The task: 7 x 1/2 mile @ my current dream 5k pace (6:25) with 2:30 jog recovery at 9mm.

Runners World readers have been taught to call these Yasso 800's. . . as if the simple 1/2 mile interval workout did not exist before it was glossed as such.

Here is my ain't warm up ritual these days. 10 minutes on a bike in order to stretch. Another year or two to stretch. 20 minutes of walking to shuffling to jogging on the mill. Another year or two to stretch again.

Then the workout. Then a cool down on the bike to save the impact on the legs that would be caused by a few garbage miles afterward.

What I could have done in 45 minutes a year ago takes about 2 hours.

When I finally walked through the front door at home Robin asked "what took you so long?". . .
"It just takes a lot longer to orchestrate anymore, I'm just trying to be patient".

I'm an ain't. But I'm a happy and grateful one.

And I ain't giving up.