Learning to Move With Precision

When most people think about hurdles in track and field, they think about speed. And yes—sprinting is part of it. But what makes hurdling different from other races is that speed without rhythm will only get you so far. You can be the fastest person on the track, but if your steps aren’t timed just right, you’ll crash—hard.

I learned that the hard way. In my early races, I focused so much on running fast that I’d end up stuttering before the hurdle or launching off-balance. It didn’t matter how hard I trained or how badly I wanted it. Without rhythm—without trusting the timing between each hurdle—I couldn’t clear the race cleanly.

That experience taught me something deeper than just how to run better. It taught me about the importance of timing, the patience to find your stride, and the discipline to trust the process even when it feels uncomfortable. These lessons have stuck with me—not just in athletics, but in school, work, and everyday life.

Time Isn’t Just a Clock—It’s a Feeling

Hurdling is one of the few sports where time is both your opponent and your partner. The clock is always ticking, but if you focus only on the clock, you lose control. It’s not just about how fast you go—it’s about when you take each step. You need to hit the hurdle at just the right moment, over and over again, for the length of the race.

This helped me develop an intuitive sense of time. Not just in terms of deadlines, but in knowing when to push, when to hold back, and when to let things unfold. That feeling has helped me in high-pressure situations where reacting too quickly or forcing an answer can actually slow you down. In those moments, I remind myself of what I learned on the track: sometimes the best move is not the fastest one—it’s the most precisely timed one.

The Space Between the Hurdles

One thing people often overlook in a hurdles race is that the jumps aren’t what wins it. It’s the strides between the hurdles. The smooth, consistent pacing between each obstacle is what allows you to clear them without losing speed.

That insight has carried over into how I approach my personal and professional goals. The milestones—graduating from school, landing opportunities, launching new projects—are the “hurdles.” But the real progress happens in the space between. The daily habits. The quiet practice. The consistent effort when no one’s watching.

When we only focus on the big achievements, it’s easy to feel like we’re falling behind. But when you appreciate the rhythm in between, you realize that growth is happening all the time—even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Mistiming Hurts—but Teaches

I’ve fallen in races. I’ve mistimed jumps. I’ve tried to push too hard and ended up off-balance or injured. And while none of those moments felt great in the moment, each one taught me something valuable.

In life, we don’t always get the timing right. We apply for something too soon. We hold back when we should’ve spoken up. We rush through a process that needed more care. But just like in hurdling, mistakes with timing aren’t failures—they’re feedback. They help you adjust your stride and prepare better for the next obstacle.

The key is not to get discouraged when the rhythm breaks. It’s to get back into the flow with more awareness and grace.

Trusting the Process When the Finish Line Feels Far

There’s something about running hurdles that requires you to commit to the whole race—even if you don’t feel ready for every part of it. You can’t skip ahead. You can’t slow down halfway through. Once you start, you have to trust that your training will carry you through each jump, one stride at a time.

That mindset—of trusting the process—has helped me during moments of doubt or uncertainty. Whether I was navigating a heavy academic workload, learning a complex skill, or working toward long-term goals, I came back to the same rhythm: stride, hurdle, recover, repeat.

You may not always see the results right away, but that doesn’t mean you’re off track. Sometimes the most important work is internal—building confidence, refining your rhythm, and staying locked into your pace even when the crowd goes quiet.

Finding Flow in a World of Friction

We all face hurdles—some expected, others out of nowhere. And while it’s easy to see them as interruptions, I’ve learned to see them as part of the rhythm. The goal isn’t to avoid them. It’s to move through them with timing, patience, and trust.

What hurdling gave me isn’t just athletic skill—it gave me a mindset. One that values preparation over panic. Precision over perfection. Rhythm over rushing.

So if you’re navigating a tough season or working toward something big, remember: it’s not just about sprinting to the finish. It’s about keeping your rhythm—step by step, hurdle by hurdle—until the process becomes part of you.