Slackers!

They’re screaming at me.  All of them.  They’re throwing fits.  They’re retaliating.  They’re making my life difficult.

But I’m not backing down.  They need to know I mean business.

I have 3 months to whip them back into shape.  It may seem enough time, but they’ve proven to be lazy little suckers.  I mean seriously.  I back off for 10 days and they’ve become couch potatoes.

My muscles are acting like spoiled children, and I am having it no more.

For years, they’ve been dedicated to keeping me in shape.  Sure, they complained a few times, but they were loyal and took me to places far beyond my expectations.  I watched admiringly as they grew stronger and more pronounced, and I treated them to relaxing massages and yummy protein and carbohydrate treats.

Then I was taken down, unsuspectingly, right at the peak of their performance.  I’d like to think they tried to stay strong for at least a few days. And I’d like to think they missed all the activity.  But after laying still for almost 10 days, with little movement, and no yummy treats, they began to slacken.

And now.

Sheesh.

It’s like pulling teeth to get them to go again.

I even started them easy.  Thirty minutes on the elliptical.   Followed by a day of rest, then a short 4.5 mile slower than normal run.

Another day on the elliptical.  Some planks, sit ups, arm work.  And you’d think I’d asked them to run a half marathon.  The amount of complaining was shocking.

I’m not backing down though.  Because I do plan to make them run a half marathon in three months.  And besides, I know what they are capable of, and I’m not lowering my expectations just because they took advantage of my forever-lasting illness.

So today, I pushed them a little farther and went 5.25 miles at a little speedier pace.  They’re balking, but I think they’re beginning to see that I’m serious.

I’m rewarding their work with plenty of protein and some time with my blue rolly thing.  I’ll let them rest the next couple of days while I work, but come Sunday, I’m going to expect at least a 7 miler out of them.

Should I warn them first?  Or is it best to spring it on them at the last minute?