Monday Morning Boost: Pace Your Sprinting
Traversing the hurdles of life often grant opportunities to discover how to walk at a new pace. Sometimes this means we learn to crawl. Or maybe run.
And sometimes we learn to sprint at a new pace.
I had a firsthand lesson in walking at a new pace a year ago when my heart first tried to stop. For six months, I took a full break from actively working on my business in order to heal from open heart surgery. I was able to do some things to maintain my current clientele, and I was able to continue to write, but I did very little work to generate new business.
I experience setbacks a couple of times early in the healing journey when I tried pushing myself harder and faster than my body was ready for. Even today, a full year later, I have to intentionally pace myself though I do have the strength and energy to push harder and faster.
I have been on a stair-climbing kick these last several weeks to strengthen my heart. While I have always enjoyed taking the stairs rather than an elevator, I now passionately love climbing stairs!
A couple of times a week I am doing long stair climbs. My favorite is at Logan Regional Hospital where they have 75 stairs going up 4 flights. I walk up, walk down, repeat. Two weeks ago I was able to do 10 full sets for a total of 750 stairs (I only count the stairs going up). When I reached the top of the tenth set my heart told me it was time to stop.
So I stopped. I sat down and rested while my heart rate settled. On that day, it took about 30 minutes for me to cool down.
Sprinting at a new pace…
Last Friday I was doing a long stair climb at KUBEX Fitness in Logan where they have one flight of 21 stairs I can do over and over. My goal that day was 40 flights to hit 800 stairs. My previous best was 30 flights for 600 stairs, and 800 would top my 750 at Logan Regional.
When I hit 800 I was still feeling good. So I kept going. At 900 stairs I was feeling a burst of energy and my heart rate was staying in a healthy range. So I started to sprint.
Literally.
Sprinting up the stairs taking two at a time.
After five sets of sprints, I wanted to keep going. Everything felt good but it’s all about the pacing. I am substantially ahead of where I thought I would be a year out. I want to keep a pace that allows me to keep going without burning out, stressing my heart and arteries, or forcing an injury.
And 1,050 stairs is a great number to hit!
My big picture with stair climbing is to be able to climb the 1455 stairs in the Vegas Stratosphere, either at their Fight for Air Climb on February 26, or the equivalent steps here in Logan. My next long stair climb goal is the Twin Tower Challenge climb of 2,071 stairs in honor of the
Sprinting at a new pace…
Life comes at us fast, demanding everything we have just to breathe. Like a forever treading water. But it doesn’t have to feel this way. We can stop and breathe. We can enjoy the moments even when life is hectic. And we don’t have to compare our efforts with anyone else.
It’s also okay to sprint fast at times. Whether you’re climbing stairs like me and decide to sprint the last 5 sets, or you’re working hard to create your dreams, sometimes you have to sprint.
The key is learning how to pace your sprinting.
I have been sprinting pretty hard for the past 5 weeks to get ready for our Empowering Greatness Leadership Experience on Thursday. This is the biggest event we’ve ever put together and it’s taking a lot of long hours and a lot of hard work.
I wrote, created, and designed a 40-page workbook just in time to get it to the printer. It’s also my first time writing out the entire concept of Creating a Story of Love and Greatness. And this will be our first time taking a full group of leaders through this training.
I’ve been sprinting. And my pace got off this past week. So I’m adjusting my pace to a sustainable and healthy level.
Are you sprinting at a healthy pace?
Are you taking time to breathe?
Are you ready to create a better life?
We still have a few seats available for the Empowering Greatness Leadership Experience on October 27th. Imagine how surrounding yourself with greatness could empower you to sprint at a much better pace.
Thoughts to consider.
Have a beautiful Monday! Love you friends!
Les
p.s. Take 13 minutes today to intentionally notice your pace.
