Racing 12 Peaks… with Jeff Campbell
“I think a lot of people are capable of doing more than they realize, and with running, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.”[1]
TRAILME: Congratulations on your 12 Peaks performance, Jeff! How did you discover trail running?
I’ve been running for about seven years. I started running when I moved to Hong Kong from Canada. Some of the first people I met were runners. We have a very active trail running community here in Hong Kong and I fell in love with the sport. Since then I’ve progressively challenged myself to improve my training, run longer distances, stay competitive.
TRAILME: How often do you train?
My routine varies depending on what kind of event I’m competing in. I prefer to run every day. I usually run after work, at least six days a week. If I’m training for a competition, I’ll often do two runs every day. And one long run on the weekend. I try to break up my training into smaller chunks, and fit them in around work and family time. This year obviously with COVID-19 disrupting a lot of races, my training has been a little bit more casual. Just trying to enjoy myself getting out into the mountains, still running 5-6 days every week but with a little less structure.
TRAILME: What’s your next race?
I’m planning on running the Altra Virtual Fortune Half Marathon and 10K, which is similar to the 12 Peaks in that you have a time period to complete the virtual event. I’ll run the 10K, maybe aim for a fast 10K time. Although to be honest, I’ve had a few little injuries here and there, so I’ll have to see if my body is feeling up to it. I’ll have a go, have some fun, and if not, maybe just relax and wait for the next thing that comes along.
TRAILME: How do you motivate yourself when you run?
For me, training for a competition is its own motivation. Competing at the level which I aspire to calls for a lot of discipline and intensity, and once I set a goal for myself then it’s quite easy for me to find the motivation to follow through. I sometimes listen to music during training, not all the time. For easy runs I’ll often listen to podcasts, but in competition I prefer to focus, paying attention to what’s going on in my body, and making sure I’m fully aware of myself and my surroundings.
TRAILME: What has been your most memorable trail running experience?
Tough choice. Probably, the 2018 Oxfam Trailwalker. The four of us competed against the Nepalese team who usually win, and we were able to secure a victory in the last few kilometers. That was my first attempt at the 100k distance, and I was very lucky to be successful on my first attempt. Being able to participate with a team of very close friends, and with a lot of our friends from Hong Kong watching, I think will have be one of my top trail running memories.
TRAILME: How do you keep yourself updated with upcoming race information?
I just rely on being part of the running community. Everyone’s always talking about what’s coming up and sometimes even if I don’t hear about it, inevitably I’ll have friends saying, “Are you running this?” When things are a little bit more normal, and we have a trail running season with races as scheduled and nothing cancelled, I usually sit down at the beginning of the season and outline my main goal races for the year, to make sure everything’s spaced out appropriately. And plot out what my season will look like ahead of time. But that’s impossible to do in the current situation.
TRAILME: Do you use any sports apps or wearables when you go trail running?
Yes, I do pay attention to my training data. For running I think, if you don’t measure it you can’t manage it. I track all my runs with my GPS watch, all of that gets synced to my Strava, which then connects to another app called TrainingPeaks that my coach has access to, so he can manage my training program accordingly. I’ve recorded every run for the last six years. I can go back and analyze race performances I’ve been proud of, as well as performances that have been less successful — to see what worked, what didn’t and make adjustments and experiment when training.
TRAILME: Any words of advice for other runners out on the trail?
Enjoy yourself. It’s a really amazing sport you can enjoy with friends, or enjoy on your own. I’ll say don’t be too shy about trying to push your limits if it’s something you’re interested in and comfortable with. I think a lot of people are capable of doing more than they realize, and with running, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. So I encourage runners to challenge themselves a little — you just might surprise yourself!
We wish Jeff the very best for his next run. Stay healthy, and keep running!
