Breaking Up with Pace Pressure

Have you ever found yourself frustrated with your running pace, wondering why some days feel like a breeze while others drag you down? Join me, Bridget, on the Dogs Per Mile podcast, as I share my own journey from struggling with run-walk sessions to achieving sub-two-hour half marathons. By embracing a mindset focused on joy and self-discovery rather than just numbers, we explore how to make every step a celebration. It's time to focus on the happiness running can bring and share your own surprising pace moments with our community on Instagram at DogsPerMilePod.

Running isn't just about the numbers on your watch; it's about the personal growth and triumphs along the way. We tackle the challenge of comparing ourselves to others, especially in the social media age, and offer strategies to stay present and motivated. Discover how simple mantras and reframing negative thoughts can transform your running journey, helping you to appreciate each mile for its unique contribution to your progress.

As we age, our bodies change, and so do our running performances. There's no need to let these changes discourage you. Instead, we discuss how to adapt expectations and find new ways to measure success. Learn to run "naked," without the burden of metrics, and discover the joy in alternative measures like counting "dogs per mile." These practices aren't just about running better; they're about running happier and celebrating every victory, no matter how small. Share in the joy of running and join the conversation with our community.

Takeaways

Every runner experiences emotional ups and downs with pace changes.
It's important to recognize that feelings about pace can mess with your head.
You can be proud of showing up, even if the run is hard.
Mantras can help during tough runs, like 'run the mile that you're in.'
Reframing negative thoughts can lead to a healthier mindset.
Success in running doesn't always mean hitting a specific pace.
Your running journey is valid, regardless of speed fluctuations.
Finding joy in running can come from counting dogs per mile.
It's okay to adjust expectations during different training cycles.
Community support can help navigate the challenges of running. 

HIGH FIVES, RUNNER! 🙌

Before you hit the showers, let's make sure you're part of our running pack:

📱 FOLLOW ALONG
Track my daily dogs per mile count and running adventures:
Instagram: @DogsPerMilePod
TikTok: @DogsPerMilePod
👉🏻 Sign up for my weekly newsletter

🎉 JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Subscribe to never miss an episode
Share your DPM count using #DogsPerMile
Tag me in your run photos - I love celebrating your victories!

💫 WANT MORE?
Email your running questions: dogspermilepod@gmail.com

Until our next run together, remember: every step forward is progress, and every dog you see is bonus motivation. Keep running, keep smiling, and keep counting those dogs!

Transcript

Counting Dogs

Speaker 1 0:08

Hey runners , welcome to the Dogs Per Mile podcast , your weekly dose of running reality . Here we count dogs instead of minutes and turn running stats upside down . I'm Bridget , your host , certified running coach and creator of the Dogs per mile mindset . Here's the thing 13 years ago , I started my running journey , like many of you , watching the stats on my garment and getting discouraged when they didn't match what they should be saying . That's when I discovered the magic of counting dogs in my run , because sometimes the best running stat isn't your pace or distance . Now , with over 50 half marathons , two marathons and countless training runs under my belt , I'm here to share a different approach to running , one that breaks down mental barriers , eases those pre-run anxieties and yes , includes a weekly update of my personal dogs per mile count . Whether you're lacing up for the first time , getting back into running after a break , struggling your training with group fitness classes or chasing your next PR , you've found your people . This is where we take the pressure off and put the joy back in running , because every runner has a place here and every dog site is worth celebrating . Hey runners , welcome back to the Dogs Per Mile podcast , your weekly dose of running reality , where we count dogs instead of minutes and turn running stats upside down . I'm Bridget , your host , and today we're going to dive into something that every runner that I know has dealt with . I've dealt with it and it is something that we all struggle with and can really be a challenge for any runner who's new to the running game or is experienced , and it's watching our paces change over our running journey and learning how to deal with the feelings that arise as our paces become faster and slower , regardless of what we are doing .

Speaker 1 2:02

You know that moment when you're in a run and you look down at your watch and the numbers that are staring back at you just feel wrong . You look at the numbers and they're like this can't be it . Those could not be correct . I'm faster than this . I'm better than this . This happened to me a couple of weeks ago . I was feeling really good , it was beautiful weather , it was finally chilly and there was no wind , and I was already feeling really good . It was beautiful weather , it was finally chilly and there was no wind , and I was already feeling really great . And I looked down at my watch and I am going at least a minute and a half slower than I should be on that type of run and it really makes that run go from feeling really good to feeling pretty much like shit , and suddenly it just didn't feel as amazing anymore . You know those feelings kind of rushed in your mind of I used to be faster .

Speaker 1 2:52

I remember when I could run this , this would be a slow run , or I remember I used to be able to clock this pace , and then you kind of think what happened to me , what did I do , or what am I doing wrong ? And all of those emotions come flooding back in and then it just becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy . And so that's why we need to have this conversation today , because whether you've been running for months or years , there's a chance that you've experienced this emotional rollercoaster of watching your pace change . It could be after taking a break , like when I talked with my friend Kayla and she talked about getting back into running after taking a significant break or during a stressful period at work . Or it could just be last week , where nothing changed but the paces were just slower . But whatever caused it , I want to let you know that the feelings are valid and they can really just fuck with your head . So today we're going to talk about it all my journey , what I used to hit easy eight minute miles in OTF to now struggling to even maintain a nine minute mile as one mile repeat . And how to deal with all of those Garmin notifications that you're falling behind or your run is unproductive because that sucks . And , most importantly again , how to have fun in running , no matter what pace or what your watch is saying . But before we dive in , I just want to know when was the last time your pace surprised you , for good or for bad ? I'd love for you to share your story with me . Tag me on Instagram at DogsPerMilePod .

Speaker 1 4:26

Let's get into it . You may remember , in the first episode I talked about my running journey and how I started as a runner and when I started running I was never fast . I was not naturally quick . It was not easy . I did the couch to 5k at the Planet Fitness in Granby , connecticut , and I would run walk , which is still running for all those playing at home . A run walk training plan is still running and I would run for this many minutes and walk in this . And I had signed up for my first 5k and was just so proud that I finished it in 35 minutes and that was something I was proud of and I'm still proud of that and I should continue to be proud of that . And then , as I trained for longer distances , I got into better shape . I was a little bit quicker . I started incorporating different types of workouts . When I did some of my first and second half marathons the Nike women's my first one I was so close to a two hour and I had no idea that that was pretty good for a newbie going into running . And then I got my second one and I ran a sub two hour half marathon on my third half marathon and I was over the moon .

Speaker 1 5:41

Over time , my pace has gone up and down . I have run everywhere , from 11 , 12 minute miles down to 7.30s . That's about as fast as my little short little legs can let me go . When I was doing Orange Theory , when I got really really into it and I was doing it consistently and I was also biking to work and a whole bunch of other factors that are entirely unable to recreate again in the time frame that I am now , I was able to get down to where my base pace was a 7.0 7 point I was . My goal before the end of 2020 was to be at a 8.0 pace .

Speaker 1 6:23

Well , 2020 came around and fucked everything up . But I was running , I would run outside and I would run five miles in 40 minutes and it was just unbelievable that it felt easier and I started seeing that I was like actually pretty fast for me and for what I was expecting to be and it just gives you this like freaking confidence boost and I don't want anyone to think , if they're not in that range , that they don't deserve to feel fast because you do . This is just my roller coaster of my paces and I felt quick . I felt like I was passing people on the telecom bridge and I'm going past them and feeling really powerful and strong and how much I was able to do . And I remember in so many races last time I did a sub two hour half was in the Salve Island half marathon in July , which a half marathon in July 4th is bananas . It was always always a dream to get another sub two hour half and I've been doing OTF for a while at that point and I did it and I passed people in the race and I passed people at the finish line and having that boost of energy , it just really , really brings your confidence .

Speaker 1 7:43

And then last fall I was doing really good , I was training . I had kind of three half marathons stacked back to back to back and I was just kind of cutting them down with , like I try and shoot for the 215 and get a 210 , and then try and shoot for 210 and get 205 . And so just really getting close to those , that again , that sub two hour half , because that is just , for whatever reason , for me that is my dream and my goal and I just think it's such a cool thing to work towards and that's just for me personally . But recently I haven't been able to get back there . No matter what , it seems like that I train hard , or I don't train hard enough , or I'm not doing the right training , or I feel like I gained weight and it's just harder to run , or I'm more stressed because my work is different or life is different , and it just really kind of puts you in a sad and upset place because I'll look at my watch , it'll tell me what I ran , or I'll post , or I'll look at my Instagram and be like , oh , last year at this time you were running 10 miles at a 9.15 or nine minute mile and now I can't and it's really challenging and so you really kind of have to learn to deal with that and that's we're going to kind of talk a little bit more about . But I wanted to let you guys know on I've also gone through that where I've been fast and then I've been not fast or not as fast numbers wise , and it's really fucks with your head and it's hard and it makes you feel like there's no point in getting out there when it comes to like the pace changes .

Speaker 1 9:28

I know there's a lot of noise that kind of comes into the running world right when you hear your own history . If you're a seasoned runner , you have the noise of how fast you used to be and how easy things were being Always got to remember in the context of . You may think it was easy then , but it maybe was not as easy as you are remembering it , because we always have these rose tinted glasses telling us how easy it was to go out for that six mile run in 45 minutes or whatever the heck you were able to do that . There's times when you know that it's not a great idea yet you're not in the right mental headspace to do a programmed run on your watch , for example , if you use Garmin a lot of times , you can either do like their daily workout suggestions or , if you're on a training plan , having it buzz and remind you that this is your pace , that you should be running at this , what your heart rate should be , and there are times when you just have to not choose that run , just let your just run , almost in a way naked . You could run without your watch I can't because I'm a weirdo but you could run without a watch and just let it be relaxed . Or the thing that I always do is I will hit start and then I will change my watch face to the clock and that way I just know that this is what time it is . But I have no idea and I cover my watch with my shirts when it buzzes for miles or kilometers , I don't see the pace until I finish the run . Because if you start to see that or you feel like you're falling behind , it's just going to snowball to you and it's really just that conflict of knowing what you're capable of and what your current reality is , and it sucks when those two don't align and it's frustrating and there's kind of a couple paths that you can take . You can say that I just will never get back there , which could be true or it could be a . I know what I'm capable of . I know that I can work hard . I've proven that I can work hard . Not that I can get back to that number or that whatever , but I know that I have proven track record of putting in effort when I need to , so using that to kind of push you along

Navigating Running Challenges

Speaker 1 11:45

.

Speaker 1 11:45

The other thing is social media . You're comparing yourself to other people , whether or not you know them or don't know them . You can compare it to a friend who is in a run group or a friend who runs , or a social media influencer . I know I've seen ones that they get bibs or sign up for races and then you see them go out there and run a marathon faster than you can and it kind of , really kind of puts a damper on you , saying , wow , they are not a runner , they didn't want to do this as much as I do , they don't identify as a runner or whatever , and they succeeded better than me . Like what's that about ? So it's really easy to want to compare to others and I really , really , really and this may be me saying this to me I really , bridget . I really encourage you to not compare your numbers to other people , because you there's so much that you don't know about their training plan , you don't know about the weather they're at , you don't know about how well rested they are , you don't know the path that they're in . You may run a hillier area different times a day . I encourage you , bridget or everyone listening to stop comparing yourself to others , or everyone listening to stop comparing yourself to others .

Speaker 1 13:09

You also , at the same time , have full permission to be frustrated at your pace or at what you are able to accomplish , while you are still proud that you showed up . Those two concepts can exist at the same time inside of you , even though they feel like they conflict . You are allowed to be proud that you got out the door and you got X amount of miles or minutes in , but you're also allowed to be frustrated that it was hard . You can have both of those . That was me , literally on Saturday . I wanted to go for a longer run , but I got four and a half miles and I said I'm frustrated that it was harder than I wanted it to be , than it should have been , but also I was proud that I actually did that . So I got myself some of those growth points that me and Kayla talked about before and I was just proud that I showed up and put in the work .

Speaker 1 14:06

Let's kind of talk about some actual things that we can do to try to navigate the roller coaster , navigate the highs and the lows . I mean , obviously it is so much easier . It's easy to navigate the highs because you're feeling strong . You're feeling powerful . It's easy , you feel like you can brag . Let's talk about how are you able to navigate when the paces aren't working out or it's challenging . These are some more concepts that are beyond the dogs per miles .

Speaker 1 14:39

One thing that I definitely do in a lot of my runs when it gets difficult is mantras , and I know they can be a little woo , woo , woo , whatever , but really it's a way to kind of have something that you have created or found or mean something to you that you can repeat during times when it's challenging . The one that I there's a couple that I've that I've used before , and the first one is like this too shall pass , and that's just . I'll say that during each like , during when they're like this , this struggle , this pain , breathlessness will to pass , you will . You will get past this Um . And the other one is run the mile that you're in . Um , especially , this works very well for me on really long runs when you are , you know you're in mile two and you're already stressing that you still have 10 more to go . Or you're in a half marathon and you have so many more to go . Run the mile that you're in . You are in mile two . That's all you need to focus on . That's mile two . That's it . Run this mile Some other ones that you can always work on or come up with some other ideas is every mile is a gift .

Speaker 1 15:45

Every mile that you finish is a gift . Another one , if you're in a race , would be strong and steady . Wins my race , and I really like this one a lot because it not only is powerful , but it reminds you that it is your race . You're not , no one else is paying attention to you and your race . You are strong and steady and it is your race and what you want to do . And another one can be this pace is what my body needs today . So today , my body needs this pace . Today , when I went for my run , my body needed a quicker pace . My body needed after this last weekend it just needed to move quicker , and so that was what my body needed , and so you're putting more of it , that this is what you need and you want .

Speaker 1 16:33

Hey , runners , quick pause in today's episode to let you know about something fun . I'm starting a weekly newsletter and , yeah , I know everyone has a newsletter , but this one's going to be different because it's actually going to be fun . You'll get extra running stories that don't make it into the podcast , behind the scenes stuffs with Yogi and Maple and first dibs on any community challenges . Plus , I'll be sharing my weekly dogs per mile count before anyone else sees it . Check out the link in my show notes if you want to get in on this running party . And back to our regularly scheduled program .

Speaker 1 17:05

Another good technique that we use a lot in counseling and psychology is reframing those negative thoughts and kind of taking them , because if you're anyone like me , you are your own horse critic . You are meaner to yourself than you would be to any other runner , any other person , and so , really , if you start digging into those negative thoughts , they're going to bring you down and you're going to start to agree with them , even if they're correct or not . And so here's some ideas on how we can kind of reframe negative thoughts . And the first big concept that I want you to kind of think of is who told me this ? And if the answer is you , is that a valid source ? Who told me I was slow ? Who told me that I'm not able to do this ? Who told me that ? And the answer is not somebody else ? No one in your life should have told you that . So really taking that and looking for a valid , trustworthy source in your brain is not one of them sometimes ?

Speaker 1 18:10

And some other ideas on how we can reframe negative thoughts . So , basically , what reframing negative thoughts means is you take a negative idea so here's an example is I am so slow and you're running ? And you're running and you're thinking I am so slow , I am so slow and you need to take that thought and turn it in a different way , and so you're not just necessarily putting a positive spin on it , you're trying to find a way for that to be helpful and so you can turn I am so slow into I'm building endurance , while , yes , you may be moving quote unquote slower , but you , at the same time , you are spending more time on your feet . You are building endurance . So you , if your goal was to run six miles and this six miles is taking you an hour and a half and it other times it has taken you an hour and 20 minutes . You're building more endurance because you're going to be on your feet for 10 more minutes . That's a good thing , and so , taking that mindset and moving it that way Another one that works for me when I used to be faster is I used to be faster , so how can you reframe that ? You could reframe that to I'm still out here . Yes , I used to be faster , but I am still out here running . I am still out here moving , moving .

Speaker 1 19:33

One that you can also use during races is thinking everyone is passing me and you're going up a hill or even down a hill and you just feel like everyone is passing you . You also can go . We are all on different journeys . You also can go . We are all on different journeys . So an easy way to kind of build your own reframing is take your negative thought , add the word but B-U-T and then continue on . Everyone is passing me , but we are all on different journeys . That's an easy way to kind of reframe those negative thoughts as they come in when you're running that try to like bring you down and you will , every once in a while , unfortunately , run into some jerk runners and they'll maybe or maybe they're not jerk , maybe they're just , you know making comments about that .

Speaker 1 20:22

Oh , you're running slower today , or what's going on , and a couple of ways that we just want to kind of like proactively be ready to answer that question . You can say I run at whatever pace feels good that day . So they ask oh , what pace do you run ? I just run at whatever pace feels good that day . You know , sometimes it's this , sometimes it's that you don't even have to give a number , just say it really just depends on how I'm feeling that day . And that's a simple , easy answer . And another one you could say is I'm focusing on effort rather than pace , and that just lets them know I'm focusing on how hard or easy I want it to be versus pace . I don't look at my pace . I actually don't look at my pace very often on my watch .

Speaker 1 20:59

And then another technique that you can do to kind of silence out a little bit of the noise is go through your social media and if there's runners or accounts that just make you sad or upset , unfollow , mute . You want to make sure you're curating your social media account to be accounts that inspire you , without triggering you and bringing you down and making you feel bad about yourself . And sometimes it comes in ways where you can handle it sometimes and you cannot handle other times and it's absolutely fine to mute and account for a little bit while you process and go through it and bring it back up and then finding communities and similar paced runners , or finding inclusive running groups or inclusive running buddies people who don't make shit comments about you used to run this fast or used to run that . I would love to know anyone's go-to running mantras for running or races . I think let's share other mantras that we've used at work so that way , more people have more options to pick from .

Speaker 1 22:04

Let's kind of like normalize the experience of your paces changing over your running journey , and it can be for so many different things . I mean you can just go into life factors sleep , stress , work . I know when I used to work at a hospital and we would do recruitment and it was just a really like a month of just real stressful lots of early mornings , having to get there at about seven and just a lot of busy , busy days . My paces wouldn't be as good because A I wasn't running as much and when I could , I was so tired from being on my feet doing interviews and doing tours at the hospital all day , and so my paces would struggle because I was tired , I was exhausted , or when I used to work in housing and you would have you're on call . There's weeks where you're being woken up at two , three in the morning and you're just so stressed out , and so you just have to be ready to have the paces change during that time and the efforts to feel harder .

Speaker 1 23:09

You can also just look at the weather . That is a huge , huge factor into the paces . Some people can run in warmer weather and have an easier time than others . Some people can run in cooler weather and have an easier time than others . Some people can run a cooler weather and have an easier time . I am not a hot weather runner . If it is 70 , even if it's 60 degrees , I'm uncomfortable . It is too hot , I don't like it . I want it to be cold , and so I will see my paces increase or , yeah , increase when it gets hot , and that just lets me know that that's okay . I have to go by effort , I have to go by how hard it was or how I feel , and also our paces change during a training cycle .

Speaker 1 23:51

So if you've ever done a full like eight , 12 , 16 , 22 week training cycle for any sort of race , there's a reason why we have the peak week . We have base building , we have all these sort of elements in a traditional training plan and that is because you are building endurance through slower , easier runs and then you are adding in quick or tempo runs to be able to build quicker feet and then your pace will slowly get faster and then , as soon as you have your race , you go through rest and recovery and your pace is going to drop . It's just human nature . It doesn't mean that you lost it . It just means that your body is recovering and you can also .

Speaker 1 24:39

You know the way I like to think about the running journey is through seasons and there are some seasons where I am strictly only running and there's also and I see my running increase and do better , and then there's seasons where I'm doing a lot more cross training , a lot less running , and it's kind of like a 60-40 split or a 50-50 split . So like right now I'm running , maybe I'm trying to get three times a week as my main goal , but I'm also doing Pilates and that's just something that I've wanted to explore and see what that is like and see how it impacts my running , and it means that I'm not getting as fast as I would if I were to be doing a bunch of spin classes or if I was back doing Orange Theory and doing ESP days and speed days and benchmarks . I would probably be getting faster , quicker if I was doing those things . But right now I am in a season of wanting to strengthen my core and do something that's a little bit more low impact and a little bit easier on me , and it's just something I've been wanting to try and do and so that's also going to impact my pace and I just have to be okay with that .

Adapting to Changing Running Paces

Speaker 1 26:08

And also , as we age so you know , when you're in your 20s or even your 30s , it's a lot easier to be faster , and the older you get , the harder it is to to get faster , and it's different for men and women and it's different for people with kids and without kids . But that's just another factor that can impact your paces and you just have to kind of look and really internalize which one of these or which ones of these apply to me , and it can be more than one , and you just have to not think of it as an excuse . It's not an excuse , it's not that you aren't trying , but it is a valid reason on why it's either taking longer or it feels like it's harder . Okay , so let's go over some kind of more practical tips that go along with our kind of like , our mental tools that we can kind of use to help us ride this roller coaster as our paces go up and down . And let's think about this for like times when our paces are down for a long period of time . I'm not talking the one run after a week where it just feels a little bit harder . I'm talking about those times where it's weeks and weeks and weeks and it feels like you're in a plateau and it's not working .

Speaker 1 27:15

So one tip I talked about before was quote unquote running naked . So either running without your watch on or taking your watch and when you hit , start scrolling till you see the time and only just running on that and covering the watch up , so that way you can't see how fast your miles were or what your heart rate is at or anything like that . And just at the end of that run . That way you don't see how fast you're going , your mileage or anything like that . And at the end of the run , that way you don't see how fast you're going , your mileage or anything like that , and at the end of the run really think like how hard was that effort ? I know my Garmin always asked me , like on a scale of one to 10 , how hard was your run and then how strong did you feel ? Answer those questions and be honest and that'll kind of give you an idea of I felt really , really weak . And then you look at it you're like , yeah , my fucking heart rate was 180 beats per minute and I wasn't going very fast , and so that lets me know that this was a hard run and that's okay . So that way you can kind of adjust accordingly .

Speaker 1 28:15

Another thing that you want to kind of do is talk about how you can adjust your expectations of your training cycle , your run , anything like that , without giving up on your goal , because there are definitely times and places for running with a goal in mind . If you're training for a race and you want to hit a certain time , I never want anyone to think that running for fun means you can't have goals , because I think those both , just like before , two things can exist at the same time . You can have fun while running , while wanting to improve and hit a certain goal time or a certain goal distance , but we want to figure out ways that we can adjust the expectations . So some other things we can do is find some different metrics to focus on . Some of these can be your effort level

Reframing Success in Running

Speaker 1 29:03

.

Speaker 1 29:03

Can I sing my favorite songs ? If you're a music person while you run I know I am Can I sing along to my favorite song ? Can I sing hot to go while I'm running ? I'll do that on the treadmill . Can I do the hot to go dance and spell it incorrectly , because I apparently can't spell . Can I talk to a friend ? When I used to run with my uh friend , I would see like can we , are we not talking anymore because we ran out of things to say , or can we not breathe ? And so that kind of lets you know if you're going too fast . That's another way to test your effort . You can also go with how you feel during and after . I talked about how , after a run , you can kind of say , like on a scale of one to 10 , how hard was it ? Kind of also do the same thing during the run , like how hard does it feel right now ? And another one , of course , is counting your dogs . Your dogs per mile is a wonderful metric just to make things a little bit fun for you . It's always joyful for me I saw a golden retriever this morning that brought me so much joy .

Speaker 1 29:59

And another thing you could kind of create for yourself would be a success menu . It could be a menu of things that you would say this run was successful . It could be . I don't want to walk up this hill . I want to finish my run with a negative split . So let's say I want the last mile to be my fastest mile . I want to say maybe I breathe consistently throughout the run . I was brave and I went on a different route , or I went backwards on my route , or I maintained my form up a hill , or I went the harder route without avoiding the hill . So there's another just menu of options that you can create for yourself to say that that run was successful .

Speaker 1 30:44

The last thing I kind of want to cover is how we can reframe successes . So we talked about reframing negative talk . So we want to kind of talk about how we can reframe success . Success doesn't always have to be I hit this pace during this race , or I did this , and so I know this is something that I have definitely struggled with is when I was training for the Chicago half marathon this last May and was doing very good up until race and felt good during race day , and then , eight miles into the race , my super shoes that I had tried up to mile eight and was confident that they would be just perfect for me , started to give me a blister and I had to reframe success as I kept running . I didn't meet my goal , but I kept going and I got over the finish line and I didn't cry . That was my reframing successes . I didn't cry because I didn't meet my goal and that was a big deal for me and it just let me know that I was still a runner , even if I didn't meet my goal , and that kind of happens .

Speaker 1 31:55

So one thing we can always do is we can build up a win journal is writing down our wins for each of our runs . You could create a little note on your phone . You could create a note in Strava or Garmin or wherever you track your runs what your win with that run is , and by doing these little techniques of reframing your success , you're creating mental toughness through acceptance , by being able to get through anything big or small , challenging . You're creating more resiliency , which will , in turn , make you a better runner , and it's going to let you create more sustainable running habits , because if your running journey is not sustainable it is toxic , it's negative , it's too much then you're going to quit , you're going to burn yourself out , you're going to not enjoy it . One question I have for listeners , then , is what is one way that you can make yourself feel successful in a run that's not just pace ? Let me know , because I would love to know more about that .

Speaker 1 32:53

Right , so we're going to go into the final part of our podcast , which is the most fun part , which is the weekly dogs per mile count is the most fun part , which is the weekly dogs per mile count , and , to remind anyone who is unfamiliar with what dogs per mile is , it is my real stat , where I count how many dogs I saw , and take how many miles I ran , divide them to figure out what my average dog per mile was . So this past week , I ran 18 miles , not 26 miles . I ran 18 miles and I saw a total of 26 dogs , which is an average of 1.4 dogs per mile , and this week was really , really fun when it came to it . I ran during my lunch at work and got to see dogs during that , and I also finally got to see a ton of dogs on one of my runs . I saw 16 dogs on a Saturday run , and so it's just been nice to run a little bit later and see more dogs and see what they're doing , and I always love it . It makes me so happy . Thank you , thank you , thank you .

Speaker 1 33:51

Thank you everyone for listening to today's episode about how to navigate the pace roller coaster . I really want you to think about ways that you can reframe your thoughts in your brain , how you can find different ways to mark a run as successful and just at least have some context on why our paces change , and that it's totally valid . It's totally valid that we get slower and faster over time , and it's totally valid if we never get back to a pace ever again , and that is still fine . You're still a runner , just because you're not as fast as you used to be , or it's more challenging . So I would love for you guys to share any of your stories about how you've dealt with your pace changing over time . You can tag me at Dogs Per Mile Pod on Instagram or on TikTok . You can tag me at Dogs Per Mile Pod on Instagram or on TikTok . I would love for you guys to just share any experiences you have . Thank you so much for listening and remember the pace that brings you joy is the right pace for you today . Thanks so much and I will see you in the next one . Bye . Thanks for sharing another mile with me today .

Speaker 1 35:08

Before you cool down , here are three quick ways to stay connected with our running community . First , hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this right now . It's the best way to make sure you never miss an episode . Second , if today's show helped you or inspired you , please leave a review . Your words help other runners find their way to our community . Lastly , want more running adventures ? Follow at Dogs Per Mile pod on Instagram , where I share daily motivation , behind the scenes moments and plenty of pictures of my two running coaches , yogi and Maple . Be sure to tag me in your run photos and use hashtag dogs per mile to share your own dog spotting stats . I love celebrating your victories , big and small and thank you for being a part of this journey . Until our next run together , remember every step forward is progress and every dog you see is bonus motivation . Keep running , keep smiling and keep counting those dogs .