This will be the first edition of The Duluth Runner Interview Series, where I get in touch with (mainly) local runners and athletes to share a bit of their story while inspiring others to pursue an active lifestyle.
I am not one for lengthy intros, so you will not get them as part of this series. However, I will be providing you with SOME details about the interviewee 🙂
Intro
Today’s interview features a local runner who I had the privilege of getting to know while attending UMD, where he was on the Cross Country and Track/Field teams. I have also had the pleasure of logging some miles with him over the past several years (never as often as I’d like)! Today’s guest is Nick Nygaard – bib 151 on the right of lead photo.
Career Highlights
Running
- Five Grandma’s Marathons (finished 38th overall in 2015, with a time of…2:28:01!! That’s about 5:39 per mile pace folks)
- Three Voyageur 50 milers
- One Superior 100 miler
Gravel Cycling
- Three Heck of the North 100 miler
- One Dirty Kanza 200 miler
- One Day Across Minnesota 240 miler
Triathlon – One Ironman Wisconsin
On top of the amazing racing accomplishments Nick has racked up, he is a just a great person as well. Sharing miles with someone allows you to find out what makes them tick, who are they at the core. Nick is as genuine as it gets and I am proud to call him a friend – I know you will enjoy getting to know him a bit better. Let’s get to it!
Interview
Why is running important to you?
Mostly, I just enjoy being outside and feeling like I got a good workout in. Running has been a lot of different things for me over the years—a competitive outlet, an opportunity to explore different areas or towns, or a great way to socialize—but I find, at least right now, that making myself get out of the house every day and getting in some form of sustainable exercise keeps my head on straight and allows me to appreciate a lot of the beauty our city offers 12 months a year.
What are the top two or three things that you do to prevent injury? Have you been susceptible to certain injuries in the past?
Truthfully, I could answer this two ways: 1) I don’t do anything to prevent injury, and 2) I run each day, with the vast majority of those runs being very easy. Every injury I had throughout high school and college (IT band issues, runner’s knee, Achilles inflammation, SI joint problems, and pretty much anything else you can think of) occurred during a building phase, where I’m typically coming off a period of total rest and am getting back into the swing of things.
By the time I got to the end of college, I didn’t want to risk another dumb build-up injury happening during the off-season, so I only ran a few slow miles each day instead of taking the typical two weeks off before I started training for a new season. Since then, I’ve found my body best stays adapted to running when I actually run, and doing so consistently has, so far, been the healthiest way for me to avoid injury.
This is just what works for me, and everyone has to find what works for them. All that being said, the only time I’ve been forced to take any time off these last seven years was when I got a stress fracture a few springs back when I got a little too ambitious building up for Grandma’s.
What keeps you motivated when you don’t feel like heading out the door for a run?
Luckily, when running becomes very much part of your daily routine, it doesn’t require a ton of motivation, kinda like brushing your teeth (okay, maybe not quite, but close). When I’m really not feeling it, there are a few things that I tell myself: dinner is going to taste a whole lot better after a run; I desperately need to take a shower, and this will force my hand; if I don’t start running hard now, I’m going to be big time late-late for work.
You can always approach it from the opposite angle, too—get rid of the things that decrease motivation. It’s cold? We live in Duluth; yeah, it’s cold. Good, high-quality clothes go a long way. Dark out? Get a nice headlamp. Tired of running by yourself? Find a buddy or a group to meet with you, especially on the miserable days. Don’t want to miss out on family time? Just wake up a half hour before everyone else does.
My lowest motivation points have always been when I push off my run until late in the day, it’s dark, I’m rolling solo, and spring seems like a very distant dream. My advice to avoid even getting to that point is by planning out tomorrow’s run today.
Who is in your running support group (training partners, people to bounce ideas off of, etc.)?
Duluth is a wonderful city with a wonderful running community. Honestly, I don’t feel like I have just my one group of friends I run with. Between running here in college, working at Duluth Running Co., and trying to participate in the local races, there are a lot of very supporting runners, triathletes, and cyclists that anyone can join up with.
If I had to say who my numero uno support person is, I will sappily say my wife. She’s great to share runs with, talk races with, and has been an outstanding crew member for the longer stuff. However, with the birth of our daughter, these last six months have taken some adjustment of how can we still both get our runs in.
Lets just say I’m excited for the little one to be old enough for me to push her in a jogging stroller along the Lakewalk.
When/what is your next race?
I’m signed up for The Day Across Minnesota gravel cycling race this August, and that’s all that’s currently on the docket. I don’t usually decide on Grandma’s until the last minute, and typically do the same with the other local races. Assuming my ankles are in okay shape, I love the NMTC spring trail series, so those will hopefully be the next time I toe a line.
Do you prefer roads or trails and why?
I prefer racing on roads but training on trails. I’ve had a nagging ankle sprain that pops up every so often, and when it does pop up, it really limits how comfortable I am running hard on trails. Roads don’t give the ankle any issues while racing, and I do love the purity of just trying to run your fastest. But a good chunk of my training happens on the trails. You don’t pay attention to pace, no cars to watch out for, and it’s a literal mental breath of fresh air.
What is your most memorable race or running achievement?
My most memorable race was the Superior 100. That thing is a beast. While running it with a few close friends, I, somewhat surprisingly, really bonked from miles 30 to 40, to the point where I just totally stopped talking and didn’t know how to get my energy levels back up. That coupled with the thought that I still had 60+ miles to go was so mentally crushing, and I became immensely bummed out that I was going to have to drop out and let down everyone who knew I was participating in this.
Fortunately, after those three hours of despair, something finally started rebounding inside and, with the help of my buddies, we got my head back in the game enough to grind out a finish.
Name one racing experience you would like to forget (please describe).
I’d say any race where I took the result too seriously. Racing is just supposed to be for fun. Yeah, you’re going to get disappointed if you have goals that you come up short on, and you may get mad if something out of your control kept you from reaching those.
I’ve just found that those supporting you (whether if it’s friends and family cheering you on or the always-kind race volunteers) will still support you whether you did great or not, so don’t take the race so seriously that you can’t be appreciative to everyone who is in your corner. Keeping a light approach gives you a little perspective and keeps you from ever getting too high or too low.
What is something non-running related you would like to share with readers?
I only have one fun fact, so I’ll go with that: I’ve never had Ramen noodles.
Closing
Many thanks to Nick for agreeing to stop by The Duluth Runner and share some of his knowledge/experiences with everyone.
I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Interview Series – stick around for more to come!