| What's your full embarrassing name? |
David James King. |
| Married, or are you young, free and single and like to mingle? |
Mingling! |
| Where do you live? |
In a palatial flat in Locks Heath with a couple of mice. |
| Do you work or stay at home? |
Wordsmith and teamaker with Southern Daily Echo. |
| How long have you been a member at Stubbington? |
January 2001. |
| Can you remember your first race? |
Yep, it was the D-Day 10k at Portsmouth. I thought I was hot to trot, but instead I ran like a bag of potatoes. |
| How often do you bother to go training? |
Three or four times a week, depending on how I'm feeling and if Pamela Anderson is not calling by for an overnight stay. |
| What is your favourite training run? |
Love to run along the Solent Cliffs from home. Couple of interesting places; Littlecott Corners 1 & 2 where Gazza once came a cropper doing a Torvill & Dean impression on a corner by Posbrook Lane, and also near the Abshot Country Club. Boy was that funny! Favourite run is Warsash Road to Titchfield, down Posbrook Lane to Titchfield Haven, then along the cliffs past Solent Breezes and Warsash to Swanwick, up that god-forsaken hill to Sarisbury Green, and onto Locks Heath and home. It's somewhere between 13 and 14 miles, but when I'm marathon training it's 15! |
| What was your best ever race? |
Ran London Marathon in 2004 in 3hrs 19mins. Felt like Paris Hilton after a heavy night out at the finish, and have vowed never to run a marathon again - but boy am I glad I did it. |
| And what was your worst or most embarrassing race? |
Ran a RR10 race this summer over in Blackfield. I was on anti-biotics and shouldn't have, and I was beaten in a sprint finish by a mum in a pushchair! |
| Do you have a pre-race ritual? |
Banana, energy bar, high energy drink, and a quick constitutional an hour before the race. If it is 10 miles of more, I take an Immodium 90 minutes beforehand to stop the number twos! |
| What is the best piece of gear you have bought? |
I swear by Asics shoes. |
| Worst piece of gear? |
Bought a pair of socks which offered as much protection to my feet as a paper bag. Ended up finishing a half marathon with blisters all over the shop. |
| Why do you run when you could be sat at home watching EastEnders? |
Cos I no longer fancy Dot Cotton, and also I just love those endorphins. |
| What does she/he who must be obeyed think about your running? |
I'm young, free and single, and when you mingle, who cares! |
| What is the one piece of advice you would give to any new runner? |
The old Lance Armstrong adage: "pain is temporary, quitting is forever". Don't give up! |
