{"id":32418,"date":"2016-11-07T17:09:01","date_gmt":"2016-11-07T17:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=32418"},"modified":"2016-11-07T17:09:01","modified_gmt":"2016-11-07T17:09:01","slug":"cardiff-character-russell-schmidt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2016\/11\/07\/cardiff-character-russell-schmidt\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff Character: Russell Schmidt"},"content":{"rendered":"

An avid runner explains how he went from running 10k to a 50 mile marathon<\/h3>\n

Running has become the national pastime; everywhere people are jogging for fun, fitness or for competitions. Training for events like a 10k race is taxing work, but for an experienced runner like Russell Schmidt, they can be your bread and butter. Training for a 50 mile ultra marathon, however, is a whole other story.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"From

Russell, who’s now 31, started running from a very young age. He’s been running on and off since the age of nine, he said. At that age he was running regularly; once a week for a club in a place called Rushcliffe in Nottingham, but then he would run just for fun by himself or with friends outside of the club.<\/p>\n

\"Run

As tiresome as running is for most people,\u00a0for Russell, it became something at which he could excel. He said it was never about trophies and medals, but he found that he could win competitions by just having fun.\u201cIt\u2019s the one sport that I\u2019m good at!\u201d he laughs, \u201cand I like doing a sport which I\u2019m good at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Change of pace<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As Russell grew into adulthood, his passion for running didn\u2019t falter, but he learned that maintaining his passion would become difficult. \u201cOther things got in the way,” he says, “university work, things like that. Running became very infrequent.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Trail

Even though running had taken a backseat in his life, he never lost his love for it. He started reading books on the subject, and one book in particular changed everything. \u201cMy wife is a big reader and she advised me to read a book called <\/span>Born to Run,<\/span><\/i>\u201d he says. The book describes a tribe in the Copper Canyons of Mexico, who run ultra marathons of about 50 to 100 miles. \u201cIt captured my imagination,\u201d says Russell, a huge grin spreading across his face, \u201cI had never heard of an ultra marathon before and it just got me thinking about a whole new side to running that I had no idea about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in my 30\u2019s now; I\u2019m not young but I\u2019m not old. I\u2019m at that funny age, so I just want to see if I\u2019ve still got it.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

A different approach<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Most ultra marathon runners train for months before a race. Russell decided to take a different approach; he signed up for a 50 mile race set amidst the Brecon Beacons near to his home in South Wales, which takes place\u00a0in December. He laughs to himself, exclaiming, \u201cIt was a very spur of the moment thing.\u201d Clearly unperturbed by the mountain in front of him, he shrugs his shoulders, saying, \u201cI\u2019m in my 30\u2019s now; I\u2019m not young but I\u2019m not old. I\u2019m at that funny age, so I just want to see if I\u2019ve still got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"It's

Training hasn\u2019t been easy for him: \u201cMy brother-in-law has gone into hospital, so I\u2019ve had to rush to Oxford where he lives just to see how he\u2019s getting on and to support him,\u201d he explains. Concern for his brother-in-law\u2019s well-being is written all over Russell\u2019s face, but is quickly replaced with relief as he explains he is on the mend, allowing him<\/span> to focus on the task at hand. <\/span><\/p>\n

Running can be a painful experience, but if you love it as much as Russell does, it\u2019s definitely worth it. The best advice Russell can give to any runner, \u201cJust have a smile on your face and enjoy it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n