Soil scientist and Associate Professor in the UNE School of Environmental and Rural Science, Dr Matt Tighe, is back on the run after realising he was spending too much time sitting in front of a computer.
What is your private passion and how did it develop?
I enjoy running. Like lots of people, I used to run when I was much younger, and again, like lots of people, I fell out of the habit over time. Work and family and all the other daily bits and pieces made something like running seem unimportant. I got back into running a few years ago, when it became much too obvious I was spending most of my time sitting in front of a computer either at work or at home. The first few forays were a shock to the system!
Since then, I've done the South West Rocks half marathon (21km) twice, the full marathon (42km) there once, the Dubbo marathon, the Gold Coast half marathon, and the Siem Reap half marathon in Cambodia. I’ve also done the Washpool Ultra Marathon, which is 52km in the Washpool and Gibraltar Range national parks near Glen Innes, and a couple of months ago I joined a small group to do 100km over a Saturday around Armidale, as many of the organised runs were postponed or cancelled. It was organised by a friend; we started at 5am and ran all day to finish in the dark that night.
What does it involve and how much of your time does it consume?
I go most days and Sunday is run day, when I go for a few hours. I spend about seven hours or so a week at it, mostly before the kids wake up or during lunch. This might go up if I am training for something like a marathon.
How does this passion enrich your life?
The exercise is nice, and it stops me feeling guilty about dropping into the patisserie in town.
There is also a great running community in Armidale, with Parkrun, the Duval Dam Buster event, and the local running group, who are always out and about (go Armidale Panthers!). But mostly it’s about stress relief and time to think. I’ve come up with some interesting (to me) research ideas while out running.
Finishing any event definitely gives you a sense of achievement, but there is also a mixture of relief and irritation for making myself do it. However, that soon fades and I start to think about what I could do next. The longer ones are best – lots of highs and lows, and you learn a lot about yourself as you go.
What (if anything) does this personal passion and your enjoyment of it bring to your working life?
I like to think it brings some balance. I believe I am much more productive when I make time to get out and go for a run, either around town or further afield in some of the amazing places we have on hand here.
Do you have other personal passions you would like to share?
Not yet.
