Why I run: Dave Hughes
The comedian has been a dedicated runner since he was a teenager. It’s not something he overthinks – that would defeat the purpose – but Hughes is clear on one thing: his days are better when he runs
DAVE HUGHES SURPRISES many with his passion and dedication for running. A few years ago, when Men’s Health last caught up with the comedian, many of our readers were surprised to learn that he knocks out five kays in around 20 minutes.
I remember getting a text from a friend who remarked, “How the f*ck is Hughesy doing 5k in 20 minutes?” He’s a keen runner, I texted back. I relate the story to Hughes, who manages to see the funny side – he is a comedian, after all.
What is the TV and radio star running away from, you might be tempted to ask. The better question is what is he running toward? Fitness and longevity are two obvious goals, he says. But for Hughes, who grew up in Warrnambool in southwestern Victoria, running is an easy and effective way to feel good. As he tell us here, in his own words, it’s as simple as that.
I’VE BEEN A runner, on and off, since I was 15 or 16. I began running to get fit. I have times where I run a lot and then I have off times. My off times generally come around when I’m injured. So, if I’m not injured, I’ll generally make running a part of my weekly life, around three or four times a week. It’s just such an easy way to get a sweat up.
I always feel better after having gone for a run. It’s an easy way to make yourself feel good. When I’m not running and I see someone running, I get jealous thinking, I should be doing that. You just need a pair of shoes. It’s the cheapest form of exercise. You don’t need anyone else. You can do it on your own and you can do it wherever you are. I often run in new cities when I’m on holiday.
When I see people running on a treadmill, I think, Why aren’t you outside? Why aren’t you running on the road? I just think you’re better off running outside than you are on a treadmill in a gym.
My running probably peaked in my early forties. I did the City2Surf when I was 40. Oh God, it’s over 10 years ago now. I did four-minute kays, so I did 56 minutes. I think you can peak in running later than you can in other disciplines, distance running at least. I did 5k the other day in just over 23 minutes. I haven’t broken 20 minutes for a number of years. I end up getting sore calf muscles or sore Achilles, so that’s what slows me down. But if I can get a run of not having anything sore for a while, I think I can get back towards 20 minutes. I always run to the clock. I enjoy trying to beat my time from last week.
I know that if you can keep your aerobic fitness as you get older, generally it means you’re going to live longer and so you’re actually adding years to your life by continuing to run. It’s an effective way to keep weight off as well.
I generally don’t run with anybody. I don’t have any headphones. I’m a non-headphone guy. I run in silence. I try to just focus on my breathing, breathing through the nose as much as possible. It’s a form of meditation. You focus on your breathing and just make sure you don’t trip over basically.
I don’t have much time to think about jokes, but they’ll possibly come up. But I don’t run to write. I walk to write but not run.
“When I'm not running and I see someone running, I get jealous thinking, I should be doing that”
I don’t like getting injured. I don’t like that feeling that my calf muscle got sore again and I know I’m going to have to not bloody run for a couple of weeks. That is the most annoying thing about running, the constant threat of a soft tissue injury or an Achilles getting sore. I don’t like running in the wind either and Melbourne can be very windy. That is annoying.
But my injuries have dropped off a bit. I don’t think I’d be running regularly if I hadn’t become vegan. That’s a true story. My body isn’t sore in the morning, I’m not stiff. Between five and 10 years before I became vegan, in my thirties and early forties, I’d have to walk sideways downstairs because I was so stiff in the morning. Then I become vegan and that just stopped happening. I genuinely think being a vegan is really good for your body and it stops inflammation. That’s just my own experience.
I’ve never run a marathon. I just haven’t really had the time to focus on it. I do think if you run hard, you get enough fitness out of running shorter distances, but that’s not to say I’ll never run a marathon. I just haven’t yet.
The joy of having finished a run is a simple way to be happy and if anyone’s feeling down, I just want to say to them, just go for a run. You’ll feel better afterwards.
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