My Running Life: Séamus Moore

When did you start running and why?
I started running in school when I was 13 or 14. I loved the film Chariots of Fire as a kid. I only started proper running in 2007 when I did my first marathon. I've done 10 marathons since then.

What has been your biggest achievement?
I did the New York marathon in 2010 and that was pretty amazing.

About 12 of us organised it through a travel agency in Dublin and I’d say it was the best weekend I’ve ever had.

Running up Fifth Avenue, across all the bridges and into Central Park was just amazing.

What's the one thing you would change about running?
People stopping you and asking you for directions. I've been stopped two or three times in the Phoenix Park and Merrion Road. You're in the zone and it's very hard to start off running again.

What is your regular running route?
At the moment, I do loops of UCD but I do all my long runs in the Phoenix Park. I usually start running at 8am on Saturday morning and then meet my running club, the Dublin Front Runners, at 10am.

My favourite route is to go through the Memorial Gardens; it’s nice when you’re running to be able to smell the roses.

What's your regular training schedule?
I do about 100km a week. I run six days a week, two medium runs, a long run at weekends of 32-35km and short runs in between.

What are you training for?
I'd love to go sub three hours in the Dublin marathon. I want to do 14 marathons because my uncle, Fr Sean Cassidy, was a really good runner and he died of cancer about six years ago. He did 13 marathons. Dublin next year will be my 14th marathon.

I’m going to register in his name and get him a finish time for it.

What do you wear on your feet?
I wear Asics DS Racers, they are lightweight. I switch between them and Asics Nimbus.

Have you any niggly injuries?
My calves get tight. It doesn't stop me running but it just means that I have to go for physio once a month.

What's on your iPod when running?
The worst ones are probably Kenny Rodgers' "Ruby" and Dolly Parton's "Jolene".

I use them because the songs are so sad, the words are completely pathetic, that no matter what, I think running isn’t that bad.

What's your most embarrassing moment?
About six months ago I was running around UCD and the Leinster rugby team were training. I was looking at them and I tripped and landed, starfish-like, on the ground. Brian O'Driscoll asked me if I was all right. I was mortified.

What's your favourite running book?
One of them is The Perfect Mile about Roger Bannister going under the four-minute mile. The other one is Born to Run. After reading that book, I go out running just for the enjoyment of it.

What's your favourite running tip?
In races, start slow. Going out too fast ruins your whole race.

Séamus Moore is head of CRM for Groupon.