What Running the Broad Street Run 11 Times Has Taught Me (About Dogs, Work, and Showing Up)

I ran the Broad Street Run for the 11th time this year. (I'm a tenured runner. No lottery for Carrie. IYKYK.)

At this point, it’s less about PRs for me than it is about familiarity. (Though I was pretty happy with my time this year given my IT band and I have been in a months long battle.) The logistics of getting to the starting line with 40,000 other runners is no longer overwhelming. I don't need to check elevation maps to know where the gentle hills are (it's a gloriously fast race.) I know exactly when I’m going to feel great (when I see my family cheering at Mile 7), when I’m going to question my life choices (always mile 8.5), and when I spot the "1/4 mile left to go" sign at the Navy Yard and I kick it into gear to get it done.

Somewhere along the way, it stopped being a novelty race and it just became what I did the first Sunday in May.

The middle is where it counts

If you’ve ever run Broad Street, you know it’s not the start or the finish that sticks with you. It’s the middle. It's the stretch where the excitement has worn off, the finish line is nowhere in sight, and you’re just… running. (Thankfully crowd support is great! Best sign this year? "You have endurance! Call me sometime.")

You just have to be steady and put one foot in front of the other. That’s also most of what we do at The Monster Minders. (Literally all day, but also behind the scenes.)

Yes, Meet and Greets are fun. We're always jazzed to meet new pups! But the middle is showing up for day after day for the daily dogs who count on us (and making sure their humans feel supported too.)

Runners and dogs both thrive on consistency

One thing I’ve learned after nearly a million walks is that dogs don’t need novelty the way we think they do (or the way we runners need race medals.) Dogs need consistency. But I've really learned the same thing with running! Consistency matters more than any big race or any one workout.

Love a medal!

There is a mantra that I use when race jitters hit: "The hay is in the barn." It means you've done the training and you're ready for this. You can trust your routine. Dogs similarly settle into routines once trust is built through consistency. They can trust that they can chill out when their owners are away because dog walks just become a part of their weekly rhythm. They know their Minder will walk through that door and they greet them like they're the center of the universe. And then they can take a nap.

Endurance gets us through tough miles (and days)

After enough years of running (and running a business) I've stopped overthinking it. I know what works: showing up and getting the miles in. Not all runs will be great runs, and that's OK. If the hay is in the barn, I can endure.

Similarly, I know that not every day is going to feel great when I'm running Philly's most awesome dog walking service. (OK I'm biased!) There are going to be days where everything feels a little off. Snow storms when there isn't a snow plow in sight (thanks Philly.) Overlapping employee sick days. And I can't even get into what happened globally in March 2020 and how that nearly broke me. Or hearing that a beloved client has crossed the Rainbow Bridge and having to break it to their favorite Minder. Those are the worst of days.

Some days it feels like I'm just grinding my gears, but the work still needs to get done. I like to think that the systems we've built, the the Minders we trust, and the consistency we've created will carry us on days when we just need to endure. (One foot in front of the other.)

Also, treats matter

This applies equally to runners who need carbs to keep moving and to dogs who love treats. Who doesn't love treats? (The best running discovery in the last few years is Nerds Gummy Clusters. You can thank me later.)

Why I keep signing up

Every year, somewhere around mile 8.5, I have the same thought:

“Why did I sign up for this again?”

And every year, about two seconds after I finish, I remember.

It’s not about the race.

It’s about doing something consistently, over time, that builds into something bigger than any one day.

That’s true for running.

And it’s true for the work we do.

And after 21 years, that’s what we’ve built by reliably and repeatedly showing up for our clients.

See you next year

When my alarm goes off at 4AM that first Sunday in May 2026, I’ll probably say, "This is silly. Why do I do this? I could be sleeping." I’ll definitely question life choices at Mile 8.5. And then I’ll sign up again next year. (No lottery for me!)

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