As a new year kicks off, so do our promises and resolutions…

Perhaps most of us have had our fair share of extra calories over the holidays and I bet aiming for a healthier and active lifestyle will be a common resolution for many. Life on Point reached out to Greg Degabriele from the Run_Shoe_Bible, to share his take on how to start off the year on the right foot!

From your experience, how should beginner runners start off?

Don’t overdo it, start slowly, and enjoy the process not the result. Start with short running intervals and walk if need be. Listen to your body as it needs to recover. Choose the right place where to do your run, it might help you sustaining it for longer, choose the right surface too. Take care of your body but don’t worry about some little aches and pains. My coach once told me “can you go to swim and not get wet”? In running it’s the same, it’s impossible not to feel some aches and pains here and there. Obviously coming from me – Choose the right shoes

“We are what we eat”, how much does nutrition influence performance when running?

I’m a firm believer that if you want to lose weight its 80% nutrition and 20% training, especially for a non-athlete. A balanced diet is the key for a healthier life. Drink lots of water 2/3 litres a day. Avoid too much carbs and limit the portions of food intake. Sweets and sugars must be kept to a minimum. Eat slowly don’t rush into eating a plate fast, it’s not a race and no one will eat your food J these are some important points to keep in mind.

Injuries are almost inevitable when it comes to training. Are there any dos and don’ts to keep injuries to a minimum?

The most important point is not to overdo it! You have to train in your limitations and level. If you just started running, you can’t run 60km a week. Start slowly and increase the loading slowly. Going too fast may be detrimental to your body hence resulting in injuries. A good running plan includes a majority of slow runs at low aerobic heart rates, with a speed session once a week to complement the periodization and a long run during the weekend. But all this depends on the level of the runner. A beginner may run 2/3 times per week while an elite runner will run 8-10 times a week. Everyone can get injured if these basic principles are not respected. Sleep is very important for recovery and to avoid injuries one must sleep 7-8 hrs a day. Remember that when we sleep the body recovers.

What’s the aim and inspiration behind Run Shoe Bible?

To help people find their appropriate shoe that fits their needs. To educate people about this continuously evolving subject. My concept started when the running shoe model I used for 2 years was discontinued so I had to find a new running shoe option. In the meantime I had some nasty Achilles injuries and no shoe was accommodating my issues. I kept reading, studying, asking and trying new shoes. This made me create this concept of Run-Shoe-Bible with which I share information about shoes and new technologies in the market.

Tell us more about your story, how did your passion for running come about?

I was always a sporty person since I was young I used to play basketball, tennis and football. When I retired from football I wanted to find something to help me use my energy in order to feel better. With running I found myself as a better person. After I run I feel reborn, all the problems vanish and I have a big smile on my face! I love running so much and it’s my therapy. Every person I get into running tells me the same thing that life’s so much better when you train and running is so easy to do, all you need is a good pair of running shoes and off you go.

Throughout your running journey, which was your greatest achievement so far?

I ran a lot of races and ran good times but at the end of the day running is not just about personal bests and fast times it’s much more than that. Believe it or not lately I found my biggest fulfilment helping runners find their ideal running shoes. I love it when runners in Malta ask me what shoes they should wear for a particular session they might have. Nowadays I have more experience and I can help them better. Locally I feel I’m very knowledgeable about this topic and runners trust in my advice.

What’s next? Are there any plans in the pipeline?

My plan is to keep reading and studying about this topic (running shoes) I want to become the first local running shoe reviewer (I already am but I want to keep improving) to be more popular locally and people know that Greg is the guy you can ask if you want a running shoe advice. My Instagram and Facebook pages are blooming over 9 thousand followers at the moment and I’m very happy and humbled with the response. Unfortunately this is an expensive passion as running shoes cost money, some of these super shoes cost 250Euro. I wish that in the near future running companies give me free shoes which I can review and share my opinion about as I cannot buy all the shoes from my own pocket. At present I have 42 pairs of running shoes which I bought myself to try out and share my views about. Hopefully local and foreign companies endorse my passion and talent and help me help runners out there to find their perfect running shoe… but as I always say, does the perfect running shoe exist?