Ryan

Looking back at 2015, forward to 2016 at HillRunner.com

/ HillRunner.com Admin / 3 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

A new year is just about here. It’s time to reflect on our accomplishments, running and otherwise. As a part of doing so, I wanted to offer a quick review of what I view are the key changes to take place in 2015 and what, as of now, I would say to expect in 2016.

Looking back at 2015

2015 may outwardly not have looked like a real big year. The biggest change, both visibly and internally, would be the addition of Club HillRunner.com. This is something that I had been thinking about for some time and very early last year began planning for. It finally arrived during the summer and has been slowly growing since.

What is so special about Club HillRunner.com? Well, it allows me to give you some things I’ve wanted to for some time like video demonstrations of various aspects of running and training and some new features within the site itself. It also allows for a little more direct communication and a members only community of like minded runners. The low membership fee allows me to justify the time and investment to make these new features available, while not being so expensive that it leaves a large amount of runners on the outside looking in.

The other big news coming out of 2015 would be my RRCA coaching certification. I’m proud to say that I’m now an RRCA Certified Running Coach.

Also going on through 2015 were many changes to try to improve both the reliability and performance of HillRunner.com. Of course, the biggest change was moving to a new host with faster and more reliable servers. I’ve seen errors drop significantly since this change and overall performance has seemed to improve.

Looking forward to 2016

So where does HillRunner.com go from here? Well, every year I start the year with a long list of what I’d like to see happen. The list always exceeds my available time and energy. Plus, of course, priorities always change. Every year, something always happens during the course of the year that becomes a new top priority and pushes something else down the list. However, I will run through a few of my top priorities as of now.

1) Videos!

I actually plan to release a video to Club HillRunner.com members this weekend and it will be one of many I intend to release in 2016. My goal is to release at least one video per month on average.

2) New training log features

I have a few ideas for improving the training log and taking it from the bare bones training log it is now to a more comprehensive log for those who wish for that, while keeping it simple and easy to use for those who want that. New features will first be made available to Club HillRunner.com members but certain ones will over time be made publicly available.

What would you like?

I’m serious! I would like to know what you would like to see at HillRunner.com. Please tell me what you would like to see happen here. If you want to share in the comments, I’d be glad to hear. Otherwise, I’ll be getting a survey together some time in January where you can anonymously share your thoughts on how HillRunner.com works for you and I’ll make sure to have a place in there for you to share your thoughts on what you’d like to see going on here.

So that’s the quick review of 2015 and preview of 2016 at HillRunner.com. I hope you appreciate what has been going on, even if you’re not a member of Club HillRunner.com and haven’t seen the bulk of what has been going on around here.

2015 in Review

/ Miscellaneous / 3 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ed at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Well December was a letdown of sorts but better than last year. I ran 23 times missing out on four planned runs. I only had a total of 160.2 miles and 20.46 hours of total time running. Last December was “zero” runs – so way ahead of last year. Also, December was the third best month of 2015 for total miles. I averaged a 7:39 pace through December as well. A good strong pace.

2015 overall was a pretty good year. Started out very poor with no miles in January/February and only 40 miles in March. But then things improved and I finished 2015 with 1,324 miles a very low total (less than 2014 which had 1,355) but quality miles. I averaged a 7:30 pace for the year – nice and strong.

Only entered two races in 2015 and performed quite well in both. I surpassed my goal in the first race by earning a podium finish in 3rd place (overall – not age group) and got a nearly one minute PR in the 5K finishing in 18:30. The second race was a big race – Al’s Run in Milwaukee. Of the 2,575 runners I placed 81st which was good enough for 3rd place in my age group of 88 guys aged 40-44.

Seeing as I am going into 2016 with good miles in Oct, Nov, Dec of 2015 and planning on Jan, Feb and March I’ll have six months of running behind my heading into spring of 2016.

My race plans for 2016 are as follows:

The Deer Run – April 30th a 5K – looking to beat my current course PB of 19:22 and hopefully beat my 5K PR of 18:30. This would require a pace of 5:56 per mile or better.

Silver Lining – June 5th (May 29th?) a 5K – Looking to take home an age group award once again and show signs of a possible sub 30 by Al’s.

Hootie Hustle – August 27th? A 5K– Looking for a stronger performance and to make the podium again and to improve my course record as well as my PR. Aiming to be at least down to an 18:00 flat or better. This would require a pace of 5:47 per mile or better. This will be very tough.

Brigg’s & Al’s – Sept 17th? An 8K – Looking to go sub 30 and crack into the top 40 and again earn a medal in my age group. This would require a pace of 6:02 per mile or better. This is very achievable.

Milwaukee Running Festival – Nov 6th – ½ marathon. Looking to PR in the ½ which would demand a sub 1:28 – actually hoping for 1:25 or better. This would require a pace of 6:29 per mile or better.

Happy Holidays from HillRunner.com!

/ HillRunner.com Admin / 1 minute of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

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I’m off enjoying the holidays with my family right now as I hope you also are. I just wanted to wish you a wonderful holiday season and the best for 2016.

Fundamentals: the key to success in basketball and running

/ Training / 2 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

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Bo Ryan, the recently retired fundamentals coach

I’m a fan of Wisconsin basketball. Not just because I’m a Wisconsinite, though that plays a role, but also because I like the Bo Ryan way of doing things (thanks Andrew for sharing the link with me). Fundamentals first and foremost. In basketball, those who practice fundamentals the way the Badgers do will always be good, though they may not be flashy. Regardless of talent, they will always be competitive. They may not always overcome talented teams, especially talented teams that also focus on fundamentals, but they will at times and they will always be the teams labeled overachievers.

So what does this have to do with running? Well, the same is true in running. Practice the fundamentels until they are routine, then keep practicing them, and you’ll be an overachiever.

We’re runners, though. We aren’t passing and dribbling in running, we’re just putting one foot in front of the other. What does practice the fundamentals mean in running? Well, it means you don’t try to overcomplicate your training. Don’t try to copy workouts you hear about just because someone you admire is doing them. Stick to the fundamentals of training. Build a good base of volume, do the core workouts that you’ve been doing for years and you know work, don’t skimp on the basics. Just because you did a lot of tempo runs and strides last year doesn’t mean you get to skip them this year. It means you do them better. You do them faster if you’re coming in with a greater level of fitness. You don’t ignore what you were focusing on last year but you pick a weakness you found last year and give it extra attention. Make it a strength.

This doesn’t mean you don’t look for new things. New workouts are great if you have a reason and plan to fit them into your schedule. Have a plan, though. Have a reason for everything. And never overlook those basic fundamentals that have gotten you to where you are.

Life happens

/ Training / 1 minute of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

During the holidays, our lives can get hectic. Traveling, family events, the weather (in some areas, including here in Wisconsin). Many things can get in our way this time of the year.

What do you do when life gets in the way of your running plans? How do you respond?

Most of the time, we can probably find a way to get our runs in. However, there are exceptions. When these happen, don’t beat yourself up if you have to cut a run short or even miss a run.

No single workout will make or break your year. As long as you’re getting in the large majority of your runs, you’ll be fine. Just roll with it and do your best to get your next planned run in.

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