October 31, 2024 • 20 mins
In a world where social media feeds are filled with "easy" 15-mile runs and Boston qualifying times, finding joy in running can feel impossible for the average runner. Each week, Bridget, your running buddy and podcast host, brings practical tips, honest stories, and a refreshing perspective on making running fun through creative metrics like her signature "Dogs Per Mile" count. Hear her running origin story from wedding preparation to grief and grad school stress, running started as a solution to life's challenges.
Whether you're struggling with motivation or just need a break from the numbers game, this show reminds you that the best runs aren't always about the fastest splits – sometimes they're about the four-legged friends you meet along the way.
HIGH FIVES, RUNNER! 🙌
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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!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
UNKNOWN (00:00):
Bye.
SPEAKER_00 (00:04):
Hey, welcome to Dogs Per Mile podcast.
I'm Bridget, your host and runnybuddy today.
I'm all about finding the joy inrunning, no matter what your
garment says.
I'll be sharing stories,practical tips, and some laughs
to keep you motivated, whetheryou're new to running or a
seasoned pro.
We're all in this together, andtrust me, there's always
(00:24):
something to laugh about on therun.
In today's episode, I'll sharewith you my running story, talk
about why I choose to keepgoing, and why I count dogs on
every run I go on.
Let's get going.
Hey all, welcome to the firstepisode of the Dogs Per Mile
podcast.
I am very, very excited to haveyou here with me on this journey
(00:44):
to learn more about running, tojust talk about stories and tips
and really just normalize thatrunning can be fun and it
doesn't have to be that serious.
So we're going to start todaywith just giving you some
history of my running journey,why I got started, when I got
started, just to give you somecontext.
(01:06):
context about me and that partof my story.
So I started running back in2012-2011 as what most Women did
in that time or do in that timeto get in shape for their
wedding.
So if you ever saw the Etsysweating for the wedding tank
tops, I had one.
(01:26):
I was trying to get in shape.
I wanted to look good before mywedding.
I also had recently lost ourone-year-old puppy to a kidney
failure function.
Still escapes me.
And I was also starting gradschool right in the summer.
(01:47):
Of 2012.
So there was just a lot that wasgoing on.
And running was something that Ijust...
started on a whim just to seewhat it was like.
Even though I had played soccerfor years and years and I ended
up quitting and going tovolleyball in high school
because I was so tired of therunning.
(02:08):
I didn't want to do sprints.
I didn't want to do laps.
I didn't want to do any of it.
So I went to a different sportbecause I hated going for runs
so much.
So I started off by doing a 5kthat was raising money for a dog
rescue because there's somethingthat was close to my heart and
it felt like it fit what Iwanted to do and how I wanted to
(02:30):
start this.
And then I did another Color Run5K and jumped right into grad
school and met my really goodfriend Charlotte in grad school.
And we talked and chatted andshe eventually convinced me of
many things, but she convincedme that well, we should sign up
(02:50):
for a half marathon.
You've never done one before,but we're students.
We get a discount for the nolonger in service Nike Women's
Half Marathon in D.C.
And, of course, I moved fromdoing a 35-minute 5K and being
very proud of that tounderstanding what it was going
to be like to run a halfmarathon or 13.1 miles.
(03:13):
But I fell in love with thetraining process.
That was what really sucked mein.
My brain saw it as this fun,logical puzzle of trying to fit
these different runs into mybusy days in grad school.
And okay, I have to get up earlyand run eight miles this day
before I go to my internship.
And I have to get a long run inhere and doing laps and laps and
(03:37):
laps around the West HartfordReservoir back in Connecticut.
I just kept training.
I kept trying.
And I had no goal.
goal time at all set.
No idea how it was going to go.
And we get to the start line andCharlotte almost backs out of
it.
But I ended up seeing my friendfrom college there and we ran
the first three miles together.
(03:58):
And I ended that with a 2.04, Ithink, for my first half.
And from that moment on, I wasabsolutely hooked.
I could not...
have enjoyed it more.
I loved the process.
And so I kept training fordifferent races.
I would do ones in differentstates.
I even did one very challengingand very strange sprint
(04:25):
triathlon where I did all of mytraining inside for swimming and
never swam outside.
Didn't have a wetsuit.
Borrowed a bike for my parents'house.
But I liked trying new thingsand I really just loved the
training process and I reallyliked making running fun.
It was something that I neverwas interested in the
(04:47):
seriousness of it.
I never...
loved doing track workouts oranything that was very that
realm.
I just liked the process oftraining and getting better and
fitting these runs in here.
It also was the only time duringgrad school that I wasn't able
to multitask.
I wasn't able to work and alsobe researching a paper or be
(05:10):
wedding planning or be doing allsorts of other things.
It was the one and only thingthat I had to focus on just
myself and it was the first timeI was selfish for something.
And that was really enjoyable.
I loved the feeling after myruns.
And plot twist, spoiler alert,that most people starting out on
(05:31):
a run, the first few milesalways suck.
It's just sometimes the wholerun sucks.
But I just really loved it.
every aspect of the other part.
I loved learning about it.
And I, over the past 13 or soyears I've run, I don't have an
exact number.
I've lost count about maybe 50half marathons.
(05:51):
Then I've also done twomarathons, which I always say
never again, and then one willcome back.
So we're probably about due forone of those again.
And then my awful, awful sprinttriathlon.
And I just love mixing myrunning with whatever, other
season of physical activity I'min.
I have done times where I'vedone a lot of strength training
(06:12):
mixed with running.
I have been an avid OrangeTheory member for years and have
mixed that with training forraces and getting better.
I've done cycling.
I've done Peloton bikes.
I've done Pilates.
I've done group classes,anything and everything.
I just never seem to stick inone lane when it Running always
(06:35):
is the thing I come back to andI will miss it anytime I'm not
doing it.
So that's kind of been myjourney and what's brought me to
running and what keeps me goingwith running is just finding the
fun and enjoying it.
And so that moves into kind ofthe why finding joy in your
(06:56):
running routine is just socritical.
I know for me, I could seepeople on social media and Or
even friends who do races andthey post their picture and I
see their bib number and I am asguilty as the next person of
looking up the race results,putting their bib and thinking,
am I faster than them?
Am I not faster than them?
How do I feel about that?
(07:17):
Or this last run, my heart ratewould not go down.
And no matter how slow I wasgoing or look at this person,
they can run, they're qualifyingfor this or they're doing that.
And so...
you can really get just sodialed into the numbers, which
are very critical if you'retraining for a specific goal, if
you're trying to qualify for arace.
(07:37):
They're important.
You can't train effectively fora goal without paying attention
to most of the numbers.
But they can not tell the wholestory of who you are, how good
you are.
So between...
(07:58):
between people saying on socialmedia that they're, oh, I just
went for an easy 15-mile run,and my mom always laughs every
time I tell her how far I ran.
I always say, even though Idon't mean it, oh, I just went
for an easy six miles, and shejust laughs and laughs.
Or you see people who, withoutany training, they pull out a
(08:19):
145 half, or they qualify forBoston on their first go, and it
can just be frustrating.
And so a lot of the why behindwhy people run get lost in the
numbers and the noise andeverything.
So it's really important to havesomething that is fun about it
that's outside of qualifying,hitting a pace, seeing these
(08:42):
different successes or notsuccesses, because when you're
day in and day out or going forlong runs sometimes you need
that something that's a littlebit silly or feels stupid um and
it's not always about the statsof the bead for a lot of people
it's lets them think about theirday process information um go
(09:03):
through emotions i know a lot ofmy runs i think about different
ideas or things i see or what ineed to do that day or Sometimes
it just lets me be alone and nothave to worry about everyone
else, what my dogs are doing,what my husband's doing, what I
need to do at work.
It's very much alone.
Or it could be you're in arunning group or you have a
running buddy that it's justnice to connect with them and
(09:26):
hear about their day and justprocess externally or just enjoy
another person's company andlaugh or whatever.
tell stories or anything likethat.
And just sometimes it's justbeing outside before the sun's
up.
That's one of my favorite thingsis getting a run in and then the
sun comes up.
Nothing is better for me thanfeeling so accomplished and the
(09:48):
sun hasn't even risen.
So that's another just thingthat finds joy in it.
So one thing that has reallybeen like my core value that
I've discovered more and moreabout running is just the dogs
per mile mindset.
And this is a absolutelyridiculously made up stat that
is just a low stress way to makerunning fun and light and
(10:11):
enjoyable.
So I started doing it during mylast marathon in Portland,
Oregon, because the long runs,if you've ever trained for
really any distance, you knowthat sometimes you're out there
for at least one, two, three,maybe even four hours on some of
your runs, and it can start toget boring.
You can only listen to so manypodcasts, so many audiobooks,
(10:33):
the same playlist before youreally just want to throw your
AirPods in the river.
And some days the pace justwasn't working.
I'm looking at my watch and I'mfeeling like I'm dying and it's
buzzing at me like, you aregoing too slow.
And I'm like, F you watch.
What the fuck are you talkingabout?
I am going fast.
I don't know what you're talkingabout.
And so then I would just get soupset at myself at the end of
(10:57):
the runs that I deemed that thatrun wasn't good because my watch
told me it wasn't a good run.
Which just is fucking stupid.
The watch doesn't controlwhether or not you had a good
run.
So I just started to...
notice all the dogs I would seeon the run.
And I would say, Oh, look, Isaw.
So what I have two dogs, I havea mini Australian shepherd and I
(11:17):
have a, now I have a goldenretriever as well.
And so I would just look at thedogs I saw and I would report
back to my husband and say, Isaw five dogs.
I saw an Aussie.
I saw a cute Burmese mountaindog.
I saw this, I saw that.
And so it became something thatwas just kind of fun that I
would, my goal would be to tryto remember as many as I saw
when I came back to tell themabout my run and living in
(11:38):
Portland, you have to kind ofhave a year.
I mean, anytime, anywhere, youlive and you run.
You have to have your head in aswivel.
You need to be aware of yoursurroundings.
You can't just like 100% zoneout and not look.
So it was another way for me tojust stay focused on my
surroundings.
So I would start saying how manydogs, and then I started just
kind of counting how many dogs Isaw and seeing what the average
(12:00):
of dogs per mile I saw based onhow far I ran.
So if I saw 10 dogs and I ranfive miles, I'd be like, cool, I
saw...
10 dogs that many miles.
And I ran a 2 DPM, two dogs permile on average.
And it just was a fun stat thatmade me enjoy running a little
bit more.
(12:21):
So, cause I'm an average runner.
I'm not, I'm not qualifying forBoston anytime soon until I'm 80
and maybe then.
But so I just wanted to findsome way to enjoy the runs and
not focus on my splits.
So I focused on the dogs.
And the best part is I get tomake the rules on this so I can
decide, well, my rules are, ifyou see the dog more than once
(12:44):
it only counts once on the rununless you're in a race and you
can count that dog as many timesas you see them i can allow
myself to have certain breedsget extra points so if i see a
mini aussie or a goldenretriever i can let them be two
points if i want to if iremember and i can just make
that decision and i can decideif it's cheating if you run by a
dog park and count all the dogsin there or i can decide if it's
(13:06):
cheating for these sort of stuffso i used to just let my watch
tell me if my run was good orbad and And I'm changing my
routes to now improve my dogsper mile and less of my split
time, which is much moreenjoyable.
It's so much more fun.
So there's just other ways thatyou can find joy.
Find your own dogs per mile.
(13:27):
And it could be just reallyenjoying the environment you go
on.
So if you're a...
runner who likes to do differentroutes, seeing different houses,
different things.
I like to look at the signs thatpeople have, who has 12-foot
skeletons, who has a really funHalloween display and has ghosts
and skeletons crawling up theirhouse.
So that's really fun andenjoyable.
(13:48):
And also running outside is away to mentally reset your
brain.
It's a way just to get thatfresh air and that vitamin D.
And so that's another way to anon-stat-related lifestyle.
way to find joy in running.
And then also it can be, ifyou're a type of person, you're
an extrovert and you lovetalking to people, run clubs are
(14:10):
the way to go.
It's so fun to chat with one.
I am the leader of a run clubhere in Kansas City.
We are tiny, but we are going togrow.
And it's just really nice totalk with people about they're
buying a house or they're doingthis and oh my husband got laid
off and just talking about thatsort of things it's just really
(14:32):
nice to enjoy time with anotherhuman.
And then also just neverunderestimate the power of the
rudder wave.
I'm a big fan of the runnerwave, just waving and smiling
and saying hi, even if they'reunfamiliar.
I think it's just one of thethings that brings runners
together.
It's like the Jeep wave.
You got a Jeep, you do a littleJeep wave, you feel like a cool
(14:53):
kid.
I feel like the same way when Irun and I get to wave at another
runner.
And running also, since evenwhen they feel hard physically,
it's often a way to mentallyreset and prove that you're able
to do hard things.
I know this last weekend, I wentfor a six-mile run.
I was planning on going threebecause I was very tired.
(15:16):
My stomach hurt.
And there was a whole bunch ofother just things going on.
And at the end of it, I ended updoing way more than I thought I
could.
And I just had that release ofstress.
and just felt the accomplishmentreally pushed me through the
rest of my day.
And it's just so great to comeback on a run, just feeling
(15:37):
lighter and clearer and moreaware and awake, whether or not
you met your speed or yourdistance or your Garmin says you
programmed a run and it saysthat you got a like 42%.
Don't translate that to like,oh, I failed.
No, you got out there.
You did more than you thoughtyou were going to do.
So really, I want you to like,Think about what a dog per mile
(15:59):
stat could be for you.
And it can be dogs.
It can be trees, types of birds.
It could be fun signs you see.
It could be Christmas lights.
Just anything that helps youenjoy the run more.
And there's going to be runswhere the numbers are not
matching.
You slept like crap.
(16:20):
The weather is windy.
or you just feel off.
And sometimes finding joy inthose days helps.
And also on their side, on thedays where the weather is
perfect.
I know when I have that 40degree day, it's perfect.
There's no wind.
It's nice.
And my run goes to shit.
I will beat myself up becauselike, well, logically, this day
(16:42):
was perfect.
Why did you suck?
And being able to say like,yeah, shit happens.
And at least I saw 27 dogs andthat was real great.
So You're just really shiftingyour focus in those moments from
numbers to enjoyment orsomething that's going to make
it a lot more fun.
(17:02):
So each week I am going toprovide you with what my dogs
per mile were for the week, justso you have an idea of what I'm
doing, what's going on.
And at the end, so basically theway I do dogs per mile is I
figure out how far I ran thatrun and then I count how many
dogs I saw and then Then I justdivide it by each other.
(17:23):
And that gives me how many dogsI ran or I saw.
So this last week I ran 11 totalmiles and I saw nine dogs.
So it was a little bit light fordogs.
So really only a 0.81 dogs permile was my dogs per mile.
So I'm always interested in whatyour dogs per mile was on your
last run or what the most dogsyou've ever seen on a run was.
(17:47):
Let me know.
I'd love to know more about whatyour dogs per mile has been.
So that's a wrap on today'sfirst episode.
We really covered a lot.
I loved giving you guys a littlebit more of my running history,
why I jumped straight from a 5kto a half marathon like an
(18:08):
absolute lunatic.
I fell in love with running andthen really just going into the
heart of what I hope thispodcast and I hope you take away
from this is just finding yourjoy and your fun in running.
And we talked about how it'simportant to kind of shift focus
away from what your watch saysor the traditional stats to your
(18:29):
own sort of way to make runningenjoyable.
Why I shifted away to justcounting the dogs that I see and
how they keep me motivated.
And so I want you just to takeaway, at least from this
episode, that running doesn'talways have to be about
performance or pace.
(18:50):
It can be a source of fun, amental reset, or just your
moment of joy, your moment ofalone time.
So next time you're out thereand the watch is going and
buzzing and saying, slow down,speed up, too fast, too high,
too whatever.
Think about what your dogs permile are, how many 12-foot
(19:10):
skeletons you saw, or any funnylawn signs you see in people's
yards.
And just let yourself enjoy therun.
if you enjoyed today's episodeplease hit the subscribe button
so you'll never miss a moment ofthe fun the motivation or any
running tips and if you loved iti'd be super super grateful if
(19:33):
you could leave a review onspotify apple podcast or
wherever you are listening tothis uh you can follow me along
on instagram at dogs per milepod for more updates and more
tips and maybe some pictures ofmy two dogs yogi and maple uh so
share your runs with me tag meand And let me know what stat
you're counting on your runs.
(19:55):
Thanks for listening.
And I'll catch you next time formore stories, tips, and dogs.
Until then, keep running andkeep counting dogs.
See ya.
Bye.
SPEAKER_00 (00:04):
Hey, welcome to Dogs Per Mile podcast.
I'm Bridget, your host and runnybuddy today.
I'm all about finding the joy inrunning, no matter what your
garment says.
I'll be sharing stories,practical tips, and some laughs
to keep you motivated, whetheryou're new to running or a
seasoned pro.
We're all in this together, andtrust me, there's always
(00:24):
something to laugh about on therun.
In today's episode, I'll sharewith you my running story, talk
about why I choose to keepgoing, and why I count dogs on
every run I go on.
Let's get going.
Hey all, welcome to the firstepisode of the Dogs Per Mile
podcast.
I am very, very excited to haveyou here with me on this journey
(00:44):
to learn more about running, tojust talk about stories and tips
and really just normalize thatrunning can be fun and it
doesn't have to be that serious.
So we're going to start todaywith just giving you some
history of my running journey,why I got started, when I got
started, just to give you somecontext.
(01:06):
context about me and that partof my story.
So I started running back in2012-2011 as what most Women did
in that time or do in that timeto get in shape for their
wedding.
So if you ever saw the Etsysweating for the wedding tank
tops, I had one.
(01:26):
I was trying to get in shape.
I wanted to look good before mywedding.
I also had recently lost ourone-year-old puppy to a kidney
failure function.
Still escapes me.
And I was also starting gradschool right in the summer.
(01:47):
Of 2012.
So there was just a lot that wasgoing on.
And running was something that Ijust...
started on a whim just to seewhat it was like.
Even though I had played soccerfor years and years and I ended
up quitting and going tovolleyball in high school
because I was so tired of therunning.
(02:08):
I didn't want to do sprints.
I didn't want to do laps.
I didn't want to do any of it.
So I went to a different sportbecause I hated going for runs
so much.
So I started off by doing a 5kthat was raising money for a dog
rescue because there's somethingthat was close to my heart and
it felt like it fit what Iwanted to do and how I wanted to
(02:30):
start this.
And then I did another Color Run5K and jumped right into grad
school and met my really goodfriend Charlotte in grad school.
And we talked and chatted andshe eventually convinced me of
many things, but she convincedme that well, we should sign up
(02:50):
for a half marathon.
You've never done one before,but we're students.
We get a discount for the nolonger in service Nike Women's
Half Marathon in D.C.
And, of course, I moved fromdoing a 35-minute 5K and being
very proud of that tounderstanding what it was going
to be like to run a halfmarathon or 13.1 miles.
(03:13):
But I fell in love with thetraining process.
That was what really sucked mein.
My brain saw it as this fun,logical puzzle of trying to fit
these different runs into mybusy days in grad school.
And okay, I have to get up earlyand run eight miles this day
before I go to my internship.
And I have to get a long run inhere and doing laps and laps and
(03:37):
laps around the West HartfordReservoir back in Connecticut.
I just kept training.
I kept trying.
And I had no goal.
goal time at all set.
No idea how it was going to go.
And we get to the start line andCharlotte almost backs out of
it.
But I ended up seeing my friendfrom college there and we ran
the first three miles together.
(03:58):
And I ended that with a 2.04, Ithink, for my first half.
And from that moment on, I wasabsolutely hooked.
I could not...
have enjoyed it more.
I loved the process.
And so I kept training fordifferent races.
I would do ones in differentstates.
I even did one very challengingand very strange sprint
(04:25):
triathlon where I did all of mytraining inside for swimming and
never swam outside.
Didn't have a wetsuit.
Borrowed a bike for my parents'house.
But I liked trying new thingsand I really just loved the
training process and I reallyliked making running fun.
It was something that I neverwas interested in the
(04:47):
seriousness of it.
I never...
loved doing track workouts oranything that was very that
realm.
I just liked the process oftraining and getting better and
fitting these runs in here.
It also was the only time duringgrad school that I wasn't able
to multitask.
I wasn't able to work and alsobe researching a paper or be
(05:10):
wedding planning or be doing allsorts of other things.
It was the one and only thingthat I had to focus on just
myself and it was the first timeI was selfish for something.
And that was really enjoyable.
I loved the feeling after myruns.
And plot twist, spoiler alert,that most people starting out on
(05:31):
a run, the first few milesalways suck.
It's just sometimes the wholerun sucks.
But I just really loved it.
every aspect of the other part.
I loved learning about it.
And I, over the past 13 or soyears I've run, I don't have an
exact number.
I've lost count about maybe 50half marathons.
(05:51):
Then I've also done twomarathons, which I always say
never again, and then one willcome back.
So we're probably about due forone of those again.
And then my awful, awful sprinttriathlon.
And I just love mixing myrunning with whatever, other
season of physical activity I'min.
I have done times where I'vedone a lot of strength training
(06:12):
mixed with running.
I have been an avid OrangeTheory member for years and have
mixed that with training forraces and getting better.
I've done cycling.
I've done Peloton bikes.
I've done Pilates.
I've done group classes,anything and everything.
I just never seem to stick inone lane when it Running always
(06:35):
is the thing I come back to andI will miss it anytime I'm not
doing it.
So that's kind of been myjourney and what's brought me to
running and what keeps me goingwith running is just finding the
fun and enjoying it.
And so that moves into kind ofthe why finding joy in your
(06:56):
running routine is just socritical.
I know for me, I could seepeople on social media and Or
even friends who do races andthey post their picture and I
see their bib number and I am asguilty as the next person of
looking up the race results,putting their bib and thinking,
am I faster than them?
Am I not faster than them?
How do I feel about that?
(07:17):
Or this last run, my heart ratewould not go down.
And no matter how slow I wasgoing or look at this person,
they can run, they're qualifyingfor this or they're doing that.
And so...
you can really get just sodialed into the numbers, which
are very critical if you'retraining for a specific goal, if
you're trying to qualify for arace.
(07:37):
They're important.
You can't train effectively fora goal without paying attention
to most of the numbers.
But they can not tell the wholestory of who you are, how good
you are.
So between...
(07:58):
between people saying on socialmedia that they're, oh, I just
went for an easy 15-mile run,and my mom always laughs every
time I tell her how far I ran.
I always say, even though Idon't mean it, oh, I just went
for an easy six miles, and shejust laughs and laughs.
Or you see people who, withoutany training, they pull out a
(08:19):
145 half, or they qualify forBoston on their first go, and it
can just be frustrating.
And so a lot of the why behindwhy people run get lost in the
numbers and the noise andeverything.
So it's really important to havesomething that is fun about it
that's outside of qualifying,hitting a pace, seeing these
(08:42):
different successes or notsuccesses, because when you're
day in and day out or going forlong runs sometimes you need
that something that's a littlebit silly or feels stupid um and
it's not always about the statsof the bead for a lot of people
it's lets them think about theirday process information um go
(09:03):
through emotions i know a lot ofmy runs i think about different
ideas or things i see or what ineed to do that day or Sometimes
it just lets me be alone and nothave to worry about everyone
else, what my dogs are doing,what my husband's doing, what I
need to do at work.
It's very much alone.
Or it could be you're in arunning group or you have a
running buddy that it's justnice to connect with them and
(09:26):
hear about their day and justprocess externally or just enjoy
another person's company andlaugh or whatever.
tell stories or anything likethat.
And just sometimes it's justbeing outside before the sun's
up.
That's one of my favorite thingsis getting a run in and then the
sun comes up.
Nothing is better for me thanfeeling so accomplished and the
(09:48):
sun hasn't even risen.
So that's another just thingthat finds joy in it.
So one thing that has reallybeen like my core value that
I've discovered more and moreabout running is just the dogs
per mile mindset.
And this is a absolutelyridiculously made up stat that
is just a low stress way to makerunning fun and light and
(10:11):
enjoyable.
So I started doing it during mylast marathon in Portland,
Oregon, because the long runs,if you've ever trained for
really any distance, you knowthat sometimes you're out there
for at least one, two, three,maybe even four hours on some of
your runs, and it can start toget boring.
You can only listen to so manypodcasts, so many audiobooks,
(10:33):
the same playlist before youreally just want to throw your
AirPods in the river.
And some days the pace justwasn't working.
I'm looking at my watch and I'mfeeling like I'm dying and it's
buzzing at me like, you aregoing too slow.
And I'm like, F you watch.
What the fuck are you talkingabout?
I am going fast.
I don't know what you're talkingabout.
And so then I would just get soupset at myself at the end of
(10:57):
the runs that I deemed that thatrun wasn't good because my watch
told me it wasn't a good run.
Which just is fucking stupid.
The watch doesn't controlwhether or not you had a good
run.
So I just started to...
notice all the dogs I would seeon the run.
And I would say, Oh, look, Isaw.
So what I have two dogs, I havea mini Australian shepherd and I
(11:17):
have a, now I have a goldenretriever as well.
And so I would just look at thedogs I saw and I would report
back to my husband and say, Isaw five dogs.
I saw an Aussie.
I saw a cute Burmese mountaindog.
I saw this, I saw that.
And so it became something thatwas just kind of fun that I
would, my goal would be to tryto remember as many as I saw
when I came back to tell themabout my run and living in
(11:38):
Portland, you have to kind ofhave a year.
I mean, anytime, anywhere, youlive and you run.
You have to have your head in aswivel.
You need to be aware of yoursurroundings.
You can't just like 100% zoneout and not look.
So it was another way for me tojust stay focused on my
surroundings.
So I would start saying how manydogs, and then I started just
kind of counting how many dogs Isaw and seeing what the average
(12:00):
of dogs per mile I saw based onhow far I ran.
So if I saw 10 dogs and I ranfive miles, I'd be like, cool, I
saw...
10 dogs that many miles.
And I ran a 2 DPM, two dogs permile on average.
And it just was a fun stat thatmade me enjoy running a little
bit more.
(12:21):
So, cause I'm an average runner.
I'm not, I'm not qualifying forBoston anytime soon until I'm 80
and maybe then.
But so I just wanted to findsome way to enjoy the runs and
not focus on my splits.
So I focused on the dogs.
And the best part is I get tomake the rules on this so I can
decide, well, my rules are, ifyou see the dog more than once
(12:44):
it only counts once on the rununless you're in a race and you
can count that dog as many timesas you see them i can allow
myself to have certain breedsget extra points so if i see a
mini aussie or a goldenretriever i can let them be two
points if i want to if iremember and i can just make
that decision and i can decideif it's cheating if you run by a
dog park and count all the dogsin there or i can decide if it's
(13:06):
cheating for these sort of stuffso i used to just let my watch
tell me if my run was good orbad and And I'm changing my
routes to now improve my dogsper mile and less of my split
time, which is much moreenjoyable.
It's so much more fun.
So there's just other ways thatyou can find joy.
Find your own dogs per mile.
(13:27):
And it could be just reallyenjoying the environment you go
on.
So if you're a...
runner who likes to do differentroutes, seeing different houses,
different things.
I like to look at the signs thatpeople have, who has 12-foot
skeletons, who has a really funHalloween display and has ghosts
and skeletons crawling up theirhouse.
So that's really fun andenjoyable.
(13:48):
And also running outside is away to mentally reset your
brain.
It's a way just to get thatfresh air and that vitamin D.
And so that's another way to anon-stat-related lifestyle.
way to find joy in running.
And then also it can be, ifyou're a type of person, you're
an extrovert and you lovetalking to people, run clubs are
(14:10):
the way to go.
It's so fun to chat with one.
I am the leader of a run clubhere in Kansas City.
We are tiny, but we are going togrow.
And it's just really nice totalk with people about they're
buying a house or they're doingthis and oh my husband got laid
off and just talking about thatsort of things it's just really
(14:32):
nice to enjoy time with anotherhuman.
And then also just neverunderestimate the power of the
rudder wave.
I'm a big fan of the runnerwave, just waving and smiling
and saying hi, even if they'reunfamiliar.
I think it's just one of thethings that brings runners
together.
It's like the Jeep wave.
You got a Jeep, you do a littleJeep wave, you feel like a cool
(14:53):
kid.
I feel like the same way when Irun and I get to wave at another
runner.
And running also, since evenwhen they feel hard physically,
it's often a way to mentallyreset and prove that you're able
to do hard things.
I know this last weekend, I wentfor a six-mile run.
I was planning on going threebecause I was very tired.
(15:16):
My stomach hurt.
And there was a whole bunch ofother just things going on.
And at the end of it, I ended updoing way more than I thought I
could.
And I just had that release ofstress.
and just felt the accomplishmentreally pushed me through the
rest of my day.
And it's just so great to comeback on a run, just feeling
(15:37):
lighter and clearer and moreaware and awake, whether or not
you met your speed or yourdistance or your Garmin says you
programmed a run and it saysthat you got a like 42%.
Don't translate that to like,oh, I failed.
No, you got out there.
You did more than you thoughtyou were going to do.
So really, I want you to like,Think about what a dog per mile
(15:59):
stat could be for you.
And it can be dogs.
It can be trees, types of birds.
It could be fun signs you see.
It could be Christmas lights.
Just anything that helps youenjoy the run more.
And there's going to be runswhere the numbers are not
matching.
You slept like crap.
(16:20):
The weather is windy.
or you just feel off.
And sometimes finding joy inthose days helps.
And also on their side, on thedays where the weather is
perfect.
I know when I have that 40degree day, it's perfect.
There's no wind.
It's nice.
And my run goes to shit.
I will beat myself up becauselike, well, logically, this day
(16:42):
was perfect.
Why did you suck?
And being able to say like,yeah, shit happens.
And at least I saw 27 dogs andthat was real great.
So You're just really shiftingyour focus in those moments from
numbers to enjoyment orsomething that's going to make
it a lot more fun.
(17:02):
So each week I am going toprovide you with what my dogs
per mile were for the week, justso you have an idea of what I'm
doing, what's going on.
And at the end, so basically theway I do dogs per mile is I
figure out how far I ran thatrun and then I count how many
dogs I saw and then Then I justdivide it by each other.
(17:23):
And that gives me how many dogsI ran or I saw.
So this last week I ran 11 totalmiles and I saw nine dogs.
So it was a little bit light fordogs.
So really only a 0.81 dogs permile was my dogs per mile.
So I'm always interested in whatyour dogs per mile was on your
last run or what the most dogsyou've ever seen on a run was.
(17:47):
Let me know.
I'd love to know more about whatyour dogs per mile has been.
So that's a wrap on today'sfirst episode.
We really covered a lot.
I loved giving you guys a littlebit more of my running history,
why I jumped straight from a 5kto a half marathon like an
(18:08):
absolute lunatic.
I fell in love with running andthen really just going into the
heart of what I hope thispodcast and I hope you take away
from this is just finding yourjoy and your fun in running.
And we talked about how it'simportant to kind of shift focus
away from what your watch saysor the traditional stats to your
(18:29):
own sort of way to make runningenjoyable.
Why I shifted away to justcounting the dogs that I see and
how they keep me motivated.
And so I want you just to takeaway, at least from this
episode, that running doesn'talways have to be about
performance or pace.
(18:50):
It can be a source of fun, amental reset, or just your
moment of joy, your moment ofalone time.
So next time you're out thereand the watch is going and
buzzing and saying, slow down,speed up, too fast, too high,
too whatever.
Think about what your dogs permile are, how many 12-foot
(19:10):
skeletons you saw, or any funnylawn signs you see in people's
yards.
And just let yourself enjoy therun.
if you enjoyed today's episodeplease hit the subscribe button
so you'll never miss a moment ofthe fun the motivation or any
running tips and if you loved iti'd be super super grateful if
(19:33):
you could leave a review onspotify apple podcast or
wherever you are listening tothis uh you can follow me along
on instagram at dogs per milepod for more updates and more
tips and maybe some pictures ofmy two dogs yogi and maple uh so
share your runs with me tag meand And let me know what stat
you're counting on your runs.
(19:55):
Thanks for listening.
And I'll catch you next time formore stories, tips, and dogs.
Until then, keep running andkeep counting dogs.
See ya.
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