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Summary
On episode 558 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Hilary Topper, a 30-year public relations veteran who runs HJMT Public Relations and HJMT Media Company, teaches digital communications and PR as an adjunct professor at Hofstra University, and is a USA Triathlon Level 1 coach, Galloway certified running coach, and certified personal trainer.
Hilary did not start running until age 48, stepping onto a gym treadmill with no idea how to use it, and worked her way up from walking to running to triathlons and open-water swims.
The conversation covers Jeff Galloway's run/walk/run method, the mindset of being a “back of the packer,” and why consistency and a coach mattered more than natural talent.
Links
- https://hilarytopper.com
- https://atriathletesdiary.com
- Episode 730 – A beginner's guide to the triathlon with Hilary Topper
Key Takeaways
- She started at 48 with zero experience. Hilary's first workout was standing on a gym treadmill unsure how to turn it on; she built up to running a mile over several months before ever taking it outside.
- Being a “back of the packer” is not a bad thing. People who will never podium can still compete against themselves and often have more fun; Hilary says back-of-the-pack runners talk and bond more than those racing up front.
- The run/walk/run method lets you run faster, not slower. Coached by Jeff Galloway, Hilary learned that short run intervals, as little as 5 to 15 seconds, run at a quicker pace followed by a walk break, keep you from redlining and let elite and beginner runners train together using the same structure.
- A coach and a team make the long-term difference. Hilary has hired a personal coach continuously since 2015, even though she is a certified USA Triathlon coach herself, because accountability keeps her honest about workouts she would otherwise skip.
- Persistence through bad conditions is a mindset, not a talent. During a 5.5-mile open-water swim, an inexperienced kayaker let her drift a mile and a half off course and her watch stopped working, but she finished anyway, crediting an inner drive built from childhood criticism she had to push against.
- Community sustains the habit. Her “We Are Endurance” triathlon team and local running club have become some of her closest friendships, with members following her to multiple book tour stops.
- You do not need to start young to become a real athlete. Hilary points out that many endurance athletes do not begin until their 40s or 50s, and her book is built around proving that a later start does not disqualify you from real accomplishment.
- An early instinct for reinvention started well before fitness. As a teenager she crashed one of Woody Allen's New Year's Eve parties by posing as catering staff, and the newspaper coverage that followed became her first taste of public relations work.
- Hilary's three strategies to get and stay well: be consistent, sticking to a set training schedule; eat right and stay hydrated, prioritizing macronutrients and avoiding junk food; and meditate for around 10 minutes a day to quiet the mind, even during training that already feels like personal time.
“When somebody says to me, you can't, or if I feel like I can't do something, I make it my business that I can do it.”
Hilary Topper
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 612 – Eat better to run better with Carissa and Jeff Galloway