Finding a Way

Getting back into shape after breaking my foot has been a struggle. I have started a 200 day "loose leaf" plan to run the www.cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com. Not everday goes according to plan. Some days this old body disagrees with the plan. That is when the seasoned brain has to find a way forward. That happened the other day. I was trying to get my 2 mile time under 20 minutes. About a half mile in, I knew that this was not going to be the day. Getting ready to run 26.2 miles is a balance between being a jock and toughing it out, and listening to your body.

This day, I was at the gym. It is important for this old trucker to get my old body ready to run. It is a combination of all that sitting and all that freight unloading, but man somedays my back does not feel too good. Lifting helps. I invented a way. I decided to do 2 weigh stations, then run an uptempo quarter. My weight routine consists of 17 stations. That meant 9 repeat quarters. I "cheated" and did 10 with a really fast for me final quarter. It was actually kind of fun. While I did not get the plan done. I got the work done.

To run a sub 20 minute 2 mile on a treadmill, you need to average a bit over 6 mph. Makes sense that is 10 minutes per mile. Most treadmills have about a 6 second lag. When you set the speed at 6 mph, the first mile takes about 10:06. On my next attempt I set the treadmill at 6.1 mph or 9:49 pace. I did not get the job done. So, I did my weight routing and came back to the treadmill. This time I started out at 5.9 mph for the first half mile. Then I set it to 6 mph and finished the first mile in 10:09. Then, I set it up to 6.1. That would have gotten me in at 19:58 and accomplished my goal. I admit to kicking it in at the end and finished in 19:56. Got it done!

Finding a way is not just about exercise goals. Having a plan is a good thing. Sometimes that plan has to take a back seat to getting the job done. I have thrown over a thousand floor loads. You have to bend to the way the consignee unloads it. My preferred way was to throw 2 pallets at a time against the walls. Then you might have a lift truck driver who everytime he hits a truck will take 4 pallets. It doesn't make sense to throw 2 pallets and sit around and wait. Find a way. Throw 4 pallets at a time. It did not matter if you threw 8 skids. He would only take 4. So - throw 4. It isn't always about getting it done your way. It is about getting the job done. Even if you need to take a different route.