Quick fitness-grammar lesson:
1. I have run (Present perfect + past participle). Having run maketh me not a runner. Farthest from it, actually.
2. I ran (Past tense). The fact that I ran yesterday maketh me not a runner, but I’m getting closer.
3. I run (Present tense). Now we’re getting somewhere.
In example 3, it could very well not only be an action verb in the present tense, but a full-blown descriptor.
I run, therefore I am (a runner).
I really like to vary up my running paces, cadences, conditions, distances and terrain. I love the challenges that each discipline provides.
• On the track, I do my sprint training. Sprinting, I’d argue, is one of the best, if not THE best, full-body workout on the market. If you’re not incorporating running short distances fast(er), you need to start. Yes, I do The 3•5•9 Protocol for my sprint-training. I guess you could argue I’m a Fartleker.
• On a grassy, steep ditch/gully/dry bayou (some may even call it a holler), I do my “hill” running. I do Protocol training on the hill runs too. Fun-fact: I’ve named the hill “Betsy.”
• In my neighborhood is where I get in most of my mileage. I have my one, 2, 3 and 4 mile routes all laid out. I know exactly what I’m going to do before I do it and I have a predetermined mile pace/cadence already in mind.
However, I don’t always run. I walk too.*
There’s a huge and often overlooked benefit with walking. Not strolling, mind you, and not wandering around (potentially) aimlessly.
Walking. (My Perspective on walking)
Walking briskly with a purpose and an urgency.
Walking “aimfully,” if you will.
If you’re not making the time to exercise in the form of running, jogging or walking, but yet completely physically able to do so, I strongly encourage you to reconsider and exploit your ability.
So, wherever you live, navigate what’s around you. Locate “your” areas for doing your running training. Figure out the distances. Figure out the times of days that are the best.
Run, run, run! (All in the present tense)
*If you walk as your preferred avenue of fitness, I want you to aim for a 15-minute mile pace. It’s okay if you don’t reach that time, but let that be your goal, then go from there.
Referenced link above here.
