Today we’d like to introduce you to Hillary Burgess
Hi Hillary, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My running journey started long before I was born. In the early 60s, my great-uncle Bill was a collegiate athlete specializing in the 800 meters on the track. My dad was born in 1968, and grew up with Bill as a mentor, eventually getting into running at the age of 12. By the time I was born in 1992, my dad was an avid marathon runner, Bill was a world-class triathlete, and running was deeply ingrained in my blood.
On November 19, 1999, as a 7-year-old second grader, I ran my first 5K. And since then, I haven’t stopped. I continued with 5K road races for the rest of elementary school before pivoting to track and cross country in junior high and high school. In college, I pivoted to longer distances and focused on half marathons for about 10 years, then ran my first marathon at the age of 30 once my second child was born.
From day 1, I’ve been a very average-paced runner, rarely placing, but rarely struggling to finish. And that’s what I love about this sport – you don’t have to have talent to have a fulfilling running career.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting back into running after having each of my children was one of the biggest challenges I faced. Even though I’d been running consistently for so long, I had to quit altogether once my pregnancies progressed past a certain point, so once I began running again postpartum, I had virtually no aerobic base or muscular conditioning remaining.
Another obstacle that I’ve faced is what I mentioned in the last question – I’m just not naturally a very good runner. I’m not a bad runner, but I’m much slower than what you’d expect from someone who has been running for so long. Staying motivated and finding motivation in other ways has been absolutely key.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I wouldn’t call it work, but I am known by a handful of people on Instagram for my running-focused page, @running_up_that_hillary. I originally created this page because I was worried that my friends and family were getting annoyed seeing me post all my runs on my personal Instagram, but over the last 2 years it has evolved into something I could have never imagined.
There are a few facets to my running account:
1. It all started with posting my runs, and that remains a staple type of post for me. But instead of just saying “look, I ran 6 miles,” I like to be candid about things I struggled with during workouts, such as weather or soreness.
2. Informational posts – these are where I share all sorts of helpful tips or athlete highlights, typically focusing on lesser known facts and figures. I’m an RRCA-certified coach with over 2 decades of experience in this sport, so I feel like I have a lot of knowledge to share with fellow runners.
3. Inspirational posts – these typically focus on me overcoming something, such as having COVID during my first marathon or mentally struggling with training plateaus or injury
4. Humor – this is my favorite part, and something that came about organically. I am definitely known online for my self-deprecating humor, and love to post (and zoom in on) incredibly unflattering race photos. Other humor is just goofy and relatable videos I make about anything running-adjacent.
5. Product or book reviews – pretty self-explanatory. I try out running gear, shoes, apparel, and nutrition, or read books about running, and post my thoughts.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I don’t own a watch! All of my runs are dictated by feel rather than a prescribed pace. For example, I will start with an easy mile for a warmup, then a few miles of speed intervals at a hard effort, then finish with another easy mile to cooldown. “Easy” and “hard” paces vary depending on the weather, where I am in my training cycle, overall fatigue or soreness, or other variables, but feeling “easy” or “hard” remains constant. I use an app to track my runs, and if I’m running on my own and not on the track, I will enable audio stats every mile so that I know when to turn around.
Pricing:
- Coaching plans – $100/8-week block
Contact Info:
