Greg James: how I’ll run the show
Greg James running marathon

The Radio 1 DJ on how sprint training, Katy Perry and the fear of looking like an idiot will help him smash his PB at this year’s Bupa Great North Run

Being in the zone. I have a very sociable job where you have to be Mr.Happy and fun all the time, so when I run, it’s great to completely forget about that and focus on the individual challenge. Because there’s so much music at work, when I run home I zone out to Desert Island Discs or I’m Sorry, I Haven’t a Clue on Radio 4 instead.

Stepping up the challenge. The 2010 Great North Run was my first competitive race, and l  just wanted to complete it and not die, but I managed to finish in two hours and eight minutes. I didn’t want to just repeat that this year, so I’m aiming to get round in under two hours; 1 hour 50 minutes is the goal.

Disciplining myself. My training program was non-existent before.  I was just going on a run whenever I had a spare afternoon. But this year I’m doing interval training to get my stamina up. One minute of sprinting, followed by a few minutes of jogging and a bit of leg work with kettlebells.

Running with Katy Perry. Her song ‘Roar’ has got to be my ultimate go-faster tune. I put it straight on my running playlist as soon as I heard it. Pendulum are good too, although I don’t think I could hack a whole album

Getting my game face on. If I were to watch myself running I’d probably laugh. I’m a frustrated sportsman and running a race is the closest I can get to feeling like a pro, but I’ll probably be looking more like Mr. Bean. I’ll be there with my backpack, water bottle, big running watch and my serious face.

Going public with my PB goal. People will say they are running a race, but you’ll rarely see their goals on Facebook. I don’t know if that’s a fear of failure or a fear of looking arrogant, but there is nothing wrong in being confident in your ability. There’s also nothing wrong with failing – if you’ve set yourself a goal and given it your best shot.

Avoiding the running bores. I think putting your target out there is great, it really focuses you and people are genuinely impressed when you tell them, because you’re working hard and dedicating yourself to something. But when it’s – ‘Oh my God I just did a run around the park! How fun!’ –  it’s just boring.

Feeling the fear. The worst thing is to be on that starting line knowing you haven’t done enough training, and there’s definitely pressure when you’ve said you’ll do something publicly. That gives me the fear and it’s a great motivator. I work well under pressure and know if I end up limping round in three hours, the whole thing will have been a failure.

Working my legs. During the 2013 London marathon my leg seized up completely at mile 20. So I had to spend about 15 minutes sat in someone’s front garden, massaging myself. I couldn’t move and it was bloody awful. My lungs were good and I felt fine, it was just my long legs kicking off. 15 minutes and a packet of Haribo later I was alright and finished in 4 hours 30 minutes, but it was so frustrating.

Thinking about curry. We’re going out for a massive curry and a night out in Newcastle once I’m finished and I can’t wait. The atmosphere on race day is sensational and you have an immense feeling of satisfaction when it’s all done. You just think, ‘Wow, I did this…let’s go!’

Greg James is working towards a PB for the Bupa Great North Run on 7th September, to inspire people to challenge themselves as part of Bupa’s Your First Step Campaign. For more information about how Bupa can help you achieve your fitness goals visit www.bupa.co.uk/running

What are your best running tips? Tweet and share with us @HealthyForMen

 

 

 

Share