I WAS ATHLETIC AT SCHOOL.
I started running at 11. I was in the cross-country team and I competed in 100m, 800m and 1500m. I always ended up on the podium because I’d see somebody in front of me, and it would be my mission to catch up with them. I’d have to catch them and as they got closer, I knew I’d eventually pass them. I came to love that feeling of knowing I could always get to that person. If I could see you then I would get to you.
I LIKE FORM-FITTING RUNNING WEAR.
I don’t care about brands, but I don’t like baggy stuff because I like to sweat. Also, I don’t want it falling down – we’ve all learnt from that mistake! I don’t want it pulling anywhere and I don’t like anything to chafe. That’s why I don’t wear sequinned underwear when I run. That’s a big mistake. I wear Adidas trainers with 3D rendered soles because they’re supportive.
I GO FOR MIDNIGHT RUNS.
I’m a night owl, and I like to run when it’s super dark. In Las Vegas, I live in a gated community with a golf course and a lake. I’ll run four miles to the lake, then sit under a lamppost, listening to the frogs. It sounds like someone’s being murdered, but I think it’s a mating call. I’ve come to like the noise, and I’m into astronomy so I’ll rest, taking in nature and looking at the stars. After about 15 minutes I’ll run back.
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I RUN TO CLEAR MY MIND.
I take my phone, and I make sure it’s charged, but I try not to look at it, because running is a way to get myself out and clear the day, and get through frustrations. I don’t listen to music – running’s a time when I can get away from music. I just listen to the wind and if I’m feeling super optimistic, I’ll say a mantra as I run. So if there’s something I want to achieve, I’ll say: “I will do this!” It’s very powerful.
I DO SLOW RUNS WITH MY FRENCH BULLDOG.
His name’s Reggie and he’s three. He goes absolutely nuts, zooming around. I call it the zoomies, and when I know he’s about to get the zoomies, I say, ‘Right, let’s go for a run!’ He loves to run, so I take him whenever it’s cool enough. I have to make sure it’s not too hot, otherwise he’ll overheat.
I’M ALWAYS GLAD I’VE RUN.
There’ll be days when I think, ‘I’m going to nail this!’ and there’ll be days when it feels more difficult. Doing four or five shows a week in Vegas is exhausting so there are times when I don’t want to run. I have to dig deep, but I always come back thinking, ‘Thank God I did that run!’. I couldn’t do the shows without being physically fit, and I love the endorphins I get from running, and the sense of achievement I have when I get home.
RUNNING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ABOUT SPEED.
It’s about finding your own rhythm, whatever that rhythm is. For me, now, running’s not competitive – I’m not into beating personal bests. It’s about pumping blood around my body and making sure my body’s moving. I like to have an explosive strength about me. That’s why I run and box and do things that allow me to move quickly in different directions. I feel extremely youthful for my age.
Matt Goss’s album The Beautiful Unknown is out now.
