|Running inspiration from Haile|
|Around the Academy:
Haile Gebrselassie is arguably the best distance runner ever.
At the Olympics the Ethiopian legend ran his last ever track race.
He reveals how he started running, how you can follow in his footsteps and his retirement plans!
I first got excited about running when I heard comments on the 10,000m race at the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980, but I was still too young to run.
I always told my father that I wanted to become a runner, but he wanted me to be a farmer.
A few years later, I started to run to school and at the age of 13 or 14 I first competed in a school competition.
And I soon I had my first international competition in the early 1990s.
There are two important pieces of advice that have helped me a lot.
Firstly, work hard! My father always told me this. Nothing comes for free, so if you want to achieve something you will have to work hard.
Secondly, take your time! This was the first advice of my manager Jos Hermens.
He explained to me that if you work hard and make the right choices, things will come your way.
In the beginning of my career I thought I could run a race every week. I felt great and wanted to show people how fast I could run.
Jos taught me not to run too many races and to train and rest well. When I started to do this, my performances got even better!
But after my career is over I will definitely carry on running for fun.
I really love running and I cannot imagine that one day I will stop.
I hope that I will stay healthy so that I can continue running and jogging for many more years.