I’m a casual runner so maybe this is a stupid question, but the more I get into running the more I’m finding it hard to run at any pace other than the one I settled into.
If I run slower or faster, it’s moderated by my stride length, but my feet hit the ground in sync with a 145BPM. If my feet are hitting the ground at anything other than 145BPM it just feels wrong.
I now have a spotify playlist with about a dozen running songs at as close to 145BPM as possible (as little as 2 BPM deviation feels rushed or dragging).
Is this just a mental thing? Is it a bad habit to settle into? Am I alone in this?
Nothing wrong necessarily. If you are casually running, whatever gets you out there and keeps you injury free, is fine.
There are exercises you can do that can help a different pace feel more right, like cadence drills. I suspect, your muscle memory is just quite strong at that one pace, but there isn’t anything inherently making another pace impossible for you to learn.