Weather Alert
Freeze Warning from 2AM EDT SAT until 9AM EDT SAT
The Runners profile, highlighting an athlete in the Triad, is posted on Friday mornings at Running Shorts. Today, meet Greensboro runner and triathlete David Gile, who recently earned second in his age group at the Ironman 70.3 North Carolina to qualify for the 2020 world championships in New Zealand.
The Warmup
Age
50
Residence
Greensboro
Family
Wife, Kristin; daughter, Olivia, 18; son, Daniel, 16; son, Griffin, 12.
Day job
Vice president of operations, XPO Logistics
Why I run
“Because it’s simple. All you’ve got to do is pop out of bed, throw on some shoes and run. …
“I run to my energy up. The camaraderie of running with other people. Being a good example for my family. And really it’s just a constructive habit rather than some of the destructive habits I had years ago. A good way to stay out of trouble.”
My runner’s high
“Usually you get it post-run, after after I’m done; that’s always a good time. But I guess I find that when I’ve trained right for the distance, and I’m eating right and I’m not sick, and I run at a pace that I think I can maintain for probably 25 percent more than the distance I’m intending to run. And when I hit the halfway mark, and I’m still really confident about my pace and how I’m feeling, then usually I can expect to feel a boost around 80 percent through the run, that I’ve got it. My confidence is overwhelming. I’m getting excited about the finish. And that’s when I can sometimes feel that second wind kick in and take me. But that obviously that doesn’t happen all the time. But when I get it right, it’s terrific.”
On qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand
“It’s all based on how many people raced in your age group. They divvied up 40 slots, and they were distributed based on your gender and age group, based on how many competitors were in each each grouping. Mine was the 50- to 54-year-old group for the males, and they were allocated three slots (at Ironman 70.3 North Carolina in Wilmington on Oct. 19). The top three finishers qualified in that race, so I was able to come in second (4:28:09 for a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bicycle ride and 13.1-mile run).
“Being a runner, I’d always had a strong run kick. And in previous years, I had really just tolerated the swim. Get out of the water, and then play catch up the whole time, catching up on the bike, and then really hope to have something left to kick in on the run. And this year, working through E3 Endurance and their masters swim program, putting in a lot more time on swimming and was able to take 20 percent off my swim time this last year, just by putting in extra time in the pool. And that helped me get in a position where I didn’t have to completely rely on my run and I could bike in a comfortable pace and then set up to run as well as I did.
“My daughter has always been a fan of ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ She’s an artist. So it’s not the storyline that has fascinated her; it’s the backgrounds and the set designs that have always fascinated her. And she has been asking to go to New Zealand and we were going to plan a trip, and I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could do a trip and include an Ironman event to blend it all together and make it an extended stay?’ She thought that was a great idea. So just over a year ago, we set our sights on getting ready for this Half Ironman with the World Championships in New Zealand. It was really exciting to have that kind of goal, put in the work and be able to deliver on race day as you had hoped.
“So we’re going. I gave her my commemorative coin. She’s super-psyched. We’ve been planning where we want to visit.”
Speed Work
What I’m doing when I’m not running
“I’m either working, traveling. Swimming or biking. And then it’s either a family trip, family meals, or we play a lot of games together as a family as well, so I really value that family time. And then most importantly, I try to get at least six hours to eight hours of sleep.”
Running tribe
“The E3 Endurance team. And then occasionally with biking with Monte Brackett and Mark Gatehouse’s riding groups over the weekend. And then the Trivium races that are put on by Libby and Richard Swor; the people that attend and go out to those are pretty regulars. I consider those the three groups that I work out with.”
Shoe
“I training in the adidas adios and race in the Nike Vaporfly 4%, which I think I’m sold on.”
Morning, afternoon or evening?
“Clearly the morning.”
Roads or trails?
“Roads.”
Workout I hate
“Weighlifting for sure. Any bike ride over 80 miles.”
Workout I love
“There’s two. One is anytime just going out for a simple run, doing a reverse-split 8-mile run, kind of the right distance. I feel good after those runs. Triathlon-related, Clancy came up with one that I like to do before a long Ironman. It’s a 30-mile bike, 5-mile run, and you repeat that three times. You end up with 90 miles biking and 15 miles running and a lot of transitions.”
Hype music
“When I do the long-distance running, I can put on Florence + The Machine or Bon Iver. It doesn’t get me too excited where I blow up but it keeps me at a nice, steady pace.”
Pre-race meal
“A little bit of coffee, a small bowl of oatmeal, two hours before. If that’s not available, a Clif bar and Gatorade.”
Post-race indulgence
“The Burger Spot. Or Monterrey Mexican.”
Brush with greatness
“Our sports allow us to compete on the same courses as the greatest in the world. So running the Boston Marathon with Meb in 2014. On the same day, same course, running in some of these Ironmans with Mirinda Carfrae, world champion from Kona, and getting to do the races on the same day with these outstanding pros. It’s really something special about running and triathlon that makes the sport unique.”
Race everybody must do
“A 5K.”
Last race
“Ironman 70.3 North Carolina.”
Next race
“Ironman Florida on Saturday. And then it’s offseason. Get prepped for the Boston Marathon next April.”
Cooldown
What I think about while I work out
“If it’s a long-distance run, I’m listening to audiobooks. If it’s a race-prep run or while I’m racing, it’s pretty much non-stop system checks. How’s my pace? Where are we at? Who’s coming up? Thinking about how I’m feeling and where I want to be.”
What I’ve learned about myself from running
“The happiness I get from it is just committing myself to excellence. And regardless of the endeavor, it just brings happiness to my life.”
Words to the wise
“I think about the swimming effort I put in this year. Set high goals, put in the work to achieve them, but expect failure along the way. Don’t be too hard on yourself when you have setbacks.”
Contact Eddie Wooten at (336) 373-7093, and follow @EddieWootenNR on Twitter.