Featured Athlete: 
Rob Berry : Steeplechaser, middle distance track runner, road and cross country runner
 
Rob, for many in the Club you will need no introduction but how would you describe yourself to someone you haven’t met before? Friendly, sociable and takes life as it comes. Enjoy travelling, walking the dogs. I'm a keen gardener and great at DIY (when I'm not running of course!) 

Your father was a runner too. Would you say you come from an athletic family? Yes I would agree with this. My father ran the 400 metres for Waterloo Harriers. He was pretty good with a pb of 47.7 secs. The only regret I think he had was that he retired too early, aged 23. He has always taken an interest from when I played football to the time I decided to concentrate on my athletics. He followed me to Edinburgh recently to support me when I competed for the City of Liverpool in the British League. 

How did you get started in athletics? Did you have some early role models? I have always been interested in athletics, maybe it's my father's influence. From a very early age possibly 7 or 8 I used to compete with my friends to see who could do the most laps of my road. The Moscow Olympics were the first major games I can remember. This is when Coe and Ovett competed and from then I became interested. 

What events did you do as a junior? I started taking athletics seriously around 14 or 15 at which time my main event was the 800m but I ran a range of distances from 200 metres to 4 mile races through the summer. The sprints developed my speed and the distance work topped up my stamina during a track season. At the time there was no real planning to my training I just loved running and competing and what I did seemed to work for me. I made a big leap around 19 years old when my pbs were for 800m 1:54.9 and 1500m 3:57 and I also remember running 19:28 a couple of times in the Chorley 4 road races.

What were the highlights of your junior career (say up to under 20) I have to say breaking 2 minutes for the first time in the 800 metres (1.59.2) at Witton Park and also breaking 4 minutes for the 1500m for the first time (3.57.0). Never really won anything of note, the age group was very competitive. I remember running the Northern Champs 1500 heats where John Mayock (international 1500m runner), John Brown (Olympic marathon runner 4th placer and 10,000m British record holder) and Jason Lobo (World Champs 800m runner) were competing! Recently I looked back at an old Athletics Weekly and John Brown finished 9th, Glyn Tromans, who went on to dominate cross country at senior level, was 17th and I was 33rd in the National Junior Champs in 1989.

I remember I finished 4th in the Lancashire champs 1500 metres at Wigan. This was back in the late eighties when a Lancashire title was priceless to win and to finish 4th was very disappointing. I got my first county vest in 1990 when I was asked to run the Mile for Lancashire in the Inter Counties at Corby. I was brought in at late notice as someone had droppped out. I thought it was a real honour to compete for Lancs and was delighted to be asked. My heat did not go too well for me, however, finishing in 4:16 and not progressing to the final.

What have been the highlights of your senior career? Qualifying to run in AAA finals and breaking 9 minutes for the steeplechase and 3.50 for the 1500 metres

What are your senior PBS? 400 metres 51.8 (1991??), 800 metres 1:54.3 (1991), 1500 metres 3:48.5 (1999), 3000 metres 8:19.86 (2001), 3000 S/C 8:51.2 (2001), 5000m 14:48 (1996). I would like to re write some of my personal bests. My 800 and 5k times I think are a bit soft in comparison to the others. I have a 5k planned soon where I hope to run quick and I still think I can beat my 800 pb. Without specific training for that event I ran 1:56 recently at Trafford which has given me a great deal of confidence. 

You seem comfortable over 800m to 10,000m. What is your favoured event? I probably would say the steeplechase because I have had the most success, but all the middle distance races give me great pleasure. To become a good athlete one requires to develop good basic speed balanced with good endurance. You only have to look at the recent Rome meeting where the women's 5k was finished with a 58 second last lap by three Ethiopians. 

You do cross cross country running as well. Is cross country a training phase for track or is it ‘track in summer’ and ‘XC in winter’? I like running cross country but have always used it for the conditioning necessary to run on the track. As far as I am concerned the track is what your measured on, the watch never lies. Yes I think I have had some success running cross country but you do not get the same intensity as you do running track races. The emotional roller coaster an athlete goes through before track races is brutal; the self doubt, the negative thoughts etc. Its horrible but I still go back for more even at 35. It's a challenge you have to deal with the best way you can. Once a race is over you can then relax and plan the next one. 

Are you a member of the British Milers Club? Yes, these races are where I have run most of my PBs and have played a big role in my athletic career. 

How important has running been in your life? Running has played a big part in my life from a very early age. I love setting goals and challenging myself to achieve them, but also the feel good factor I get from being fit and healthy. Running is on my mind most of the time, there isn't a day spent not asking myself what time to train, what type of training do I do and what races to run. Running takes over your life but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's a great sport. 

I guess your wife, Sharon, must be very understanding? We argue all the time Ron! ... Only joking. Yes, she encourages me to go out training and competing. I don't think we have had a crossed word about the subject. She knows it is what I am most interested in from the very first time we met. Yes, there is sometimes a need to compromise but in the main everything works out OK for us.

Do you do any other sports? As a boy I spent most of my time playing football but made the decision to go down the individual sport route. 

How do you see your career developing? I have some unfinished business on the track. Next year I am going to give it one last go. I will go back to running 1500m and 3k steeplechases. I would like to coach but would feel it unfair at the moment to do this when I am still competing. Coaching is a full time job and credit to those people like yourself who carry it out. I would however consider still playing an advisory role to anybody who requires it. 

As a middle distance coach myself, I stress to teenagers the need for training to be progressive. Can you contrast your training as a teenager with your training as a senior? As a young teenager I was having fun experimenting with different events. I probably trained about 3 days a week in the early days, and then as I improved it gave me the motivation to increase my training. Around the age of 19 I think I was running around 40 to 50 miles a week during the winter. Through the summer I raced a lot over varying distances and combined this with the necessary track work. 

Are you coaching yourself now? Does Steve James play a part? I had got to a point where I had come to a standstill and felt that I needed fresh input and direction with my training and racing plans. Steve has a wealth of experience and I was grateful he helped me out with planning training schedules for me. Without his help I wouldn't have run 8:51 for the 'chase. I am surprised no one else has ever approached him for guidance. At the moment I have had a lot on, studying for a degree at Edge Hill and working evenings so during the winter months especially I tended to do around 70 miles a week incorporating tempo runs and fartlek sessions. I don't think I touched the track until about March this year. The last couple of months I have done some training with a group which has helped me along. Next year I think I will plan my year better. 

What advice would you give to some of our younger athletes who aspire to be the best they can be in their chosen events? Focus on setting short and long term goals. There are no short cuts to success. Keep working hard, give nothing but your best but most of all enjoy your athletics. 

Thanks, Rob, and good luck with that unfinished business on the track.
 

Previous interviews: John Burnett, Sam Moran, Graham Pilkington, Helen Taylor, Rick Bowker, Adam Chandley, Sue Cooper, Paul Record Rhea Ellis Norman Marshall Eddie Simpkins James Armstrong