Pacing skills are among the most critical a runner can develop.

By pacing well, a runner avoids early burnout or injuries and completes a race. This is also how a runner sets a personal record.

Pacing is no less important in other areas of our lives. By pacing ourselves we avoid doing something too quickly or too much at a time. This ensures that we have enough energy to complete anything we start.

This is true of how you write a book, get the best out of your days at work or continue a fitness program.

Learning to pace yourself is not too difficult.

To do it you need to test your limits. Once you know where they are you need to respect them.

Notice how you complete a particular task or routine by remaining within your limits. Do you see opportunities to improve by changing the duration or intensity of how you tackle it? If yes, then try varying intensity and duration one by one and see how it affects the performance.

Understanding your energy levels and where your peak is important if you want to find the path to peak performance.

And, don’t stop by testing your limits once. By changing how well you sleep and eat you can upgrade your performance. Do that often, trying to get 1% better.

Here is where it becomes interesting. In life, unlike running, you don’t need to pace yourself according to competition. You can pace yourself at a speed that works for you, without thinking about and competing with others.

Now tell me which is the area of your life where you think you need to improve your pacing?