Shorten Your Stride, Get There Faster

We all have “shining moments” in life: moments of achievement, moments of victory in which we overcome our obstacles and triumph over our fears. And when one of these moments is coupled with illumination—some kind of insight that has the potential to transform you, its power is unparalleled. And…it tends to stay with you. One of my shining moments delivered just this: the perfect combination of achievement and insight. The “achievement” portion gave me an enduring memory and sense of personal power that has come in handy when I’ve faced challenging situations (“I was victorious in that situation, why not this one?”), and the “insight” portion has come back many times as a piece of practical wisdom that has helped me move forward and not spin my wheels.

I was a competitive runner in college—cross-country in the fall, and the 800 meters and mile relay in the spring. We were a small school—NCAA Division III—but competitive in our space. And one spring, my mile relay team qualified for nationals. The excitement was great, the pressure even greater (talk about nerves), and on that day, I ran the best race of my life. The rest of the team ran well, as always, but I was the only one who PR’d (“personal record,” meaning I ran my personal best to date). I remember my coach coming up to me after the race and handing me the stopwatch showing my split (the timing in my portion of the race). I also remember blinking and not believing my eyes—it was a big PR—one I’d dreamt about for years. Each team had been issued an identical baton, made particularly for nationals. In acknowledgment of my personal victory, my three teammates presented me with the team baton to keep.

Shorten Your Stride

My PR that day was the result of a piece of advice my coach had given me: “Shorten your stride.” I have long legs, and my natural tendency as a runner is to use them (go figure). I naturally take long strides, commensurate with the length of my legs. While it felt entirely counter-intuitive, my coach’s advice was sound. Slightly shortening my strides, and taking more of those shorter strides, actually made me go faster, and reach the finish line more quickly. I didn’t believe him at first, but on trying it out, found he was right. I have the stopwatch and baton to prove it.

Break it Down

In the years since then, I have observed a natural tendency of mine when it comes to working on any kind of project: I want to push. Keep going. Get it done. Drive myself. Kind of like taking those long strides. I have also observed that I tend to accomplish more, and more quickly, when I shorten my stride: break it down into chunks, do a chunk at a time, take a break between chunks, clear my head (eating and sleeping are also good).

Be Strategic, and Get There Faster

This all goes against the instinct that says that when you have a big task, you must take a big, long run at it. Be aware of this instinct, and be strategic. Whatever the task at hand, break it down. Do a piece at a time. Watch the accomplishments of those pieces stack up, fueled by breaks and refreshment, and ultimately, see yourself get to the finish line faster.