Running a time for reflection | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

Having some time to yourself can be healing. A time to reflect. Muse. Wrestle with some of life's little decisions.

For 24-year-old long distance runner Richard Harris, his time of cogitation comes as he tackles one of Rotorua's pictureque forest trails. "I enjoy getting out in the forest. You get to regather your thoughts. I think about everything."

But as you creep deeper into your own internal psyche, your own thoughts can get the better of you. Perhaps the best illustration of Harris wishing his brain came with a mute button was on a recent training run.

"All I could hear was that stupid Codral ad song, that goes 'Soldier on with Coldral, soldier on'. Sometimes I drive myself insane when the same song goes round and round in my head. I sometimes end up telling myself to shut up," he laughs.

The Lincoln University environmental management graduate took out top honours in the men's 8000m event hosted by the Lake City Athletic Club on Saturday, edging out fellow clubmate Hamish Worboys in second. Harris' time of 31 min 5 sec was all the more impressive considering he was battling a strained leg muscle which has kept him away from running for three weeks prior.

"I was just sick of sitting on the sidelines. I wanted to race last weekend but I couldn't. This weekend, I had to keep the fact that I was racing quiet so my coach wouldn't find out. He would've had kittens," Harris explained.

The Rotorua-based runner first shot to local cross country prominence in 1989 after winning the boys under 12 event. Since then, Harris has won several age group titles at the club before making the leap to the senior grades.

"I get out [running] at least six or seven days a week. I get up to around 110km in a good week of training."

While Harris has displayed significant potential in competitive cross country, it hasn't stopped him from giving other running disciplines a go.

His varied running background has seen him compete at National Secondary School level in steeplechase, as well as long and middle distance track events.

"To tell you the truth, cross country is my least favourite discipline. I prefer doing road running."

Despite displaying a relaxed and laid-back demeanour, Harris has clear goals in mind for the future.

"I would like to break 2 hours, 40 [minutes] for a marathon one day and I would like to see how close I could be to breaking 4 minutes in the 1500m on the track."

His first opportunity to have a crack at the elusive marathon time will be when he competes in the adidas Auckland Marathon in late October.