Progress is not linear

In the spring of 1996, I lowered my 5K PR from 17:06 to 16:08 in two races. Afterward, I could consistently run in the low 16s. However, lowering that PR just wasn’t happening for the remainder of that track season or the 1997 season. Then, after a year away from track for reasons that had […]

Posted on: 21 March 2024 | 10:00 am

Don’t put too much faith in a device

This past weekend, I did a 5K time trial on the track. Afterward, I got a good reminder that even the best watches are not infallible. As you can see above, after my watch recorded me running a 5K in 18:48, it informed me that I’m capable of a 19:02 5K. I’m not sharing this […]

Posted on: 7 March 2024 | 10:00 am

How little strength training can you get away with?

Let’s face it: we’re distance runners. We don’t like strength training. I bet that’s true for at least 90% of the people reading this (and, to an extent at the very least, it’s true for the one writing this). That said, we know of the value of strength training. While there may be some question […]

Posted on: 22 February 2024 | 10:00 am

Personalized training

For as long as HillRunner.com has been around, I’ve been asked why there are no training plans posted on the site. You know the type people are asking about, your “12 weeks to a 5K” plan that you can find in many books and on many websites. My usual answer is “Cookie cutter plans work […]

Posted on: 15 February 2024 | 10:00 am

What’s your zone?

I’ve been seeing a lot of talk recently about zone 2 running. In a way, this is wonderful. In a way, this is a bit troubling. Why? Well, it’s wonderful because people are talking about keeping easy runs easy. This is so important. A majority, even significant majority, of your time spent running should be […]

Posted on: 1 February 2024 | 10:00 am