What advice does an Olympian have for those starting out running? 

David Gillick raced for Ireland in the 2008 Olympics and currently holds the indoor and outdoor Irish 400m records.

Speaking on The Hard Shoulder, Mr Gillick said it was important to remember to stretch as “you’re asking an awful lot from your body”.  

“If you could add in simple things like squats, lunges, press ups,” he said. 

“Things like that that can just kind [of] help the body adapt to what you’re asking them to do. 

“It’s going to take a pounding along the pavement, so you need to have a robust body that can take that extra work and that extra load.” 

Mr Gillick said forming good habits early on will pay off if you are serious about running. 

“If you are at the early stages, building in some basic exercises can really help you in the long-term,” he said.

“Whether you’re elite or whether you’re a more seasoned runner, essence is key and even in the elite athletes are doing that probably as many times as they’re running… So, if you’re starting out, do try and build in some form of strength and conditioning or even resistance work.” 

Two young fitness women running in the autumn park. 12 November 2022. Alamy.com

As with many things, it pays to ramp things up slowly and Mr Gillick suggested increasing the mileage you run each time in a gradual manner. 

“People will look towards the end of the year and think, ‘Oh, it’s October’ for say the Dublin Marathon,” he said. 

“Start now and build it up; so again, you could be going for your 90 minute runs and then build it to 1.40 hours, 1.45 hours. 

“Don’t make any massive jumps because that will inflict a lot of issues in terms of physical impact.”

You can listen back here:

Main image: Ireland's David Gillick performs on men's 400 meters final during the European athletics indoor championships in Birmingham, UK on March 3, 2007. Photo by Nicolas Gouhier/Cameleon/ABACAPRESS.COM