One simple change..

Today I took my kids to the track with me. I often let them play while I run and today they were excited to play in the sand (which is actually the long jump pits) I was just going for a quick 4 miles and I turned up my music and began. "Y'all ready for this" pounded in my ears and I was off. I focused on my pace and speed, I like to use the short runs to work on pushing myself for speed whereas the longer runs is more for endurance. Suddenly I remembered an article I had read that said " To go faster focus on longer strides instead of just moving your legs" I began to focus on each step that I took, paying close attention to where my feet landed, It felt unusual, uncomfortable and not at all natural. I forced myself to continue with my new stride when I noticed my pace had increased. My ipod told me I had just ran a mile in 8 mins and 1 second. Did I hear that right? I hadn't run a mile that fast since I was in high school! Why hadn't I done this before?. How could one simple change affect my time so much? I began to think about all the things in my life that sometimes seem overwhelming, certain goals, house cleaning, running a marathon etc.. I started t thinking about just making one small change and focus in that until mastered. How much could I improve each day if in each area I just focused on one small change? Often times with my personality being “ All or Nothing” I go all out trying to tackle a big obstacle all in one day and in turn end up frustrated and worse off than when I started. I focused again on my legs and lengthening my stride. It made me tired in a new way and I had to constantly think about it. I realized that I was going to have to consciously think about it until it becomes as natural as the stride I have known for my whole life. Imagine the things we could accomplish each day, week, month and year if we just focused on one simple change…