Watch: Expert tips for learning how to run at any age — and sticking with it

It may be tempting to turn up the heat and stay snug at home during January, but this pared-back month is ideal for exercising outdoors. Athletics coach Emmett Dunleavy and Olympian David Gillick share their top tips for learning how to run at any age — and stick with it

Emmet Dunleavy & David Gillick in Marlay Park, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney

It's the dog days of early January, your bank account is empty, your midriff is still carrying some Christmas calories, and there’s nothing on television. You had a New Year’s Eve resolution list that almost certainly included running.

January is the busiest time for new members to join running clubs, say David Gillick, a former world-class track sprinter, and Emmett Dunleavy, the coach who retrained Gillick to run longer distances. It’s a month when footpaths and boreens thunder to the sound of running soles hitting the surface. And despite its dark and dank conditions, January is a great time to start, Dunleavy says.