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There’s long distance – and then there’s ultra distance. In the first of another new online series, we meet an athlete who goes further than most…
Name: Rob Cousins
Age: 29
What’s the sport? Ultra distance anything (rowing, running, triathlon, climbing...)
What’s your next big challenge? The Annapurna 100: 100km non-stop on foot, with 4,000m ascent in the shadow of the Annapurna massif. The best part of this for me is that it’s a low profile race, so will be a smaller and more personal event.
I’ll then be training some Nepali mountain runners to race in the Davos Ultramarathon, hoping to use this to launch a running academy for the very talented but under-represented Nepali athletes.
How did you get into your sport? I’ve never been great at any particular sport. I was OK at rugby, pretty good at weightlifting, a reasonable rower… but I found that the speed, pace and pain of such high intensity just didn’t suit me. So I stepped up the distances, where the challenge became more cerebral – managing my mind and attitude to keep on motivated and moving forward. I also found that these events kept me outside for longer, going at speeds I enjoyed!
…And why should everyone else? Long distance is a great way to learn about yourself, what you value, and be the person you want to be. Some of the events take so much out of you just to finish that you realise what you are capable of when you put your mind to something. That’s a great thing to learn about yourself.
But it’s not only for hardened adventurers with gritty thousand-yard stares. Most of the people doing this kind of thing aren’t so concerned with times, speeds or whose race is longer or harder. They generally are good-humoured, high-spirited, happy people who are very inspirational to be around. They come from so many different walks of life, with such varied reasons for taking part. There’s no bravado or ego, just people helping each other to push their limits.
What training do you have to put in? I tend not to measure it in hours – I measure it in years. The base fitness and the mental approach take years to develop. A few years ago it got to the stage where a marathon was simply a training run on a Saturday morning, or an evening out. But these days I think that was overkill, and I train only a few hours a week. I find that the most effective thing I do as training is to move as much as possible all day. If I can I walk places, or cycle. I walk the stairs instead of using the lift or escalator. I carry my things in a backpack… generally being active is the best training. It should feel normal to be moving all the time.
Aside from that, I pay a lot of attention to form and technique. My running gait is good, my abdominals are well conditioned. I find swimming so so hard but I pay attention to my stroke instead of fitting in as many lengths as possible. This prevents injury, and means that my muscles are doing the jobs they are supposed to be, so the training is more effective and my body has more efficient energy use too.
And I keep eating. All the time. Absolutely anything. Which is the best part.
What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you while doing your chosen sport?
While doing the Grand Union Canal Race I was so tired I was dreaming while running. My support crew caught me just as I was about to dive into the canal to chase off some stray elephants that were charging through the waterway. Otherwise, having a pizza at 2am while sitting on a rowing machine on the lawn in front of Durham Cathedral.
To find out more about Rob see www.robcousins.org.
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