BB2ME #4 – You can finish the race of life well with proper pacing

15 Apr
2019

I crossed the finish line and looked down at my watch. It was under 23 minutes. It’s a pretty good time for a 5K, especially for my age. It is incredible what anger does to your body. It helps me run fast. It was St. Patrick’s Day 2018, the day after UVA’s historic loss in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. I was still mad about the loss but felt better after a hard run—I usually do. Luckily, it was a short race that did not require proper pacing by me.

Photo after Lucky Leprechaun 5K last St. Patrick’s Day.

Pacing is the main reason I am not good at distance running.

I am a runner. Running helps clear my mind and keeps me from gaining weight. I am not good at long distances. My size probably has something to do with it. But, I am not good at distance running mainly because I am not great at pacing. I tend to start fast and finish slow. For example, I ran a marathon many years ago. I finished around four hours, which was a decent finish time. The problem was that I ran the first half much faster than the second half and barely reached the finish line. The last few miles were ugly.

Why I wrote this billboard

Sometimes, I live my life as I run. Start fast and finish too slow. Life is a marathon, not a 5K race. Sprinting feels good, but running hard tires you out. I know from experience. One time, I ran a half-marathon. I did an excellent job pacing myself for the first ten miles. But then disaster struck. I pulled my calf muscle and limped to the finish line for the final three miles. I should have started with a more reasonable pace. I paid the price for this pacing mistake.

I finished the 2015 Army Ten-miler under 80 minutes - much better than 2014.
Finishing the Army Ten Miler is one of my favorite races.

Pacing is more important than speed.

To be a successful runner, you need both speed and pace. The best marathon runners in the world possess both. So do the best 5K and 10K runners. My problem is that I don’t have either. I am neither fast nor have great pace. The same is true of my life. I will get excited about something and then obsess over it. In other words, I will sprint out of the blocks. Once I get bored, I back off and eventually lose pace. I usually finish most things that I start – just not well. I want to address this challenge.

In any race, when the first half is all about pacing, the second half will be about passing.

Hayden Shearman, TempoFit Head Coach

How I incorporated this billboard into my life

I like Andy Stanley. He is a great pastor. I listen to his sermons and podcasts regularly. Most of them are insightful. I listened to one podcast last year about taking your time in life. Not to be in a rush. This sermon struck a note with me. He said time was my friend. I knew he was right. I needed to pace myself. I want to take my time to make wise decisions. Patience is not something that comes naturally to me. I would love to say that I am much more patient nowadays. But that is not true. I am better than I used to be when pacing myself.

Andy Stanley’s weekly podcast is called Your Move. It is excellent.

What about you? Are you pacing yourself?

Are you sprinting all the time? I hope you are doing a better job at pacing than I did when I was your age. Sprinting may feel exhilarating, but keeping the pace is more important. Winners know this, and I want you to win in the end.

Stop sprinting. Pace yourself. The road is long. Time is your friend

Dad

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