November 27, 2024 • 21 mins
What if your running routine could bring joy instead of just ticking off miles? That's precisely what we explore as we adopt the Dogs Per Mile mindset, moving away from the clutches of traditional stats. Drawing from my personal experience of breaking free from monotonous runs and anxiety, I uncover how subtle changes, like reversing your route, can rekindle the excitement of your runs. Whether you've just laced up your first pair of running shoes or you're a marathon veteran, this episode offers practical insights to transform your running journey into a joyful adventure, keeping things fresh and challenging for your brain.
Prepare to reinvigorate your marathon training and find joy in every stride as we dive into creative strategies for big city races in New York and Chicago. From rating holiday lights to inventing backstories for neighborhood houses, we'll explore a treasure trove of fun ideas to spice up your runs and engage with your surroundings. Plus, discover how to shake up the social dynamics of your run club by switching route leaders and fostering a vibrant community spirit. With these engaging tips, you’ll be inspired to see running as more than just exercise—it's a celebration of each step and the stories along the way.
Takeaways
- Many runners get stuck in routine ruts, limiting their growth.
- Changing the direction of a run can provide a fresh perspective.
- Engaging with seasonal decorations can make runs more enjoyable.
- Running at different times of the day can enhance training.
- Social aspects of running can introduce new routes and experiences.
- Using tools like Garmin can help explore new routes without stress.
- Creating games or challenges can add fun to routine runs.
- Observing changes in the environment can keep runs interesting.
- Incorporating variety can improve mental strength and resilience.
- Runners should embrace the opportunity to explore and discover new paths.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hey runners, welcome to the Dogs Per Mile podcast,
your weekly dose of runningreality.
Here we count dogs instead ofminutes and turn running stats
upside down.
I'm Bridget, your host,certified running coach and
creator of the Dogs Per Milemindset.
Here's the thing 13 years ago,I started my running journey,
like many of you, watching thestats on my garment and getting
(00:30):
discouraged when they didn'tmatch what they should be saying
.
That's when I discovered themagic of counting dogs in my run
, because sometimes the bestrunning stat isn't your pace or
distance.
Now, with over 50 halfmarathons, two marathons and
countless training runs under mybelt, I'm here to share a
different approach to running,one that breaks down mental
barriers, eases those pre-runanxieties and yes, includes a
(00:53):
weekly update of my personaldogs per mile count.
Whether you're lacing up forthe first time, getting back
into running after a break,struggling your training with
group fitness classes or chasingyour next PR, you've found your
people.
This is where we take thepressure off and put the joy
back in running, because everyrunner has a place here and
(01:22):
every dog site is worthcelebrating.
Hey runners, welcome back tothe Dogs Per Mile podcast.
I am your host, bridget.
Thank you for joining me Ifyou're new here, welcome If
you're a listener from previousepisodes.
Thanks for coming back.
I am very excited today just todo a quick little episode,
something that is really helpfulfor either new or experienced
runners that can help you stopburning out from your roots or
(01:47):
just create a little bit ofvariety.
This is especially great if youare it's around the holidays or
you are just trying to finddoing the spice of your root
without changing too muchbecause you have a lot happening
, because school doesn't rightnow.
I know that I am a notorious andserial routine runner.
(02:08):
I will run the same route, thesame direction.
I know every crack, I knowevery little hill, I know every
part of the sidewalk where Ihave to jump this way.
I know every bit of my run likeat the back of my hand.
And sometimes we go withconvenience over variety.
But there's ways to spice upyour run while keeping the route
(02:29):
the same and make it a littlebit more engaging and exciting.
There's also ways that we canchange it around and make it a
little bit more unique,different, and it also will help
us become better runners in thelong run.
We're going to kind of talkabout why we first get stuck in
these running ruts.
Like I mentioned before, manyrunners and myself I am the
(02:51):
queen of this is I get in myroutine ruts and it's really
just being stuck in my comfortzone and my little safety
blanket of my route.
I know exactly where thebathrooms are.
I know what time every coffeeshop opens.
I know what time every gasstation opens.
I know where they are, I knowwhat entrance is best.
(03:16):
That is just you know.
It's essential runner knowledgeand so many of us plan our
routes around where thebathrooms because it's just you
never know or stops for water,gatorade, snacks, things like
that.
So it's you know, we know whatis happening.
I also plan mine around knowingwhat streets are well lit in the
early mornings or night, eventhough my mom hates that I run
(03:38):
early in the morning when it'sdark, even though I'm well lit.
She absolutely hates it.
So I know what roads have goodoverhead lighting and I know
which ones are like running in acave.
And one other thing that makesit comfortable is you know which
ones are busy, which onespeople are more likely to stop.
Crossing patterns traffic itjust becomes, especially if
(04:00):
you're running at the same timeand the same route.
You know how many cars you'regoing to see at each time.
So it's really helpful.
And also for me, I know whichhouses have dogs.
I know which dogs they are,which ones are my favorites, so
that definitely doesn't hurt.
Planning my run and you also thebiggest thing is knowing how
long a loop takes, especially ifyou're doing most of your runs
(04:20):
at an easy or consistent pace,which most of you know.
80% of training is typically atthat easy pace.
So you know that that looptakes you exactly 45 minutes,
which is the perfect amount oftime that you can fit right into
a morning workout, Right intobefore you have to get the kids
up, or you got to get the dogsto camp, or you got to get to
(04:41):
work, or you have to do this.
And so we pick these routesbecause we know how long they
take and we know that we can fitit in.
But the problem is they becomea security blanket and we never
change from them, which means,yes, we are growing as runners,
because we may do speed workoutor we're running at different
(05:04):
days and different weather, butby not switching up the route,
you're not varying your terrainand varying the area that you're
running in.
So there's some ways that wecan kind of flip these things
around, so it's more like you'rehitting shuffle on your
playlist versus running throughit.
Let's start with these simpleroot refreshers, the super easy
(05:27):
item and the easiest tip thatyou will see everywhere, which
is just change the direction ofyour route.
So if you always turn left at acertain location, so you start
your house and you get out ofyour house and you always turn
left, this time go the oppositedirection of your starting route
this basically kind of does alot of psychology to your brain,
(05:50):
so different landmarks mighthit you at different times.
So what you're used to seeingat mile one is now maybe what
you were seeing at mile four,and so that can just really hit
you in a different direction.
I know for me, anytime I dothis, without a doubt, if I'm
heading in the direction where Iwould normally be finishing my
run and it's a start of my runmy body naturally feels like
it's more fatigued.
(06:10):
I can't explain it.
I only can think that my brainsays well, this is typically
when you're done with your run.
This is typically when you'retired.
You are now tired, even if it'sonly a mile in.
So that is just something that,psychologically, you'll see
your brain doing, and it forcesyou to run on tired legs without
actually running on tired legs.
(06:35):
You also be running up a hillthat typically maybe is a
downhill and vice versa, and sothat'll help you train a
different way.
You'll maybe get the hillsooner.
So my run always startsstraight up a hill.
So if I were to go in the otherdirection, I may go down the
hill first and then go up thehill at the end.
So it allows you kind of toswitch your route around based
on what is available.
And then always there'sdifferent dogs at different
(06:57):
times.
So if you run in the otherdirection, maybe you will see a
different dog and who doesn'twant that.
Another way that you can simplyrefresh the route, even if you
want to go in the same direction.
You're hell-bent on going thatway.
That's me.
I can't.
I can admit it.
Maybe you just go on the otherside of the road.
So I run a lot of times inKansas City on Ward Parkway and
(07:18):
I always go on.
One certain side of the road iswhat I'm used to, what I'm
comfortable.
But a simple way would be torun the same direction just on
the other side of the road, andthis is exceptionally helpful
for me in regards to this route.
So one of my favorite races ofall time is Rock the Parkway in
Kansas City and this route goesupward parkway around Loose Park
(07:39):
and then back down.
And if I do all of my trainingbut I am always only going one
direction on Ward Parkway, I'mnever training going the other
way.
I'm never training that side ofthe road, which means the
downhills turn into uphills andin order to be better prepared
for race day I need to run onboth sides.
(08:00):
So if I do some of my trainingby just going to the other side
of the, it's that simple.
It's that simple of changing itup and you'll see different
houses, different signs,different everything.
There's so much more to look atthat'll help your brain have a
little bit of fun while you'redoing the runs.
Another couple fun games thatyou can do that are really easy
(08:20):
refreshers is kind of right leftat every intersection, so this
works really well to if you wantto stay in your comfort zone.
You know that you have twoparallel roads.
You kind of turn left and youcan almost like zipper motion
around a neighborhood.
It's a really easy way to kindof switch it up.
If you're really, reallyadventurous, you can just turn
(08:40):
left and right at every otherintersection and slowly make
your way the way you want.
Another thing you could do isyou can create new loops within
familiar areas.
So maybe basically picking acouple different roads and
running down them that areparallel, or using Garmin is
fantastic at this.
It's one of my favorite tools isyou can, if you're like me and
(09:04):
you want to try a new route, youdon't want to get lost and then
suddenly you're out of time andyou're stressed.
So one thing on Garmin you cando is look at your normal route
and you can go into RouteBuilder in the app and build
yourself a route that syncs toyour watch and then your watch
will buzz at you, turn left,turn right, and if you get off
course it lets you know.
So that way you can try newroutes without being stressed
(09:26):
out that you're going to getlost and then run out of time,
and then that's not what we needat this time of year.
We only got so much, andanother kind of weird game but
fun game you could always do iskind of follow another runner,
see where they go for a littlebit, and if they're going down a
road that you haven't triedbefore, see how that works.
So some other variations thatwe can do on that are not just
(09:47):
directional.
So these are other ways that,again, if you're hellbent on,
you know that this route is fivemiles.
It's the perfect amount of timeyou can change your runs based
on time.
So for me, I am a morningrunner through and through.
I always have been.
Well, I wasn't when I was ingrad school.
A lot of times I would do afterwork runs, or I wasn't when I
(10:10):
was in grad school.
A lot of times I would do afterwork runs, or.
But my preference is has alwaysbeen morning.
So even if you shift,especially if it's the holidays,
if you shift your run from 6 amto 9 am, you're going to get
different sun.
You're going to get differenttemperature, different wind
speeds, which all help yourtrain ready.
You also might see more or lessdogs, more or less people which
is always fun more exciting,different traffic patterns.
(10:32):
So you may need to work yourbrain to pay attention a little
bit more.
Maybe there's more rush hourand there also could be more
neighborhood activities If it'sduring the summertime, there
could be block parties to watchat.
It could be just differentthings to see.
Maybe you're running to andfrom a farmer's market we have
so many of them here and youcould always.
If it's a different time of theday, maybe you actually can run
(10:52):
to the farmer's market or doyour lap and, at the farmer's
market, get something, and youknow head home Just a variety of
different ways to switch it up,just by changing the time of
day in which you're doing thatrun.
And all of these can benefityou, make you a better runner by
running at differenttemperatures.
If you are a really seasonedrunner and you're training for
(11:13):
and a marathon, especially ifyou're training for one of the
world majors, one of the eliteones, if you're, you know you're
a fast runner or you are doingthe lottery or whatever, however
you got into.
So suppose you are running inNew York City or Chicago.
The way those waves work issometimes you're not starting
your wave until 10, 11 in themorning, which, if you do all of
(11:34):
your runs before work or earlyin the morning, your body is
never going to be used torunning at that time.
So this really helps to trainyour stomach to run at those
specific times and it reallyhelps you become better.
And it also just makes yourbrain have to think a little bit
differently and forces you towork a little bit harder.
(11:54):
And also you may be running alittle bit more fatigued If
you're running.
You'd always run in the morning.
Maybe you're running after work.
This time You're now running ona body that's eating more meals
, so your stomach is a littlebit different.
Your legs may be tired fromeither being on your feet or
being at work.
You may have more things goingon in your brain.
You may be processing astressful work day, work week
(12:16):
there's a variety of things.
So these all help you build upthat mental strength, without
you even realizing it, by justsimply changing the time of day
that you're going for a run.
Here's something that kind ofblew my mind Running your usual
route backwards isn't aboutgoing in the other direction.
Suddenly, the hill that youalways finish on becomes a
starter.
It just hits different If youare expecting to end your run
(12:42):
going downhill and you're endingit going on an uphill.
It really changes the way youthink about it and plus, you
have the chance to notice morethings about houses or streets
that you did before.
Maybe you actually are readingthe street sign names and
finding funny street names.
It's just really fun to do.
Let's kind of expand on someseasonal engagement ideas to
(13:05):
kind of especially, you know,we're on the holidays, we're
getting lights out on houses,there's a lot going on, plus
it's dark and cold, for at leastfor most people, especially
where I live.
It's starting to get coldviolently.
So how can we kind of throwsome more engagement into our
runs, assuming maybe we're notchanging the route or maybe we
are Some holiday-specific ones?
(13:26):
We can do is you can rate lightdisplays.
We have a lot of houses orstreets here that do light
competitions and you can kind ofrate the houses on a scale of
one to ten.
Suppose you choose one house orone road and pick your favorite
.
One thing that I'm going toimplement myself is the counting
inflatables.
I think this is a really funway to kind of it's a fun take
(13:47):
on dogs per mile, because I havebeen seeing that stat dropping,
because most people don't havetheir dogs out that early and
it's really, really sad.
By counting the number ofinflatables I can either turn
that into inflatables per mile,not as fun.
But the way I see that I can,that you could use it, is
counting the number ofinflatables and say you saw 25.
(14:08):
If you run the same route,you're probably going to see the
same 25, maybe one more.
But it encourages me to run adifferent route to be like, okay
, fuck, I'm going to beat thatrun and see if I can see 30
inflatables, or maybe I runlonger.
Maybe I was originally going toonly run this part of this loop
and I wasn't going to add onthis extra street where I go by
a big neighborhood, so maybe yourun longer than you expected,
(14:32):
which tricks you into gettingmore miles on your feet.
And then another thing that I amgoing to do is creating kind of
like a holiday decorating bingo, maybe a bingo card that has
okay, I saw an elf themeddecoration, I saw something on
someone's roof and a house thatis lit up like Christmas
(14:53):
vacation.
I saw.
I mean, we have a lot of reallyfun, unique ones here.
So kind of making a littlebingo card that helps you, keeps
your mind occupied but alsobrings a little bit more fun
into it, and then some otherweird things that you can do
that are more year round iscreating backstories for houses.
This is something that Iabsolutely would do.
(15:14):
If I have friends around or ifI'm, you know, running with a
group, we would see a house andkind of maybe create a backstory
on why it's painted that coloror why is it this way, and
that's always a really fun thing.
You can start to try to guessthe names or name the dogs that
you see in the neighborhood andthen just tracking neighborhood
(15:34):
changes who's doing what theirhouse is?
I know this is definitelysomething my mom does when she
takes her walks around herneighborhood is which house is
doing what renovation?
Who's building a garage?
Who's painting this?
Who's doing that?
Just turning your regular routeand kind of like a real-time
hgtv show you can kind of saybecause I know we have so many
houses here that are beingflipped, we just had one on the
(15:55):
couple streets up that paint.
It was painted once when oneperson bought it and then they
sold it and it got painted again, and so just it's wild to see,
and just I always also loveseeing the different streets
that are competing in holidaydecorations.
You can see what houses youthink maybe are competing and
see if they start putting upmore decorations.
(16:16):
It's always a little bit.
A little bit fun.
Let's also go with uh, you'rerunning social, you're running
with a group of people, youeither run with a friend or you
run with a run club.
Let's go into like socialaspects or social elements to
switching up your run.
If you're on a run club or yourun with other people, how can
we expand our routes, whichsometimes maybe we don't have
(16:37):
control over them?
One thing that I definitelyenjoy doing is changing who's
leading the routes, showingother people the route that they
like to run.
I like to do Ward Parkway, forexample, but I always go down
the trolley trail with myrunners.
Maybe we swap that up or we godown one street over just to see
more things, and also it letsanother person.
(16:58):
You get to be able to see arunning route from another
person's perspective, anotherperson's eyes, and you might
discover a new way.
I know it has shown medifferent routes that I have in
my area.
Kiera, my old running buddy,showed me going down a certain
street and that really helpedgive me more options in case I
just get stuck in a rut, andalso we can find more dogs.
(17:19):
Who doesn't love that?
Another thing that's kind of funfor to make a running route
more social is using socialmedia and posting different
photos.
Maybe you are posting yourweekly progress shots.
I love doing that.
I've been doing that since Istarted running.
I was known on my small littleInstagram for my little Nike run
(17:41):
shots of just my shoes back inthe 2012s.
It's always fun to post those.
I think that's always fun.
You can post seasonalcomparison photos if you always
run by the same park or anythinglike that how the trees will
change over seasons here's treesin November and they're
starting to fall or they havefallen, and then if snow's on
the ground and just kind of howit changes throughout the season
(18:03):
.
That's really kind of enjoyableand kind of fun.
What spots are most fun forrunning that you're going to see
dogs?
I truly don't believe that ifyou go for a run by a dog park,
it's cheating for dogs per mile.
You can do that if you want.
That's perfectly legal in therule book from all the Bridges
and yeah, I think taking photosof your run that you can show or
(18:25):
you can remember is also just areally fun way to break up a
run and give you a coupleminutes to maybe breathe or
relax.
So that's always great.
Remember, the roots may staythe same, but there's always
something new to see if you'relooking for it.
Sometimes the most familiarpaths give us the best stories.
I love making up fun storieswhen I've run with my husband
(18:49):
about what's going on with thedogs that I see, and I'd love to
know what things you do tospice up your normal runs.
Do you switch around your route?
Are you brave and you just getin the car and go to a different
location?
How are you changing up yourruns to not pull your hair out
(19:09):
or not go crazy?
Seeing everything the same, Iwould love to know how you
change them.
I'd love to see yourneighborhood's best holiday
decorations and I want to knowwhat the strangest things you
saw on your run.
Thank you so much for enjoyingthis little episode with me
talking about how we can spiceup our run by just changing the
(19:32):
direction, just changing theside of the road, ping-ponging
between different streets andeven just running at a different
time Some super simple thingsand also making some fun games
out of while you're running.
I hope, wherever you are, youhave a fantastic run on your
(19:53):
next one and until next time,keep running.
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
(20:15):
way to make sure you never missan episode.
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 onInstagram, where I share daily
motivation, behind the scenesmoments and plenty of pictures
of my two running coaches, yogiand Maple.
(20:35):
Be sure to tag me in your runphotos and use hashtag Dogs Per
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.
Hey runners, welcome to the Dogs Per Mile podcast,
your weekly dose of runningreality.
Here we count dogs instead ofminutes and turn running stats
upside down.
I'm Bridget, your host,certified running coach and
creator of the Dogs Per Milemindset.
Here's the thing 13 years ago,I started my running journey,
like many of you, watching thestats on my garment and getting
(00:30):
discouraged when they didn'tmatch what they should be saying
.
That's when I discovered themagic of counting dogs in my run
, because sometimes the bestrunning stat isn't your pace or
distance.
Now, with over 50 halfmarathons, two marathons and
countless training runs under mybelt, I'm here to share a
different approach to running,one that breaks down mental
barriers, eases those pre-runanxieties and yes, includes a
(00:53):
weekly update of my personaldogs per mile count.
Whether you're lacing up forthe first time, getting back
into running after a break,struggling your training with
group fitness classes or chasingyour next PR, you've found your
people.
This is where we take thepressure off and put the joy
back in running, because everyrunner has a place here and
(01:22):
every dog site is worthcelebrating.
Hey runners, welcome back tothe Dogs Per Mile podcast.
I am your host, bridget.
Thank you for joining me Ifyou're new here, welcome If
you're a listener from previousepisodes.
Thanks for coming back.
I am very excited today just todo a quick little episode,
something that is really helpfulfor either new or experienced
runners that can help you stopburning out from your roots or
(01:47):
just create a little bit ofvariety.
This is especially great if youare it's around the holidays or
you are just trying to finddoing the spice of your root
without changing too muchbecause you have a lot happening
, because school doesn't rightnow.
I know that I am a notorious andserial routine runner.
(02:08):
I will run the same route, thesame direction.
I know every crack, I knowevery little hill, I know every
part of the sidewalk where Ihave to jump this way.
I know every bit of my run likeat the back of my hand.
And sometimes we go withconvenience over variety.
But there's ways to spice upyour run while keeping the route
(02:29):
the same and make it a littlebit more engaging and exciting.
There's also ways that we canchange it around and make it a
little bit more unique,different, and it also will help
us become better runners in thelong run.
We're going to kind of talkabout why we first get stuck in
these running ruts.
Like I mentioned before, manyrunners and myself I am the
(02:51):
queen of this is I get in myroutine ruts and it's really
just being stuck in my comfortzone and my little safety
blanket of my route.
I know exactly where thebathrooms are.
I know what time every coffeeshop opens.
I know what time every gasstation opens.
I know where they are, I knowwhat entrance is best.
(03:16):
That is just you know.
It's essential runner knowledgeand so many of us plan our
routes around where thebathrooms because it's just you
never know or stops for water,gatorade, snacks, things like
that.
So it's you know, we know whatis happening.
I also plan mine around knowingwhat streets are well lit in the
early mornings or night, eventhough my mom hates that I run
(03:38):
early in the morning when it'sdark, even though I'm well lit.
She absolutely hates it.
So I know what roads have goodoverhead lighting and I know
which ones are like running in acave.
And one other thing that makesit comfortable is you know which
ones are busy, which onespeople are more likely to stop.
Crossing patterns traffic itjust becomes, especially if
(04:00):
you're running at the same timeand the same route.
You know how many cars you'regoing to see at each time.
So it's really helpful.
And also for me, I know whichhouses have dogs.
I know which dogs they are,which ones are my favorites, so
that definitely doesn't hurt.
Planning my run and you also thebiggest thing is knowing how
long a loop takes, especially ifyou're doing most of your runs
(04:20):
at an easy or consistent pace,which most of you know.
80% of training is typically atthat easy pace.
So you know that that looptakes you exactly 45 minutes,
which is the perfect amount oftime that you can fit right into
a morning workout, Right intobefore you have to get the kids
up, or you got to get the dogsto camp, or you got to get to
(04:41):
work, or you have to do this.
And so we pick these routesbecause we know how long they
take and we know that we can fitit in.
But the problem is they becomea security blanket and we never
change from them, which means,yes, we are growing as runners,
because we may do speed workoutor we're running at different
(05:04):
days and different weather, butby not switching up the route,
you're not varying your terrainand varying the area that you're
running in.
So there's some ways that wecan kind of flip these things
around, so it's more like you'rehitting shuffle on your
playlist versus running throughit.
Let's start with these simpleroot refreshers, the super easy
(05:27):
item and the easiest tip thatyou will see everywhere, which
is just change the direction ofyour route.
So if you always turn left at acertain location, so you start
your house and you get out ofyour house and you always turn
left, this time go the oppositedirection of your starting route
this basically kind of does alot of psychology to your brain,
(05:50):
so different landmarks mighthit you at different times.
So what you're used to seeingat mile one is now maybe what
you were seeing at mile four,and so that can just really hit
you in a different direction.
I know for me, anytime I dothis, without a doubt, if I'm
heading in the direction where Iwould normally be finishing my
run and it's a start of my runmy body naturally feels like
it's more fatigued.
(06:10):
I can't explain it.
I only can think that my brainsays well, this is typically
when you're done with your run.
This is typically when you'retired.
You are now tired, even if it'sonly a mile in.
So that is just something that,psychologically, you'll see
your brain doing, and it forcesyou to run on tired legs without
actually running on tired legs.
(06:35):
You also be running up a hillthat typically maybe is a
downhill and vice versa, and sothat'll help you train a
different way.
You'll maybe get the hillsooner.
So my run always startsstraight up a hill.
So if I were to go in the otherdirection, I may go down the
hill first and then go up thehill at the end.
So it allows you kind of toswitch your route around based
on what is available.
And then always there'sdifferent dogs at different
(06:57):
times.
So if you run in the otherdirection, maybe you will see a
different dog and who doesn'twant that.
Another way that you can simplyrefresh the route, even if you
want to go in the same direction.
You're hell-bent on going thatway.
That's me.
I can't.
I can admit it.
Maybe you just go on the otherside of the road.
So I run a lot of times inKansas City on Ward Parkway and
(07:18):
I always go on.
One certain side of the road iswhat I'm used to, what I'm
comfortable.
But a simple way would be torun the same direction just on
the other side of the road, andthis is exceptionally helpful
for me in regards to this route.
So one of my favorite races ofall time is Rock the Parkway in
Kansas City and this route goesupward parkway around Loose Park
(07:39):
and then back down.
And if I do all of my trainingbut I am always only going one
direction on Ward Parkway, I'mnever training going the other
way.
I'm never training that side ofthe road, which means the
downhills turn into uphills andin order to be better prepared
for race day I need to run onboth sides.
(08:00):
So if I do some of my trainingby just going to the other side
of the, it's that simple.
It's that simple of changing itup and you'll see different
houses, different signs,different everything.
There's so much more to look atthat'll help your brain have a
little bit of fun while you'redoing the runs.
Another couple fun games thatyou can do that are really easy
(08:20):
refreshers is kind of right leftat every intersection, so this
works really well to if you wantto stay in your comfort zone.
You know that you have twoparallel roads.
You kind of turn left and youcan almost like zipper motion
around a neighborhood.
It's a really easy way to kindof switch it up.
If you're really, reallyadventurous, you can just turn
(08:40):
left and right at every otherintersection and slowly make
your way the way you want.
Another thing you could do isyou can create new loops within
familiar areas.
So maybe basically picking acouple different roads and
running down them that areparallel, or using Garmin is
fantastic at this.
It's one of my favorite tools isyou can, if you're like me and
(09:04):
you want to try a new route, youdon't want to get lost and then
suddenly you're out of time andyou're stressed.
So one thing on Garmin you cando is look at your normal route
and you can go into RouteBuilder in the app and build
yourself a route that syncs toyour watch and then your watch
will buzz at you, turn left,turn right, and if you get off
course it lets you know.
So that way you can try newroutes without being stressed
(09:26):
out that you're going to getlost and then run out of time,
and then that's not what we needat this time of year.
We only got so much, andanother kind of weird game but
fun game you could always do iskind of follow another runner,
see where they go for a littlebit, and if they're going down a
road that you haven't triedbefore, see how that works.
So some other variations thatwe can do on that are not just
(09:47):
directional.
So these are other ways that,again, if you're hellbent on,
you know that this route is fivemiles.
It's the perfect amount of timeyou can change your runs based
on time.
So for me, I am a morningrunner through and through.
I always have been.
Well, I wasn't when I was ingrad school.
A lot of times I would do afterwork runs, or I wasn't when I
(10:10):
was in grad school.
A lot of times I would do afterwork runs, or.
But my preference is has alwaysbeen morning.
So even if you shift,especially if it's the holidays,
if you shift your run from 6 amto 9 am, you're going to get
different sun.
You're going to get differenttemperature, different wind
speeds, which all help yourtrain ready.
You also might see more or lessdogs, more or less people which
is always fun more exciting,different traffic patterns.
(10:32):
So you may need to work yourbrain to pay attention a little
bit more.
Maybe there's more rush hourand there also could be more
neighborhood activities If it'sduring the summertime, there
could be block parties to watchat.
It could be just differentthings to see.
Maybe you're running to andfrom a farmer's market we have
so many of them here and youcould always.
If it's a different time of theday, maybe you actually can run
(10:52):
to the farmer's market or doyour lap and, at the farmer's
market, get something, and youknow head home Just a variety of
different ways to switch it up,just by changing the time of
day in which you're doing thatrun.
And all of these can benefityou, make you a better runner by
running at differenttemperatures.
If you are a really seasonedrunner and you're training for
(11:13):
and a marathon, especially ifyou're training for one of the
world majors, one of the eliteones, if you're, you know you're
a fast runner or you are doingthe lottery or whatever, however
you got into.
So suppose you are running inNew York City or Chicago.
The way those waves work issometimes you're not starting
your wave until 10, 11 in themorning, which, if you do all of
(11:34):
your runs before work or earlyin the morning, your body is
never going to be used torunning at that time.
So this really helps to trainyour stomach to run at those
specific times and it reallyhelps you become better.
And it also just makes yourbrain have to think a little bit
differently and forces you towork a little bit harder.
(11:54):
And also you may be running alittle bit more fatigued If
you're running.
You'd always run in the morning.
Maybe you're running after work.
This time You're now running ona body that's eating more meals
, so your stomach is a littlebit different.
Your legs may be tired fromeither being on your feet or
being at work.
You may have more things goingon in your brain.
You may be processing astressful work day, work week
(12:16):
there's a variety of things.
So these all help you build upthat mental strength, without
you even realizing it, by justsimply changing the time of day
that you're going for a run.
Here's something that kind ofblew my mind Running your usual
route backwards isn't aboutgoing in the other direction.
Suddenly, the hill that youalways finish on becomes a
starter.
It just hits different If youare expecting to end your run
(12:42):
going downhill and you're endingit going on an uphill.
It really changes the way youthink about it and plus, you
have the chance to notice morethings about houses or streets
that you did before.
Maybe you actually are readingthe street sign names and
finding funny street names.
It's just really fun to do.
Let's kind of expand on someseasonal engagement ideas to
(13:05):
kind of especially, you know,we're on the holidays, we're
getting lights out on houses,there's a lot going on, plus
it's dark and cold, for at leastfor most people, especially
where I live.
It's starting to get coldviolently.
So how can we kind of throwsome more engagement into our
runs, assuming maybe we're notchanging the route or maybe we
are Some holiday-specific ones?
(13:26):
We can do is you can rate lightdisplays.
We have a lot of houses orstreets here that do light
competitions and you can kind ofrate the houses on a scale of
one to ten.
Suppose you choose one house orone road and pick your favorite
.
One thing that I'm going toimplement myself is the counting
inflatables.
I think this is a really funway to kind of it's a fun take
(13:47):
on dogs per mile, because I havebeen seeing that stat dropping,
because most people don't havetheir dogs out that early and
it's really, really sad.
By counting the number ofinflatables I can either turn
that into inflatables per mile,not as fun.
But the way I see that I can,that you could use it, is
counting the number ofinflatables and say you saw 25.
(14:08):
If you run the same route,you're probably going to see the
same 25, maybe one more.
But it encourages me to run adifferent route to be like, okay
, fuck, I'm going to beat thatrun and see if I can see 30
inflatables, or maybe I runlonger.
Maybe I was originally going toonly run this part of this loop
and I wasn't going to add onthis extra street where I go by
a big neighborhood, so maybe yourun longer than you expected,
(14:32):
which tricks you into gettingmore miles on your feet.
And then another thing that I amgoing to do is creating kind of
like a holiday decorating bingo, maybe a bingo card that has
okay, I saw an elf themeddecoration, I saw something on
someone's roof and a house thatis lit up like Christmas
(14:53):
vacation.
I saw.
I mean, we have a lot of reallyfun, unique ones here.
So kind of making a littlebingo card that helps you, keeps
your mind occupied but alsobrings a little bit more fun
into it, and then some otherweird things that you can do
that are more year round iscreating backstories for houses.
This is something that Iabsolutely would do.
(15:14):
If I have friends around or ifI'm, you know, running with a
group, we would see a house andkind of maybe create a backstory
on why it's painted that coloror why is it this way, and
that's always a really fun thing.
You can start to try to guessthe names or name the dogs that
you see in the neighborhood andthen just tracking neighborhood
(15:34):
changes who's doing what theirhouse is?
I know this is definitelysomething my mom does when she
takes her walks around herneighborhood is which house is
doing what renovation?
Who's building a garage?
Who's painting this?
Who's doing that?
Just turning your regular routeand kind of like a real-time
hgtv show you can kind of saybecause I know we have so many
houses here that are beingflipped, we just had one on the
(15:55):
couple streets up that paint.
It was painted once when oneperson bought it and then they
sold it and it got painted again, and so just it's wild to see,
and just I always also loveseeing the different streets
that are competing in holidaydecorations.
You can see what houses youthink maybe are competing and
see if they start putting upmore decorations.
(16:16):
It's always a little bit.
A little bit fun.
Let's also go with uh, you'rerunning social, you're running
with a group of people, youeither run with a friend or you
run with a run club.
Let's go into like socialaspects or social elements to
switching up your run.
If you're on a run club or yourun with other people, how can
we expand our routes, whichsometimes maybe we don't have
(16:37):
control over them?
One thing that I definitelyenjoy doing is changing who's
leading the routes, showingother people the route that they
like to run.
I like to do Ward Parkway, forexample, but I always go down
the trolley trail with myrunners.
Maybe we swap that up or we godown one street over just to see
more things, and also it letsanother person.
(16:58):
You get to be able to see arunning route from another
person's perspective, anotherperson's eyes, and you might
discover a new way.
I know it has shown medifferent routes that I have in
my area.
Kiera, my old running buddy,showed me going down a certain
street and that really helpedgive me more options in case I
just get stuck in a rut, andalso we can find more dogs.
(17:19):
Who doesn't love that?
Another thing that's kind of funfor to make a running route
more social is using socialmedia and posting different
photos.
Maybe you are posting yourweekly progress shots.
I love doing that.
I've been doing that since Istarted running.
I was known on my small littleInstagram for my little Nike run
(17:41):
shots of just my shoes back inthe 2012s.
It's always fun to post those.
I think that's always fun.
You can post seasonalcomparison photos if you always
run by the same park or anythinglike that how the trees will
change over seasons here's treesin November and they're
starting to fall or they havefallen, and then if snow's on
the ground and just kind of howit changes throughout the season
(18:03):
.
That's really kind of enjoyableand kind of fun.
What spots are most fun forrunning that you're going to see
dogs?
I truly don't believe that ifyou go for a run by a dog park,
it's cheating for dogs per mile.
You can do that if you want.
That's perfectly legal in therule book from all the Bridges
and yeah, I think taking photosof your run that you can show or
(18:25):
you can remember is also just areally fun way to break up a
run and give you a coupleminutes to maybe breathe or
relax.
So that's always great.
Remember, the roots may staythe same, but there's always
something new to see if you'relooking for it.
Sometimes the most familiarpaths give us the best stories.
I love making up fun storieswhen I've run with my husband
(18:49):
about what's going on with thedogs that I see, and I'd love to
know what things you do tospice up your normal runs.
Do you switch around your route?
Are you brave and you just getin the car and go to a different
location?
How are you changing up yourruns to not pull your hair out
(19:09):
or not go crazy?
Seeing everything the same, Iwould love to know how you
change them.
I'd love to see yourneighborhood's best holiday
decorations and I want to knowwhat the strangest things you
saw on your run.
Thank you so much for enjoyingthis little episode with me
talking about how we can spiceup our run by just changing the
(19:32):
direction, just changing theside of the road, ping-ponging
between different streets andeven just running at a different
time Some super simple thingsand also making some fun games
out of while you're running.
I hope, wherever you are, youhave a fantastic run on your
(19:53):
next one and until next time,keep running.
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
(20:15):
way to make sure you never missan episode.
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 onInstagram, where I share daily
motivation, behind the scenesmoments and plenty of pictures
of my two running coaches, yogiand Maple.
(20:35):
Be sure to tag me in your runphotos and use hashtag Dogs Per
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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