I lived in Edinburgh from 2011 -2015 and while there I ran for Edinburgh AC. Callum Reid was a rising star at the club and in Scotland. It was clear he had lots of potential as an athlete and since then I’ve followed his progress. He agreed to answer some questions about his life and training.
Tell me a bit about yourself....
I’m 31, live in Haddington with my wife Danielle and our dog Timo, who is a German Shorthaired Pointer. I love sport, cars, travel, aeroplanes and countryside as well as accruing pointless facts and trivia.
Up until June 2018, I worked in Edinburgh for TSB on George St. Mon-Fri, 9-5 and commuted from Haddington. I trained around work, so ran in the evenings after work. I was given the opportunity to go full time as an athlete with the support from family. I run for Edinburgh AC and I am coached primarily by my dad, who was an athlete when he was younger. He ran the 400m (also for Edinburgh AC) and was he was quick. He could probably still take me in a sprint! I also take guidance from Garry Robertson and Alex MacEwen, the endurance coaches at Edinburgh AC.
How did you get into running?
Purely by chance. I was a footballer and decided to do some running to increase my fitness levels back in 2009. I started doing 3-4 miles, twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday. Then I saw an advert for the Edinburgh Marathon to run for the MS Society Scotland, a charity which has some personal significance due to my Mum suffering from the condition. I wanted to do a challenge and also to raise some money. My finishing time was 3:19 and from there, people said that I should take up running as I had a lot of potential and I’ve never looked back.
Recent races before lockdown?
Barcelona Half Marathon in February, 69:36, PB.
Portobello Promathon 4 mile race in January, 20:07, PB.
What does a normal training week look like?
Typically I run 80-90 miles per week.
Monday – Recovery Runs of 6-8 miles AM & PM
Tuesday – 12 miles AM, 5 miles PM
Wednesday – Session AM, 3 miles warm up, normally 6x1 mile, 90 second recovery, 3 Miles cool down and 3-4 miles recovery PM
Thursday – Rest Day – I play a round of golf or cycle.
Friday – Session AM, 10x200m, 200m jog recovery on grass and 4-5 miles recovery PM
Saturday – 6-8 miles AM & PM
Sunday – Long Run, 15-17 miles, typically at 6:30-6:40 pace. In the build-up to a race, a monthly 15 mile time trial at 5:30-5:40 pace.
Do you do any strength work?
I do conditioning circuits, core and glute work twice a week after a run.
Favourite session?
Either 6x1 mile, 10 mile tempo or a 15 mile time trial.
Lockdown - how is it affecting you?
I’m only training once per day in line with guidelines so I have used the time to do some work around the house and garden. I’ve also taken up reading and listening to podcasts. There is a lot of uncertainty over the possible return to races. I’m very fortunate to live in such a rural area, so after a mile or so from my house, I’m out in open countryside with quiet roads to enjoy running on. What has been your best performance?
Barcelona Half Marathon, 2020, 69:36 PB. Everything went as planned and it was the best race, I have ever competed in. I started from the elite field and loved the experience. The course and weather conditions were perfect, and the quality of the field was outstanding! I finished 136th!
Worst performance and what did you learn from it?
Munich Half Marathon 2019, 71:32.
I had an absolute shocker! Munich is my favourite place to visit and feels like a second home to me, so I was desperate to perform. I was in the shape of my life having ran a PB of 31:20 at Stirling 10km the month previous. I knew from previous results I would be near the podium if I ran the time I had aimed for. Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen on the day and there were other factors out with my control that affected my performance. The half marathon started later in the day and followed the second half of the marathon course and as I got further into the race, I was catching more and more back markers and the course was very congested.
In fairness, they say that you learn more from your failures than your successes and that is very much the case with this race. I feel that I possibly over trained and peaked too early before this race, possibly at Stirling so I changed my approach to Barcelona and opted for a shorter build up period. In the build-up to Munich, I ran 90 miles per week, with a weekly long run effort of 15 miles at sub 6:00 mile pace. This was for 12 weeks and I then went into the late summer, early autumn racing season competing in three 10km races within 6 weeks. I alternated between 70-80 miles depending if there was a race or not. In hindsight, I did too much, depleted my body of energy and lacked that extra 10% that I needed on the day to run a quick time.
Best piece of kit?
Nike Vapor Next % shoes. The most comfortable and responsive shoe that I have ever worn. Top running tunes?
I like to listen to dance music for tempos and long run efforts. Anything from old school 90’s dance, Clubland, Tiesto and Above & Beyond Have you ever lost your running mojo? How did you get it back?
Yes, once in 2015 after running a PB at the London Marathon. Purely because I had put so much focus into this one event for months and for a few days after the race, I just felt tired, drained and lacking motivation. I spoke to fellow runners for advice, signed up for another race to target and then switched my focus to that. The mojo quickly returned. Do you follow a special diet? Take any supplements?
I don’t follow a particular diet but I try to eat healthy. I have porridge with fruit for breakfast, lunch is usually something like a baked potato or omelette and a decent dinner - anything from homemade curry, fajitas to seafood. You’ve got to enjoy treats as well, so chocolate is a must for me. I also enjoy a Bavarian Weissbier (beer) occasionally. I take cod liver oil and use Science in Sport products for my training and recovery. Their marathon bundle is essential! Do you have a running philosophy?
I use some classic motivational phrases; “you get out what you put in” and “fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” Most importantly, enjoy what you do and remember to be kind to yourself and recognise what you’ve achieved. Are you passionate about any other sports?
Yes, lots of sports. I’m a massive football fan. I regularly go to games to see Celtic and Bayern Munich and spend every Sunday watching football after my long run. If there’s a game on, it’ll be on our TV. I also love golf and play once or twice a week.
You can find Callum on Instagram @callum121088.