tldr: it's the power of YOU
“We’re gonna take it sexy pace.”
I’m standing with a group of runners, wondering what the hell sexy pace is. I was still new to running at the time, trying to keep up and display my “speed.”
I quickly learned that sexy pace when you run slow. That’s it. Run slow enough to enjoy it, to be able to talk, to not exhaust yourself.
Huh. Run slow? Buoyed by the vibe of the group, I gave it a go.
I’ve never looked back.
I’ve also gotten much faster at racing, much more able to enjoy the social aspect of running (because I’m not too winded to speak), and taken the idea of sexy pace into the rest of my life.
At its core, the idea is that if you go hard all the time, you will break. While it makes sense, it’s hard for this New England born American-raised brain to let go of the idea of working hard at all costs. If I don’t feel destroyed after a run, was it worth it?
In the context of running, yes. I had to learn to trust the process, to learn that building slowly towards a goal is stronger approach, that there is no magic that will help you in a race - just work, preparation, and focus - all things that you can practice during your sexy pace runs.
In life, the idea of sexy pace works well too. In America , and in NYC specifically, we love to foster the idea that everything is better at maximum level. But it’s not, and it’s also not the fastest way to get to where you want to be. Call me crazy, but the idea of moving fast and breaking things does not make any long term sense to me. In the context of running, you might actually break your body.
Rather, saying no or saying slow can add a richness to life that makes it all seem more valuable. I can run slow and do it a lot because my body isn’t taxed to the point of shutting down, but I can also race fast when the time calls for it. I can say no to an evening out, or say “yes, but I have to leave early so I can have enough time to relax when I get home.”
That is also sexy pace.
Sexy pace is knowing the value to yourself and is worth slowing down for. The work is more impactful. The relationships are deeper. The curiosity can blossom. Growth takes time, and only knows a sexy pace.
