Runners World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network. I simply hated sport when I was growing up.
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It’s only in the last year that I’ve started getting fit. I now swim 1km most days and run a few times a week. It was a revelation when I realised I could run because I’d never even tried it before and assumed it was something I couldn’t do.
I‘m not a morning person so I don’t get up for an early jog. I like to go for a run at the end of a busy day, while it’s still light outside. I will do anything from 5-15km.
I’m very good at sticking with a task and listening to my body instead of a GPS watch. I would hate to have a voice from a device telling me I’ve just run 1km.
Runners World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network. As I do lots of the same routes I see familiar faces. I like exchanging the odd word. Running makes you more sociable.
It’s my knees that suffer most on longer runs. I’ve been a chef all my life so I’ve spent hours standing up in kitchens. My knees ache on runs over 90 minutes.
I’m a runner: Michael Palin. Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux Jr are very keen runners, too. I think because the kitchen can be a highly pressured place, with other people always demanding your time, a run on your own is a real escape.
I’m the opposite to the dedicated runner. I don’t feel guilty about not running. I focus on my running when I’m doing it, but I fit my running around my business and life, rather than the other way round.
Im a runner: Tim Peake Sick Children’s Trust charity. I felt in my role I should get more involved in hands-on fundraising and awareness. It was my first ever organised race and my aim was to break two hours. [He finished in 1:56:26.]
I’m a runner: Simon Evans. It’s a hazard of my job because you taste what you make. But what I do eat is very healthy, fresh produce that give me lots of natural energy.
I don’t look like a natural runner. I look pretty rubbish in my running gear – having a big ginger beard doesn’t help and I’m not whippet-thin. But I only started running at 41 and my body hasn’t let me down yet.
Im a runner: Paul A. Young. I’ve created one called Sweet Virtue, which is made from 100 per cent Ecuadorian cocoa and is packed with energy-boosting nutrients, including ginseng. I often have a small square before and after a long run.
My favourite...
Music: When I do listen to music, I put my iPod on shuffle and choose a genre rather than a particular artist. I like high-tempo disco, 1980s or 1990s stuff, and just run to whatever comes on.
Trainers: I’d never bought running shoes, so I went to a store and had my gait analysed. I hadn’t built up any strength, so I knew I needed the right footwear or I’d get injured. I run in a pair of Brooks.
Routes: I live in Covent Garden in London, so I enjoy a big loop that takes me through St James’s Park, Hyde Park and Regent’s Park. Even on a busy sunny day you can find some space to run.
It’s my knees that suffer most on longer runs Sick Children’s Trust, which provides free, high-quality accommodation and emotional and practical support for families with seriously ill children in hospital. The charity runs 10 ‘homes from homes’ at leading children’s hospitals across the UK.
