This is the fifty-eighth 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
“Sometime in the mid 80’s I ran my first race. I was probably 10ish. The next recollection I have of running was later that decade running on the roads in Fredenberg with Jeremiah and his dad. Jeremiah who? Your guess is as good as mine.
As a freshman in high school at Proctor, I went out for track. While running form drills in a hallway by the auditorium, Coach Saarela must have saw something in how I ran over these short wooden hurdle things. He said I should be a hurdler and so that’s what I became. Four years of high school running sprints but mainly 110M High Hurdles and 300 Intermediate Hurdles, 400, 4×400, 4×200 and high jump.
I went on to run track at the University of Wisconsin-Superior for two years and ran cross country in the fall to get in shape for track. After that stint in college (there would be two more stints over the next 20 years with the third one finally culminating in a degree), I ran off and on.
In 2018, I ran my first race in about 8 years, the Chester Woods 50K. I came in 14th. Later that year I ran the Night Owl Shuffle 6 hour race and came in 4th. A few months later, in January 2019, I ran the Northwoods Winter Trail Marathon and won my age group. This got me and my family fired up about being around the race community, but life often takes us down different paths that what we want or expect.”
Today’s guest is…Aaron Hill!
Interview
Why is running important to you?
There are many ways to answer this. The quick answer is that I like to challenge myself, I like to be healthy and enjoy the wild places, it’s a stress reliever, and I think it’s fun to go faster than walking. Running is an expression of joy! The deeper answers might take a psychology degree to understand. I want to feel pain sometimes knowing that the pain will turn into something good. I want to take it to the edge and not go over. I want to voluntarily suffer so that I can better understand those that don’t get to choose their suffering. There’s joy in those things too.
What are the top two or three things that you do to prevent injury? Have you been susceptible to certain injuries in the past?
The main area of concern for me has been my knees. I had an ACL reconstruction on my left knee when I was 17 and the immobilization before and after the surgery atrophied my left leg significantly. I now think that the muscular imbalance between my two legs has persisted for 30 years to some degree and has caused recurring patellar tendonitis. When you are young, your body can compensate for those minor imbalances much easier than it can when you are in your 40’s and beyond. All this means is that you have to spend a little time working to correct those weaknesses that may throw off your mechanics, even a little bit.
Here’s a typical gym workout for me (I can do most of these at home too):
- Trail leg lunges, 3×15 reps, raising the trailing leg, adding weights, or both, to add difficulty
- Quad leg extensions (need a gym machine for this) 3×15 reps
- Eccentric leg press, single leg at a time. 3×10 reps. Both legs pressing up, single leg slowly lowering back down. This challenges your quads to handle more load while lengthening and really helps with downhill running.
- Single leg Calf raises, 3×15, with weights to add difficulty
- Core work: plank, and such
Other than specific exercises, rest is such an important practice for injury prevention. Rest is when you get stronger and faster, it’s when your body realizes the benefits of the hard work. I don’t do two hard days in a row and I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep.
You currently have an amazing project/adventure you’re working on here in Minnesota, please describe what it is and the motivation behind it for our readers.
I am running every trail in every state park in Minnesota this year with the goal of writing a trail runner’s guide to Minnesota State Parks. This idea has been in the back of my mind for a couple years, at least the running part-the book idea came later, and 2020 gave me the push I needed.
In 2016, my wife was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer at 37 years old. She never smoked, didn’t work in a radon mine, or do anything really to “get” lung cancer. It was a random genetic mutation. After fighting hard for four years, It took her life in August, 2020. I’ve learned the difference between grief and mourning is that grief is uncontrollable, it comes in waves and sometimes when you least expect it, while mourning is what we intentionally do in response to the loss. Well, Kathryn and I often joked about getting an RV and hitting the road. We have homeschooled our kids from the start and that meant we had fewer things tying us to a specific area. The RV idea was more of a “wouldn’t it be cool if…” kind of thing.
In December of 2020, I bought on old camper with four bunks in the back, one for each kid, and an SUV to pull it. That’s when I put the plan to run all the state park trails in to motion. I’m doing it to honor Kathryn but I am also doing it to establish a new family identity, one of 5 instead of 6. It’s not vastly different than our identity before cancer, we are taking so much of her forward with us, but it’s our family now-the five of us-and we need to own what it becomes.
Any idea how many total miles this will involve running?
I think I will end up running somewhere around 1,300 miles. There are just over 1,000 miles of trail within the Minnesota State Park system but to set foot on all 1,000+ miles, I have to run sections of trail more than once. I started in April at St. Croix SP and have since made it to over 40 parks and I have run all the miles in 30 of them so far. Even with working full time and still homeschooling, I think I can be done sometime in December, weather permitting.
What do your kids enjoy doing while you’re out logging miles in the state parks?
My kids are simply amazing. Two girls and two boys ages 16 down to 7 and they all stick together like a team. They explore the park’s trails, beaches, bike paths, etc. My boys (11, and 7) love to fish and my girls will often spend time choreographing for their dance club. They’ve been known to use park picnic tables for tap dancing. They will join me on the trails at times when I am not running, like our trek to Carlton Peak from the mouth of the Temperance River a few weeks back. We hiked it together. And, like any good homeschool family would, we’ve made some of the trips hands-on learning opportunities, especially with Minnesota history. So many of our parks have significant historical importance and each has a story to tell. I challenge them to find it.
Who is in your workout support group (training partners, people to bounce ideas off of, etc.)?
Running for me has been a solitary endeavor for many years, I enjoy the solitude; however, I do have a support network of sorts. My four kids really are a great support network. They have not yet caught the running bug but they are my crew in many ways. They encourage me, ask me about my runs, and get excited when I come up with crazy running ideas. My father-in-law is a retired physician and we talk often about running and injury prevention. And my brother-in-law is a speedy guy who runs marathons in the low 3 hr range. We talk shop any time we get a chance.
Do you have a website or post to social media for those that wish to follow along?
I have been writing about my wife’s cancer journey and my running at www.anyonewithlungs.com. I post updates about the project there and also share thoughts about grief, mourning, recovery, being a single parent, and how those things connect with my running. I have a Facebook page as well: @anyonewithlungs
Do you also sign up for races? If so, when/what is your next race?
I am so excited to get back to running a few races after my state park project is done! I got conned in to running the St. Croix 40. It’s a 40 mile race through St. Croix State Park in the middle of January at night. It’s an introduction to longer and more nutty winter endurance events like Arrowhead 135, Tuscobia, and the Iditarod. I’ll be pulling a sled with my required survival gear and will need to pass a couple gear checks throughout the event. I do love running in the winter. Why not pull a sled at the same time? It just makes sense.
Do you prefer roads or trails and why?
I only prefer roads when I have to run on one to get to a trail. Have you ever had someone answer this question with roads?
What do you think about while you run?
I start most of my runs with a prayer. I offer the run to God as an act of worship and joy and I pray it gives God joy like it gives me joy. Then I let things flow. My mind may be blank for a moment but it rarely stays that way. I notice the smell of the air, the dirt, the leaves. I notice the sound my feet make on the ground. I often think about Kathryn and imagine her smiling at me as I run. Running is a sensory activity for me as much as it is spiritual.
What is something non-running related you would like to share with readers?
My first job was as a cook at Mr. Nick’s Famous Charburgers in downtown Duluth across from the Holiday Center. I was 14 and made $3.40/hr. 30+ years later, I have a career in financial services that is stable and I am incredibly grateful for it, but Mr. Nick’s was the best job I’ve ever had. I still think about it often and have yet to find a burger that holds a candle to Mr. Nick’s.
Closing
Many thanks to Aaron for agreeing to stop by 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!