Meet Dustin Daniel! While we all know you as a runner, could you tell us who you are when you're not running?
Hi, my name is Dustin, dad of one bright, beautiful and chatty eight year old girl. Between parenting and working in a small web agency, I am also founder of, I’m lucky to fit in as much running as I do. Outside of those, I still like to pick up my guitar or camera from time to time.
Lets focus on running then. How long have you viewed yourself as a runner?
I've been running for three years. As a teenager I was a good runner but didn’t keep it up. I’m finding more enjoyment and purpose in it now particularly since I joined Queen’s Park Harriers.
So in that three year journey how long have you been a member of QPH and do you remember what brought you down for that first time?
I've been a member for almost two years. We’d just moved to the area and I didn’t want to lose my relatively new habit of running. Joining the club was a way to put a day in my calendar, every week, when I would go running at the track, and along with parkrun on Saturday gave me a regular routine.
Are you a Tuesday or a Thursday Runner?
Mostly Tuesdays, sometimes Thursdays. I’ve been known to do Tuesday and Thursday, but that's not recommended. I only have because I volunteer to coordinate track sessions and have stood in short notice to lead the session when others were unavailable.
You do most of the background work that means that we always have people here to run the sessions at track. How did you get involved in that?
Well, I can't say it was entirely selfless, I heard a call for volunteers to help keep time and blow the whistle at the track and a perk to this was being eligible for discounted Big Half entry offered to the club. But I soon found myself shadowing the coaches and planning the rota as well.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our coaches, they turn up week in and week out to make sure we all have a good experience and benefit from the weekly sessions. Equally, we can only maintain these if volunteers are assisting, one of the simplest but most essential roles is timekeeping during our intervals. If anyone reading this feels inspired to volunteer, not just at the track, I encourage you to just get chatting with fellow members with questions and ideas and see where it goes.
So that was one avenue that was opened up by being with the club, but what has been your highlight of your time with the club so far?
I'm sure this is cliche but really it is, hands down, meeting the members. The club has helped me transition from being a stranger in a new neighbourhood to now feeling like a part of the community. And I’m enjoying the chances to build that community further and bring new people in.
You’ve seen some great progress in your running during your time with the club. Is there anything that you’re working towards at the moment?
I find that racing really helps me. That kind of environment puts a little pressure on, and keeps me focused on my goals. My aim has been to plan one race a month but I have a few coming up, including a Half Marathon (Great Eastern Run, Peterborough) - where I hope to redeem my recent Big Half blowup. Shortly after that, Cross Country kicks off and although initially intimidating, is a lot of fun! But the big one in the back of my mind is the London Marathon, and there is much work to be done.
How are you feeling for that so far?
This will be my first marathon, so it's a learning curve. I’ve been lucky to share a few long runs and chats with members that have done several, so I have an idea of what to aim for in training and the race. But they say the marathon is a different beast; I'm not sure I’ve realised what I'm getting into; it's going to be a new experience that's for sure.
Have you got anything that you're looking forward to that's going to be part of the build up towards the marathon?
Aside from anything specific, I like to maintain a good base volume of running and run a variety of paces and distances weekly. It'll be 2-3 months out when I start to increase my mileage beyond what I’ve ever done before and that will test my mettle.
You’re going to be getting a lot of miles in then! If you could only do one training run for the rest of your training block, what's your go to run?
That doesn’t sound like fun! I like exploring and finding new routes. I love a forest trail or a waterfront path and luckily we have a mix of these in London. But if it’s only one route, then It’d be the one on my doorstep and Gladstone Park is a hidden gem - if you don’t mind hills.
One thing you did mention, of course, is that you've really enjoyed helping to build the QPH community. We were all new members once, what's one piece of advice you would give to someone who's new to the club or new to running?
These two pieces of advice kinda go hand in hand:
Find a routine. There’ll be times where you’ll feel like you’re going backwards and that’s normal, stick with it!
Hard days hard, easy days easy. New runners tend to either not push themselves or push hard all the time. It’s important to vary your runs, and you will enjoy it more. The club helps with both these aspects, offering a variety of weekly runs and races in our calendar. Our members are friendly and happy to share experiences and advice.