Episode 14 - Hilary Cairns on Longevity in Speed

"I've always prioritized training and running in a way...I've just continued to do it no matter what."

Hilary Cairns is a staple in the DC running and triathlon community. She is the founder and leader of Track Pack, a group of hearty runners who meet at 5:45am on Wednesday mornings year round. She sits on the board for Run Hope Work, an organization founded by Jose Ortiz (and modeled after his own experiences) that combines running, mindfulness , and workforce development. She casually "jumps in" many local races. Most recently, she jumped into the Army 10 Miler and won her age group.

Hilary has a bit of a different relationship than many others on this shows. Rather than loving the marathon or going after ultras, her favorite distances to race range from the 10K to 10 mile. While her mom was a runner - who ran Grandma's Marathon, a favorite destination race amongst DC runners - Hilary played tennis growing up. She found running in college. While she is an accomplished runner and an organizer in the sport, she approaches training with a bit of lightness. She doesn't overthink the Track Pack workouts she plans, she finds local races on RunWashington, and being a mom of three, she understands that she understands that sometimes you have to adapt to what life throws at you.

I really appreciated hearing about how Hilary has found longevity in running and triathlon and managed to prioritize the sport over decades - I think she provides a strong example for those of us who are faced with pressures from all directions and still want to be part of the larger running community and go after big goals. She doesn't overthink running, she just does it and adapts where needed.