Eric Gillis shares his thoughts on turning 36

Eric Gillis has just turned 36 and to say a proper happy birthday to this runner who will most likely be running for Canada in Rio this summer, we visited him on the run. Gillis currently lives and trains in Guelph. We caught up with him about his training, parenthood and how he feels about turning 36.

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“I feel like I want to say 40 because I feel so good that I want people to be like ‘Wow you’re 40?'” says a smiling Gillis. “I feel so good that it doesn’t matter what age I say.”

When talking about his training, he says that coming back after the 2012 Olympic buildup, he struggled with some technical issues. That coupled with lower energy meant that it took him awhile to get back into full quality training. Now, in an Olympic year, he is satisfied with his fitness and overall physical condition.

Having kids is something that has helped his running as well partly because of the structure that they bring into his life. Gillis has a daughter, Heidi, 6, and a two-year-old son named Luke.

“Just because you’re a runner doesn’t mean that you’re going to be structured,” says Gillis saying that when he became really serious about the sport, he thought that alone would force him to eat properly and go to bed early all of the time. “Running wasn’t strong enough to actually get me in those routines,” he says.

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“It feels good putting other people ahead of yourself when you’re not naturally inclined to do that,” he adds. As a parent and an athlete on the road to Rio, he enjoys the moments that he gets to spend with his kids. Sometimes that means that those are unexpected and at times they also result in him missing a run but his responsibilities as a dad are a big part of who he is as an athlete.

“I’m just generally feeling positive about where I’m at with life and running at 36,” says Gillis.