This is the twelfth 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.

Intro

Today’s guest is a native Duluthian and a former Duluth East Greyhound. He can be seen logging miles all over the Northland. Most recently he could be spotted on a treadmill at the Duluth YMCA for 16 hours straight!

He is Vice Chair on the Northshore Inline Marathon board and is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree at The College of St. Scholastica…today’s guest is David Hyopponen!

Interview

Why is running important to you?

Running is important to me for many reasons and here are my top three.

First, running allows me to explore new areas in town especially when I am on vacation. It allows me to see nature for what it truly is and in the moment. Traveling by car you miss so many little details in nature that a person might not notice.

Second, mentally it gives me a boost of energy to start my day off. On the days that I don’t run I normally feel sluggish and little off balanced, however, running increases those internal endorphins and starts my day off on the right foot.

Third, it allows me to live a healthy lifestyle. After a long tempo run, quality speed session, or long run I normally will chose healthy food options afterwards to refuel my body along with make healthy choices in life.   

Photo Credit: Clint Austin

What are the top two or three things that you do to prevent injury? Have you been susceptible to certain injuries in the past?

One of the best ways to prevent injuries, I have found, is lifting light weights weekly.  Squats, lunges, one leg dips, arm curls, and misc leg machines at the local Snap Fitness have all helped me from preventing nagging injuries that can pop up quickly.

Another tip, is focusing on healthy eating daily, weekly, monthly, and implementing those meals into your daily lifestyle. Don’t just do one healthy meal a day and call it good, make it life long journey to being healthy year round and huge improvements in health will follow. We are only given one body to work with, so treat it like your most prized possession.

Also, hydration has been a key performer in my training runs. I normally plan to head into a long run or quality session well hydrated two days out before the big workout. I believe these simple steps can aid a person with a great performance on your next race or training run.

I normally don’t get injured. I just literally knocked on wood for superstition reasons… Ha Ha. If I feel something goofy coming on like a sore muscle or ligament, I adjust my workouts and training to give some attention to those areas until they subside.

What keeps you motivated when you don’t feel like heading out the door for a run?

It is pretty rare that I don’t feel super motivated for a run. If it is crappy weather outside and I am feeling a bit tired after work, I try to remind myself that race conditions might be similar or possibly worse so “suit up” and head out the door.

I also keep in the back of my mind that the guy next door might be out ripping a solid workout out so I better get my butt out the door and do the same thing. Gaining any competitive advantage over my competition is probably my best answer to this question.

Who is in your running support group (training partners, people to bounce ideas off of, etc.)?

My support group consists of the Zenith Athletic Club on the weekends. This is a running club that Tony Stensland, Gregg Robertson, and myself put together here in the Duluth, MN area. It consists of a bunch of local guys and gals. Barry Brokaw, Tim Gearns, Gregg Robertson, Anne Hyopponen, Tina Nelson, Kyle Severson, Kyle Sather, Brian Hedin, just to name a few. 

It is a running club that is geared towards overall wellness and all fitness abilities. Monday through Friday I normally train alone and try to run new routes as much as possible. I don’t mind running solo a couple days a week this is when I get most of my thinking done. I normally try to implement quality workouts on Tuesday and Thursday with a long run on Saturday.

I have been taking Sunday’s off of running completely. I like to have that one complete rest day once a week to reset my mind and body. I really believe that having one day off does a person better than running easy or x-training. Going hard seven days a week after week will burn a person up.

When/what is your next race?

So my next race is going to be Grandma’s Marathon Full. I just completed an 86 mile treadmill run at the YMCA on April 22nd so recovery is in progress and going pretty well. The treadmill run was a fundraiser for Healthy Kids Day. Healthy Kids Day is an outreach and awareness for family and kiddos in need of a healthy meal within the Northland area.

We all managed to raise $7,000+ that day so I consider it a success. I missed my personal goal of running a 100 miles in the 16 hours but that is okay with me. Am I a little disappointed that I didn’t run 100 miles in 16 hours, yes, but I was able to run 16 hours straight and I am proud of myself for doing that.

However, I am looking forward to Grandmas Full and hoping I can put down a decent finishing time. As long as my recovery keeps going in the right direction these next couple weeks a good race should happen and if doesn’t I will shoot for a full marathon in the fall.

Do you prefer roads or trails and why?

I prefer roads over the trails for sure. Running on roads you are out in the open and things are very honest. I also really enjoy racing the local Minnesota USATF circuit races. It is so much fun lining up with some of the best athletes in the world and running the same roads as them.

I tried trails for a few years and found I lost a bunch of my efficiency and potential because I am similar to a giraffe running through the woods. I am just so uncoordinated and goofy that it makes it difficult for me to push hard on trails. Don’t get me wrong, I love to spend time on trails but I would rather run roads when racing and training fast. I am just so much more efficient there and it is easier for me to really tighten up the screws and run fast.  

What is your most memorable race or running achievement?

My most memorable race would be WhistleStop Half Marathon circa 2014. I was running super high miles (around 100 a week) and just signed up for the race for fun. I had no idea what my fitness was going into the start of the race.

I remember doing a warm up feeling really sluggish and tired and thinking it was going to be a hard race ahead. However, the weather was perfect in the 30 degree Fahrenheit and light winds from the west. The gun went off and I ran side-by-side with Eric Hartmark (an amazing athlete).

I remember thinking I don’t belong alongside Eric because he was a quicker runner than me and I should probably drop back. One mile after another clicked by and we were still side-by-side heading for the finish line. I remember seeing mile splits clicking off my watch at 5:25 pace and was like, “I am in deep trouble and running way over my head.”

Long story short, we both maintained the pace up until the last couple miles. I managed to run 1:12 and change that day for the win and it was a breaking point in my running career. I still look back at that race and wonder how I ran that quick and I thank Eric for pushing me. By no means do I discredit Eric, he has put down way quicker times than me!

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Name one racing experience you would like to forget (please describe).

I would have to say Torchlight 5K circa 2016.  It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the drive down to Minneapolis, MN that afternoon. The race start was around 92 Fahrenheit and very humid. The gun went off and my first mile was 5:15 and I felt really good about it until the wheels popped off.

If I recall correctly I ran a 5:15, 5:45, 6:20, and it turned quickly into a pure sufferfest. I was hurting so bad just trying to keep moving forward. I remember feeling super dizzy and my stomach started to take a turn for the worse. I felt so crappy. I was not even able to run back to the car that day because of the heat exhaustion. I mark it as one of the worse races I’ve ever raced to this date, for sure. Besides the heat the race is actually a really great race.

What is something non-running related you would like to share with readers?

One interesting fact about me is I am a full-time traditional college student at The College of St. Scholastica at the age of 39. I decided to leave my father’s company at St. Germain Cabinet’s after 21 years of service there as a sales and marketing representative.

In the moment it was the hardest decision I had ever made. I gave up a steady paycheck, insurance, to follow my dream to complete my undergraduate degree. Now looking forward, I have only three classes and this guy graduates.

Looking back at this decision it is the best decision I have made besides marry my wife, Annie Hyopponen.  

Closing

Many thanks to David 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!