Learn the skill of pacing
Today’s message was inspired by my running workout on Tuesday.
I was doing some 400 meters (0.25 mile intervals). Now that my powerlifting competition has come and gone, my next major event that I am training for is an ultramarathon in April, which is about 25 weeks away. The time spent in training where I am running will be increasing.
A goal when I am running, or even doing some workouts for that matter, is to negative split. To negative split means that you gradually get faster. This is contrary to the practice where people go out “hot” and start fast, only to get gradually slower.
It’s a skill I have practiced for some time and more often than not, I can usually do it. For example, on Tuesday, my times for each of the five sets were: 2:26, 2:22, 2:14, 2:10, and 2:00. I gradually settled in faster and faster.
It made me think about how I helped a local gentleman recently qualify for the State Police. He had reached out to me a couple months ago needing help with his running. He couldn’t seem to get past a certain time for his running. For the 1.5 mile run test, the goal is to do it in 13:15 or less, and he was at about 13:25-13:40 most days. They also have to do a 300 meter run in under a minute and he was at about 1:05.
I met with him and asked some questions and it seemed he had a little bit to learn about pacing. Whether it be a running goal, or any goal in life, pacing can be a useful skill. Many times, people think you just have to do the same thing over and over to get better at it. Yes, you do need to practice skills. However, improvement often comes when you break those skills down into smaller parts.
To help this gentleman improve, I didn’t send him out to run 1.5 miles as fast as possible everyday. I actually had him run 400 or 800 meter intervals with rest in-between them with the goal of gradually being faster interval-to-interval. The goal was often to start off a smidge slower than you think, then make small improvements, if even 5-15 seconds/mile pace each run.
The end result for him, in even just about six-ish weeks of focused training: he got his 300 meter time down to 57 seconds. He finished his 1.5 mile run in 12:40 – shaving nearly one minute off his previous best and passing the test with room to spare. Now I have the privilege to help him prepare for his Academy training which starts in February! He’s putting in the work and people have noticed! In one of our check-ins recently, we did discuss body-weight because they have a 85% body-weight bench press requirement. He is feeling good there and even went on to mention that folks around the gym have noticed that he’s getting leaner. How about that?! A nice side effect to his training efforts.
Thinking of this (and when running, I often have time to think) made me think about how I help people make nutritional and lifestyle changes in the same way.
I don’t ask you to do the full distance each and every day…I focus on breaking down the long-term habit into small achievable tasks that we refine and improve from there.
I don’t ask people to sprint from the start…I ask them to start slow and gradually improve.
I don’t ask people to be perfect from the get-go…I ask them to continually practice and build momentum.
It’s not always about starting strong, it’s about finishing strong.
It’s a process that takes time, but it’s also pretty cool to see how the body and mind improves over time with consistent, focused practice.
In closing, my encouragement for you today: start small, focus on the small things, give it time, build your momentum.
It’s how I approach helping people who are new to fitness get more comfortable in the gym. It’s also how I help people wanting to improve their nutrition.
Do the small things incredibly well and before you know it, the big things come together ; )
Your friend in wellness and fitness,
Coach Candice