Field Note003
HILL WORK
TrainingFIELD NOTE / 003
Learning to Run Hills
I spent years building an engine. The hills are teaching me that having one and knowing how to use it are two different things.
Read field noteMILES WITH TOM
THE RUN
CONTINUES.
Road miles, trail climbs, race days, and everything in between. A running journal about seeing how far the next mile can go.
Read the latestROAD / TRAILNORTHERN CALIFORNIAEST. 2026
CURRENTLY TRAINING FOR
NEXT RACE
Diablo Trail
Half Marathon
DISTANCE13.1 MI
TERRAINTRAIL
LOCATIONCLAYTON, CA
The current build: more climbing, stronger descending, and learning how to race the mountain.
THE JOURNAL
Latest miles.
TrainingROAD → TRAIL / CALIFORNIA
From Marathon Roads to Mount Diablo
After my first marathon, I thought the next step would be getting faster. Instead, running started taking me somewhere completely different.
Read story
Race Report26.2 MI / ORANGE COUNTY, CA
OC Marathon 2026: 3:28:48
My first marathon gave me exactly what I came for, and showed me how much I still have to learn.
Read storyWHY I RUN
“The point isn’t to have running figured out. It’s to keep finding out what happens when I go one mile further.”
MILES WITH TOM
RACE ARCHIVE
What's ahead.
GEAR / TESTED IN MILES
Use it.
Then review it.
No generic roundups. Just shoes, apparel, fuel, and equipment that have actually been part of the training.
Explore gearFIELD TEST / 001
ABOUT TOM
Former soccer player.
Current distance runner.
Tom Van Schoor is a former collegiate soccer player turned distance runner based in Northern California.
After years of competing through soccer, running became a different kind of challenge: one measured in miles, climbs, race days, and the question of how far the next training block can go.
In 2026, Tom ran the OC Marathon in 3:28:48 and began shifting part of his focus from road racing toward trail running.
VAN SCHOOR / RUNNING documents that progression through training, racing, gear, travel, and everything learned along the way.