Taylor Gilland
Daily Habit
Goals may change, but ambition almost always looks the same: consistency, confidence and the commitment to squeeze a run in. Taylor Gilland is a lifelong runner who’s navigated the shifting stages of athletehood. Born and raised in North Carolina, his relationship with running has ebbed and flowed. It began as an active adolescent influenced by his parents, and evolved through many miles running track at the University of Virginia. We first met Taylor in 2013, chasing the goal of a sub-four minute mile, and he’s been a staple in Tracksmith’s storytelling ever since.
As a tech investor now living in Marin County, California, Taylor has grown into his routine, one that was born from the competitive nature of youth and college sports and has adapted into something more sustainable. Because running is about endurance – not just to keep you going at mile ten, but to keep you going ten, even twenty years in.
We spent the day with Taylor at his home to understand his everchanging relationship with running, how he fits movement into his busy life today and what he hopes for the future.
FIRST THING
I live just north of San Francisco, in Marin County. On weekdays, I typically wake up relatively early, have a yogurt bowl and a cappuccino. In the mornings, I read my email outside and enjoy that cappuccino a little bit. That's really my favorite part of the day.
DAILY NON-NEGOTIABLES
The most consistent thing for me in a routine is exercising and moving my body in some way, shape or form every day. It doesn't need to be in the same place. It doesn't need to be in the same way. Other than drinking coffee, I don't think there's anything else that I do every single day.
A Return to Running
I ran track in college and I suspected that when I stopped running competitively that I would do other things. And I did that for a couple years, and then it snuck back into my life and became something that I missed. It felt very nostalgic for me. It’s been consistent in my life for so long. I can go back to it and it feels very familiar, which kind of brings you back to where you come from, and it feels very normal to me.
Wandering Mind
It's kind of like being in the shower. People say they have their best ideas in the shower. Sometimes I feel like I have my best ideas when I'm out running. Unlike other sports where you've got to really focus on what you're doing, like if you're playing tennis or even if you're cycling or swimming or playing golf or playing basketball, with running, you can let your mind go to other places.
Taylor, Tracksmith & Triumphs
On a typical evening in 2013, you’d find Taylor ripping quarters at the MIT Track well into the night. He didn’t choose the 11 PM workout, his work-life balance chose it for him. He was grinding 80-hour weeks at an investment bank, and it was the only time he could train. With nothing but a rigid routine and a big running goal, it just had to do. Whatever it would take to break 4:00 in the mile.
TAYLOR IN 2014
His relationship with running has changed a lot since his 3:58-mile. But it hasn’t disappeared. It’s still a central part of his lifestyle and the foundation of his training routine. We visited Taylor Gilland in San Francisco to follow him (plus, his brother and his dog) around for a day, taking time to reflect on the longevity required for the life of a runner.
Workout When You Can
I try to be really flexible about when I exercise. Whenever I have some free time, whether that's the morning or sometimes the middle of the day, I'll have an hour window where I’ve got nothing going on, and it makes sense to exercise then. Sometimes, it's late into the evening. I try not to be too rigid about it, but I do something every day if I'm able to.
The Promise of Progress
Running has had a real boom in the U.S. More folks are enjoying that you can do it so simply, and you can do it anywhere. I think people enjoy the fact that you can progress. No matter who you are, if you don't run for a period of time, you're going to be kind of out of shape at the beginning of it. And if you run consistently for six weeks, it's going to feel a lot easier at the end of the six weeks than it did at the beginning of the six weeks.
And with anything in life, it feels really good to progress and get better and see your body respond. I always enjoy that part of doing anything, and I think it's one of the things that has really attracted people to running.
A Different View
When you're younger, practice is something that you have to do to get to the game or the race, and it’s something that I resisted. I disliked having that routine all the time. As I've gotten older, I actually think my favorite part is the practice. I’ve realized that the joy is the process of improving – having that consistency.
Looking back now, I wish I embraced it a little bit more and realized how special it is to get to do that and be in your body and be present for that time. It's funny how life goes like that. Things that, early in your life, were chores or things you didn’t look forward to become the things that you cherish later in life.
The Usual
I work in the city, typically sitting most of the day. I try to leave my desk to walk and get a coffee, or walk and get lunch, but for the most part, I’m in an office most of the day and then drive home at some point. If I have time before dinner, my brother lives right next door and we'll do a little workout in the garage gym. It’s a good way to catch up with him and a good way to decompress for the day before eating dinner and going to bed.
Blurring the Work-Life Balance
A lot of people talk about work-life balance being the amount of time you spend on each thing. The people I see that are the happiest are able to blend their work life and their social life and the activities that they do together. It might be getting dinner with somebody that you work with or going for a run with someone. Blending exercise and social, or you're exercising with the person that you date or whatever it may be.
I think that’s the best – when you can blend things a little bit so work doesn’t feel like a rigid 9 to 5, where after, you go home and totally check out. Although maybe there's some beauty in that separation. Maybe there's a problem now that people don't ever totally check out of their work.
But what I'm saying is to accept the reality that we live in versus what's “right”. There's some beauty in being able to embrace blending work, life and whatever else together. It’s okay to blend social time and your work time. As long as you enjoy it and find the day-to-day interesting.
Taylor Gilland
Daily Habit
Goals may change, but ambition almost always looks the same: consistency, confidence and the commitment to squeeze a run in. Taylor Gilland is a lifelong runner who’s navigated the shifting stages of athletehood. Born and raised in North Carolina, his relationship with running has ebbed and flowed. It began as an active adolescence influenced by his parents, and evolved through many miles running track at the University of Virginia. We first met Taylor in 2013, chasing the goal of a sub-four minute mile, and he’s been a staple in Tracksmith’s storytelling ever since.
As a tech investor now living in Marin County, California, Taylor has grown into his routine, one that was born from the competitive nature of youth and college sports and has adapted into something more sustainable. Because running is about endurance – not just to keep you going at mile ten, but to keep you going ten, even twenty years in.
We spent the day with Taylor at his home to understand his everchanging relationship with running, how he fits movement into his busy life today and what he hopes for the future.
FIRST THING
I live just north of San Francisco, in Marin County. On weekdays, I typically wake up relatively early, have a yogurt bowl and a cappuccino. In the mornings, I read my email outside and enjoy that cappuccino a little bit. That's really my favorite part of the day.
DAILY NON-NEGOTIABLES
The most consistent thing for me in a routine is exercising and moving my body in some way, shape or form every day. It doesn't need to be in the same place. It doesn't need to be in the same way. Other than drinking coffee, I don't think there's anything else that I do every single day.
When I have consistency in my routine, I'm better at work, better at life.
HIS ROUTES IN ROUTINE
Both my parents are super healthy and super active. My dad is definitely a person that's routine-oriented. He eats the same thing for breakfast, the same thing for lunch, does a crossword puzzle every single morning and does some sort of exercise. So seeing his healthy routine and how that has allowed him to be super active in his 60s – playing tennis, running, riding his mountain bike – it’s really inspiring for me and was a great example as a kid.
MORNINGS IN MARIN
If I have time, I'll go for a run in the mornings. There are some beautiful trails near my house and I'll typically go for a run with my dog, George. And then get showered up, get ready to go to work, drive into the city. It's about a 20 minute drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. It's funny that this time of year it'll be really warm in Marin. It'll be like 85 degrees and sunny. And then you'll drive into the city and it'll be cloudy and 55 degrees. The change of temperature is extreme.
Being Present
For me now, running is not about competition or seeing how fast I can go. It's really just stress relief, mental health, and staying generally healthy. There’s also a social component. I'll catch up with a friend and go for a jog. You have this time period where you're away from your phone, so you're totally present in conversation which I think is really nice and really rare.
A Return to Running
I ran track in college and I suspected that when I stopped running competitively that I would do other things. And I did that for a couple years, and then it snuck back into my life and became something that I missed. It felt very nostalgic for me. It’s been consistent in my life for so long. I can go back to it and it feels very familiar, which kind of brings you back to where you come from, and it feels very normal to me.
Wandering Mind
It's kind of like being in the shower. People say they have their best ideas in the shower. Sometimes I feel like I have my best ideas when I'm out running. Unlike other sports where you've got to really focus on what you're doing, like if you're playing tennis or even if you're cycling or swimming or playing golf or playing basketball, with running, you can let your mind go to other places.
Taylor, Tracksmith and Triumphs
On a typical evening in 2013, you’d find Taylor ripping quarters at the MIT Track well into the night. He didn’t choose the 11 PM workout, his work-life balance chose it for him. He was grinding 80-hour weeks at an investment bank, and it was the only time he could train. With nothing but a rigid routine and a big running goal, it just had to do. Whatever it would take to break 4:00 in the mile.
A few months later, he did it. Of the roughly 2,000 athletes who have broken the sacred barrier, he may be the only one who did it while working 80-hour weeks.
With our commitment to capturing the authenticity of Amateurs, it was serendipitous to find Taylor authentically – on the track at MIT, full of grit, fiercely chasing running goals. We began photographing him for Tracksmith over a decade ago, and we’ve shot him throughout many phases of life since.
TAYLOR IN 2014
His relationship with running has changed a lot since his 3:58-mile. But it hasn’t disappeared. It’s still a central part of his lifestyle and the foundation of his training routine. We visited Taylor Gilland in San Francisco to follow him (plus, his brother and his dog) around for a day, taking time to reflect on the longevity required for the life of a runner.
Workout When You Can
I try to be really flexible about when I exercise. Whenever I have some free time, whether that's the morning or sometimes the middle of the day, I'll have an hour window where I’ve got nothing going on, and it makes sense to exercise then. Sometimes, it's late into the evening. I try not to be too rigid about it, but I do something every day if I'm able to.
The Promise of Progress
Running has had a real boom in the U.S. More folks are enjoying that you can do it so simply, and you can do it anywhere. I think people enjoy the fact that you can progress. No matter who you are, if you don't run for a period of time, you're going to be kind of out of shape at the beginning of it. And if you run consistently for six weeks, it's going to feel a lot easier at the end of the six weeks than it did at the beginning of the six weeks.
And with anything in life, it feels really good to progress and get better and see your body respond. I always enjoy that part of doing anything, and I think it's one of the things that has really attracted people to running.
A Different View
When you're younger, practice is something that you have to do to get to the game or the race, and it’s something that I resisted. I disliked having that routine all the time. As I've gotten older, I actually think my favorite part is the practice. I’ve realized that the joy is the process of improving – having that consistency.
Looking back now, I wish I embraced it a little bit more and realized how special it is to get to do that and be in your body and be present for that time. It's funny how life goes like that. Things that, early in your life, were chores or things you didn’t look forward to become the things that you cherish later in life.
The Usual
I work in the city, typically sitting most of the day. I try to leave my desk to walk and get a coffee, or walk and get lunch, but for the most part, I’m in an office most of the day and then drive home at some point. If I have time before dinner, my brother lives right next door and we'll do a little workout in the garage gym. It’s a good way to catch up with him and a good way to decompress for the day before eating dinner and going to bed.
Blurring the Work-Life Balance
A lot of people talk about work-life balance being the amount of time you spend on each thing. The people I see that are the happiest are able to blend their work life and their social life and the activities that they do together. It might be getting dinner with somebody that you work with or going for a run with someone. Blending exercise and social, or you're exercising with the person that you date or whatever it may be.
I think that’s the best – when you can blend things a little bit so work doesn’t feel like a rigid 9 to 5, where after, you go home and totally check out. Although maybe there's some beauty in that separation. Maybe there's a problem now that people don't ever totally check out of their work.
But what I'm saying is to accept the reality that we live in versus what's “right”. There's some beauty in being able to embrace blending work, life and whatever else together. It’s okay to blend social time and your work time. As long as you enjoy it and find the day-to-day interesting.