Fri, June 05, 2009 - 12:31:52

Want to Be A Better Runner?  Try Walking.

If you’ve read our book, THE POWER OF SMALL: Why Little Things Make All the Difference, then you already know the story of how three-time New York and London marathon winner, Paula Radcliffe makes it to the winner’s circle by counting the steps.  Instead of concentrating on each of the twenty-six miles, Radcliffe breaks the formidable race into even tinier goals, one foot-fall at a time.

After reading Tara Parker Pope’s article in Monday’s New York Times, we’ve learned a new technique that will inspire even more of us to get small and get moving.  The key to running that marathon, Pope says, is to walk it out.

The counterintuitive approach of the run-walk method, Pope writes, has been successfully used by a large number of runners of all abilities.  Instead of waiting to walk until you are tired, the run-walk method advocates taking brief walk breaks when you aren’t.  Not only does taking these walk breaks make running a marathon less grueling, Pope reports, it reduces your risk for injury and most surprising of all, actually increases  your overall performance.  In fact, even skeptics and veteran runners saw their times improve by employing the run walk method.

It’s just another instance of the many ways in which THE POWER OF SMALL can work for you.  We might not all be marathon runners, but from Pope’s story we call can learn that when running the race called life, the best approach isn’t always a full sprint.  Taking the time to breathe, relax, and take it slow can sometimes be the key to finishing first. For example, when working on an important deadline, it can be tempting to try to power through hours at a time, but often times this approach results in a lot of wasted downtime.  Instead, set a timer for thirty minutes of solid work with no distractions, followed by a 10 minute break and repeat as needed.  You’ll be surprised how much more work you can accomplish.

And it doesn’t stop there.  Whether you’re starting a business from the ground up, like we did with The Kaplan Thaler Group a little more than a decade ago, or you’re looking for a new job in this turbulent marketplace, pacing yourself and taking the time to notice the small details will aid you in your quest for success.  After all, it’s not about starting fast.  It’s about starting smart.  And that begins with THE POWER OF SMALL.

Posted by Linda and Robin