Runner\'s World UK - 09.2019

098 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK SEPTEMBER 2019

SPOTIFY IS IDEAL FOR RUNNING

MUSIC. I love the randomness

because I want to be surprised –

I hate knowing what song is coming

on next. So I’ll start off with Vampire

Weekend because it gets me in the

right mood, and then I let the app

choose for me. It’s a great way to

learn about new music. When

Paul Oakenfield’s Speed came up,

I thought, ‘Gosh, that’s a great

running track’ but then I had to

stop running to see what it was!

MY TODDLER HAS A NEED FOR SPEED.

I run with him in a Mountain Buggy,

which is fantastic because you can

charge at any terrain. Babies love

the rocking movement, but now my

son’s two, he shouts, ‘Go faster!’ and

he points at cyclists, screaming,

‘Overtake!’ My ego struggles because

I know I can’t keep up the pace.

MY RIGHT LEG WILL ALWAYS BE

BROKEN. I have a 15-inch metal nail

down the bone marrow and it’s

Chemmy Alcott is a

BBC presenter and

Motherhood podcaster

@chemmyski

I’M A RUNNER

CHEMMY ALCOT T

THE OLYMPIC SKIER, 36, ON SLOGANS AND RUNNING WITH A 15-INCH NAIL IN HER LEG

painful for the first 10 minutes of

running. It’s fused into my ankle over

time, which means I can’t run down

hills – the ankle joint doesn’t flex to

absorb the landing. It takes a while to

loosen up, so I warm up with a yoga

flow to increase my mobility.

AS AN OLYMPIAN, all my training

sessions were tracked – now I’m more

organic. After 20 years of everything

being monitored, now I just listen to

my body. I have high levels of body

awareness, so sometimes my aims

change during a run. I might have

planned a little jog, but if I feel better

than I thought I would, I might end

up running round the whole park. My

only goal is getting what I want from

the run, physically and mentally.

I WAS HEAVILY PREGNANT when I

did the Santa Run, so I actually

looked like Santa. I waddled to the

finish line and got a massive round of

applause – it was lovely. When you’re

dressed as Santa, you talk to each

other; you’ve got that connection, so

you’re not just doing a sport, you’re

socialising as well. That’s why I loved

events like The Color Run and the

Superhero Run. I did that with my

best buddy and we both went as

Wonder Woman, although the outfit

was a little risqué for running!

I ALWAYS EAT OATS AFTER A RUN.

I’ll have them with oat milk or

almond milk, and a tablespoon of

chocolate protein. That’s not my

breakfast, though – breakfast is

loads of eggs, salmon, vegetables

and a green smoothie. Then I’ll eat

oats when I get back from a run

• unless it’s in the evening, because
  I don’t eat carbs after 3pm.

I LOVE AN INSPIRATIONAL SLOGAN.

I used to run in anything, but I’ve

noticed that my confidence improves

when I’m wearing functional kit.

I like to feel athletic and I’m going

through a Lululemon phase at the

moment. I love T-shirts that say

things like, ‘Woman Up’ because

I’ve got to raise my game if that’s

written on my chest. Even though

I can’t see it, it inspires me, because

I know I have to ‘woman up’ and

really go for it! INTERVIEW: SAMANTHA REA. PHO

TOGRAPH: DAVID TOWNHILL

‘Af ter

20 years of

everything being

monitored, now I

just listen to my

body’