LEAD PHOTO BY: Clint Austin
This is the fifth edition of The Duluth Runner Interview Series, where I get in touch with (mainly) local runners and athletes to share a bit of their story while inspiring others to pursue an active lifestyle.
I am not one for lengthy intros, so you will not get them as part of this series. However, I will be providing you with SOME details about the interviewee 🙂
Intro
Today’s guest grew up in the U.P. of Michigan and eventually attended Lake Superior State University, where he was one of the top runners on the national-caliber cross country team as a walk-on!
He has been living and training in Duluth since 1996, with many races under his belt, including on the USATF road circuit. He currently works at Essentia Health…today’s guest is Gregg Robertson!
Interview
Why is running important to you?
The importance of running has shifted over the years. As a young runner and fresh out of college, the goals were to run fast and chase personal bests at every distance. Ever since high school, I always had a connection to running easy through the wooded trails and courses that followed the shores of Lake Superior. It’s been a way for me to cleanse the soul and free my mind of garbage.
Now, as an older runner who is no longer chasing personal bests, I use running for my daily stress reduction. If I don’t get out, I get crabby and I just don’t feel right. I’ve tried other endurance sports and nothing gives me the same release as a nice run outside.
What are the top two or three things that you do to prevent injury? Have you been susceptible to certain injuries in the past?
I’ve been fortunate to be mostly injury-free over the years. I mean, I’ve had little injuries pop up, like a bout of achilles tendonitis but I’ve never had a stress fracture or anything like that. Lately, the number one thing I do to prevent injury is to listen to my body.
I’m the type of runner that will have no problem bailing out from a run if it’s not going well. After the age of 40, I’m soon to be 49, I learned that I needed to add extra days of recovery after long runs and after workouts. I now take a solid two full days easy in between hard efforts and some weeks I take three and/or I cross train to give my legs a break from the pounding.
I have a bad low back that stems from an injury in high school, so recently I have had to deal with some back issues that ultimately affect my lower extremities if I’m not careful, so that has been my biggest hurdle lately.
What keeps you motivated when you don’t feel like heading out the door for a run?
My motivation for running is the aging process. I am well aware I’m slowing down and will continue to do so. But, if I am lucky enough to fight that slow-down and keep healthy then I can stay motivated to race age group times.
Since I have run the USATF road circuit for over twenty years I am aware of race times the generations before me have run and it’s fun to chase those times. Not many people know but Minnesota has such a rich history of amazing runners, the late Dan Conway as one, over the decades. I like to see where my times fall when comparing to those that have raced before me.
Who is in your running support group (training partners, people to bounce ideas off of, etc.)?
My support group starts at home. My lovely wife is an amazing runner in her own right, and she supports my crazy running and racing aspirations. We also have a son, he’s 14, and he always asks about my runs and races as well for support.
My main support outside the home comes from the running buddies I have trained with for years. We are comprised of mostly over 40 year old’s with the exception of a few. We like to meet on Saturday’s and just run for fun and have a ton of laughs. It keeps us young.
When/what is your next race?
My next race will be in April in Minneapolis. The Get in Gear 10K. It’s one of the best road 10K’s in the country. If you want to test your fitness in the Spring, that is the race to go to. The focus race for me is Grandma’s Marathon. Like I said earlier, my back has given me some trouble over the last year or two, so I am I hoping to return to fitness and have a decent race if I am so fortunate.
Do you prefer roads or trails and why?
My introduction to running came on the trails and cross country. After college I raced on the roads a few times and got hooked. I love toeing the line and just gutting out a pace with your fellow competitors and seeing if you can outlast them. My favorite race distance is the half-marathon. I still enjoy training on trails and what better place to live with the vast trail system that surrounds us in Duluth?
What is your most memorable race or running achievement?
If I have to pick one running achievement to be my favorite I guess I would have to pick 1998 Garry Bjorklund 1/2 Marathon. It was a perfect “Grandma’s” type of day. Cool, foggy and more than likely a tail wind. I remember settling in a pace with a group and telling myself not to let them separate and just race as long as I could. At the time I PR’d at every distance beyond the 10K mark.
It was one of those out of body type experiences. I would love to see what I ran my last 5K in. There were no GPS watches just Timex! I have to mention, my most memorable team experience recently, was racing with a group of Masters runners (I was the youngest at age 40) out of Wisconsin and with no expectations, we won the overall Ragnar Great River Relay from Winona to Minneapolis. Great fun and memories for a lifetime!
Name one racing experience you would like to forget (please describe).
I don’t have many races I’d want to forget as you learn from them all, but the running experiences I dislike the most were races under similar conditions.
I raced Park Point 5 Miler one year when then race director Scott Keenan cancelled the race and labeled it a “fun run” at the start. Being stubborn, we raced anyway and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. At the turn around there was a family that had a yard sprinkler set up on the road and stopped and stood right over it for about a minute.
The other race was the Torchlight 5K. It’s an evening race in Minneapolis in July. It supposed to be super fast so we loaded up a car to go race and as we pulled up to the parking ramp in Minneapolis and the temperature gauge read 102F! When we started the race, If I remember correctly, it was 93F. Thankfully it was only a 5K but I was counting every step to get me to the finish line safely. I guess it is safe to say I don’t like warm weather racing.
What is something non-running related you would like to share with readers?
I guess one thing that most people don’t know about me other than running is that I’m a big car/auto geek. I love cars – from the classics to the prototypes of future cars coming out. If I had the financial resources I would collect many cars. Oh, and I own a Banjo that I don’t know how to play yet! Ha!
Closing
Many thanks to Gregg for agreeing to stop by The Duluth Runner and share some of his knowledge/experiences with everyone. I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Interview Series – stick around for more to come!