The things we are able to accomplish with a little mind-over-matter are astonishing. Case in point: runners. You see the passion for the sport in every body movement they make. They stretch, kick their feet around and wiggle their fingers, as if they can’t wait to start! Like the thought of running gets them in that happy zone.
We wanted to find out why do they do it? How do you get started? So we approached Han Nguyen… Han has been running since June 2013 and has 18 medals so far.
How did you get started?
After seeing my PHA results, I decided it is time have a healthy lifestyle – my mantra is “I run so I can eat”
Where was your first marathon?
1st 10k – Summerfest Rock ‘n Sole, 1st half – Brewers, 1st marathon – Chicago
Number of marathons you have run
4 10K, 3 marathons, 8 half marathons and completed 3 challenges:
Favorite Marathon course
New York – awesome skyline
Most memorable race: my first marathon
Chicago!!! It was the worst one because I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t train very well. I hit the wall at mile 16 – mentally and physically drained but luckily I had both of my cousins running along with me. Once I saw the “Finish Line”, I was so overwhelmed and I couldn’t believe that I did it!!!
Best part of running
Crossing the finish-line
What is your motivation?
Stay healthy, set goals, challenge myself, and travel the world
How do you stay motivated when you don’t want to run?
I have to keep telling myself that I need to train and I don’t want history to repeat itself (Chicago marathon)
How many days after a marathon do you usually start running again?
Depending on when the next run is, if it is the following month then few days, if the next run is months away then 2 weeks – 1 month
Pre-race routines? (night before or morning of)
Night before: water, water and water, having all my running gears (headphone, Gu, watch, shoes and clothes) in 1 spot. The morning of – too excited to sleep so I normally get up at 4-5am – more water and breakfast
What is your typical night before the big race meal?
lot of carbs – pasta and/or rice
What’s the farthest you’ve ever run at one time?
26.2 miles
When is your next race?
Rio marathon in June 2017, Antarctica marathon in March 2018
Do you have some advice on how someone can start running?
Start out slowly by doing run-walk-run. Listen to your body – walk if you have to.
Bucket list
All 6 world major marathons (2 down 4 more to go), and 7 continent marathons (1 down and 6 more to go)
Thank you Han for taking the time to answer questions, we know you will complete your bucket list!
If you have questions for Han, look for “Running with Han” where he will answer your questions about running!
And look for the Running with Han Lunch and Learn coming soon!
1 Comment
Bravo Han ?
Well done