STYLIST ADVERTORIAL
essica Ennis is 24 years
old but has already won
two gold and two bronze
J medals in major athletics
competitions; one in the
prestigious Commonwealth Games in
Melbourne. Her list of achievements
is growing by the month and she hopes
to be one of the stars of the London
2012 Olympics. Her training schedule
is fierce, her attitude more than
determined, but underneath the tough
exterior lies a Sky Plus-loving,
sweet-munching dog walker. Stylist
met up with her to find out exactly
what motivates her to jump out of
bed at 7am every day.
What inspired you to get into
athletics in the first place?
It all started when I was nine. My
parents were at a loose end for
summer holiday activities so they
dropped me off at our local athletics
club in Sheffield. I loved it instantly.
Is it something that runs in the family?
Not at all, I think my parents may have
done the usual bit of athletics at
school but nothing as intense as I do
now. I’m the first, and proud to be so!
The training schedule must be tough,
have you had to make sacrifices?
At school my friends were going out and
enjoying themselves. I had to miss out
on a lot as I always had training the next
day or I’d be competing at the weekend.
It’s a six-day-a-week job that requires
lots of focus, but it has been worth it.
You decided to go to university, how
did you balance your life?
With difficulty! I did a psychology
degree and in my first year I had the
Commonwealth Games in Melbourne
so I was away for four weeks competing,
just before my exams, so that was tough.
In my final year I had the World
Championship in Osaka at the same
time as I had to finish my dissertation.
Did you have to revise on the plane?
I was going to take all my books to
Melbourne with me but I thought it
would ruin the experience. It was my
first senior championship so I thought
I’d leave the revision behind and enjoy
����WWW�STYLIST�CO�UK
“I’D LOVE TO WIN AN
OLYMPIC MEDAL”
Stylist meets athlete Jessica Ennis and discovers the woman behind the medals
it. Then I got back and I had to face my
exams and panic set in. It wasn’t fun.
What time do you have to get up?
At 7am to walk my dog, Myla. I leave
for the track at 9am and do a morning
session for three hours. Then I go
home to recharge and have some
lunch, and it’s back to training for
another three-hour session. Then it’s
a physio session or massage.
Tell us that’s not seven days a week!
No, I do get one day off. So it’s six days
a week, most weeks of the year, apart
from when the season is over.
How do you maximise your time off?
My ideal day is sitting in my PJs,
playing with my dog, eating sweets and
catching up on TV I’ve Sky Plussed in
the week. I have good friends who will
join me for a shopping trip if I have the
energy, but on top of training I like to
do charity work and support local kids
ATHLETICS STAR JESS
ENNIS LOOKS SET TO
TAKE THE LONDON 2012
OLYMPICS BY STORM
who are trying to get into sports. I’m
currently working with adidas and
Breakthrough Breast Cancer to
promote a 5K run that all ladies
should consider doing!
The adidas 5K Challenge takes place in
London’s Hyde Park on 5 September
2010; womenschallenge.co.uk
TEAM�STYLIST�
Stylist’s features editor Alix
Walker feels the strain of her
new running regime
“Let’s start with a bit
of honesty; I haven’t
been for a run or to
a gym in more than
two years. The mix
of a busy job and an
even more hectic
social life means I’ve
put fitness on the back burner.
My first taste of exercise
came last week when I decided
to meet with a personal trainer,
“I started with
a five-minute
walk followed
by a run”
Fabio, and get back on track
and in shape. Fabio didn’t
exactly ease me in; the first gym
session left me shattered and
aching for days after but he did
give me some great tips to
improve my running technique.
I took the ‘building-up-slowly’
advice and started with a
five-minute walk followed by
five minutes running around
my local park. I plan to build
up to the 5K target set for the
adidas Challenge. It’s going to
be tough and I might start
wheezing during the race but
I know it’ll be well worth it!”
RUNNING�TIPS�FROM�JESS�ENNIS
X Start off by setting yourself goals, don’t jump straight in. Begin
with a walk, build to a run and then try running further each time.
X Make sure you keep hydrated. If you’re adding more training to
your daily routine, take enough water to compensate.
X Training with a friend really helps. You can set targets with each
other and push each other further.
X Eat well and listen to your body. If you’re
training hard you are going to need more food
for energy. Make sure you eat enough carbs.
X Buy trainers that offer enough padding and
support so you don’t injure your feet and knees.
Week 3
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