Member Spotlight: James Tolleson
James joined Trail Roots in 2022 when he was looking for a consistent running community. A father, husband, and an admissions director for the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas, James’ running has flourished since he started training with the group and often places in the top three in almost any race he signs up for. He mainly runs 5ks and 10ks, but he has recently made a goal to run a sub-5-minute mile. He puts in consistent hard work, inside and outside of Trail Roots, and always makes sure to do his strength work and mobility before and after runs. We wanted to ask him a few questions about his journey with running.
What inspired you to start running?
I ran track in high school, mostly sprints and field events, with the 400m being my favorite event. Toward the end of my junior year, a teammate suggested that I add cross country in the fall. I felt uneasy about it, but he said he’d pick me up in the summer for some team workouts, and it sounded like a good way to build fitness. It was really tough at first, but ultimately I really enjoyed it! Unfortunately, I didn’t stay particularly active in college or the following years, at least not in a consistent fashion. Fast forward about 15 years later, I had been trying to run a little more when the pandemic started. At that point, I truly needed to get out of the house and get moving. I remember being so proud when I completed a virtual running challenge in April 2020 and ran 27 miles for the entire month! For me, stumbling across trail running made all the difference. With my background in sprinting, I still didn’t like the idea of running more than 2-3 miles at a time. But on the trail, running became more than covering distance. It was about seeking beauty and feeling like a child again. Suddenly, the idea of running a little longer became attractive for its own sake: to see more trail!
Why did you join Trail Roots?
In 2022, I had a goal to get involved in a running community. I had enjoyed a few 5k races hosted by Trail Roots, and remember seeing that it was a running club, too. The races were super fun, so I thought I’d check out the club. So glad I did!
“Prior to joining Trail Roots, I was already training pretty seriously on my own. In general, I found the Trail Roots workout structure to be a good fit and natural transition, with a good mix of intervals, hills, tempos and long runs. ”
Has your training changed since joining a group?
In short: training is a lot more fun now! That’s the most important difference. Prior to joining Trail Roots, I was already training pretty seriously on my own. I found the Trail Roots workout structure to be a good fit and natural transition, with a good mix of intervals, hills, tempos and long runs. I think the biggest adaptation has been being in the midst of so many runners who race marathons and ultramarathons. While the vast majority of training fundamentals are the same between a marathon and a 5k, I am still tinkering with race specificity. For certain workouts, would I benefit from a slightly different pacing and recovery scheme than prescribed? As I get closer to a goal race, which key race-specific workouts do I need to make sure to schedule, even if I have to run solo as a result?
What do you love about running?
Trail running cultivates my spirit and allows me to run completely by feel and with pure joy. Road running invites me to observe and celebrate my increasing fitness and performance in a very transparent way. When you combine these two, it allows me to enjoy both the process of training in the moment, as well as the long term results.
What is your favorite trail to run with Trail Roots?
Honestly, I love our track workouts! But as far as trail goes, I think my favorite is Steiner Ranch due to the challenge and the views.
You love to race, what has been your favorite race so far?
I love the 10 mile J&J race hosted by Tejas Trails at Camp Eagle every March. It's a beautiful and challenging trail, indeed. I think the venue is what sets it apart for me, as well as the multiple smaller loops that all return to the race hub. Salmagundi is another favorite. It’s usually pretty close to my birthday, and I love the weather in November!
What’s your pre race ritual?
I try to do the same thing I do before every workout: 10 minutes of mobility and light strength work, plus a mile warm up and some strides. Nothing new on race day!
How do you stay disciplined?
I stay disciplined by enjoying the process, as cliche as that may be, while also picking meaningful and challenging goals for myself.
Do you have any races or goals that you’re working towards this year?
Recently, I was really proud to reach some big goals at the 5k and 10k distances. After giving it some thought, I decided my next big, scary goal will be to run a sub-5-minute mile. Gulp! Realistically, I think this will take me more of a year to achieve…honestly, I’m not entirely sure I can achieve this, which is exactly why I made this my goal!
What advice would you give people who are new to running and want to join a group?
I’d say, take pride in jogging. I suppose this is merely semantics, but I think it’s a shame that jogging and running have such different connotations. When beginners think of running, they usually think, wow, running is so hard! If running is hard for you day-to-day, you are running too fast. Slow down and run easy, i.e., jog and mix in walking if it begins to feel hard. After jogging consistently 3-4 days a week and building mileage so that a 3-5 mile jog feels somewhat comfortable, you’ll probably enjoy a running group. Once you join one, just make sure you don’t run too fast to keep up! If you do, you’re more likely to get injured.