You know, I mentioned running the mile a couple posts back. That dreaded day in gym class when you would run a full mile. What a stupid concept.
Here’s the thing, I always thought it was idiotic because we’re supposed to be learning about fitness, and what we’re learning is that it’s fine to not run AT ALL for weeks at a time, then just jump on a track and try to run a balls-out mile. Really good idea.
At my school they graded you by having you run one mile early in the semester, then another one later, and as long as you improved, all was good. So long as the rigorous training of being hit by a dodgeball, missing a tennis ball with a racket, and shooting a bow and arrow 5 times improved your overall fitness, you were golden.
Fortunately, I had an information pipeline, aka older brother, so I knew the score, and I knew enough to take it easy the first time around. See, they didn’t tell you this is how you’d be graded until you’d gotten in your first time.
Which meant the second time, all I had to do was walk at a decent pace, running only the last 100 meters or so in order to best my time.
It sounds weird because I became a runner later. But the key here is choice.
Required running is like required reading. It sucks, it’s boring, and fuck you, I do what I want.