Ian Gonzalez
Monday, September 23, 2019
Q. Who are you and what you do for a living?
HI, I am Ian Gonzalez and I am from the southside of Chicago! I split my time between being a car salesman for Volkswagen and hosting ACoolThought Podcast on which I speak to dope creatives and business minded people, have some laughs and touch on current events in pop culture and politics.
Q.How do you balance your exercise regime and your professional life?
Balance?! Lol. My answer to that would have to be really early mornings. Most days I am up between 5am and 6am. On Saturdays I will getting up at 4am for my long runs.
Q. When and why did you start running?
I started running in the fall of 2017 once I started working at Nike. Most of my co-workers were runners and most runners are evangelistic like in their talks about running. Eventually I was won over and got into running hoping I could finally shed some weight off. So, I guess you could say my start into running was due to competitiveness and vanity.
Q. What motivates you to go out there, when you do not feel like it?
The motivation to get out there when my body just feel like “ewww running?” is knowing the feeling that comes after my run. The euphoria is amazing and long lasting! Running literally brightens up my day.
Q. What gives you the confidence to run in the streets?
I live in a big city and so sometimes the side walks are just too busy. So when I do get out into the streets I try to run against traffic so I can see the cars coming at me.
Q. What was your best running experience?
My best running experience would have to be this summer. I am training for my second marathon and this time I am not doing it alone. Between the run crew I started 7onSundays with some friends of mine from my old job at Nike and GumboFIT the run crew I am running this year’s Chicago Marathon with; I am loving the camaraderie that I have gained during this year of running. I am super grateful for everyone running with me.
Q. What was your worst running experience?
My worst running experience comes from my 2018 Chicago marathon training on my last long run, the dreaded 20 miler; I decided to try some new shoes with less cushioning than the ones I was currently training in. Trying unused new shoes was a huge mistake on my part. I ended up hurting my knee and couldn’t run for two weeks leading up to the marathon. My time was greatly affected by this injury.
Q. How do you push through the pain?
My method for pushing through the pain comes from the greatest marathon runner ever, Eliud Kipchoge himself. I just simply smile. I know it may sound crazy to think that smiling works, but I’m telling you that smiling during the grueling moments in your run will not only change your state of mind. It can fix your posture and stretch out your stride. Smiling has literally improved my mechanics during a hard run.
Q. What advice can you give somebody who wants to start running?
Get yourself a pair of RUNNING SHOES and NO OTHER TYPES OF SHOES! Comfort is very important when running. Try a few different types of running shoes. Most companies have really good return policies that allow your to run in the shoes and return them if you don’t like them. Secondly, you most likely need to slow down. Most new runners start their run too fast! Slow down, learn good pacing and slowly build up your distance and desired speed.
Q. Which Social media sites are you on and how can one follow you?
You can follow me on twitter and instagram at @ACoolThought. If you are in Chicago and especially on the southside follow @7onSundays on Instagram and come run with us!
#RunRevolution
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