Brian O'Dea interview

This week I caught up with Brian O'Dea from Achilles run club Sydney to talk about running.

Brian wasn't too keen to be recorded for the podcast, but I hope to persuade him for a follow up interview later in the year.

I have been volunteering at Achilles for about a year and have met a lot of fantastic people there. Brian is one of the key organisers. With his commitment and support the club thrives. There are many others from Achilles that are worthy of this praise (and more). I hope to interview them over the coming weeks.

I would like to show you all how amazing Achilles is and hopefully encourage you to help out in your own community. Achilles is a worldwide organisation, so Google it now and see where you can volunteer.

To the interview....

1.      How long have you been running for?

I used to run cross-country at school. Then I went to sea for 13 years. If I ran during that time, it was in circumstances best not described here.

2.      What got you into running?

We were living in NZ and I was playing in a social-grade soccer team. Most of the training was done in the pub. I realised that I was becoming very unfit by “exercising”. I started running on my own then joined a local running club, Olympic Harriers in Wellington.

3.      What is your preferred race distance?

Half Marathon or 10K, though I have enjoyed most of the 11 marathons I have done.

4.      What's your favourite race memory?

Boston 2010 – a “bucket list” item.

5.      What was your worst running experience?

A Wang Marathon in Sydney in the 80’s. I had been aiming for a sub-3 hour finish. With about 10K to go, the wheels fell off. As I was trudging along feeling wretched, a little old man jumped out in front of me and yelled encouragement along the lines of “Don’t quit! Keep going!” In what was meant to be a stage-whisper, I suggested that he “f*ck off!’ Unfortunately, he heard it, as did about 30 spectators. They started to jeer me and I shuffled a bit faster so that I could round the next corner and leave them behind. Since then, whenever I have struggled in a race, I have remained polite.

6.      Do you have a favourite training run? Tell us about what makes it special.

This is a difficult one. I have lived and run in Australia, NZ and the USA and I have regional favourites. There are common features: scenic, challenging and in good company. Runners can be amusing buggers on a long run.

7.      What are you currently training for?

I am sidelined, having just had an arthroscopy. I was training for the Berlin Marathon in September and have not ruled it out.

8. What is your target for the race?

Now it will be simply to finish under 4 hours.

8.      Do you take any nutrition such as gels, sports drinks or water when you run? If so what do you use and why?

In runs under two hours, I will just drink water – and only when I am thirsty. For longer runs, I will carry a couple of sachets of GU “just in case”. I do take electrolyte drinks in races longer than 10K. In training, I like to condition the body to go without electrolyte drinks or gels when I can. In longer races I do appreciate the lift that they give in the second half of the race.

9.      What shoes are you running in?

In the earlier years, I tended to use Lydiard [an NZ-made shoe no longer available], Brooks and New Balance. I later switched to Asics but they kept changing the design. Now I run in the lighter Adidas range. They are good value and comfortable.

10.  What advice would you give new runners?

Apart from the obvious ”enjoy your running,” I would urge the new runner to set medium and long-term running goals and build up to them sensibly. Setting a single-race goal will often leave the new runner feeling “flat” after he/she achieves it. If the runner likes to read a lot, I would encourage the building of a running library. There is much to learn and enjoy in the pages of running literature. If running becomes part of your lifestyle, it can enrich your life beyond the obvious health benefits. I have been lucky enough to run in about 20 countries and now have a collection of quirky, amusing d exhilarating memories.

11.  Is there a race you've always wanted to do?

The Boston Marathon was always my goal. I am also in awe of those who have run Comrades and The Six-Foot Track.

13. If you had a million dollars to be able to train like an athlete, eat like a God and receive all the support you needed for a once in a lifetime event, what would it be and what time would you expect to run?

With my knee injury, I would still take your million dollars and do the Marathon du Medoc. Once there, I would talk like an athlete and drink like a God [Bacchus].

Thank you Brian! Its great to hear about runner's stories and what each individual does. I look forward to hearing good news on Brian's knee and the Berlin marathon later in the year.

This week's podcast is just a short update on our training for Newcastle marathon. Next week I will have an interview with Andrew Van Der Saag from Achilles Sydney. We have been running a few of our long runs together as he aims for his first marathon at Canberra this year.

Until next week,

Happy training!

Tom : )