I recently mapped out a new route for my regular 5 mile runs. Today was the second time for the new path. I was a bit disappointed the first time I ran it because my time seemed slow. I assumed that perhaps my measurement was not accurate – that I was actually running a bit further than 5 miles. I ran the same route again this morning. At the half-way mark I was even slower than I had been on Tuesday. If it took as long to run the 2 1/2 miles back as it did to run the first 2 1/2 my total time would be at least 30 seconds slower than before. 30 seconds is not a lot of time to most people but anything slower is frustrating.

I started the return trip. I looked at my watch at several check points and realized that I was actually running slightly faster on the return trip. In fact by the time I reached home, I had finished the second half of the run 46 seconds faster than the first half. My overall time was 16 seconds faster than I had run on Tuesday.

Negative splits are not easy to achieve. Most runners (including me) start out too fast or don’t account for hills and expend too much energy in the first half of a run. Then there is not enough energy to finish the second half well.

I am well into the second half of life’s run. I don’t want this second half to be faster than the first. I want to run this second half better than the first. I am trying to quantify what that might look like. For example, I want to be:

  • More generous
  • Less self-centered
  • More intentional in making disciples
  • More prayerful
  • Focused more on people than programs
  • Less fearful to take steps of faith
  • More confident in God’s leading
  • More encouraging of others
  • More available to family and friends
  • Less concerned about making “my mark”
  • A better listener to God and others

Negative splits is about running the second half faster. It doesn’t mean the first half was run poorly or too slow. In fact, running negative splits may mean you have run the first half just right. As I look at the second half, I can easily see mistakes in the first half. I am trying to make those corrections so that the second half is better.

What would make your second half better than the first?