Don’t forget to leave your excuses at the gate.

Good to see you again. It’s been a while. Don’t forget to leave your excuses at the gate. You won’t need them in here. No hills or uneven surfaces to contend with in here. Just you and me and I don’t change.

You look a little tired. What brings you back? A little pace work at the end of your run. You’ve come to the right place if you want to see how you’re doing. I can help with that. Like the watch on your wrist, my measures are precise and unchanging.

Good idea taking a lap to get the feel. Remember my bounce? Check your stride on the straights and don’t let up as you hug my curves. Time to start your watch. Even stride, steady pace, do what you can.

2:03 isn’t bad. You need to pick it up a bit if you’re going to break 8 minutes. Don’t let up. You gotta push a little to make your goal.

2:02 is a little faster, but that effort isn’t going to get you to the 8 minutes you want. I know the wind is in your face on the home stretch. But it’s the same wind that was pushing you on the back side. Besides, I thought we agreed that you would leave those excuses at the gate.

1:58. Did I make you mad, bro? Or are you finally figuring out what it takes to get under 8? If you would have started at that pace, 8 minutes would be no problem. It is good to see you have some gas left in the tank.

If you can push this last one just a little faster, you can beat your goal. It’s only 400 meters. Show me what you have. I think you’ve been holding back.

1:54. There you go. You made it. You had me worried after the first couple laps. Why didn’t you say you were going to negative split each quarter? I think a cool down lap is appropriate. You won’t hurt me. I’ve been pretty inactive all winter and track season starts soon.

It looks like you’re feeling pretty good. Why don’t you try another lap for fun? Don’t go out too fast, save something for the stretch.

1:47? Where did that come from? If you can string four of those together you’ll be knocking at the door of a seven-minute mile. That sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Keep coming back and I’ll help you get there.

Leaving so soon? You did some good work today. Don’t forget to pick up your excuses on the way out. Nobody else wants to hear them. They bring their own anyway.

See you tomorrow? Yeah, that’s what I thought. You know I’m always here, ready to help.