You've Got to Pace Yourself

I wanted to touch on a subject tonight that Mandi worked with me on for quite some time before I actually got it. That subject is PACE. No, not the salsa, but the rate at which one runs. See, one problem that I've always had, is that I go 110% no matter what I'm doing. Now, I understand that this may not actually be a problem most of the time, but when it comes to running, it has been. When I first started, I just wanted to get out of the gates fast and never look back. Let's just say that first run stopped before it really even started. I think I actually ran for about 30 seconds before I crapped out. That's also probably the time that Mandi started working with me on pace.

While I run, she's constantly saying, "Slow down if you need to, but just keep moving forward". It took me a while to get it, but at some point it finally sunk in. I mean, I'm not trying to set some kind of speed record here. I'm just trying to increase my distance little by little. In fact, I don't really care if it takes me 15 minutes to run just one mile, all I care about is that I ran that mile. I truly believe that the speed will come in due time. Right now, I'm just setting goals of either distance or time and trying to meet or go beyond the goal that is set.

An important part of meeting or exceeding those goals is pace. Just put one foot in front of the other and keep that going until you can't physically do it anymore. If you feel your lungs tighten up, than slow down! Trust me, there are often times that I am probably "running" slower than I actually walk, but the important thing is, I'm still running. Don't worry about how you look, don't worry about what people think, just worry about placing one foot in front of the other and moving forward in a running motion. Next time you run, do the same thing, just try to do it a little bit better.

Every time I set out to run, I just want to be better than the Ronnie that ran the last time.

"You'll never, ever regret a workout upon it's completion" - FB Friend