January 8, 2025 • 33 mins
In this episode of the Dogs Per Mile podcast, host Bridget Gaug guides listeners through the process of selecting the right race distance for their running journey. She discusses the importance of matching training loads with time commitments, debunks common myths about race distances, and provides insights into the training requirements for 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons. The episode emphasizes the significance of understanding one's current fitness level and lifestyle fit to avoid burnout and ensure a fulfilling running experience. Bridget encourages listeners to reframe their goals and consider performance over distance, making running accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Takeaways
- Choosing the right race distance depends on your time commitment.
- 5Ks are a great starting point for new runners.
- Training for a half marathon requires a significant time investment.
- You can train for a 10K with a mix of speed and endurance workouts.
- It's important to consider your current fitness level when selecting a race.
- Debunking the myth that you need to look a certain way to run races.
- 5Ks are accessible and can fit into busy schedules.
- The 10K serves as a good stepping stone to longer distances.
- Visualizing your race day can help motivate your training.
- Reframing goals to focus on performance can lead to greater satisfaction.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I truly believe in my heart of hearts that everyone
can train and run a halfmarathon.
Hey runners, you're listeningto Dogs Per Mile, where we're
making running work for yourlife, not the other way around.
I'm Bridget, with over 13 yearsof running experience and
approximately 4,892 dogs seen onmy run.
(00:22):
I'm now here to help you findyour own path to running
happiness.
Ready to run on your own terms.
Let's get going.
Hey guys, welcome back to theDogs Per Mile podcast.
I am your host, bridget.
I'm so thankful that you'rehere today and I'm so excited to
(00:43):
start this series with y'all.
So, if you remember my historywith running, I started running
after the loss of my puppy Beta,and for me, I entered running
as a sense of finding myselfafter loss.
And if you have thought aboutstarting your running journey,
for whatever is motivating youwhether or not you've seen
(01:05):
people on social media and youthink I want to try that, you're
inspired by other people orwhatever I'm here to help guide
you through those steps.
I'm here to help you find outwhat distance to run, whether
it's a 5k, a 10k, a halfmarathon.
We're going to talk about that.
I'm going to help you, in thisseries, figure out what race to
(01:26):
run.
Are you going to run one that'slocal to your house, near your
city?
Are you going to do adestination race?
And then we're going to talkabout how are you going to train
for this race.
So how are you going to getfrom being all excited, like you
are right now, to getting tothe start line and then actually
getting to the finish line?
So I want to do a three-partseries, and so today, this
(01:48):
episode is going to coverpicking your race distance, and
the other episodes will followon the other elements.
So, if you've ever wanted toenter your runner error and you
are ready, well, 2025 is here.
Let's do this, baby girl, okay.
So obviously, you've beenscrolling on TikTok and
(02:08):
Instagram and you've seen peoplesigning up for 10Ks and half
marathons and 5Ks and looking atall the different distances
online and you don't know whichone is going to be best for you
and your goals.
And so today, my goal is at theend of this, you will know
which race distance is right foryou, which race distance can
(02:31):
you actually train for, andwhich race distance is actually
going to be the one that's goingto fulfill you and inspire you
and bring you the most joy andmotivation and make you want to
motivation and make you want tokeep going and make you want to
sign up for another race.
And I know my story goes fromrunning a 5k and jumping right
(02:52):
into a half marathon and I don'tparticularly recommend that.
It doesn't always work outgreat, but I'm going to guide
you through how my process wouldbe if I was you and I am
branded and running and I neededto think about what resistance
I was going to do.
So, before we get started, Iwant to kind of clear up some of
(03:13):
those myths, rumors or whateverthat you may see going around
that may keep you from wantingto sign up.
So the first one is it's just a5k.
I was literally talking aboutthis with my husband yesterday,
and one of my personal goals for2025 is to sign up and do more
(03:34):
races, because last year Iactually did two races last year
.
That's it.
And one of them is to sign upand do more shorter distance
races, because I fucking hatethe 5k, because it's so hard.
People who do the 5k are crazy.
It hurts, you're sprinting,what it feels like, you're
(03:55):
sprinting the whole time, and soa 5k is not anything to to like
just say, oh, it's just a 5k,it's nothing.
No, 5ks are hard.
5k is a very tough distance andit's a very good challenge,
especially if you are new torunning, especially if you've
(04:16):
never been running.
And this is your, your, you'redipping your toe in and you're
going to start with run, walkand I don't know if you know
this that competitive runnersthat's why track and field is so
big is competitive runnerstrain for 5Ks only exclusively.
That is their race becausethey're so hard.
So if you're signing up for a5K, regardless of how fast
(04:39):
you're going to do it in, sotake that number in your brain,
put a big X in it, throw it outthe window.
We're not paying attention tothat.
If you are choosing the 5K,know that you're better than a
lot of people who won't sign upto do the 5K.
It is still a respectabledistance, so think about that.
So we're going to move on tomyth number two.
(05:00):
You have to look a certain wayto run a 5K.
You have to look a certain wayto run a 5K, 10k or a half
marathon Absolutely the fuck youdo.
Any body type, any body shapecan run those distances.
There is no particular bodynumber, circumference, size on
(05:20):
your shorts, shirt, sports brathat correlates on whether or
not you should be at that startline, don't?
Any person that says that stuff, fuck them.
There's nothing more thanseeing.
I love more than seeing peopleof all sizes, all shapes, all
lifestyles at the start line.
(05:41):
Every person deserves to bethere because they also took
time out of their day to trainfor the race.
They took their hours and theydid their long runs.
Everyone deserves to be there.
Don't think I can't train forthis 10K because I don't weigh a
certain amount, or I will trainfor half marathon once I weigh
this number or once I am thissize.
(06:02):
Once you start putting thoselimits on yourself, you are
always going to be living inthat.
So let's let year of 2025 bethe year that we ignore those
and we try and run for these newgoals Without that.
Every person deserves to be atthe start line.
And number three is training fora race takes over your entire
(06:24):
life and it can if you do itwrong or if you let it.
I know that there are ways thatthere are runners who will
train for a half marathon andthey run six days a week and
they're pulling out 70 miles aweek and that's fine for some
people.
But you can train for a halfmarathon, a 10k or a 5k by
(06:48):
running three, run walking three, four days a week, by combining
your group fitness classes,your Barry's Boot Camp, your
Peloton bike ride, your OrangeTheory Fitness.
There are ways to do both andnot let it take over your entire
life and feel like all you'redoing is training and working.
And how are you fitting thisall in?
(07:10):
It is easier than you think itis and we're going to talk about
that in later episodes, butabsolutely you can fit it into
your life.
We just need to find out thebest distance that fits into
your life.
So now that we've dispelled someof those myths and we know that
we can train for this we don'tneed to be a certain size and a
(07:35):
5k is still a respectabledistance let's kind of talk
about what each distanceactually involves when it comes
to training.
And so if you are new torunning, I want to at least give
you guys some numberinformation.
So a 5k is five kilometers or3.1 miles approximately.
A 10k would be double that, sothat's about 6.22 miles, and a
(08:00):
half marathon is 13.1 miles.
So that just kind of gives youa little idea of how long those
mileage are, and so I'm notgoing to talk about these and
how long it takes you to do them, because that is dependent on
you and you as a person.
So the 5k.
So we're going to start with.
How many?
(08:21):
How long does it take in a weekto train for it, bridget?
How many hours a week do Iactually need to dedicate to
this so I can actually get overthe finish line?
And you need to at least beable to dedicate.
You need to at least be able toget two to four hours a week to
the 5k training plan.
So that's a good amount.
(08:42):
It's not crazy, but it's stilla good amount and that is over.
If you are a absolute beginner,six to eight weeks minimum.
You may want a little bit more,closer to 12 weeks.
If you are starting from notrunning at all and you're going
to start with a run walk, youmay want to.
I've done the couch to 5k whenI first did my first 5k back
(09:03):
2012.
And if you are a more activeindividual, you may only need
four to six weeks.
So it's a really quick way totest.
Do you like training?
Do you like running withoutreally burning yourself out.
It's really an easy one thatyou can.
There's 5Ks almost everyweekend places, so you can run a
(09:25):
5K every weekend if you want,and you can turn and burn them
if you really enjoy this quickdistance which, if you do, I
have questions and it's also themost accessible distance for
busy schedules.
So if you are a person who isreally busy but you still want
to be able to do a race onweekends, the 5k is going to be
(09:46):
great for really busy peoplebecause you only have to
dedicate two to four hours.
I'm not saying those two tofour hours are going to be easy,
but I am saying that it is onlytwo to four hours out of your
week to be able to get you overthat finish line.
Now that all sounds great.
The con is the speed workoutsfor 5Ks.
They're going to suck.
(10:07):
They're going to be because theshorter the distance of the
race, the faster your speedworkouts are going to be, so
that's going to be a lot moreintense If you're shooting for a
hard race, if you are justtrying to get over the finish
line and you are new to thisrunning.
Ignore that con.
That con doesn't even exist inour world, we don't need to
(10:29):
worry about her.
So your con is just that it's ashort distance, that's all.
That's the only con.
That it is 3.1 miles, that'sthe con.
Moving on to the 10K 10K is kindof the sweet spot.
It's the Goldilocks.
I'd say it's the middle child.
But I'm the middle child andit's not the middle child.
(10:51):
It takes about three to sixhours a week of training.
When I say training, we'remeaning running, meaning on the
feet, on the treadmill,pitter-patter training.
If you're a beginner, you'regoing to want to train at least
eight to 12 weeks, especiallyclose to that 12 weeks if you
are new to running haven't beenrunning and if you are more
(11:15):
advanced, you might be able tosqueeze it in six to eight weeks
if you're more active.
Now what's really nice aboutthe 10k is you get to balance
speed and endurance and a true10k training plan.
You'll get to get some of thoselonger runs that you would get
like with a half marathon.
So you may get to build somelonger distances past that six
(11:35):
mile mark, which, for me,anytime I get to go past five
miles or creep close to doubledigits, I get this little mental
boost in this.
I enjoy that.
So that's a fun element that Ilove about a 10K training plan.
But you also get to do some ofthose tempo speed runs or longer
time, faster runs, so that isalways fun.
(11:58):
It also is a large sense ofaccomplishment.
I know the 10K being six milesis, or 6.2 miles, can feel like
a larger accomplishment than the5K because it's you know, it's
double the distance.
So a lot of people can feelmore accomplished when they run
a 10K because if you look at theaverage 10k time it's a little
bit over an hour hour plus, andso to have done a race where you
(12:22):
run over an hour, that's prettyimpressive.
For me at least, I always amreally proud when I run for over
an hour because you're doingsomething consistently for an
hour and it's also a reallygreat stepping stone, a really
great test to see if you'reready to do a half marathon.
It's kind of that one if you'reon the fence between doing a
(12:43):
half and a 10K and you're justnot quite sure We'll go over a
little bit more.
If we can kind of think aboutthat, it's a really great test
to your endurance.
Like, okay, if I can run a 10KI can probably run a half
marathon later on down the line.
But you can train for thatwithout getting hurt, without
(13:04):
falling out of love with running, since this is your first time
trying to fall in love withrunning and we want to make sure
we fall in love with it and notsuffer too much right away.
So the cons, obviously, is thatit requires more time.
If you're training for a 10k,it's going to require more time
to train because you got to runat least a little bit longer and
(13:28):
with the 10k you're probablygoing to be doing closer.
You're doing some long runswhich will be above your race
distance, really only in themarathon, typical in a
traditional marathon trainingplan.
That's the only distance andabove where you're not going to
run longer than your race daydistance.
Maybe in a half marathon,that's up for debate.
(13:49):
So you will probably be runningseveral times longer than your
10k.
So it will take longer time outof your week to train for a 10k
.
And then, finally, we are movingon to my favorite, which is the
half marathon, which Iunderstand is the kind of the
(14:11):
the Mac Daddy, the big boy, notquite the marathon, but it is a
really fun and it's a fantasticgoal.
I truly believe in my heart ofhearts that everyone can train
and run a half marathon, and I'mnot saying everyone's going to
finish in a crazy good time, I'mnot saying everyone is going to
(14:34):
have a good time, but I believeeveryone can train and run a
half marathon full stop.
So to train for a half marathon, you're looking to have
committing at least four toeight hours of your week to
training and you're looking at atraining plan of at least 12 to
(14:54):
16 weeks if you are a beginnerand eight to 12 weeks if you are
an active individual.
Personally, I like to keep mineat least 12 weeks, just because
that's what has worked for me.
I sometimes will bump it up,but you have to at least start
that far out from your desiredrace to be able to feel like you
(15:15):
are prepared to be able to gothrough the appropriate, to be
able to feel like you areprepared to be able to go
through the appropriate ebbs andflows of a training cycle.
So the pros of the half marathonit's a huge sense of
accomplishment.
I mean, think about it.
You train, you go through it.
You show up Monday, everyoneasks hey.
Or you show up in your allhands virtual meeting and they
(15:37):
say how's your weekend?
You say, oh, I ran a halfmarathon this weekend.
Everyone's going to be fuckingimpressed.
They're going to be impressedwhen you tell them that you did
a long run this weekend of 10miles, or that morning before
work.
You did 10, you did five miles.
Everyone's always going to beimpressed and I personally love
that feeling.
So that's what keeps me doingthe half marathon is that sense
(15:59):
of accomplishment.
It is a very immersive trainingexperience.
You have to do very quick speedworkouts.
You have to do longer tempo,longer progressive runs where
you're running on tired legs.
You have to do slow runs.
You have to do keep yourstrength mobility up.
So it is a very immersivetraining cycle which some people
(16:21):
do not like and there are waysto simplify it and make sure
that it's not overwhelming.
For sure it can have a lot offun elements and if you love the
training cycle and the trainingprocess, it can be a lot of fun
for you.
And obviously the cons is thatit has the highest weekly demand
and it has the highest burnoutrate because you are training so
(16:44):
much and there's some weekswhen you're building your long
runs up to.
If you're going by mileageyou're going 10, 11, 12, maybe
longer than that.
Maybe you're running for 90minutes, two hours, two, two and
a half hours, three hours,depending on your training plan,
and that can be.
That can be a long time todedicate to do something.
(17:04):
If you have family, you havekids, you have dogs, you have
commitments, it's just a bigcommitment that you have to kind
of weigh between yourmotivation and your lifestyle.
Now it's time for interactiveelement, where we're going to
make your decision on what racedistance is right for you.
So grab your notebook and getready to pause or reflect on the
(17:29):
following questions.
And so we're going to firststart with your time commitment.
Time commitment how many hoursper week can you realistically
dedicate to training?
So think about your currentworkload.
Think about current activitiesyou're already doing.
Think about what vacations youhave coming up.
(17:51):
Do you have a busy season atwork?
Do you have a group fitnessclass that you already do?
How many hours can yourealistically do?
And be honest with yourself,because the only person that
will suffer from this is you.
Write that down.
You can put as much informationas you want.
So next we're going to thinkabout can you comfortably run
(18:12):
for 10 minutes without stopping,and comfortably is in quotation
marks.
It doesn't have to be a fastrun, it can feel like a shuffle,
but can you move quicker than awalk for 10 minutes give or
take?
And so you can always do thisat a later time and see can you
(18:32):
do that, and then the next oneis okay.
So if you're driving, pleasedon't do this.
But if you are sittinglistening from home, hello,
please close your eyes and thinkabout the finish line.
Think about how you want to feelat the finish line.
(18:54):
You have gotten over the finishline.
They're there to pass out themedals.
How do you want to feel?
Do you want to feel exhilaratedand fast?
Do you want to feelaccomplished?
Do you want to feel steady?
Do you want to feel like youspent every ounce of energy and
you couldn't have possibly givenone drop more of yourself to
(19:17):
that finish line?
How do you want to feel?
How does that vision look?
So, open your eyes and writethat vision down on how you
would like to feel Next.
How flexible.
So this is our lifestyle fit.
How flexible are your weekendsfor long runs?
And the fun thing about longruns is they do not have to only
(19:41):
exist in the weekends.
So is there one day of the weekfor my retail workers, my
service workers, anyone likethat, or people who just don't
like running on Saturday orSundays Is there one day of the
week, or a couple of days, whereyou know you can commit to
(20:02):
getting a long run in, and thatis a run of at least, probably
starting at about a.
It'll eventually go up to 90minutes to two hours.
So is there a day where you canconsistently know you can show
up for and that is the importantpart that it's consistently and
ideally roughly the same day,so that way you can have
(20:24):
recovery afterwards?
And last, think about trainingand the weather and where you
live.
So will the training align inthe season where you live?
So, for example, I used to livein Maine and I love to train
for a spring half marathon.
(20:45):
However, training for a Aprilhalf marathon means I start my
training in January, and if youhave ever been to Maine in
January, it is a little bit cold, it is a lot of bit snowy and
(21:10):
it's really rough out there, andso I have to.
I had to adjust a lot of runs.
I couldn't always get some runsdone, and so you want to
consider that On the other side,do you live in a very warm
climate?
Are you a Florida girly?
Are you in Texas, california,where you're going to be running
in summer and then going in todo a fall half marathon?
(21:32):
So think about the time of yearin which you'll be doing these
6, 8, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, whatseason will it be in and when
will you be doing your trainingin?
So that's just kind of theother thought process of we're
forward thinking a little bit.
We haven't picked our distancebut we're thinking like oh, I'm
going to be running for threemonths and it's going to be from
(21:55):
May 1st and through August.
No, that is not possible.
So we need to look at.
Maybe I do a shorter one Nowthat you've thought through
these questions.
Let's go over the answers andtry to figure out which one of
these is the best fit for youand your life.
So we're going to first go overthe time commitment which is
going to match the training loadto what time you actually have
(22:17):
to commit to this.
So go over your sheet and let'slook.
If you have only two to fourhours a week that to dedicate to
training, let's try to stickwith maybe just the 5k, and I
don't want to say just the 5k.
Let's just stick with the 5kfor now as your goal and
remember we can adjust thataccordingly.
If you can give three to sixhours a week of training, we're
(22:38):
going to shoot for maybe the 10kfor your entering your run of
error goal might be your spot.
And if you have four to eighthours to give a week and you
really love an immersive,challenging training, then the
half marathon could be for you.
As a little challenge for you,I want you to print out your
Google calendar for the week andtry and block off some of these
(22:59):
.
How long these runs would takewhere you would fit in four to
eight hours a week of runs.
You're not planning what runsyou're doing.
You're just trying to find thatamount of time consistently in
your week.
Can you fit it in there andthat'll just let you know.
Is this even possible to do so,going into your starting
fitness, your current fitnesslevel, if running 10 minutes
(23:24):
straight even I would say evenrunning for five minutes
straight is too much, I wouldstick with planning to do a 5k
as your first entry into yourrunner era If you're already
comfortable with running between20 and 30 minutes straight and
(23:47):
I say comfortably, is just anysort of movement faster than a
walk then I would say you canconsider the 10K as your
challenge into your runner eraand anything longer than that.
I would say we are consideringmaybe entering the half marathon
as your entryway into therunner era.
(24:08):
And obviously all of these arewith a grain of salt, there are.
We're not putting ourselves inany sort of box with any of
these.
We're just kind of getting agauge of where we can maybe fit
and then we're going to go intothat finish line vision that we
talked about.
This is kind of the motivation,how you feel at the finish line
.
So if you picture yourselffeeling exhilarated and fast and
(24:30):
almost like you gave everyounce of you consider the 5k
because you finish that with asprint, you finish that with
leaving everything on the course.
If you kind of picture a kindof a balance between that speed
and that endurance, that 10k maybe calling your name because
you get to have those moments ofzoning out and enjoying that
endurance.
But you also get that fun kickat the end.
(24:52):
And if your dream is conqueringthat big, big, big personal
milestone, the half marathon isa powerful, powerful choice for
that, choice for that.
So visualize your race day.
Write down how you feel thatday will go, how you picture
yourself going over that finishline, how you picture yourself
starting the day.
Write that down and imagine howthat will go for you.
(25:16):
Next we're going to go into thelifestyle fit and this is going
to help you avoid burnout andhelp you from quitting halfway
through and feeling discouragedand upset at yourself.
Have, every early morning ispacked.
You work 90 plus hours.
Maybe the shorter distance, the5k, will be easier to fit, the
(25:49):
shorter amounts of runs around.
If you can set a little bitmore time aside, the 10k will
provide you a little bit moreflexibility.
But if you can dedicate asignificant amount of time on
weekends or any weekday for thatmatter to a long run, the half
marathon is something that youcan consider.
Definitely.
(26:18):
Make sure that when you arelooking at these, talk to your
friends and your family thatI've done, especially my half
marathons, without at leastmaking my partner aware of it,
that, hey, there's going to besome weekends where I'm going to
be up early and I'm going to beout the door and running for
two, two and a half hours and itjust means that you may need to
(26:40):
walk the dogs or you may justneed to be aware that I'll be
out of the house.
So just keep an ear.
It doesn't necessarily meanthey need to do more for you,
but it just means they need tobe aware that you're going to be
doing something for yourselfand it's for you and that is
perfectly OK and you havepermission to do something that
is just for you.
(27:00):
And then the last element wasthe season and weather and
choosing the best timing.
So 5k is great for all yearweather.
So because it's such a shorttraining cycle shorter in
comparison so it's great for ifyou live in a climate where you
want to train for a May race,you can start that in March.
It's much easier to fit at anytime of the year where 10K can
(27:24):
fit into a lot more differentareas where the half marathon
has a lot.
Since it's a longer you know Ipicture it being a little bit
longer you kind of have to fitit, fit it in different little
areas, so it's a little bitharder to fit in.
And also there are less halfmarathons that are available of
races to choose from, so theytypically are in the bookends of
the years.
(27:45):
So definitely take a peek outthere at your running stores to
see what races are available andthat also might kind of inform
your decision on race day.
And a lot of times races willhave a five, 10 and a half, so
that way you have multiple tochoose from.
Now that you have all youranswers, circle your answers for
the questions above, so kind ofknow where you are in all of
(28:07):
them and then figure out whichdistance aligns best with your
responses.
So I guarantee there's one thatkind of.
You have the time to do one,but the motivation to do another
.
Which one are you more leaningtowards?
And now I want you to write onyour piece of paper in big, big,
big, big, bold letters I amtraining for a blank.
(28:30):
Insert your answer here I amtraining for a 10k, I am
training for a 5k, I am trainingfor a half marathon.
Write it down, be excited.
And also I want you to do anextra bonus step.
I want you to dm me oninstagram at dogs per mile pod
and tell me what you're trainingfor.
Because I want you to DM me onInstagram at Dogs Per Mile Pod
and tell me what you're trainingfor, because I want to
celebrate you in the decisionthat you made.
(28:51):
Okay, in the dream world, wejust went through this framework
and you know exactly which raceyou would like to do.
But what happens when you havethem big, big goals of training
for a half marathon, but theydon't align with your lifestyle
goals, and I know it's reallyhard to let go of that vision
(29:11):
and that dream.
You see yourself getting overthe finish line and you want to
do a half marathon, or all yourfriends are doing the half
marathon and you want to do onetoo.
And so let's kind of walkthrough and kind of, how can you
still have the achievement andhave that accomplishment and
still kind of have your cake andeat it too?
So first, I want you to knowthat it does suck to feel that
(29:36):
way.
I want to acknowledge yourstruggle.
I want to acknowledge that I'mexcited that you want to set big
goals.
I'm proud of you for that.
So please, please, hear that inyour heart of hearts.
But I'm also proud of you forthinking realistically.
And that is something to beeven more proud of.
Is that you even saying maybesigning up for that full
(29:58):
marathon or even a half marathonisn't my smartest decision.
So you are already settingyourself up for success.
Let's talk about maybe reframingthe goal and let's maybe look
at maybe the goal could be onperformance rather than distance
.
So I know I don't like to talkabout pace and speed here too
(30:22):
much, but instead of running thehalf marathon just to finish,
maybe we aim to absolutelydestroy a 5k or the 10k and we
have a bold finish time and wecan work later on to figure out
what that finish time could be.
Then you're running.
Your training plan is hard andyou're running with a hard goal
(30:44):
time, so you're still getting asense of accomplishment, but
without having to add thoseextra two to four hours into
your week that you just cannotfit in there.
It gives you the sameaccomplished feelings that you
might get from the longer race,but without having to burn
yourself out in the long run.
(31:07):
Let's wrap up this first episodein our Entering your Runner Era
series.
So we've covered a lot ofground today, from busting those
just a 5k myths to helping youfigure out which race distance
actually fits your life rightnow.
Remember whether or not you'vebeen eyeing a 5k, a 10k or a
half marathon, you're alreadyahead of anyone who's sitting on
(31:28):
the couch.
So let's just quickly recapwhat we've discovered.
Every race distance is legit.
Yes, even just a 5k.
Your perfect race distanceabsolutely depends on your time,
commitment, current fitness andlifestyle, and success isn't
necessarily about picking thelongest distance.
It's about picking the rightdistance for you.
(31:49):
And if you're still sittingthere and you're feeling a
little bit torn because thedream race that you have in your
mind doesn't match your currentreality, it's totally okay.
Remember, you can absolutelycrush a 5 or 10k with just as
much pride as a half marathon.
It's all about adjusting thegoal, and the goal is start your
runner era in the way that setsyou up for success and not
(32:13):
burnout.
And don't forget to DM me atDogsPerMilePod on Instagram to
let me know what distance you'vechosen.
I want to know what you picked.
Next episode we are going to gointo what actual race you're
going to pick.
Are you going to pickdestination?
Are you going to pick a localcommunity race?
Until next time, keep countingthose dogs and keep running and
(32:34):
see you in the next one.
Bye for now.
Thanks for sharing another milewith me today.
Before you cool down, here arethree quick ways to stay
connected with our runningcommunity, first hit, subscribe
wherever you're listening tothis right now.
It's the best way to make sureyou never miss an episode.
(32:56):
Second, if today's show helpedyou or inspired you, please
leave a review.
Your words help other runnersfind their way to our community.
Lastly, want more runningadventures, follow at Dogs Per
Mile pod on Instagram, where Ishare daily motivation, behind
the scenes moments and plenty ofpictures of my two running
coaches, yogi and Maple.
Be sure to tag me in your runphotos and use hashtag dogs per
(33:19):
mile to share your own dogspotting stats.
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.
I truly believe in my heart of hearts that everyone
can train and run a halfmarathon.
Hey runners, you're listeningto Dogs Per Mile, where we're
making running work for yourlife, not the other way around.
I'm Bridget, with over 13 yearsof running experience and
approximately 4,892 dogs seen onmy run.
(00:22):
I'm now here to help you findyour own path to running
happiness.
Ready to run on your own terms.
Let's get going.
Hey guys, welcome back to theDogs Per Mile podcast.
I am your host, bridget.
I'm so thankful that you'rehere today and I'm so excited to
(00:43):
start this series with y'all.
So, if you remember my historywith running, I started running
after the loss of my puppy Beta,and for me, I entered running
as a sense of finding myselfafter loss.
And if you have thought aboutstarting your running journey,
for whatever is motivating youwhether or not you've seen
(01:05):
people on social media and youthink I want to try that, you're
inspired by other people orwhatever I'm here to help guide
you through those steps.
I'm here to help you find outwhat distance to run, whether
it's a 5k, a 10k, a halfmarathon.
We're going to talk about that.
I'm going to help you, in thisseries, figure out what race to
(01:26):
run.
Are you going to run one that'slocal to your house, near your
city?
Are you going to do adestination race?
And then we're going to talkabout how are you going to train
for this race.
So how are you going to getfrom being all excited, like you
are right now, to getting tothe start line and then actually
getting to the finish line?
So I want to do a three-partseries, and so today, this
(01:48):
episode is going to coverpicking your race distance, and
the other episodes will followon the other elements.
So, if you've ever wanted toenter your runner error and you
are ready, well, 2025 is here.
Let's do this, baby girl, okay.
So obviously, you've beenscrolling on TikTok and
(02:08):
Instagram and you've seen peoplesigning up for 10Ks and half
marathons and 5Ks and looking atall the different distances
online and you don't know whichone is going to be best for you
and your goals.
And so today, my goal is at theend of this, you will know
which race distance is right foryou, which race distance can
(02:31):
you actually train for, andwhich race distance is actually
going to be the one that's goingto fulfill you and inspire you
and bring you the most joy andmotivation and make you want to
motivation and make you want tokeep going and make you want to
sign up for another race.
And I know my story goes fromrunning a 5k and jumping right
(02:52):
into a half marathon and I don'tparticularly recommend that.
It doesn't always work outgreat, but I'm going to guide
you through how my process wouldbe if I was you and I am
branded and running and I neededto think about what resistance
I was going to do.
So, before we get started, Iwant to kind of clear up some of
(03:13):
those myths, rumors or whateverthat you may see going around
that may keep you from wantingto sign up.
So the first one is it's just a5k.
I was literally talking aboutthis with my husband yesterday,
and one of my personal goals for2025 is to sign up and do more
(03:34):
races, because last year Iactually did two races last year
.
That's it.
And one of them is to sign upand do more shorter distance
races, because I fucking hatethe 5k, because it's so hard.
People who do the 5k are crazy.
It hurts, you're sprinting,what it feels like, you're
(03:55):
sprinting the whole time, and soa 5k is not anything to to like
just say, oh, it's just a 5k,it's nothing.
No, 5ks are hard.
5k is a very tough distance andit's a very good challenge,
especially if you are new torunning, especially if you've
(04:16):
never been running.
And this is your, your, you'redipping your toe in and you're
going to start with run, walkand I don't know if you know
this that competitive runnersthat's why track and field is so
big is competitive runnerstrain for 5Ks only exclusively.
That is their race becausethey're so hard.
So if you're signing up for a5K, regardless of how fast
(04:39):
you're going to do it in, sotake that number in your brain,
put a big X in it, throw it outthe window.
We're not paying attention tothat.
If you are choosing the 5K,know that you're better than a
lot of people who won't sign upto do the 5K.
It is still a respectabledistance, so think about that.
So we're going to move on tomyth number two.
(05:00):
You have to look a certain wayto run a 5K.
You have to look a certain wayto run a 5K, 10k or a half
marathon Absolutely the fuck youdo.
Any body type, any body shapecan run those distances.
There is no particular bodynumber, circumference, size on
(05:20):
your shorts, shirt, sports brathat correlates on whether or
not you should be at that startline, don't?
Any person that says that stuff, fuck them.
There's nothing more thanseeing.
I love more than seeing peopleof all sizes, all shapes, all
lifestyles at the start line.
(05:41):
Every person deserves to bethere because they also took
time out of their day to trainfor the race.
They took their hours and theydid their long runs.
Everyone deserves to be there.
Don't think I can't train forthis 10K because I don't weigh a
certain amount, or I will trainfor half marathon once I weigh
this number or once I am thissize.
(06:02):
Once you start putting thoselimits on yourself, you are
always going to be living inthat.
So let's let year of 2025 bethe year that we ignore those
and we try and run for these newgoals Without that.
Every person deserves to be atthe start line.
And number three is training fora race takes over your entire
(06:24):
life and it can if you do itwrong or if you let it.
I know that there are ways thatthere are runners who will
train for a half marathon andthey run six days a week and
they're pulling out 70 miles aweek and that's fine for some
people.
But you can train for a halfmarathon, a 10k or a 5k by
(06:48):
running three, run walking three, four days a week, by combining
your group fitness classes,your Barry's Boot Camp, your
Peloton bike ride, your OrangeTheory Fitness.
There are ways to do both andnot let it take over your entire
life and feel like all you'redoing is training and working.
And how are you fitting thisall in?
(07:10):
It is easier than you think itis and we're going to talk about
that in later episodes, butabsolutely you can fit it into
your life.
We just need to find out thebest distance that fits into
your life.
So now that we've dispelled someof those myths and we know that
we can train for this we don'tneed to be a certain size and a
(07:35):
5k is still a respectabledistance let's kind of talk
about what each distanceactually involves when it comes
to training.
And so if you are new torunning, I want to at least give
you guys some numberinformation.
So a 5k is five kilometers or3.1 miles approximately.
A 10k would be double that, sothat's about 6.22 miles, and a
(08:00):
half marathon is 13.1 miles.
So that just kind of gives youa little idea of how long those
mileage are, and so I'm notgoing to talk about these and
how long it takes you to do them, because that is dependent on
you and you as a person.
So the 5k.
So we're going to start with.
How many?
(08:21):
How long does it take in a weekto train for it, bridget?
How many hours a week do Iactually need to dedicate to
this so I can actually get overthe finish line?
And you need to at least beable to dedicate.
You need to at least be able toget two to four hours a week to
the 5k training plan.
So that's a good amount.
(08:42):
It's not crazy, but it's stilla good amount and that is over.
If you are a absolute beginner,six to eight weeks minimum.
You may want a little bit more,closer to 12 weeks.
If you are starting from notrunning at all and you're going
to start with a run walk, youmay want to.
I've done the couch to 5k whenI first did my first 5k back
(09:03):
2012.
And if you are a more activeindividual, you may only need
four to six weeks.
So it's a really quick way totest.
Do you like training?
Do you like running withoutreally burning yourself out.
It's really an easy one thatyou can.
There's 5Ks almost everyweekend places, so you can run a
(09:25):
5K every weekend if you want,and you can turn and burn them
if you really enjoy this quickdistance which, if you do, I
have questions and it's also themost accessible distance for
busy schedules.
So if you are a person who isreally busy but you still want
to be able to do a race onweekends, the 5k is going to be
(09:46):
great for really busy peoplebecause you only have to
dedicate two to four hours.
I'm not saying those two tofour hours are going to be easy,
but I am saying that it is onlytwo to four hours out of your
week to be able to get you overthat finish line.
Now that all sounds great.
The con is the speed workoutsfor 5Ks.
They're going to suck.
(10:07):
They're going to be because theshorter the distance of the
race, the faster your speedworkouts are going to be, so
that's going to be a lot moreintense If you're shooting for a
hard race, if you are justtrying to get over the finish
line and you are new to thisrunning.
Ignore that con.
That con doesn't even exist inour world, we don't need to
(10:29):
worry about her.
So your con is just that it's ashort distance, that's all.
That's the only con.
That it is 3.1 miles, that'sthe con.
Moving on to the 10K 10K is kindof the sweet spot.
It's the Goldilocks.
I'd say it's the middle child.
But I'm the middle child andit's not the middle child.
(10:51):
It takes about three to sixhours a week of training.
When I say training, we'remeaning running, meaning on the
feet, on the treadmill,pitter-patter training.
If you're a beginner, you'regoing to want to train at least
eight to 12 weeks, especiallyclose to that 12 weeks if you
are new to running haven't beenrunning and if you are more
(11:15):
advanced, you might be able tosqueeze it in six to eight weeks
if you're more active.
Now what's really nice aboutthe 10k is you get to balance
speed and endurance and a true10k training plan.
You'll get to get some of thoselonger runs that you would get
like with a half marathon.
So you may get to build somelonger distances past that six
(11:35):
mile mark, which, for me,anytime I get to go past five
miles or creep close to doubledigits, I get this little mental
boost in this.
I enjoy that.
So that's a fun element that Ilove about a 10K training plan.
But you also get to do some ofthose tempo speed runs or longer
time, faster runs, so that isalways fun.
(11:58):
It also is a large sense ofaccomplishment.
I know the 10K being six milesis, or 6.2 miles, can feel like
a larger accomplishment than the5K because it's you know, it's
double the distance.
So a lot of people can feelmore accomplished when they run
a 10K because if you look at theaverage 10k time it's a little
bit over an hour hour plus, andso to have done a race where you
(12:22):
run over an hour, that's prettyimpressive.
For me at least, I always amreally proud when I run for over
an hour because you're doingsomething consistently for an
hour and it's also a reallygreat stepping stone, a really
great test to see if you'reready to do a half marathon.
It's kind of that one if you'reon the fence between doing a
(12:43):
half and a 10K and you're justnot quite sure We'll go over a
little bit more.
If we can kind of think aboutthat, it's a really great test
to your endurance.
Like, okay, if I can run a 10KI can probably run a half
marathon later on down the line.
But you can train for thatwithout getting hurt, without
(13:04):
falling out of love with running, since this is your first time
trying to fall in love withrunning and we want to make sure
we fall in love with it and notsuffer too much right away.
So the cons, obviously, is thatit requires more time.
If you're training for a 10k,it's going to require more time
to train because you got to runat least a little bit longer and
(13:28):
with the 10k you're probablygoing to be doing closer.
You're doing some long runswhich will be above your race
distance, really only in themarathon, typical in a
traditional marathon trainingplan.
That's the only distance andabove where you're not going to
run longer than your race daydistance.
Maybe in a half marathon,that's up for debate.
(13:49):
So you will probably be runningseveral times longer than your
10k.
So it will take longer time outof your week to train for a 10k
.
And then, finally, we are movingon to my favorite, which is the
half marathon, which Iunderstand is the kind of the
(14:11):
the Mac Daddy, the big boy, notquite the marathon, but it is a
really fun and it's a fantasticgoal.
I truly believe in my heart ofhearts that everyone can train
and run a half marathon, and I'mnot saying everyone's going to
finish in a crazy good time, I'mnot saying everyone is going to
(14:34):
have a good time, but I believeeveryone can train and run a
half marathon full stop.
So to train for a half marathon, you're looking to have
committing at least four toeight hours of your week to
training and you're looking at atraining plan of at least 12 to
(14:54):
16 weeks if you are a beginnerand eight to 12 weeks if you are
an active individual.
Personally, I like to keep mineat least 12 weeks, just because
that's what has worked for me.
I sometimes will bump it up,but you have to at least start
that far out from your desiredrace to be able to feel like you
(15:15):
are prepared to be able to gothrough the appropriate, to be
able to feel like you areprepared to be able to go
through the appropriate ebbs andflows of a training cycle.
So the pros of the half marathonit's a huge sense of
accomplishment.
I mean, think about it.
You train, you go through it.
You show up Monday, everyoneasks hey.
Or you show up in your allhands virtual meeting and they
(15:37):
say how's your weekend?
You say, oh, I ran a halfmarathon this weekend.
Everyone's going to be fuckingimpressed.
They're going to be impressedwhen you tell them that you did
a long run this weekend of 10miles, or that morning before
work.
You did 10, you did five miles.
Everyone's always going to beimpressed and I personally love
that feeling.
So that's what keeps me doingthe half marathon is that sense
(15:59):
of accomplishment.
It is a very immersive trainingexperience.
You have to do very quick speedworkouts.
You have to do longer tempo,longer progressive runs where
you're running on tired legs.
You have to do slow runs.
You have to do keep yourstrength mobility up.
So it is a very immersivetraining cycle which some people
(16:21):
do not like and there are waysto simplify it and make sure
that it's not overwhelming.
For sure it can have a lot offun elements and if you love the
training cycle and the trainingprocess, it can be a lot of fun
for you.
And obviously the cons is thatit has the highest weekly demand
and it has the highest burnoutrate because you are training so
(16:44):
much and there's some weekswhen you're building your long
runs up to.
If you're going by mileageyou're going 10, 11, 12, maybe
longer than that.
Maybe you're running for 90minutes, two hours, two, two and
a half hours, three hours,depending on your training plan,
and that can be.
That can be a long time todedicate to do something.
(17:04):
If you have family, you havekids, you have dogs, you have
commitments, it's just a bigcommitment that you have to kind
of weigh between yourmotivation and your lifestyle.
Now it's time for interactiveelement, where we're going to
make your decision on what racedistance is right for you.
So grab your notebook and getready to pause or reflect on the
(17:29):
following questions.
And so we're going to firststart with your time commitment.
Time commitment how many hoursper week can you realistically
dedicate to training?
So think about your currentworkload.
Think about current activitiesyou're already doing.
Think about what vacations youhave coming up.
(17:51):
Do you have a busy season atwork?
Do you have a group fitnessclass that you already do?
How many hours can yourealistically do?
And be honest with yourself,because the only person that
will suffer from this is you.
Write that down.
You can put as much informationas you want.
So next we're going to thinkabout can you comfortably run
(18:12):
for 10 minutes without stopping,and comfortably is in quotation
marks.
It doesn't have to be a fastrun, it can feel like a shuffle,
but can you move quicker than awalk for 10 minutes give or
take?
And so you can always do thisat a later time and see can you
(18:32):
do that, and then the next oneis okay.
So if you're driving, pleasedon't do this.
But if you are sittinglistening from home, hello,
please close your eyes and thinkabout the finish line.
Think about how you want to feelat the finish line.
(18:54):
You have gotten over the finishline.
They're there to pass out themedals.
How do you want to feel?
Do you want to feel exhilaratedand fast?
Do you want to feelaccomplished?
Do you want to feel steady?
Do you want to feel like youspent every ounce of energy and
you couldn't have possibly givenone drop more of yourself to
(19:17):
that finish line?
How do you want to feel?
How does that vision look?
So, open your eyes and writethat vision down on how you
would like to feel Next.
How flexible.
So this is our lifestyle fit.
How flexible are your weekendsfor long runs?
And the fun thing about longruns is they do not have to only
(19:41):
exist in the weekends.
So is there one day of the weekfor my retail workers, my
service workers, anyone likethat, or people who just don't
like running on Saturday orSundays Is there one day of the
week, or a couple of days, whereyou know you can commit to
(20:02):
getting a long run in, and thatis a run of at least, probably
starting at about a.
It'll eventually go up to 90minutes to two hours.
So is there a day where you canconsistently know you can show
up for and that is the importantpart that it's consistently and
ideally roughly the same day,so that way you can have
(20:24):
recovery afterwards?
And last, think about trainingand the weather and where you
live.
So will the training align inthe season where you live?
So, for example, I used to livein Maine and I love to train
for a spring half marathon.
(20:45):
However, training for a Aprilhalf marathon means I start my
training in January, and if youhave ever been to Maine in
January, it is a little bit cold, it is a lot of bit snowy and
(21:10):
it's really rough out there, andso I have to.
I had to adjust a lot of runs.
I couldn't always get some runsdone, and so you want to
consider that On the other side,do you live in a very warm
climate?
Are you a Florida girly?
Are you in Texas, california,where you're going to be running
in summer and then going in todo a fall half marathon?
(21:32):
So think about the time of yearin which you'll be doing these
6, 8, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, whatseason will it be in and when
will you be doing your trainingin?
So that's just kind of theother thought process of we're
forward thinking a little bit.
We haven't picked our distancebut we're thinking like oh, I'm
going to be running for threemonths and it's going to be from
(21:55):
May 1st and through August.
No, that is not possible.
So we need to look at.
Maybe I do a shorter one Nowthat you've thought through
these questions.
Let's go over the answers andtry to figure out which one of
these is the best fit for youand your life.
So we're going to first go overthe time commitment which is
going to match the training loadto what time you actually have
(22:17):
to commit to this.
So go over your sheet and let'slook.
If you have only two to fourhours a week that to dedicate to
training, let's try to stickwith maybe just the 5k, and I
don't want to say just the 5k.
Let's just stick with the 5kfor now as your goal and
remember we can adjust thataccordingly.
If you can give three to sixhours a week of training, we're
(22:38):
going to shoot for maybe the 10kfor your entering your run of
error goal might be your spot.
And if you have four to eighthours to give a week and you
really love an immersive,challenging training, then the
half marathon could be for you.
As a little challenge for you,I want you to print out your
Google calendar for the week andtry and block off some of these
(22:59):
.
How long these runs would takewhere you would fit in four to
eight hours a week of runs.
You're not planning what runsyou're doing.
You're just trying to find thatamount of time consistently in
your week.
Can you fit it in there andthat'll just let you know.
Is this even possible to do so,going into your starting
fitness, your current fitnesslevel, if running 10 minutes
(23:24):
straight even I would say evenrunning for five minutes
straight is too much, I wouldstick with planning to do a 5k
as your first entry into yourrunner era If you're already
comfortable with running between20 and 30 minutes straight and
(23:47):
I say comfortably, is just anysort of movement faster than a
walk then I would say you canconsider the 10K as your
challenge into your runner eraand anything longer than that.
I would say we are consideringmaybe entering the half marathon
as your entryway into therunner era.
(24:08):
And obviously all of these arewith a grain of salt, there are.
We're not putting ourselves inany sort of box with any of
these.
We're just kind of getting agauge of where we can maybe fit
and then we're going to go intothat finish line vision that we
talked about.
This is kind of the motivation,how you feel at the finish line
.
So if you picture yourselffeeling exhilarated and fast and
(24:30):
almost like you gave everyounce of you consider the 5k
because you finish that with asprint, you finish that with
leaving everything on the course.
If you kind of picture a kindof a balance between that speed
and that endurance, that 10k maybe calling your name because
you get to have those moments ofzoning out and enjoying that
endurance.
But you also get that fun kickat the end.
(24:52):
And if your dream is conqueringthat big, big, big personal
milestone, the half marathon isa powerful, powerful choice for
that, choice for that.
So visualize your race day.
Write down how you feel thatday will go, how you picture
yourself going over that finishline, how you picture yourself
starting the day.
Write that down and imagine howthat will go for you.
(25:16):
Next we're going to go into thelifestyle fit and this is going
to help you avoid burnout andhelp you from quitting halfway
through and feeling discouragedand upset at yourself.
Have, every early morning ispacked.
You work 90 plus hours.
Maybe the shorter distance, the5k, will be easier to fit, the
(25:49):
shorter amounts of runs around.
If you can set a little bitmore time aside, the 10k will
provide you a little bit moreflexibility.
But if you can dedicate asignificant amount of time on
weekends or any weekday for thatmatter to a long run, the half
marathon is something that youcan consider.
Definitely.
(26:18):
Make sure that when you arelooking at these, talk to your
friends and your family thatI've done, especially my half
marathons, without at leastmaking my partner aware of it,
that, hey, there's going to besome weekends where I'm going to
be up early and I'm going to beout the door and running for
two, two and a half hours and itjust means that you may need to
(26:40):
walk the dogs or you may justneed to be aware that I'll be
out of the house.
So just keep an ear.
It doesn't necessarily meanthey need to do more for you,
but it just means they need tobe aware that you're going to be
doing something for yourselfand it's for you and that is
perfectly OK and you havepermission to do something that
is just for you.
(27:00):
And then the last element wasthe season and weather and
choosing the best timing.
So 5k is great for all yearweather.
So because it's such a shorttraining cycle shorter in
comparison so it's great for ifyou live in a climate where you
want to train for a May race,you can start that in March.
It's much easier to fit at anytime of the year where 10K can
(27:24):
fit into a lot more differentareas where the half marathon
has a lot.
Since it's a longer you know Ipicture it being a little bit
longer you kind of have to fitit, fit it in different little
areas, so it's a little bitharder to fit in.
And also there are less halfmarathons that are available of
races to choose from, so theytypically are in the bookends of
the years.
(27:45):
So definitely take a peek outthere at your running stores to
see what races are available andthat also might kind of inform
your decision on race day.
And a lot of times races willhave a five, 10 and a half, so
that way you have multiple tochoose from.
Now that you have all youranswers, circle your answers for
the questions above, so kind ofknow where you are in all of
(28:07):
them and then figure out whichdistance aligns best with your
responses.
So I guarantee there's one thatkind of.
You have the time to do one,but the motivation to do another
.
Which one are you more leaningtowards?
And now I want you to write onyour piece of paper in big, big,
big, big, bold letters I amtraining for a blank.
(28:30):
Insert your answer here I amtraining for a 10k, I am
training for a 5k, I am trainingfor a half marathon.
Write it down, be excited.
And also I want you to do anextra bonus step.
I want you to dm me oninstagram at dogs per mile pod
and tell me what you're trainingfor.
Because I want you to DM me onInstagram at Dogs Per Mile Pod
and tell me what you're trainingfor, because I want to
celebrate you in the decisionthat you made.
(28:51):
Okay, in the dream world, wejust went through this framework
and you know exactly which raceyou would like to do.
But what happens when you havethem big, big goals of training
for a half marathon, but theydon't align with your lifestyle
goals, and I know it's reallyhard to let go of that vision
(29:11):
and that dream.
You see yourself getting overthe finish line and you want to
do a half marathon, or all yourfriends are doing the half
marathon and you want to do onetoo.
And so let's kind of walkthrough and kind of, how can you
still have the achievement andhave that accomplishment and
still kind of have your cake andeat it too?
So first, I want you to knowthat it does suck to feel that
(29:36):
way.
I want to acknowledge yourstruggle.
I want to acknowledge that I'mexcited that you want to set big
goals.
I'm proud of you for that.
So please, please, hear that inyour heart of hearts.
But I'm also proud of you forthinking realistically.
And that is something to beeven more proud of.
Is that you even saying maybesigning up for that full
(29:58):
marathon or even a half marathonisn't my smartest decision.
So you are already settingyourself up for success.
Let's talk about maybe reframingthe goal and let's maybe look
at maybe the goal could be onperformance rather than distance
.
So I know I don't like to talkabout pace and speed here too
(30:22):
much, but instead of running thehalf marathon just to finish,
maybe we aim to absolutelydestroy a 5k or the 10k and we
have a bold finish time and wecan work later on to figure out
what that finish time could be.
Then you're running.
Your training plan is hard andyou're running with a hard goal
(30:44):
time, so you're still getting asense of accomplishment, but
without having to add thoseextra two to four hours into
your week that you just cannotfit in there.
It gives you the sameaccomplished feelings that you
might get from the longer race,but without having to burn
yourself out in the long run.
(31:07):
Let's wrap up this first episodein our Entering your Runner Era
series.
So we've covered a lot ofground today, from busting those
just a 5k myths to helping youfigure out which race distance
actually fits your life rightnow.
Remember whether or not you'vebeen eyeing a 5k, a 10k or a
half marathon, you're alreadyahead of anyone who's sitting on
(31:28):
the couch.
So let's just quickly recapwhat we've discovered.
Every race distance is legit.
Yes, even just a 5k.
Your perfect race distanceabsolutely depends on your time,
commitment, current fitness andlifestyle, and success isn't
necessarily about picking thelongest distance.
It's about picking the rightdistance for you.
(31:49):
And if you're still sittingthere and you're feeling a
little bit torn because thedream race that you have in your
mind doesn't match your currentreality, it's totally okay.
Remember, you can absolutelycrush a 5 or 10k with just as
much pride as a half marathon.
It's all about adjusting thegoal, and the goal is start your
runner era in the way that setsyou up for success and not
(32:13):
burnout.
And don't forget to DM me atDogsPerMilePod on Instagram to
let me know what distance you'vechosen.
I want to know what you picked.
Next episode we are going to gointo what actual race you're
going to pick.
Are you going to pickdestination?
Are you going to pick a localcommunity race?
Until next time, keep countingthose dogs and keep running and
(32:34):
see you in the next one.
Bye for now.
Thanks for sharing another milewith me today.
Before you cool down, here arethree quick ways to stay
connected with our runningcommunity, first hit, subscribe
wherever you're listening tothis right now.
It's the best way to make sureyou never miss an episode.
(32:56):
Second, if today's show helpedyou or inspired you, please
leave a review.
Your words help other runnersfind their way to our community.
Lastly, want more runningadventures, follow at Dogs Per
Mile pod on Instagram, where Ishare daily motivation, behind
the scenes moments and plenty ofpictures of my two running
coaches, yogi and Maple.
Be sure to tag me in your runphotos and use hashtag dogs per
(33:19):
mile to share your own dogspotting stats.
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.
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