There are no magic paces (or black holes)

Back in the 1990s, a lot of runners talked about running at VO2max pace or lactate threshold pace or some other specific pace. We were told that you needed to run at that specific pace in order to get the best benefit from a workout. If you ran between these magical paces, you were putting in extra effort for no added benefit.

How right were we about those things, though?

There are no magic paces (or black holes) Read More »

Foam rollers, sleep, caffeine

This month, I’d like to focus on three topics I came across that I found particularly interesting.

I’m a fan of foam rollers and have my thoughts based on personal experience on what they seem to do but what do they really do? How do they actually help?

How does a lack of sleep affect you? What can the differences between sleep patterns of people who live on opposite sides of time zones tell us about that?

What should you do to best take advantage of the benefits of caffeine on race day?

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Are your PRs in the past?

I’m not this runner anymore. But that’s OK.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran my first half marathon in 14 years.

Why did I go 14 years without running a half marathon? After the race, I was thinking out loud about that while talking with some people and I think I came upon the most likely reason: I’m having trouble adjusting to getting slower.

Take a lesson from me: when your PRs are in the past, don’t do what I did. As hard as it is, accept that and keep challenging yourself.

Are your PRs in the past? Read More »

Happy 20th birthday to the HillRunner.com community!

It’s OUR birthday!

20 years ago today, after some time hosting a personal running page on the UW-Stout student pages, I registered the hillrunner.com domain and HillRunner.com was born. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years.

I just wanted to take a moment today, on HillRunner.com’s 20th birthday to thank all of you. Whether your first visit was 20 years ago today or your first visit is today, I appreciate every one of you and am thrilled that you have found your way here and can be a part of this great community.

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