December 11, 2024 • 36 mins
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!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hey runners, welcome to the Dogs Per Mile podcast,
your weekly dose of runningreality.
Here we count dogs instead ofminutes and turn running stats
upside down.
I'm Bridget, your host,certified running coach and
creator of the Dogs per milemindset.
Here's the thing 13 years ago,I started my running journey,
like many of you, watching thestats on my garment and getting
(00:30):
discouraged when they didn'tmatch what they should be saying
.
That's when I discovered themagic of counting dogs in my run
, because sometimes the bestrunning stat isn't your pace or
distance.
Now, with over 50 halfmarathons, two marathons and
countless training runs under mybelt, I'm here to share a
different approach to running,one that breaks down mental
barriers, eases those pre-runanxieties and yes, includes a
(00:53):
weekly update of my personaldogs per mile count.
Whether you're lacing up forthe first time, getting back
into running after a break,struggling your training with
group fitness classes or chasingyour next PR, you've found your
people.
This is where we take thepressure off and put the joy
back in running, because everyrunner has a place here and
(01:15):
every dog site is worthcelebrating.
Hey runners, welcome back tothe Dogs Per Mile podcast, your
weekly dose of running reality,where we count dogs instead of
minutes and turn running statsupside down.
I'm Bridget, your host, andtoday we're going to dive into
something that every runner thatI know has dealt with.
(01:36):
I've dealt with it and it issomething that we all struggle
with and can really be achallenge for any runner who's
new to the running game or isexperienced, and it's watching
our paces change over ourrunning journey and learning how
(01:56):
to deal with the feelings thatarise as our paces become faster
and slower, regardless of whatwe are doing.
You know that moment when you'rein a run and you look down at
your watch and the numbers thatare staring back at you just
feel wrong.
You look at the numbers andthey're like this can't be it.
Those could not be correct.
I'm faster than this.
(02:17):
I'm better than this.
This happened to me a couple ofweeks ago.
I was feeling really good, itwas beautiful weather, it was
finally chilly and there was nowind, and I was already feeling
really good.
It was beautiful weather, itwas finally chilly and there was
no wind, and I was alreadyfeeling really great.
And I looked down at my watchand I am going at least a minute
and a half slower than I shouldbe on that type of run and it
(02:37):
really makes that run go fromfeeling really good to feeling
pretty much like shit, andsuddenly it just didn't feel as
amazing anymore.
You know those feelings kind ofrushed in your mind of I used
to be faster.
I remember when I could run this, this would be a slow run, or I
remember I used to be able toclock this pace, and then you
(03:01):
kind of think what happened tome, what did I do, or what am I
doing wrong?
And all of those emotions comeflooding back in and then it
just becomes a self-fulfillingprophecy.
And so that's why we need tohave this conversation today,
because whether you've beenrunning for months or years,
there's a chance that you'veexperienced this emotional
rollercoaster of watching yourpace change.
(03:23):
It could be after taking abreak, like when I talked with
my friend Kayla and she talkedabout getting back into running
after taking a significant breakor 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 wantto let you know that the
feelings are valid and they canreally just fuck with your head.
(03:46):
So today we're going to talkabout it all my journey, what I
used to hit easy eight minutemiles in OTF to now struggling
to even maintain a nine minutemile as one mile repeat.
And how to deal with all ofthose Garmin notifications that
you're falling behind or yourrun is unproductive because that
(04:08):
sucks.
And, most importantly again,how to have fun in running, no
matter what pace or what yourwatch is saying.
But before we dive in, I justwant to know when was the last
time your pace surprised you,for good or for bad?
I'd love for you to share yourstory with me.
Tag me on Instagram atDogsPerMilePod.
Let's get into it.
You may remember, in the firstepisode I talked about my
(04:33):
running journey and how Istarted 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 thePlanet Fitness in Granby,
connecticut, and I would runwalk, which is still running for
all those playing at home.
(04:53):
A run walk training plan isstill running and I would run
for this many minutes and walkin this.
And I had signed up for myfirst 5k and was just so proud
that I finished it in 35 minutesand that was something I was
proud of and I'm still proud ofthat and I should continue to be
proud of that.
And then, as I trained forlonger distances, I got into
(05:17):
better shape.
I was a little bit quicker.
I started incorporatingdifferent types of workouts.
When I did some of my first andsecond half marathons the Nike
women's my first one I was soclose to a two hour and I had no
idea that that was pretty goodfor a newbie going into running.
And then I got my second oneand I ran a sub two hour half
marathon on my third halfmarathon and I was over the moon
(05:41):
.
Over time, my pace has gone upand down.
I have run everywhere, from 11,12 minute miles down to 7.30s.
That's about as fast as mylittle short little legs can let
me go.
When I was doing Orange Theory,when I got really really into
it and I was doing itconsistently and I was also
(06:02):
biking to work and a whole bunchof other factors that are
entirely unable to recreateagain in the time frame that I
am now, I was able to get downto where my base pace was a 7.0
7 point I was.
My goal before the end of 2020was to be at a 8.0 pace.
(06:23):
Well, 2020 came around andfucked everything up.
But I was running, I would runoutside and I would run five
miles in 40 minutes and it wasjust unbelievable that it felt
easier and I started seeing thatI was like actually pretty fast
for me and for what I wasexpecting to be and it just
(06:44):
gives you this like freakingconfidence boost and I don't
want anyone to think, if they'renot in that range, that they
don't deserve to feel fastbecause you do.
This is just my roller coasterof my paces and I felt quick.
I felt like I was passingpeople on the telecom bridge and
I'm going past them and feelingreally powerful and strong and
(07:08):
how much I was able to do.
And I remember in so many raceslast time I did a sub two hour
half was in the Salve Islandhalf marathon in July, which a
half marathon in July 4th isbananas.
It was always always a dream toget another sub two hour half
(07:29):
and I've been doing OTF for awhile at that point and I did it
and I passed people in the raceand I passed people at the
finish line and having thatboost of energy, it just really,
really brings your confidence.
And then last fall I was doingreally good, I was training.
I had kind of three halfmarathons stacked back to back
(07:51):
to back and I was just kind ofcutting them down with, like I
try and shoot for the 215 andget a 210, and then try and
shoot for 210 and get 205.
And so just really gettingclose to those, that again, that
sub two hour half, because thatis just, for whatever reason,
for me that is my dream and mygoal and I just think it's such
(08:13):
a cool thing to work towards andthat's just for me personally.
But recently I haven't beenable to get back there.
No matter what, it seems likethat I train hard, or I don't
train hard enough, or I'm notdoing the right training, or I
feel like I gained weight andit's just harder to run, or I'm
(08:34):
more stressed because my work isdifferent or life is different,
and it just really kind of putsyou 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 myInstagram and be like, oh, last
year at this time you wererunning 10 miles at a 9.15 or
(08:56):
nine minute mile and now I can'tand it's really challenging and
so you really kind of have tolearn to deal with that and
that's we're going to kind oftalk a little bit more about.
But I wanted to let you guysknow on I've also gone through
that where I've been fast andthen I've been not fast or not
(09:16):
as fast numbers wise, and it'sreally fucks with your head and
it's hard and it makes you feellike there's no point in getting
out there when it comes to likethe pace changes.
I know there's a lot of noisethat kind of comes into the
running world right when youhear your own history.
If you're a seasoned runner,you have the noise of how fast
(09:40):
you used to be and how easythings 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, becausewe always have these rose
tinted glasses telling us howeasy it was to go out for that
six mile run in 45 minutes orwhatever the heck you were able
(10:03):
to do that.
There's times when you knowthat it's not a great idea yet
you're not in the right mentalheadspace to do a programmed run
on your watch, for example, ifyou use Garmin a lot of times,
you can either do like theirdaily workout suggestions or, if
you're on a training plan,having it buzz and remind you
that this is your pace, that youshould be running at this, what
(10:26):
your heart rate should be, andthere 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 yourwatch I can't because I'm a
weirdo but you could run withouta watch and just let it be
relaxed.
Or the thing that I always dois I will hit start and then I
(10:48):
will change my watch face to theclock and that way I just know
that this is what time it is.
But I have no idea and I covermy 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 seethat or you feel like you're
falling behind, it's just goingto snowball to you and it's
(11:09):
really just that conflict ofknowing what you're capable of
and what your current reality is, and it sucks when those two
don't align and it's frustratingand there's kind of a couple
paths that you can take.
You can say that I just willnever 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.
(11:32):
I've proven that I can workhard.
Not that I can get back to thatnumber or that whatever, but I
know that I have proven trackrecord of putting in effort when
I need to, so using that tokind of push you along.
The other thing is social media.
You're comparing yourself toother people, whether or not you
know them or don't know them.
You can compare it to a friendwho is in a run group or a
(11:54):
friend who runs, or a socialmedia influencer.
I know I've seen ones that theyget bibs or sign up for races
and then you see them go outthere 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 arunner, they didn't want to do
this as much as I do, they don'tidentify as a runner or
(12:17):
whatever, and they succeededbetter than me.
Like what's that about?
So it's really easy to want tocompare to others and I really,
really, really and this may beme saying this to me I really,
bridget.
I really encourage you to notcompare your numbers to other
(12:40):
people, because you there's somuch that you don't know about
their training plan, you don'tknow about the weather they're
at, you don't know about howwell rested they are, you don't
know the path that they're in.
You may run a hillier areadifferent times a day.
I encourage you, bridget oreveryone listening to stop
(13:02):
comparing yourself to others, oreveryone listening to stop
comparing yourself to others.
You also, at the same time, havefull permission to be
frustrated at your pace or atwhat you are able to accomplish,
while you are still proud thatyou showed up.
Those two concepts can exist atthe same time inside of you,
(13:24):
even though they feel like theyconflict.
You are allowed to be proudthat you got out the door and
you got X amount of miles orminutes in, but you're also
allowed to be frustrated that itwas hard.
You can have both of those.
That was me, literally onSaturday.
I wanted to go for a longer run, but I got four and a half
(13:45):
miles and I said I'm frustratedthat it was harder than I wanted
it to be, than it should havebeen, but also I was proud that
I actually did that.
So I got myself some of thosegrowth points that me and Kayla
talked about before and I wasjust proud that I showed up and
put in the work.
(14:06):
Let's kind of talk about someactual things that we can do to
try to navigate the rollercoaster, navigate the highs and
the lows.
I mean, obviously it is so mucheasier.
It's easy to navigate the highsbecause you're feeling strong.
You're feeling powerful.
It's easy, you feel like youcan brag.
(14:28):
Let's talk about how are youable to navigate when the paces
aren't working out or it'schallenging.
These are some more conceptsthat are beyond the dogs per
miles.
One thing that I definitely doin a lot of my runs when it gets
difficult is mantras, and Iknow they can be a little woo,
woo, woo, whatever, but reallyit's a way to kind of have
(14:51):
something that you have createdor found or mean something to
you that you can repeat duringtimes when it's challenging.
The one that I there's a couplethat I've that I've used before
, and the first one is like thistoo 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.
(15:13):
And the other one is run themile that you're in.
Um, especially, this works verywell for me on really long runs
when you are, you know you'rein mile two and you're already
stressing that you still have 10more to go.
Or you're in a half marathonand 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.
(15:33):
That's mile two.
That's it.
Run this mile Some other onesthat you can always work on or
come up with some other ideas isevery mile is a gift.
Every mile that you finish is agift.
Another one, if you're in arace, would be strong and steady
.
Wins my race, and I really likethis one a lot because it not
(15:55):
only is powerful, but it remindsyou that it is your race.
You're not, no one else ispaying attention to you and your
race.
You are strong and steady andit is your race and what you
want to do.
And another one can be thispace is what my body needs today
.
So today, my body needs thispace.
Today, when I went for my run,my body needed a quicker pace.
(16:18):
My body needed after this lastweekend it just needed to move
quicker, and so that was what mybody needed, and so you're
putting more of it, that this iswhat you need and you want.
Hey, runners, quick pause intoday's episode to let you know
about something fun.
I'm starting a weeklynewsletter and, yeah, I know
(16:40):
everyone has a newsletter, butthis one's going to be different
because it's actually going tobe fun.
You'll get extra runningstories that don't make it into
the podcast, behind the scenesstuffs with Yogi and Maple and
first dibs on any communitychallenges.
Plus, I'll be sharing my weeklydogs per mile count before
anyone else sees it.
Check out the link in my shownotes if you want to get in on
this running party.
(17:00):
And back to our regularlyscheduled program.
Another good technique that weuse a lot in counseling and
psychology is reframing thosenegative thoughts and kind of
taking them, because if you'reanyone like me, you are your own
horse critic.
You are meaner to yourself thanyou would be to any other
(17:24):
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 toagree with them, even if they're
correct or not.
And so here's some ideas on howwe can kind of reframe negative
thoughts.
And the first big concept thatI want you to kind of think of
(17:45):
is who told me this?
And if the answer is you, isthat a valid source?
Who told me I was slow?
Who told me that I'm not ableto do this?
Who told me that?
And the answer is not somebodyelse?
No one in your life should havetold you that.
So really taking that andlooking for a valid, trustworthy
(18:06):
source in your brain is not oneof them sometimes?
And some other ideas on how wecan reframe negative thoughts.
So, basically, what reframingnegative thoughts means is you
take a negative idea so here'san example is I am so slow and
you're running?
And you're running and you'rethinking I am so slow, I am so
(18:26):
slow and you need to take thatthought and turn it in a
different way, and so you're notjust necessarily putting a
positive spin on it, you'retrying to find a way for that to
be helpful and so you can turnI am so slow into I'm building
endurance, while, yes, you maybe moving quote unquote slower,
(18:50):
but you, at the same time, youare spending more time on your
feet.
You are building endurance.
So you, if your goal was to runsix miles and this six miles is
taking you an hour and a halfand it other times it has taken
you an hour and 20 minutes.
You're building more endurancebecause you're going to be on
your feet for 10 more minutes.
That's a good thing, and so,taking that mindset and moving
(19:13):
it that way Another one thatworks 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'mstill out here.
Yes, I used to be faster, but Iam still out here running.
I am still out here moving,moving.
(19:33):
One that you can also use duringraces is thinking everyone is
passing me and you're going up ahill or even down a hill and
you just feel like everyone ispassing you.
You also can go.
We are all on differentjourneys.
You also can go.
We are all on differentjourneys.
So an easy way to kind of buildyour own reframing is take your
(19:56):
negative thought, add the wordbut B-U-T and then continue on.
Everyone is passing me, but weare all on different journeys.
That's an easy way to kind ofreframe those negative thoughts
as they come in when you'rerunning that try to like bring
you down and you will, everyonce in a while, unfortunately,
run into some jerk runners andthey'll maybe or maybe they're
(20:18):
not jerk, maybe they're just,you know making comments about
that.
Oh, you're running slower today,or what's going on, and a
couple of ways that we just wantto kind of like proactively be
ready to answer that question.
You can say I run at whateverpace feels good that day.
So they ask oh, what pace doyou run?
I just run at whatever pacefeels good that day.
You know, sometimes it's this,sometimes it's that you don't
(20:38):
even have to give a number, justsay it really just depends on
how I'm feeling that day.
And that's a simple, easyanswer.
And another one you could sayis I'm focusing on effort rather
than pace, and that just letsthem know I'm focusing on how
hard or easy I want it to beversus pace.
I don't look at my pace.
I actually don't look at mypace very often on my watch.
(20:59):
And then another technique thatyou can do to kind of silence
out a little bit of the noise isgo through your social media
and if there's runners oraccounts that just make you sad
or upset, unfollow, mute.
You want to make sure you'recurating your social media
account to be accounts thatinspire you, without triggering
(21:22):
you and bringing you down andmaking you feel bad about
yourself.
And sometimes it comes in wayswhere you can handle it
sometimes and you cannot handleother times and it's absolutely
fine to mute and account for alittle bit while you process and
go through it and bring it backup and then finding communities
and similar paced runners, orfinding inclusive running groups
or inclusive running buddiespeople who don't make shit
(21:47):
comments about you used to runthis fast or used to run that.
I would love to know anyone'sgo-to running mantras for
running or races.
I think let's share othermantras that we've used at work
so that way, more people havemore options to pick from.
Let's kind of like normalize theexperience of your paces
(22:08):
changing over your runningjourney, and it can be for so
many different things.
I mean you can just go intolife factors sleep, stress, work
.
I know when I used to work at ahospital and we would do
recruitment and it was just areally like a month of just real
(22:29):
stressful lots of earlymornings, having to get there at
about seven and just a lot ofbusy, busy days.
My paces wouldn't be as goodbecause A I wasn't running as
much and when I could, I was sotired from being on my feet
doing interviews and doing toursat the hospital all day, and so
my paces would struggle becauseI was tired, I was exhausted,
(22:51):
or when I used to work inhousing and you would have
you're on call.
There's weeks where you'rebeing woken up at two, three in
the morning and you're just sostressed out, and so you just
have to be ready to have thepaces change during that time
and the efforts to feel harder.
You can also just look at theweather.
That is a huge, huge factorinto the paces.
(23:14):
Some people can run in warmerweather and have an easier time
than others.
Some people can run in coolerweather and have an easier time
than others.
Some people can run a coolerweather and have an easier time.
I am not a hot weather runner.
If it is 70, even if it's 60degrees, I'm uncomfortable.
It is too hot, I don't like it.
I want it to be cold, and so Iwill see my paces increase or,
(23:38):
yeah, increase when it gets hot,and that just lets me know that
that's okay.
I have to go by effort, I haveto go by how hard it was or how
I feel, and also our paceschange during a training cycle.
So if you've ever done a fulllike eight, 12, 16, 22 week
training cycle for any sort ofrace, there's a reason why we
(24:01):
have the peak week.
We have base building, we haveall these sort of elements in a
traditional training plan andthat is because you are building
endurance through slower,easier runs and then you are
adding in quick or tempo runs tobe able to build quicker feet
(24:22):
and then your pace will slowlyget faster and then, as soon as
you have your race, you gothrough rest and recovery and
your pace is going to drop.
It's just human nature.
It doesn't mean that you lostit.
It just means that your body isrecovering and you can also.
You know the way I like to thinkabout the running journey is
(24:43):
through seasons and there aresome seasons where I am strictly
only running and there's alsoand I see my running increase
and do better, and then there'sseasons where I'm doing a lot
more cross training, a lot lessrunning, 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
(25:06):
times a week as my main goal,but I'm also doing Pilates and
that's just something that I'vewanted to explore and see what
that is like and see how itimpacts my running, and it means
that I'm not getting as fast asI would if I were to be doing a
bunch of spin classes or if Iwas back doing Orange Theory and
(25:29):
doing ESP days and speed daysand benchmarks.
I would probably be gettingfaster, quicker if I was doing
those things.
But right now I am in a seasonof wanting to strengthen my core
and do something that's alittle bit more low impact and a
little bit easier on me, andit's just something I've been
(25:50):
wanting to try and do and sothat's also going to impact my
pace and I just have to be okaywith that.
And also, as we age so you know,when you're in your 20s or even
your 30s, it's a lot easier tobe faster, and the older you get
(26:12):
, the harder it is to to getfaster, and it's different for
men and women and it's differentfor people with kids and
without kids.
But that's just another factorthat can impact your paces and
you just have to kind of lookand really internalize which one
of these or which ones of theseapply to me, and it can be more
than one, and you just have tonot think of it as an excuse.
(26:33):
It's not an excuse, it's notthat you aren't trying, but it
is a valid reason on why it'seither taking longer or it feels
like it's harder.
Okay, so let's go over somekind 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 thisroller coaster as our paces go
(26:55):
up and down.
And let's think about this forlike times when our paces are
down for a long period of time.
I'm not talking the one runafter a week where it just feels
a little bit harder.
I'm talking about those timeswhere it's weeks and weeks and
weeks and it feels like you'rein a plateau and it's not
working.
So one tip I talked about beforewas quote unquote running naked
(27:18):
.
So either running without yourwatch on or taking your watch
and when you hit, startscrolling till you see the time
and only just running on thatand covering the watch up, so
that way you can't see how fastyour miles were or what your
heart rate is at or anythinglike that.
And just at the end of that run.
(27:39):
That way you don't see how fastyou're going, your mileage or
anything like that.
And at the end of the run, thatway you don't see how fast
you're going, your mileage oranything like that, and at the
end of the run really think likehow hard was that effort?
I know my Garmin always askedme, like on a scale of one to 10
, how hard was your run and thenhow strong did you feel?
Answer those questions and behonest and that'll kind of give
you an idea of I felt really,really weak.
(28:03):
And then you look at it you'relike, yeah, my fucking heart
rate was 180 beats per minuteand I wasn't going very fast,
and so that lets me know thatthis was a hard run and that's
okay.
So that way you can kind ofadjust accordingly.
Another thing that you want tokind of do is talk about how you
can adjust your expectations ofyour training cycle, your run,
(28:24):
anything like that, withoutgiving up on your goal, because
there are definitely times andplaces for running with a goal
in mind.
If you're training for a raceand you want to hit a certain
time, I never want anyone tothink that running for fun means
you can't have goals, because Ithink those both, just like
before, two things can exist atthe same time.
You can have fun while running,while wanting to improve and
(28:47):
hit a certain goal time or acertain goal distance, but we
want to figure out ways that wecan adjust the expectations.
So some other things we can dois find some different metrics
to focus on.
Some of these can be youreffort level.
Can I sing my favorite songs?
If you're a music person whileyou run I know I am Can I sing
(29:08):
along to my favorite song?
Can I sing hot to go while I'mrunning?
I'll do that on the treadmill.
Can I do the hot to go danceand spell it incorrectly,
because I apparently can't spell.
Can I talk to a friend?
When I used to run with my uhfriend, I would see like can we,
are we not talking anymorebecause we ran out of things to
say, or can we not breathe?
And so that kind of lets youknow if you're going too fast.
(29:31):
That's another way to test youreffort.
You can also go with how youfeel during and after.
I talked about how, after a run, you can kind of say, like on a
scale of one to 10, how hardwas it?
Kind of also do the same thingduring the run, like how hard
does it feel right now?
And another one, of course, iscounting your dogs.
(29:53):
Your dogs per mile is awonderful metric just to make
things a little bit fun for you.
It's always joyful for me I sawa golden retriever this morning
that brought me so much joy.
And another thing you could kindof create for yourself would be
a success menu.
It could be a menu of thingsthat you would say this run was
successful.
It could be.
I don't want to walk up thishill.
(30:13):
I want to finish my run with anegative split.
So let's say I want the lastmile to be my fastest mile.
I want to say maybe I breatheconsistently throughout the run.
I was brave and I went on adifferent route, or I went
backwards on my route, or Imaintained my form up a hill, or
(30:34):
I went the harder route withoutavoiding the hill.
So there's another just menu ofoptions that you can create for
yourself to say that that runwas successful.
The last thing I kind of want tocover is how we can reframe
successes.
So we talked about reframingnegative talk.
So we want to kind of talkabout how we can reframe success
(30:56):
.
Success doesn't always have tobe I hit this pace during this
race, or I did this, and so Iknow this is something that I
have definitely struggled withis when I was training for the
Chicago half marathon this lastMay and was doing very good up
until race and felt good duringrace day, and then, eight miles
(31:19):
into the race, my super shoesthat I had tried up to mile
eight and was confident thatthey would be just perfect for
me, started to give me a blisterand I had to reframe success as
I kept running.
I didn't meet my goal, but Ikept going and I got over the
finish line and I didn't cry.
That was my reframing successes.
(31:41):
I didn't cry because I didn'tmeet my goal and that was a big
deal for me and it just let meknow that I was still a runner,
even if I didn't meet my goal,and that kind of happens.
So one thing we can always do iswe can build up a win journal
is writing down our wins foreach of our runs.
You could create a little noteon your phone.
(32:03):
You could create a note inStrava or Garmin or wherever you
track your runs what your winwith that run is, and by doing
these little techniques ofreframing your success, you're
creating mental toughnessthrough acceptance, by being
able to get through anything bigor small, challenging.
You're creating more resiliency, which will, in turn, make you
(32:23):
a better runner, and it's goingto 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 enjoyit.
One question I have forlisteners, then, is what is one
(32:45):
way that you can make yourselffeel successful in a run that's
not just pace?
Let me know, because I wouldlove to know more about that.
Right, so we're going to go intothe 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 remindanyone who is unfamiliar with
(33:05):
what dogs per mile is, it is myreal stat, where I count how
many dogs I saw, and take howmany miles I ran, divide them to
figure out what my average dogper mile was.
So this past week, I ran 18miles, not 26 miles.
I ran 18 miles and I saw atotal of 26 dogs, which is an
(33:27):
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 workand got to see dogs during that,
and I also finally got to see aton 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 seemore dogs and see what they're
doing, and I always love it.
(33:47):
It makes me so happy.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you everyone for listeningto today's episode about how to
navigate the pace rollercoaster.
I really want you to thinkabout ways that you can reframe
your thoughts in your brain, howyou can find different ways to
mark a run as successful andjust at least have some context
(34:11):
on why our paces change, andthat it's totally valid.
It's totally valid that we getslower and faster over time, and
it's totally valid if we neverget back to a pace ever again,
and that is still fine.
You're still a runner, justbecause you're not as fast as
you used to be, or it's morechallenging.
So I would love for you guys toshare any of your stories about
(34:33):
how you've dealt with your pacechanging over time.
You can tag me at Dogs Per MilePod on Instagram or on TikTok.
You can tag me at Dogs Per MilePod on Instagram or on TikTok.
I would love for you guys tojust share any experiences you
have.
Thank you so much for listeningand remember the pace that
brings you joy is the right pacefor you today.
Thanks so much and I will seeyou in the next one.
(34:55):
Bye.
Thanks for sharing another milewith me today.
Before you cool down, here arethree quick ways to stay
connected with our runningcommunity.
First, hit subscribe whereveryou're listening to this right
now.
It's the best way to make sureyou never miss an episode.
Second, if today's show helpedyou or inspired you, please
(35:19):
leave a review.
Your words help other runnersfind their way to our community.
Lastly, want more runningadventures?
Follow at Dogs Per Mile pod onInstagram, where I share daily
motivation, behind the scenesmoments and plenty of pictures
of my two running coaches, yogiand Maple.
Be sure to tag me in your runphotos and use hashtag dogs per
mile to share your own dogspotting stats.
(35:40):
I love celebrating yourvictories, big and small and
thank you for being a part ofthis journey.
Until our next run together,remember every step forward is
progress and every dog you seeis bonus motivation.
Keep running, keep smiling andkeep counting those dogs.
Hey runners, welcome to the Dogs Per Mile podcast,
your weekly dose of runningreality.
Here we count dogs instead ofminutes and turn running stats
upside down.
I'm Bridget, your host,certified running coach and
creator of the Dogs per milemindset.
Here's the thing 13 years ago,I started my running journey,
like many of you, watching thestats on my garment and getting
(00:30):
discouraged when they didn'tmatch what they should be saying
.
That's when I discovered themagic of counting dogs in my run
, because sometimes the bestrunning stat isn't your pace or
distance.
Now, with over 50 halfmarathons, two marathons and
countless training runs under mybelt, I'm here to share a
different approach to running,one that breaks down mental
barriers, eases those pre-runanxieties and yes, includes a
(00:53):
weekly update of my personaldogs per mile count.
Whether you're lacing up forthe first time, getting back
into running after a break,struggling your training with
group fitness classes or chasingyour next PR, you've found your
people.
This is where we take thepressure off and put the joy
back in running, because everyrunner has a place here and
(01:15):
every dog site is worthcelebrating.
Hey runners, welcome back tothe Dogs Per Mile podcast, your
weekly dose of running reality,where we count dogs instead of
minutes and turn running statsupside down.
I'm Bridget, your host, andtoday we're going to dive into
something that every runner thatI know has dealt with.
(01:36):
I've dealt with it and it issomething that we all struggle
with and can really be achallenge for any runner who's
new to the running game or isexperienced, and it's watching
our paces change over ourrunning journey and learning how
(01:56):
to deal with the feelings thatarise as our paces become faster
and slower, regardless of whatwe are doing.
You know that moment when you'rein a run and you look down at
your watch and the numbers thatare staring back at you just
feel wrong.
You look at the numbers andthey're like this can't be it.
Those could not be correct.
I'm faster than this.
(02:17):
I'm better than this.
This happened to me a couple ofweeks ago.
I was feeling really good, itwas beautiful weather, it was
finally chilly and there was nowind, and I was already feeling
really good.
It was beautiful weather, itwas finally chilly and there was
no wind, and I was alreadyfeeling really great.
And I looked down at my watchand I am going at least a minute
and a half slower than I shouldbe on that type of run and it
(02:37):
really makes that run go fromfeeling really good to feeling
pretty much like shit, andsuddenly it just didn't feel as
amazing anymore.
You know those feelings kind ofrushed in your mind of I used
to be faster.
I remember when I could run this, this would be a slow run, or I
remember I used to be able toclock this pace, and then you
(03:01):
kind of think what happened tome, what did I do, or what am I
doing wrong?
And all of those emotions comeflooding back in and then it
just becomes a self-fulfillingprophecy.
And so that's why we need tohave this conversation today,
because whether you've beenrunning for months or years,
there's a chance that you'veexperienced this emotional
rollercoaster of watching yourpace change.
(03:23):
It could be after taking abreak, like when I talked with
my friend Kayla and she talkedabout getting back into running
after taking a significant breakor 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 wantto let you know that the
feelings are valid and they canreally just fuck with your head.
(03:46):
So today we're going to talkabout it all my journey, what I
used to hit easy eight minutemiles in OTF to now struggling
to even maintain a nine minutemile as one mile repeat.
And how to deal with all ofthose Garmin notifications that
you're falling behind or yourrun is unproductive because that
(04:08):
sucks.
And, most importantly again,how to have fun in running, no
matter what pace or what yourwatch is saying.
But before we dive in, I justwant to know when was the last
time your pace surprised you,for good or for bad?
I'd love for you to share yourstory with me.
Tag me on Instagram atDogsPerMilePod.
Let's get into it.
You may remember, in the firstepisode I talked about my
(04:33):
running journey and how Istarted 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 thePlanet Fitness in Granby,
connecticut, and I would runwalk, which is still running for
all those playing at home.
(04:53):
A run walk training plan isstill running and I would run
for this many minutes and walkin this.
And I had signed up for myfirst 5k and was just so proud
that I finished it in 35 minutesand that was something I was
proud of and I'm still proud ofthat and I should continue to be
proud of that.
And then, as I trained forlonger distances, I got into
(05:17):
better shape.
I was a little bit quicker.
I started incorporatingdifferent types of workouts.
When I did some of my first andsecond half marathons the Nike
women's my first one I was soclose to a two hour and I had no
idea that that was pretty goodfor a newbie going into running.
And then I got my second oneand I ran a sub two hour half
marathon on my third halfmarathon and I was over the moon
(05:41):
.
Over time, my pace has gone upand down.
I have run everywhere, from 11,12 minute miles down to 7.30s.
That's about as fast as mylittle short little legs can let
me go.
When I was doing Orange Theory,when I got really really into
it and I was doing itconsistently and I was also
(06:02):
biking to work and a whole bunchof other factors that are
entirely unable to recreateagain in the time frame that I
am now, I was able to get downto where my base pace was a 7.0
7 point I was.
My goal before the end of 2020was to be at a 8.0 pace.
(06:23):
Well, 2020 came around andfucked everything up.
But I was running, I would runoutside and I would run five
miles in 40 minutes and it wasjust unbelievable that it felt
easier and I started seeing thatI was like actually pretty fast
for me and for what I wasexpecting to be and it just
(06:44):
gives you this like freakingconfidence boost and I don't
want anyone to think, if they'renot in that range, that they
don't deserve to feel fastbecause you do.
This is just my roller coasterof my paces and I felt quick.
I felt like I was passingpeople on the telecom bridge and
I'm going past them and feelingreally powerful and strong and
(07:08):
how much I was able to do.
And I remember in so many raceslast time I did a sub two hour
half was in the Salve Islandhalf marathon in July, which a
half marathon in July 4th isbananas.
It was always always a dream toget another sub two hour half
(07:29):
and I've been doing OTF for awhile at that point and I did it
and I passed people in the raceand I passed people at the
finish line and having thatboost of energy, it just really,
really brings your confidence.
And then last fall I was doingreally good, I was training.
I had kind of three halfmarathons stacked back to back
(07:51):
to back and I was just kind ofcutting them down with, like I
try and shoot for the 215 andget a 210, and then try and
shoot for 210 and get 205.
And so just really gettingclose to those, that again, that
sub two hour half, because thatis just, for whatever reason,
for me that is my dream and mygoal and I just think it's such
(08:13):
a cool thing to work towards andthat's just for me personally.
But recently I haven't beenable to get back there.
No matter what, it seems likethat I train hard, or I don't
train hard enough, or I'm notdoing the right training, or I
feel like I gained weight andit's just harder to run, or I'm
(08:34):
more stressed because my work isdifferent or life is different,
and it just really kind of putsyou 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 myInstagram and be like, oh, last
year at this time you wererunning 10 miles at a 9.15 or
(08:56):
nine minute mile and now I can'tand it's really challenging and
so you really kind of have tolearn to deal with that and
that's we're going to kind oftalk a little bit more about.
But I wanted to let you guysknow on I've also gone through
that where I've been fast andthen I've been not fast or not
(09:16):
as fast numbers wise, and it'sreally fucks with your head and
it's hard and it makes you feellike there's no point in getting
out there when it comes to likethe pace changes.
I know there's a lot of noisethat kind of comes into the
running world right when youhear your own history.
If you're a seasoned runner,you have the noise of how fast
(09:40):
you used to be and how easythings 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, becausewe always have these rose
tinted glasses telling us howeasy it was to go out for that
six mile run in 45 minutes orwhatever the heck you were able
(10:03):
to do that.
There's times when you knowthat it's not a great idea yet
you're not in the right mentalheadspace to do a programmed run
on your watch, for example, ifyou use Garmin a lot of times,
you can either do like theirdaily workout suggestions or, if
you're on a training plan,having it buzz and remind you
that this is your pace, that youshould be running at this, what
(10:26):
your heart rate should be, andthere 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 yourwatch I can't because I'm a
weirdo but you could run withouta watch and just let it be
relaxed.
Or the thing that I always dois I will hit start and then I
(10:48):
will change my watch face to theclock and that way I just know
that this is what time it is.
But I have no idea and I covermy 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 seethat or you feel like you're
falling behind, it's just goingto snowball to you and it's
(11:09):
really just that conflict ofknowing what you're capable of
and what your current reality is, and it sucks when those two
don't align and it's frustratingand there's kind of a couple
paths that you can take.
You can say that I just willnever 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.
(11:32):
I've proven that I can workhard.
Not that I can get back to thatnumber or that whatever, but I
know that I have proven trackrecord of putting in effort when
I need to, so using that tokind of push you along.
The other thing is social media.
You're comparing yourself toother people, whether or not you
know them or don't know them.
You can compare it to a friendwho is in a run group or a
(11:54):
friend who runs, or a socialmedia influencer.
I know I've seen ones that theyget bibs or sign up for races
and then you see them go outthere 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 arunner, they didn't want to do
this as much as I do, they don'tidentify as a runner or
(12:17):
whatever, and they succeededbetter than me.
Like what's that about?
So it's really easy to want tocompare to others and I really,
really, really and this may beme saying this to me I really,
bridget.
I really encourage you to notcompare your numbers to other
(12:40):
people, because you there's somuch that you don't know about
their training plan, you don'tknow about the weather they're
at, you don't know about howwell rested they are, you don't
know the path that they're in.
You may run a hillier areadifferent times a day.
I encourage you, bridget oreveryone listening to stop
(13:02):
comparing yourself to others, oreveryone listening to stop
comparing yourself to others.
You also, at the same time, havefull permission to be
frustrated at your pace or atwhat you are able to accomplish,
while you are still proud thatyou showed up.
Those two concepts can exist atthe same time inside of you,
(13:24):
even though they feel like theyconflict.
You are allowed to be proudthat you got out the door and
you got X amount of miles orminutes in, but you're also
allowed to be frustrated that itwas hard.
You can have both of those.
That was me, literally onSaturday.
I wanted to go for a longer run, but I got four and a half
(13:45):
miles and I said I'm frustratedthat it was harder than I wanted
it to be, than it should havebeen, but also I was proud that
I actually did that.
So I got myself some of thosegrowth points that me and Kayla
talked about before and I wasjust proud that I showed up and
put in the work.
(14:06):
Let's kind of talk about someactual things that we can do to
try to navigate the rollercoaster, navigate the highs and
the lows.
I mean, obviously it is so mucheasier.
It's easy to navigate the highsbecause you're feeling strong.
You're feeling powerful.
It's easy, you feel like youcan brag.
(14:28):
Let's talk about how are youable to navigate when the paces
aren't working out or it'schallenging.
These are some more conceptsthat are beyond the dogs per
miles.
One thing that I definitely doin a lot of my runs when it gets
difficult is mantras, and Iknow they can be a little woo,
woo, woo, whatever, but reallyit's a way to kind of have
(14:51):
something that you have createdor found or mean something to
you that you can repeat duringtimes when it's challenging.
The one that I there's a couplethat I've that I've used before
, and the first one is like thistoo 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.
(15:13):
And the other one is run themile that you're in.
Um, especially, this works verywell for me on really long runs
when you are, you know you'rein mile two and you're already
stressing that you still have 10more to go.
Or you're in a half marathonand 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.
(15:33):
That's mile two.
That's it.
Run this mile Some other onesthat you can always work on or
come up with some other ideas isevery mile is a gift.
Every mile that you finish is agift.
Another one, if you're in arace, would be strong and steady
.
Wins my race, and I really likethis one a lot because it not
(15:55):
only is powerful, but it remindsyou that it is your race.
You're not, no one else ispaying attention to you and your
race.
You are strong and steady andit is your race and what you
want to do.
And another one can be thispace is what my body needs today
.
So today, my body needs thispace.
Today, when I went for my run,my body needed a quicker pace.
(16:18):
My body needed after this lastweekend it just needed to move
quicker, and so that was what mybody needed, and so you're
putting more of it, that this iswhat you need and you want.
Hey, runners, quick pause intoday's episode to let you know
about something fun.
I'm starting a weeklynewsletter and, yeah, I know
(16:40):
everyone has a newsletter, butthis one's going to be different
because it's actually going tobe fun.
You'll get extra runningstories that don't make it into
the podcast, behind the scenesstuffs with Yogi and Maple and
first dibs on any communitychallenges.
Plus, I'll be sharing my weeklydogs per mile count before
anyone else sees it.
Check out the link in my shownotes if you want to get in on
this running party.
(17:00):
And back to our regularlyscheduled program.
Another good technique that weuse a lot in counseling and
psychology is reframing thosenegative thoughts and kind of
taking them, because if you'reanyone like me, you are your own
horse critic.
You are meaner to yourself thanyou would be to any other
(17:24):
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 toagree with them, even if they're
correct or not.
And so here's some ideas on howwe can kind of reframe negative
thoughts.
And the first big concept thatI want you to kind of think of
(17:45):
is who told me this?
And if the answer is you, isthat a valid source?
Who told me I was slow?
Who told me that I'm not ableto do this?
Who told me that?
And the answer is not somebodyelse?
No one in your life should havetold you that.
So really taking that andlooking for a valid, trustworthy
(18:06):
source in your brain is not oneof them sometimes?
And some other ideas on how wecan reframe negative thoughts.
So, basically, what reframingnegative thoughts means is you
take a negative idea so here'san example is I am so slow and
you're running?
And you're running and you'rethinking I am so slow, I am so
(18:26):
slow and you need to take thatthought and turn it in a
different way, and so you're notjust necessarily putting a
positive spin on it, you'retrying to find a way for that to
be helpful and so you can turnI am so slow into I'm building
endurance, while, yes, you maybe moving quote unquote slower,
(18:50):
but you, at the same time, youare spending more time on your
feet.
You are building endurance.
So you, if your goal was to runsix miles and this six miles is
taking you an hour and a halfand it other times it has taken
you an hour and 20 minutes.
You're building more endurancebecause you're going to be on
your feet for 10 more minutes.
That's a good thing, and so,taking that mindset and moving
(19:13):
it that way Another one thatworks 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'mstill out here.
Yes, I used to be faster, but Iam still out here running.
I am still out here moving,moving.
(19:33):
One that you can also use duringraces is thinking everyone is
passing me and you're going up ahill or even down a hill and
you just feel like everyone ispassing you.
You also can go.
We are all on differentjourneys.
You also can go.
We are all on differentjourneys.
So an easy way to kind of buildyour own reframing is take your
(19:56):
negative thought, add the wordbut B-U-T and then continue on.
Everyone is passing me, but weare all on different journeys.
That's an easy way to kind ofreframe those negative thoughts
as they come in when you'rerunning that try to like bring
you down and you will, everyonce in a while, unfortunately,
run into some jerk runners andthey'll maybe or maybe they're
(20:18):
not jerk, maybe they're just,you know making comments about
that.
Oh, you're running slower today,or what's going on, and a
couple of ways that we just wantto kind of like proactively be
ready to answer that question.
You can say I run at whateverpace feels good that day.
So they ask oh, what pace doyou run?
I just run at whatever pacefeels good that day.
You know, sometimes it's this,sometimes it's that you don't
(20:38):
even have to give a number, justsay it really just depends on
how I'm feeling that day.
And that's a simple, easyanswer.
And another one you could sayis I'm focusing on effort rather
than pace, and that just letsthem know I'm focusing on how
hard or easy I want it to beversus pace.
I don't look at my pace.
I actually don't look at mypace very often on my watch.
(20:59):
And then another technique thatyou can do to kind of silence
out a little bit of the noise isgo through your social media
and if there's runners oraccounts that just make you sad
or upset, unfollow, mute.
You want to make sure you'recurating your social media
account to be accounts thatinspire you, without triggering
(21:22):
you and bringing you down andmaking you feel bad about
yourself.
And sometimes it comes in wayswhere you can handle it
sometimes and you cannot handleother times and it's absolutely
fine to mute and account for alittle bit while you process and
go through it and bring it backup and then finding communities
and similar paced runners, orfinding inclusive running groups
or inclusive running buddiespeople who don't make shit
(21:47):
comments about you used to runthis fast or used to run that.
I would love to know anyone'sgo-to running mantras for
running or races.
I think let's share othermantras that we've used at work
so that way, more people havemore options to pick from.
Let's kind of like normalize theexperience of your paces
(22:08):
changing over your runningjourney, and it can be for so
many different things.
I mean you can just go intolife factors sleep, stress, work
.
I know when I used to work at ahospital and we would do
recruitment and it was just areally like a month of just real
(22:29):
stressful lots of earlymornings, having to get there at
about seven and just a lot ofbusy, busy days.
My paces wouldn't be as goodbecause A I wasn't running as
much and when I could, I was sotired from being on my feet
doing interviews and doing toursat the hospital all day, and so
my paces would struggle becauseI was tired, I was exhausted,
(22:51):
or when I used to work inhousing and you would have
you're on call.
There's weeks where you'rebeing woken up at two, three in
the morning and you're just sostressed out, and so you just
have to be ready to have thepaces change during that time
and the efforts to feel harder.
You can also just look at theweather.
That is a huge, huge factorinto the paces.
(23:14):
Some people can run in warmerweather and have an easier time
than others.
Some people can run in coolerweather and have an easier time
than others.
Some people can run a coolerweather and have an easier time.
I am not a hot weather runner.
If it is 70, even if it's 60degrees, I'm uncomfortable.
It is too hot, I don't like it.
I want it to be cold, and so Iwill see my paces increase or,
(23:38):
yeah, increase when it gets hot,and that just lets me know that
that's okay.
I have to go by effort, I haveto go by how hard it was or how
I feel, and also our paceschange during a training cycle.
So if you've ever done a fulllike eight, 12, 16, 22 week
training cycle for any sort ofrace, there's a reason why we
(24:01):
have the peak week.
We have base building, we haveall these sort of elements in a
traditional training plan andthat is because you are building
endurance through slower,easier runs and then you are
adding in quick or tempo runs tobe able to build quicker feet
(24:22):
and then your pace will slowlyget faster and then, as soon as
you have your race, you gothrough rest and recovery and
your pace is going to drop.
It's just human nature.
It doesn't mean that you lostit.
It just means that your body isrecovering and you can also.
You know the way I like to thinkabout the running journey is
(24:43):
through seasons and there aresome seasons where I am strictly
only running and there's alsoand I see my running increase
and do better, and then there'sseasons where I'm doing a lot
more cross training, a lot lessrunning, 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
(25:06):
times a week as my main goal,but I'm also doing Pilates and
that's just something that I'vewanted to explore and see what
that is like and see how itimpacts my running, and it means
that I'm not getting as fast asI would if I were to be doing a
bunch of spin classes or if Iwas back doing Orange Theory and
(25:29):
doing ESP days and speed daysand benchmarks.
I would probably be gettingfaster, quicker if I was doing
those things.
But right now I am in a seasonof wanting to strengthen my core
and do something that's alittle bit more low impact and a
little bit easier on me, andit's just something I've been
(25:50):
wanting to try and do and sothat's also going to impact my
pace and I just have to be okaywith that.
And also, as we age so you know,when you're in your 20s or even
your 30s, it's a lot easier tobe faster, and the older you get
(26:12):
, the harder it is to to getfaster, and it's different for
men and women and it's differentfor people with kids and
without kids.
But that's just another factorthat can impact your paces and
you just have to kind of lookand really internalize which one
of these or which ones of theseapply to me, and it can be more
than one, and you just have tonot think of it as an excuse.
(26:33):
It's not an excuse, it's notthat you aren't trying, but it
is a valid reason on why it'seither taking longer or it feels
like it's harder.
Okay, so let's go over somekind 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 thisroller coaster as our paces go
(26:55):
up and down.
And let's think about this forlike times when our paces are
down for a long period of time.
I'm not talking the one runafter a week where it just feels
a little bit harder.
I'm talking about those timeswhere it's weeks and weeks and
weeks and it feels like you'rein a plateau and it's not
working.
So one tip I talked about beforewas quote unquote running naked
(27:18):
.
So either running without yourwatch on or taking your watch
and when you hit, startscrolling till you see the time
and only just running on thatand covering the watch up, so
that way you can't see how fastyour miles were or what your
heart rate is at or anythinglike that.
And just at the end of that run.
(27:39):
That way you don't see how fastyou're going, your mileage or
anything like that.
And at the end of the run, thatway you don't see how fast
you're going, your mileage oranything like that, and at the
end of the run really think likehow hard was that effort?
I know my Garmin always askedme, like on a scale of one to 10
, how hard was your run and thenhow strong did you feel?
Answer those questions and behonest and that'll kind of give
you an idea of I felt really,really weak.
(28:03):
And then you look at it you'relike, yeah, my fucking heart
rate was 180 beats per minuteand I wasn't going very fast,
and so that lets me know thatthis was a hard run and that's
okay.
So that way you can kind ofadjust accordingly.
Another thing that you want tokind of do is talk about how you
can adjust your expectations ofyour training cycle, your run,
(28:24):
anything like that, withoutgiving up on your goal, because
there are definitely times andplaces for running with a goal
in mind.
If you're training for a raceand you want to hit a certain
time, I never want anyone tothink that running for fun means
you can't have goals, because Ithink those both, just like
before, two things can exist atthe same time.
You can have fun while running,while wanting to improve and
(28:47):
hit a certain goal time or acertain goal distance, but we
want to figure out ways that wecan adjust the expectations.
So some other things we can dois find some different metrics
to focus on.
Some of these can be youreffort level.
Can I sing my favorite songs?
If you're a music person whileyou run I know I am Can I sing
(29:08):
along to my favorite song?
Can I sing hot to go while I'mrunning?
I'll do that on the treadmill.
Can I do the hot to go danceand spell it incorrectly,
because I apparently can't spell.
Can I talk to a friend?
When I used to run with my uhfriend, I would see like can we,
are we not talking anymorebecause we ran out of things to
say, or can we not breathe?
And so that kind of lets youknow if you're going too fast.
(29:31):
That's another way to test youreffort.
You can also go with how youfeel during and after.
I talked about how, after a run, you can kind of say, like on a
scale of one to 10, how hardwas it?
Kind of also do the same thingduring the run, like how hard
does it feel right now?
And another one, of course, iscounting your dogs.
(29:53):
Your dogs per mile is awonderful metric just to make
things a little bit fun for you.
It's always joyful for me I sawa golden retriever this morning
that brought me so much joy.
And another thing you could kindof create for yourself would be
a success menu.
It could be a menu of thingsthat you would say this run was
successful.
It could be.
I don't want to walk up thishill.
(30:13):
I want to finish my run with anegative split.
So let's say I want the lastmile to be my fastest mile.
I want to say maybe I breatheconsistently throughout the run.
I was brave and I went on adifferent route, or I went
backwards on my route, or Imaintained my form up a hill, or
(30:34):
I went the harder route withoutavoiding the hill.
So there's another just menu ofoptions that you can create for
yourself to say that that runwas successful.
The last thing I kind of want tocover is how we can reframe
successes.
So we talked about reframingnegative talk.
So we want to kind of talkabout how we can reframe success
(30:56):
.
Success doesn't always have tobe I hit this pace during this
race, or I did this, and so Iknow this is something that I
have definitely struggled withis when I was training for the
Chicago half marathon this lastMay and was doing very good up
until race and felt good duringrace day, and then, eight miles
(31:19):
into the race, my super shoesthat I had tried up to mile
eight and was confident thatthey would be just perfect for
me, started to give me a blisterand I had to reframe success as
I kept running.
I didn't meet my goal, but Ikept going and I got over the
finish line and I didn't cry.
That was my reframing successes.
(31:41):
I didn't cry because I didn'tmeet my goal and that was a big
deal for me and it just let meknow that I was still a runner,
even if I didn't meet my goal,and that kind of happens.
So one thing we can always do iswe can build up a win journal
is writing down our wins foreach of our runs.
You could create a little noteon your phone.
(32:03):
You could create a note inStrava or Garmin or wherever you
track your runs what your winwith that run is, and by doing
these little techniques ofreframing your success, you're
creating mental toughnessthrough acceptance, by being
able to get through anything bigor small, challenging.
You're creating more resiliency, which will, in turn, make you
(32:23):
a better runner, and it's goingto 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 enjoyit.
One question I have forlisteners, then, is what is one
(32:45):
way that you can make yourselffeel successful in a run that's
not just pace?
Let me know, because I wouldlove to know more about that.
Right, so we're going to go intothe 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 remindanyone who is unfamiliar with
(33:05):
what dogs per mile is, it is myreal stat, where I count how
many dogs I saw, and take howmany miles I ran, divide them to
figure out what my average dogper mile was.
So this past week, I ran 18miles, not 26 miles.
I ran 18 miles and I saw atotal of 26 dogs, which is an
(33:27):
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 workand got to see dogs during that,
and I also finally got to see aton 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 seemore dogs and see what they're
doing, and I always love it.
(33:47):
It makes me so happy.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you everyone for listeningto today's episode about how to
navigate the pace rollercoaster.
I really want you to thinkabout ways that you can reframe
your thoughts in your brain, howyou can find different ways to
mark a run as successful andjust at least have some context
(34:11):
on why our paces change, andthat it's totally valid.
It's totally valid that we getslower and faster over time, and
it's totally valid if we neverget back to a pace ever again,
and that is still fine.
You're still a runner, justbecause you're not as fast as
you used to be, or it's morechallenging.
So I would love for you guys toshare any of your stories about
(34:33):
how you've dealt with your pacechanging over time.
You can tag me at Dogs Per MilePod on Instagram or on TikTok.
You can tag me at Dogs Per MilePod on Instagram or on TikTok.
I would love for you guys tojust share any experiences you
have.
Thank you so much for listeningand remember the pace that
brings you joy is the right pacefor you today.
Thanks so much and I will seeyou in the next one.
(34:55):
Bye.
Thanks for sharing another milewith me today.
Before you cool down, here arethree quick ways to stay
connected with our runningcommunity.
First, hit subscribe whereveryou're listening to this right
now.
It's the best way to make sureyou never miss an episode.
Second, if today's show helpedyou or inspired you, please
(35:19):
leave a review.
Your words help other runnersfind their way to our community.
Lastly, want more runningadventures?
Follow at Dogs Per Mile pod onInstagram, where I share daily
motivation, behind the scenesmoments and plenty of pictures
of my two running coaches, yogiand Maple.
Be sure to tag me in your runphotos and use hashtag dogs per
mile to share your own dogspotting stats.
(35:40):
I love celebrating yourvictories, big and small and
thank you for being a part ofthis journey.
Until our next run together,remember every step forward is
progress and every dog you seeis bonus motivation.
Keep running, keep smiling andkeep counting those dogs.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.