I’m A Runner
THE VIRGIN RADIO PRESENTER, 39, ON BAREFOOT RUNNING AND PRE-RACE WINE
DJ, presenter and Big Brother winner Kate Lawler
BREXIT CHAT MAKES MY RUN GO QUICKER.
There’s a podcast called Remainiacs that lasts an hour, and I listen to it if I’m doing a long run. I’ve also got a playlist. Chase & Status get me through the hardest parts of a run – their album Brand New Machine is full of absolute bangers and the Prodigy help me through the pain now I’m not a spring chicken anymore!
I RAN MY FIRST LONDON MARATHON IN MY UNDERWEAR.
I was modelling for Ann Summers at the time, and they gave me lingerie to run in. The following year [2009] my friend and I ran as Tarzan and Jane, but unless I’m running for charity, I like nice gear from Nike. I’m also a fan of GA by Gemma Atkinson – it makes me look like I’ve got boobies!
I DIDN’T TRAIN FOR THAT FIRST MARATHON.
It had been two years since I’d last done a run, and I’d had a glass of wine the night before. The next year, when I’d actually trained, I only knocked 15 minutes off my time – I was fuming!
I ALWAYS RUN BAREFOOT ON THE BEACH.
I’ll be sunbathing, then just decide to do a 20-minute run in my bikini. I love it because it’s quiet, and when you’re on holiday you don’t have to worry about anything else. Although in Miami I ran into a dead body that had washed up on the beach, so that was quite traumatic!
I WANT TO DO MORE EVENTS BUT WORK GETS IN THE WAY.
My running buddy always asks me and I say, ‘ I’m in!’ then I check my diary and realise I can’t. I’d love to do the Hackney Half Marathon in London, but the year I signed up I had to do filming for Celebrity Coach Trip. But I’ve enjoyed the 10K fun runs I’ve done, and I’ve been offered a place in the London Marathon again next year. I want to raise money for the RSPCA, and running the marathon is the best thing ever!
I WORE THE SAME TRAINERS FOR FIVE YEARS.
I’ve got patellar tendonitis. At its worst I get excruciating pain in my knees, but I’ve just started seeing a chiropractor for a bad shoulder and he said it’s all down to my feet. He explained that it’s like a house – if the foundations are bad, the rest is bad. So I’ve just bought new trainers and I’ll be replacing them every six months.
I ALWAYS FEEL BETTER AFTER A RUN.
No matter how painful it is at the time, when I get back I’m always glad I did it. It clears my head and I feel energised. My Instagram followers ask me how I stay in shape, and I say to people, get up in the morning and go for a run. It’s free, you get fresh air, and it’s so good for your mental health. It doesn’t have to be an hour – just do 20 minutes.
MY OTHER HALF IS REALLY GOOD AT MOTIVATING ME.
At the weekend we’ll go out for a run together, and often start running with the dogs too, but before long we have to pause and drop them home because they go off chasing squirrels.
‘In Miami I ran across a dead body washed up on the beach… ’