Here at runladylike.com, Fridays are about sharing the inspiring stories of fit people who motivate all of us to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday. My Friday FITspiration series profiles runners, triathletes and casual exercisers who are making choices every day to be as healthy as they can be – in both huge ways and through simple, small victories. Today, I’m excited to have the one and only Ryan Hall on runladylike.com. Ryan and I had the chance to meet and talk during last weekend’s Fit Foodie Race Weekend in Tampa.

Ryan is the U.S. record holder in the half marathon and the first U.S. runner to break one hour for 13.1 miles (59:43). He is also the only American to break 2:05 in the marathon with a time of 2:04:58 at the 2011 Boston Marathon. Ryan represented the United States in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. These days, Ryan is retired from professional running and says he keeps the house he shares with elite runner Sara Hall and their four kids in order, makes amazing pancakes and bass fishes.

Welcome to runladylike.com, Ryan!

rUnladylike: Of all of the moments, triumphs and adventures running has brought to your life, what stands out as the most meaningful running experience of your career?
Ryan: That’s a great question. There have been many high, highs and many low, lows throughout my career. If I had to choose one, it would be the 2007 Houston Half Marathon when I set the American Record of 59:43. This race is the most meaningful for me because what I was always most after in my career wasn’t winning medals or beating other people; it was always about finding out what God had put inside of me and how fast I could get my body to go. In Houston, that race was the best I’ve ever felt, the best training I’ve ever had leading up to a race and everything just clicked perfectly. I hope that one day in Heaven I can re-live that experience every day, because never has anything felt so right, so fluid, so effortless and so fast. I think that race was the greatest racing performance I ever had.

rUnladylike: I’ve loved reading about the focus you’ve been putting on strength training lately. Do you have any favorite strength training workouts you can share with us to benefit runners?
Ryan: I am by no means an expert when it comes to weight training. I was following this plan for a while and then adopted my own version with the same basic exercises. It worked for me.

If you would ask me what my favorite exercises are, I would have to say the squat, bench press and dead lift. I love how powerful I feel when performing these exercises. However, I am now training to complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents to benefit an amazing church in Los Angeles called The Dream Center in January, so I’ve cut the weight training out and been running a lot more.

You can read about Ryan’s transformation from being a 127-pound elite runner to gaining 40 pounds of muscle after his retirement here.

rUnladylike: I’m expecting my first child in January. As a dad of four beautiful children, what advice do you have for parents or soon-to-be parents like me when it comes to balancing family, work and training?
Ryan: Prioritize sleep. When my kids go to bed, I go to bed. I know that if I’m not well rested, I’m going to be a mess and won’t be good for them. Also, eating quality food can actually make you feel better and thus be a better parent. When it comes to training, I have a saying: “Nothing can stop me at 5 a.m.” You know how crazy life can get, so if you don’t have a set time that you know will not be interrupted, you are likely to miss a lot of days, and training is all about consistency. Find a time you can train without the chance of interruption. 5 a.m. is a great time for me, but it also means I have to go to bed around 8 p.m. to make sure I’m not burning the candle on both ends.

rUnladylike: Finish this sentence: To be the very best runner we can be, we must _________________________.
Ryan: To be the very best runner we can be, we must train hard three days a week, easy three days a week and rest one day.

rUnladylike: It was awesome to get to see you at last week’s Fit Foodie race in Tampa. As a Tampa resident, we’re so glad you chose to come to our city. Why did you decide to participate in this race?
Ryan: Food and running are two of my greatest pleasures in life, so Fit Foodie races are a perfect match for me. I’m grateful that John Hancock brought me out to Tampa for this year’s event. I enjoy getting to meet people at the race, spend time with fellow John Hancock ambassador Bill Rodgers and I love the positive and encouraging atmosphere that Fit Foodie always has at its events.

You can read my Fit Foodie 5K Tampa race recap here. It was my first race ever running pregnant!

Thank you to the Fit Foodie Race Series for introducing me to Ryan Hall and helping coordinate this interview.

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Do you know someone with an inspiring story that should be featured on Friday FITspiration? If so, email runladylike@gmail.com.

What inspires you most about Ryan Hall’s running journey and accomplishments? What time of day is best for you to carve out uninterrupted time to train like Ryan mentions in his advice?