TV weather presenter Clare Nasir
THE WEATHER PRESENTER, 50, ON FASTING AND WHY ONE MARATHON WAS PLENTY ‘Running by myself feels like a lovely thing to do’
I PREFER TO RUN ON MY OWN. It’s been nice running with my husband during lockdown, but we’re different types of runner, so it’s not the best scenario. Running by myself feels like a lovely thing to do. I always have epiphanies or beautiful moments of absolute bliss and I really need that.
EARLY MORNING IS THE BEST TIME TO RUN. No one’s around and I feel I’ve embraced the day in a positive way. I take my dog, Buddy, with me.
He’s a lively little dog and he needs a lot of exercise. The countryside in Cheshire is incredible – there are peat bogs and bridle paths and I can easily do a 5K without even thinking about it.
IT’S COLD AT 6AM, SO WARMING UP IS REALLY IMPORTANT. In summer, I’ll wear shorts and little tops, but otherwise I like baggy, loose-fitting clothes in good-quality, breathable material. I start off walking, then I do bum kicks, side steps and jogging on the spot. I put the timer on when I start running – I like to track my runs on the Nike app. When I finish, I stretch my calves, then jump in the shower and get on with my day.
I LOVE RUNNING WITH MUSIC WHEN I’M IN THE CITY. When I used to run along the road in London, I’d shut out the hubbub of traffic and people around me with the Arctic Monkeys’ album AM. Now that I’m in the countryside, I don’t wear headphones when I run. If I’m with my husband [Chris, a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music], we’ll talk, but otherwise I’ll listen to birdsong. There’s so much going on in nature and I want to feel part of that – it’s a shame to block it all out with music.
I’D NEVER DO ANOTHER MARATHON. I ran the London Marathon with
[Good Morning Britain presenter]
Kate Garraway and it was gruelling. We signed up six months before and I remember thinking, ‘We must start exercising at some point,’ but we never did. We were very naive and it was obvious we hadn’t trained for it. Kate went to LA the next day and her leg seized up on the plane – she had to be carried off! I’m glad I did it, though.
I RUN WITH MY DAUGHTER ON ABERSOCH BEACH. It’s on the Llyn Peninsula, in northwest Wales, and it’s beautiful; a home from home. They do all sorts of Ironman-type events and it’s really fun. My husband will DJ and I take part in 1km and 2km events with my daughter Sienna. The 2km is hard for her because she’s 10, so she’s only got little legs, but you get a medal afterwards and it’s a great introduction to running.
I RUN EVEN WHEN I’M FASTING.
I struggle to motivate myself, but the run isn’t any harder and after I’ve done it, I feel amazing. I do three-day fasts several times a year, and a fiveday fast once a year. It’s water-only and I feel a bit hungry and light-headed, but on my last five-day fast, in August, I still did two 5K runs. I’d never eat before a run, anyway. On an average day, I’ll eat for the first time at about 2pm. That’s why I run in the morning; once I’ve eaten, I go into a food coma.