Pacing myself...

My Little Blogging Assistant

Good morning.  It's become a habit of late to blog with my boy, Myles, on my lap.  In the mornings before I go to work he just loves to be close.  So...we are blogging together. 

I had a nice four mile run in the light rain this morning.  While on my run, I could not help but think about the importance of pacing oneself, both in running and at work.  This week is our Spring Break at IUPUI and it would be a good time for me to scale back just a bit--go in a bit later, leave a little earlier, and not work at night.  I have a tendency to go full throttle all the time in running and in work and I have to be careful.  In a race, if you go full throttle, then you look great in the beginning but end up sucking wind for the last part of your race.  Usually, the first race I run each season is like that--I forget sometimes that pacing is so key despite over 15 years of running.  In the Housing and Residence Life world on a college campus, you are in a full throttle sprint from July through September (training and opening) and then again from mid-January to Spring break (selection time).  I've learned that one cannot really control how much you have to work during those periods and the team needs everyone working hard like that.  I think that is why when you have a chance to scale back the pace--like over Spring Break, Winter Break, on certain weekends--it is so important to do so.  If you go full out all the time--both in running and in life--then you won't have the energy to really come through when you need it most.  Pacing, my friends, is key. 



I have applied this concept to working with my graduate students as well.  I have pushed them for the past year or so to get better, to work on their improvement areas, and to address areas that I know would hurt them long term if they don't get them fixed.  With all three of them, they have really answered the bell.  I had a great chat with one of our grads two weeks before The Placement Exchange and said, "you are ready and it's time to scale back, let you mentally prepare for interview season, and to make sure you feel great heading into TPE."  We had such a good chat that day and it was great for me to be able to tell that person that I thought they were ready to go.  I've pushed all three as much as they need to be pushed, and now it's time for them to reap the rewards of their hard work and dedication.  After the Oshkosh Placement Exchange and TPE, it's so clear that they are ready and I'm proud of all three of them beyond explanation!



Have a great Tuesday.  The teams I'll really be pulling for in the NCAAs are:  Georgia (for my wife), Louisville, Butler, Notre Dame, Belmont, Vandy, St. Johns, UAB (I wish Mike Davis well), and Michigan State (I love Tom Izzo despite thinking they will lose in the first round).  Have a great day and happy running to you...