INDIANAPOLIS – Frank Gore kept repeating himself, and before long, it was clear there were only two possible conclusions here.

After the fourth or fifth time he said, “I just have to be smart,” it was obvious the Indianapolis Colts veteran running back was either trying to convince others of the point or, perhaps, trying to convince himself.

Seeing how coach Chuck Pagano has recently beseeched Gore to try to appreciate the value of preservation for a 34-year old running back – a virtual unicorn in the National Football League – it seems it’s Gore who needs convincing, not the rest of us.

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Gore has always been a throwback, and the passing of years has only intensified that approach. The man loves football practice. He loves it when it’s 25 degrees out. He loves it when it’s late July and the sun is unforgiving.

There’s something almost masochistic about the guy.

“This (crap) is tough,” Gore said, referring to his reps being limited. “I want to be smart. But I have to get comfortable with not practicing. I have to do what they want me to do.”

You must consider the full context when you try to understand the task before Pagano in this attempt to get Gore to take it down a notch. It's no easy sales job.

“You always have to rein him in,” Pagano said. “He’s a passionate, passionate guy.”

That’s Gore: stubborn as a mule, tough as nails.

Last season, at 33, he was seventh in the NFL with 263 rushing attempts. Even after a season like that, Gore is resistant to letting up in practice. On the second day of training camp. On a sore ankle. Entering his 13th season.

God bless Frank Gore.

“It’s tough, man,” Gore said. “But I have to be smart. Whenever I get an opportunity, I have to try to go 110 percent. It’s tough. But I have to be smart. I just have to keep leading by example and every time I go out there, go hard."

Guard Jack Mewhort, who expressed a sense of awe from watching Gore work, said, “Frank’s a competitor, man. He wants to win.”

That’s why Gore was so thoroughly dissatisfied with 2016, even after getting back to the 1,000-yard plateau for the ninth time in his Hall of Fame-worthy career. Reaching 1,000 yards is nice, but finishing 8-8 was nauseating for a guy who still lacks a Super Bowl ring and already can see the end of his career on the horizon.

So, this season, Gore is determined to change that. Who knows how much a running back his age can contribute? It’ll depend largely on how much of a workload he gets, with coaches wanting very much to also involve backup running backs Robert Turbin and Marlon Mack. Gore said he doesn’t yet have a sense of how much his touches will be impacted this season.

Whatever the case, the man has already secured a place in history. He’s currently eighth all-time with 13,065 rushing yards, and is on the verge of leapfrogging several others ahead of him on the list. If he averages the 996 yards he has in his two seasons in Indianapolis, Gore would find himself just 40 yards behind Curtis Martin – the league’s fourth-leading rusher of all time.

That’s rare air, but Gore figures there’s plenty of time for that conversation after he decides to hang up his cleats.

“If we’re winning and we’re going to the playoffs, I’m fine with that,” Gore said. “I’m not just here to play for numbers.”

Before diverting to other topics, the subject of the future came up once more after Monday’s practice. This is the final year of Gore’s three-year contract with the Colts. Given his age, one question had to be asked:

What’s next?

“I don’t think about it,” Gore said. “I’m not thinking about it at all. If I still love (football) and my body feels good, if I can still do it, why not do it?”

Maybe, just maybe the very thing Gore doesn’t want to do – cut back on practice reps – is exactly the thing that’s going to give him that opportunity.

“I just have to listen to my coaches,” Gore said. “They want me to heal up until Week 1, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

Keep saying it, Frank. At some point, he might just believe it.

Follow IndyStar reporter Stephen Holder onTwitter andFacebook.