by Na’Tasha Jones, Co-founder and Chief Content Officer, RUNGRL

In the rhythmic beat of your heart and the steady patter of your feet on pavement, there's a love story unfolding—one that is uniquely yours. As a runner, it’s important to continue to celebrate the most important love affair of all: the one you have with your pace.

Even if, like most runners, you’d like to improve your pace (a little or a lot), there’s always space to love where you are right now. Join us on a journey of self-love and learn to embrace the beauty of your pace–in this moment.

Define Your Own Success

Begin your love affair with your pace by defining what success means to you. Sure, you want to be a “fast” runner, but can you define some smaller steps and wins you can have along that journey to Boston Qualifier pace, for example? Whether it's achieving weekly personal bests, or conquering your usual pace on a challenging new terrain, success can be measured in many different ways.

Embrace the satisfaction that comes from setting and achieving your own running goals beyond just the speed of a magical “fast” number on your watch.

Cultivate Self-Compassion

Be kind to yourself on the tough days. Just as in any relationship, there will be challenges. Some days, you might revert back to a pace even slower than your most recent average. Listen to your body, acknowledge your efforts, and cultivate self-compassion.

Examine what may have led to setbacks (lack of sleep? Poor hydration?) and then plan to remove those barriers over the next few weeks. Love your pace through the highs and lows, understanding that each run contributes to your overall growth.

Take a Trip Down Memory Lane

Nothing will put your progress into perspective better than a quick look back at how much you’ve improved since you’ve started running. If your only concern is breaking a 10:00/mile paced race, how can you ever celebrate your progress from when you used to be scared to even start?

Pull up old running stats on your fitness watch, your running journal, or old race finishing times. You’ll quickly be reminded of how far you’ve come, and that’s plenty of reason to love your current pace.

Connect with Your GRLs

Who can help you love on yourself and your pace better than your girls? Share your love for running with the incredible RUNGRL community. Connect with fellow runners who understand the nuances of the journey and can both celebrate and commiserate with you. Sometimes you just need your girls to remind you just how much of a bad gyal runner you really are!

Create a Love-Filled Running Playlist

Craft a playlist that speaks to your heart. Fill it with songs that inspire, uplift, and make your heart race with joy. Let the music become the soundtrack to your love affair with running, turning each run into a personalized, love-filled experience. Make a love song playlist that speaks to running romance, but just for you.

Encourage a New Runner

The same way we tend to look at other runners and wish we could be as fast as them, there’s likely someone else just starting out who wishes they could “run like you”. Take a moment to encourage a new runner, take them to the track for an easy run or some speed drills on the track. By using what you’ve learned to help others, you can remind yourself just how much you know, and you’ve got to love that!

Write a Love Letter to Your Pace

Take a moment to write a love letter to your pace. In a journal or on your phone’s notes app, jot down some expressions of gratitude for the lessons learned, the strength gained, and the joy experienced so far on your running journey. Celebrate the unique bond you’ve created with yourself and the road, recognizing that your pace is a constant companion in your personal love story.

As we celebrate the season of love, let's amplify the love we have for ourselves and our running journeys. Your pace is a reflection of your strength, resilience, and unique spirit. You should absolutely love it (and your pace) wholly and unconditionally.