Dietitian Approved Crew - Pat Nispel

Introducing Pat!

We have the absolute pleasure of running regularly with Pat right here in Brisbane.

He makes running look just so easy! We could only dream of running even half as fast or as efficiently as this Swiss machine!

Quite the competitor, Pat has a long list of achievements in the running world. Just quietly, he also won our Healthy Lifestyle Challenge in 2016 which he adds to his list of accolades.

Read on for his story…

Name: Patrick Nispel

Current location: Brisbane, QLD

Profession: Accredited Running Coach, used to work as an Architect/Urban Designer

Sport of Choice: Running in any form from track to road and the occasional multisport event.

How many years have you been training and competing in your sport? 25 years of competitive running

What got you into it in the first place?

I grew up in a small village in Switzerland and started with the local gymnastics club at age 5. My sister got me into running at age 12 but we played many other sports as well. It was not until age 17 I started to take athletics more seriously and qualified for national teams regularly. I moved to Brisbane in 2007 and transitioned to road running with a focus on half and full marathons in 2011.

What’s your favourite training session?

When I’m fit, I like to push myself in some track intervals e.g. 10 x 1km reps or a Marathon specific long run of 30 to 38km at close to race pace.

Main Competition or Events for 2017:

21st at Gold Coast Airport Marathon in 2:28:25 (comeback race after a stress fracture in 2017),

Australian Championships half-marathon Sunshine Coast (August), Melbourne half-marathon (October), Overseas Marathon end of 2017 TBC

Looking ahead to 2018 and beyond, what are your bigger goals for your sporting career:

Improve on my marathon PB. Run some of the World Marathon Majors including Tokyo, New York, Chicago, Boston is on my bucket list too. I would also like to take my running group to some big overseas marathon events.

What’s your biggest achievement in your sport so far:

I’ve had a long-running career in track, cross country, mountain, trail and road running. Some results and highlights can be found on my website. My top 3 experiences would probably be:

• Winning Zatopek 3000m Steeplechase in Melbourne 2008 (8:59 PB)
• 3rd place at Senshu International City Marathon Osaka JAP 2012
• 9th at International Zurich Marathon SUI 2013 (2:22:55 PB)

Do you have a saying or motto you live your life by?

Train smarter, not harder!

What are one or two things you do in your day to day training life that you feel are keys to your success?

Eating a well-balanced diet, body maintenance work, getting quality sleep (not always possible with a 17-month-old son 😉

Three things you can’t live without?

My family, coffee, running

Favourite food:

I like and eat almost anything and strive for a balanced diet. Seafood dishes, as well as some hearty Swiss potato/veggie/cheese dishes, are my favourite.

Favourite post-training meal or snack?

After a big training session; a typical breakfast for me would be: 3 weet-bix, a cup of muesli, rice milk, yoghurt, chia seeds, lots of nuts and berries/ fruits, with cinnamon on top. Green juice or orange juice and a large coffee.

What’s the number 1 (or 2) thing you’ve learnt about sports nutrition for performance in your sport?

Nutrient timing as well as optimising my carbo-loading, race day nutrition and hydration plan.

Pat is the owner and head coach at P.A.T.42.2 RUNNING that offers personal running coaching in Brisbane and online. If you want further info, check out his website at:

pat422running.com.au

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