The pace at which we move through life matters, but not because there is something intrinsically wrong with going too slow or going too fast. Our pace is worth noticing (and potentially changing) because it is one of the greatest determining factors in our ability to keep showing up, especially over a long period of time. Our felt pace matters because if we are constantly running at a sprint we’ll eventually burn out and hurt ourselves along the way.

It’s common knowledge that that not every run that composes a training regimen should be fast, yet we so rarely apply this bit of insight to how we live our actual lives. Not everyday has to be a sprint. Not every work meeting has to be over as quickly as possible. Not every task needs to be done by EOD. Our daily pace of living does not have to be at our maximum capacity.

When forming the pace of our lives we should allow our selves to slow down, to take into account our limited capacity and our tired muscles. We should honor our need to have slow easy days just as much as we honor our need for slow and easy walks.