Go fast to go slow
In training and in life
There’s always a deep paradox at play in the world of sports. That’s one of the reasons we love them so much, there’s always a bit of mystery, a bit of disbelief, a bit of magic seemingly involved.
Maybe you’ve heard of the idea in running to ‘go slow to go fast,’ basically a training philosophy that lots of low effort volume will lead to increases in speed over a long duration. Zone 2 is king afterall!
But I want to talk today about the opposite, how to ‘go fast to go slow.’
This is the training I’m currently doing with my running, aiming to run many slow laps at a backyard ultramarathon by training myself to run fast right now.
The idea is simple. Become a better runner by going fast, so that when I’m forced to slow down I’ll be more than comfortable keeping a steady pace to allow my body to hold up lap after lap after lap.
The simple nature of the idea allows it to be transferred easily to other areas of my life.
Take the morning shift at my house for example. I’m on solo day duty for the kid’s breakfast, lunch packing, school dressing, driving to drop off, all after I’ve gotten up more than 2 hours before their little eyes creak open.
I need all my bearing to make this happen with consistent smiles on everyone’s faces.
I go FAST here, not in terms of speed of action, but in swiftness of purpose. I’m single tracked in mind, body, and spirit. Determined in each act, purposeful with each next step, diligent in execution, all while remaining positive, upbeat, and encouraging.
The moment that’s done I can relax, and SLOW DOWN. Easing into client calls, house work, creative output, business tasks, or training, I’m able to feel a different pace.
And that’s the key to this simple approach, the importance of pacing.
The value of pacing
I see this most presently in my kids. They just don’t get pacing team.
My son will be hyped up, all energy, waiting to erupt, when anticipating or waiting for anything he’s excited about. By the time that thing actually he happens, he’s got to fight to find what’s left in the tank.
Same thing with my daughter, she’s always 2 steps ahead in her mind of her body. She tends to, like her old man here, knock her body carelessly around and into things because she’s moving just a bit too fast for the moment.
The idea of ‘going fast to go slow’ is effectively the same as ‘going slow to go fast’ because at their root they are both about understanding pacing.
Sometimes in life you have to go hard for a little burst in order to hit the peace on the other side. Other times you need to calmly move forward at a relaxed pace, knowing there’s a moment ahead that requires more bursting energy.
This is why I like training endurance and resistance. Both types of exercise teach me the importance of pacing. Lifting weights, heavy weights, requires all my attention towards a short burst. Going for a long run forces me to slow down and take account of the long time and effort required to complete it.
Varied training helps me understand the pacing required in each discipline so I can take the lessons with me outside of the training.
How to know for yourself
Having a competition on the calendar helps you understand the type of pacing you need at the moment. Think of this first for training.
Let’s say you’re aiming to run your first ever half marathon (if this is you way to go, you’re awesome!). It’s likely your goal is to just complete the effort.
You’re training will then be focused on increasing endurance capacity and running strength. Lots of going slow. The race itself probably looks slow too.
How this plays out in your life could look different based on your context.
It could be that you need to learn to slow down, you’re too fast in all the areas of your life. Rushing from one task to the next without ever stopping to reflect on ‘why all these tasks’? The training therefore teaches you the importance of taking the foot of the gas for just a minute, in order to help you go FARTHER than ever before.
It could be that you need to get ready to go faster than you ever have before. Often times when you break through in a massive physical challenge it’s the precursor to big changes in life. You may find that the going slow was really preparing you for a moment you needed to GO FAST.
In both scenarios, you end up going FARTHER because of your ability to pace properly and differently.
So the advice today is simple.
Train towards a competition.
Become aware of the pacing required for the race.
Zoom out and reflect on how the pacing demands mirror the challenges in your life.
Then apply the knowledge to improve your training, competing, and overcoming life’s adversity in conjunction.
Going FAST for me has looked like hitting parenting and domestic responsibilities hard while easing off the pressure to build my business at a rapid pace. I’m finding the harmony in between because I know how to pace properly.
Happy Training Team!