I agree, lots of practice in a known area. If you know where there is a 100 yds uphill, take a count, flat area, take a count, downhill take a count. The problem is, that unless you really varify the distance with the map, regularly, you will soon be off considerably!
Some of the stories here reminds me of SFQC phase one, land nav, I was running to make up time and tripped over a log and fell face down. A small tree was next to me and the tip just brushed my eye as I fell. One inch to the left and I would have at least lost an eye!!
Good luck with the pace counting, it is a valuable skill. BTW, I used beads in the military but now use a little metal counter that you click once to advance the number. It does have an audible click so it would not be very practical in a military environment! I prefer it to the beads for civilian use though. Stay safe!!