Get to Know…Joe Ashley
We are joined this week by Mr Miler and king of the track Joe Ashley. Joe Has chosen to concentrate on the 1500m this year and this has paid dividends as he has just set, in the last three weeks, a new PB in the mile at 4.43.98 and last week in the 800m in 2.11.5 so let’s meet the man himself.
Name: Joe Ashley
1. When did you join Arena:
October 2013 I think – just before starting training from Brighton Marathon 2014.
2. How long have you been running:
About 4 and a half years.
3. Where did you grow up:
Rochester in Kent.
4. Which three words describe you best:
Practical, cheerful, competitive.
5. Apart from running what else do you do with your free time:
Most of it is taken up with my young daughter Bea, but if I have any left over….eat, drink, support Arsenal and go to gigs.
6. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you this week:
Finally running a controlled 800m race at Vets league.
7. Tell me about something you would happily do again:
Go back to our honeymoon hotel in Bali.
8. What was your favourite subject at school:
Classical Civilisation.
9. Who is your sporting hero:
Steve Redgrave.
10. Have you gone out with mismatched socks on:
Only when I packed two left socks for the British Masters Indoors Championship 1500m race in February.
11. Have you anything on your bucket list that you still want to do:
Lots, top of the list would be to drive across Europe to Russia and then take the Trans Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing.
12. What is your favourite drink:
Guinness.
13. Have you gone in to a room and forgotten why:
All the time, I blame the Guinness.
14. Name 3 people (dead or alive) you would like to sit in a pub with:
Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Nick Cave.
15. Tell us something we don’t know about you:
I used to have long hair.
16. Apart from your wife, who would you choose to be marooned on a desert island with:
This is a tough one – but as my wife might read this, I’m going to play it safe and say one of my cats, Cinders.
17. Which came first the chicken or the egg: The egg.
For why, read Nick Lane’s excellent book ‘Oxygen’ which covers topics such as oxygen toxicity, the origins of life and the concept of ageing.
18. Which time period would you visit in history:
Hmm, I’m torn between the early Roman Empire and the late Napoleonic years.
19. If you didn’t run what other sport would you like to have done:
Swimming. I used to be quite good, but it’s been years since I’ve swam properly.
20. What was the last book you read: “A Line in the Sand:
Britain, France and the struggle that shaped the Middle East”.
Our biggest thanks to Joe for this week’s Q&A’s and you can next find Joe in action at the next Vet’s Meeting at Lewes on Monday 25 July. Check back next Wednesday for another set of Q&A’s with our chosen club member.