Baby Steps

On Friday I got the official ok to kind of, sort of, begin the transition back to runnish-type exercise for a very small amount of time every other day. I call it my "Daily Running Ration". The plan is 5 minutes walking followed by 5 minutes running, 5 min walking, 5 min running then 5 minutes walking. Then, if two days later I feel ok (i.e. I can get out of bed without any profanity) I can add another 5 minutes of running. I'll try this for a few weeks and gradually tack on 5 more running minutes if my back & body are tolerant.

But here's the crazy thing. I have already decided in my head that my back/body WILL tolerate it. Now whether my body is on board or not is a different thing altogether and is not open for negotiation. I have spent so many years/months "toughing it out" that I don't know how NOT to tough it out. If you don't push through discomfort/fatigue/etc. you'll never get faster/stronger as a runner. So how do you deprogram your head after years of programming?

Good question. Let me go for a run and I'll get back to you.