I have always gotten myself into trouble for not Pacing Myself. I remember that a full year after getting out of Initial Entry Training (IET) for the Army I had to do a PT test. I remember while at IET, I was running two miles in less than 10 minutes and 30 seconds which for was a huge accomplishment. A year later I had not been running or training as I did in IET so I ended up running the first 400 meters as if I was going to bring my two miles to less than 9 minutes. Reality was that I hit a wall and ran out of steam and couldn’t finish my run. I decided to train hard for the next Physical Training Exam in a month. I took my savings and reached a deal with a personal trainer at my gym to train me for the next 3 weeks.

The Importance of Pacing Myself

I was able to get back on track finishing the two miles in less than 13 minutes. I finished with highest running time for my age group. I failed the initial test  because I was not being able to pace myself.

More than a week ago when I presented at one of my sessions at Hispanicize, I ended up speaking fast and going through my presentation at lightening speed (as always). Thanks to my good friend @jaqcarly who was telling me to slow down, I did just that, slow down. Although I had some glitches in that first session, it earned me a business card with the message, “Awesome Presentation” .  I think I need to work on my presentation skills.

When I compare my presentation to my failed IET running time, I am able to find many reasons why I think I talk fast.

• I want to keep the momentum going. I see too many people who are lethargic when they speak. On the other hand,  I guess if people can’t understand what I am saying, my message won’t get across to them. I am going to have to slow down and find a way to emit the same energy.
• Cut down on the material I wanted to share. Usually I have loads of information I want to share. I am going to have to focus on the key points that will resonate with my audience.
• Move around. Everytime I get stuck in front of a Podium, I end up trying to release my energy in another way (which ends up making me talk fast). I guess if I can walk around and release my energy, it might slow down my pace.

Besides speaking fast, another place where I still need to improve a bit more is on my writing. I need to pace myself and at least write a few posts a day so I can continue sharing my ideas with readers like you.

I will be working hard on improving my flaws and have learned many things from speaking at Hispanicize where I took the stage 4 times.

Is there anything you do that I can improve to pace yourself? Any Advice?

Do you need to pace yourself at something?

photo credit by familymwr