I’m A Runner
THE RUGBY LEAGUE LEGEND, 38, ON RACE BLING AND CHEEKY POSTRUN TREATS
Rugby League legend Kevin Sinfield
DURING MY RUGBY CAREER, doing long runs was alien to me. Instead, it was lots of interval training, with short bursts of anaerobic exercise. Running miles was never something I was encouraged to do.
WHEN I WAS PLAYING, there were lots of activities I couldn’t do, such as running a marathon. I always said I would like to run one after I’d retired, having been inspired by watching the London Marathon on TV.
THE WEEK I RETIRED, a good mate said why don’t I do the London Marathon with him. I said ‘ yes’ straight away, as I couldn’t think of a good reason not to do it.
TRAINING FOR A MARATHON was going into the unknown, but it was exactly what I needed after I stopped playing. It gave me a focus as well as challenging me, which my career playing for Leeds Rhinos and with the GB team had been in the past.
I HAD BEEN AN AMBASSADOR for Prostate Cancer UK and so it was the natural charity for me to support. I’ve raised more than £8,500 so far.
I LIVE NEAR SADDLEWORTH so I use the moors there as my place to run which can be brutal in bad weather. I don’t listen to any music, I just head out first thing in the morning.
I WAS INCREDIBLY STRICT with my diet when I was playing, but now I’m much more relaxed. My treat is dark chocolate after a tough run.
PREPARING FOR THE MARATHON brought me back to what it’s like the night before a big match. Before my marathons, I stay in a hotel room, sorting out my kit and checking everything, like when I was playing. Before a race I also feel nervous and excited about the next day.
THE CROWDS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN awesome and really spur me on. I’ve done both London and the Yorkshire Marathon twice, and Liverpool once. The noise is like at a big rugby match, but it’s normally the lone voice shouting some encouragement that I catch, which really sticks with me.
WHEN I RAN LONDON IN 2018, it was baking hot, which sapped my energy. I cramped after 20 miles and every time I planted my foot down, it hurt. The scene on the streets looked like a battlefield, with runners everywhere collapsing or in trouble.
MY PLAN IS TO DO A COUPLE of marathons a year. I fancy the big city ones like New York, Boston and Berlin. But I’m open-minded about trying some more in the coming years.
I’M PRETTY BORING with my runs and rely on a series of looped routes I do over and over. It’s so I can get home quickly if there’s an emergency. By ‘emergency’, I mean I need the toilet or I’m too worn out to carry on.
IN OUR HOUSE, I don’t have any of my mementoes from my rugby career on display, apart from one photo. But all my marathon medals are on display, which shows you how I regard them.
‘My plan is to do a couple of marathons a year. I fancy the big city ones ’