Interview with Justin Gillette

Justin Gillette is a busy man. When he isn’t taking care of his four children and spending quality time with his wife he is winning marathons, coaching runners and being featured in Runners’ World. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook.

What is your proudest running achievement, and why?

I often get asked what is my favourite running accomplishment. I have won 100 marathons so I could easily point to any of those. Perhaps winning the Kona Marathon in Hawaii five times, or the Bahamas Marathon twice would impress people. The reality is I am most proud of using running as a means to beat generational poverty. I used running to get myself a college degree, then continued running to make an income to put my wife through her Masters and PhD programs.

What has running taught you about yourself?

Running taught me that you cannot set limits on what goal setting and hard work can do. My biggest year I ran 25 marathons and won 19 of them. I never would have guessed my body could handle that volume, but by focusing forward on the next goals it went well.

What is the most ambitious running goal you’ve ever considered? 

In 2011 I wanted to try to win a marathon on back to back days. I ran a 2:35 marathon on the first day and a 2:40 on the second day to accomplish this. It was a mental and physical battle.

How far in advance do you plan your running races? 

My wife works full time and we have four children so sometimes I have to cancel races I want to run and sometimes I get to jump into a race at the last minute. I always try to maintain race-ready fitness so I can jump into a marathon anytime there is an opening in our family schedule.

What is the most miles you’ve ever run in a week? 

In college I averaged 15.5 miles per day. Post-college I thought it would be neat to hit a 140-mile week, but I only managed 137. I still have a bucket list goal of getting in a 168-mile week – one mile for every hour there is in a week.

What is the longest period you’ve ever trained for a race? 

In college I would do the traditional 12-16-week buildup for races. Once I got into frequent marathon racing I now train in mini-cycles so that I am never too drained from training and can run any marathon with just a week or less adjustment to my training.

What has been your most serious running injury? 

In 2013 I got plantar fasciitis. This was due to over-training. I would suggest that people be more eager to take a day off when needed instead of being addicted to making the training log look impressive. Once I became more liberal with days off I have been better able to prevent injuries.

What cross-training exercises do you commit to? 

My main core workouts are planks and lunges. I try to plank 5 minutes a day. I do lunges back and forth in my house while the children are taking naps. Post runs I like the Roll Recovery tool to massage my legs. Like most runners I have a love/hate relationship with the foam roller.

What would persuade you to work with a (online) running coach? 

I’m an online coaching too. I would suggest an online coach to anyone who has goals they are trying to achieve. It really helps to have someone keeping you accountable to do the work when it’s hard to be motivated. Anyone can run on the perfect days with good weather. A good online coach can get you excited to run in any weather regardless of the workout.

In one sentence, what does running mean to you? 

Running to me is the difference between being in poverty and enjoying a good life.