Holly Rush: ‘It’s the pits when you can’t do the thing you love’
Hi Holly. We met at the amazing Outrun the Sun race. What have you been up to since then? Since OTS I have been back to Chamonix to race the La Montagne Hard 60k(5,000m vertical gain) which I won and broke the course record – it was super hard. I have been training hard for my next big race in August and I also ran the Bath Hilly Trail Marathon, which I also won. So fingers crossed things are going well.
What’s your favourite place to run? My favourite place to run is the Lake District purely because the scenery is spectacular and there are so many trails to run and lots I still want to do. The options are limitless!
Do you remember your first ever race? My first race was a 5k in Battersea Park. I was 19 years old. I didn’t run as I child so it was all new to me. I think it took me about 25 minutes but I had no idea how good or bad it was. … all I know is that it felt like hard work!
When someone asks you for a training tip, what do you tell them? If you want to get quicker than simply add a speed session into your weekly training schedule. If you always run slowly then you will always race slowly.
Do you like a running gadget? I have to say I rarely leave home without my Suunto Ambit Heart Rate monitor. It records a multitude of data that I can download and the battery life is amazing so it’s ideal for long ultras.
Do you ever run to music? I actually like to listen to podcasts on my long runs – but not if I am running somewhere new as I like to soak up the surroundings. So my favourite podcasts are: Talk Ultra, Marathon Talk, Ultra Runner Podcast and Competitor Radio.
What’s your post-race indulgence? My favourite post-race indulgence is normally a pie and a pint of local ale at the local pub
What’s the worst thing about running? I really struggle to answer this one because I couldn’t imagine a life without running so the worst thing about running has to be getting injured … it’s the pits when you can’t do the thing you love.
And what’s the best thing? The best thing about running is those moments when you are all on your own at the top of a mountain or on a trail through the woods and you are moving effortlessly. You feel like you could just keep running for ever. These moments are super-special. Some people like to spend their days off at shopping centres, I prefer being out on the trails.
What do you eat on the morning of a long run or hard session? I always eat the same thing: two pieces of wholegrain toast, almond butter, one banana and a black coffee with sugar.
What’s the furthest you’ve ever run? 90k on the road but my next race is 90k on the trails.
Have you ever run barefoot? I don’t run barefoot but I do all my running in lightweight shoes and I race and do all my speed sessions in racing flats (Asics DS Racer). I prefer light flexible shoes with quite a low heel drop. I think once you start wearing light shoes it is hard to go back to wearing big chunky trainers but you do need to break yourself in slowly to lighter shoes as injuries could be a problem. It also depends on your running gait as to the best shoe to wear. Get a gait assessment to be sure.
What’s your greatest running achievement? It’s hard to say one but I would say coming 18th at the European Championships in Barcelona and winning team bronze in the marathon. It was my first championships and something I never thought would happen to me, as I always thought of myself as a fun runner. Standing on the podium in the Olympic Stadium was one of the proudest moments of my life. Secondly coming seventh at Comrades (the biggest ultra in the world) and it being my first ultra was very special. The whole experience was overwhelming and I can’t wait to get back there and have another crack.
Mo Farah or Usain Bolt? That’s a hard one, I was lucky enough to be in the stadium for Super Saturday and Sunday at the Olympics so I saw them both run and both races were epic. The crowd was deafening.
Who is the greatest ever runner? Another super tough one! There are many … but I love watching David Rudisha run on the track and Paula Radcliffe’s 2.15 marathon world record has to be one of the world’s greatest running achievements by a woman and will take many many years to beat.
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