We caught up with Actor Rich Keeble
We recently had a catch-up with Actor and Brighton Half aficionado Rich Keeble to talk running, vlogging and the (sometimes) funny side of social media.
Rich has a varied list of Film and Television credits to his name encompassing Comedy and Drama in addition to voice acting in video games and narrating audiobooks.
He has also been known to appear in a popular TV advert or two – the experience of which formed the background to a hilarious conversation about the joys of social media for the acting profession – enough said!
And for those of you who love your online running content (think YouTube) many of you will recognize Rich from his popular running vlog Rich Runs Rich Keeble – YouTube– a lighthearted and slightly irreverent look behind the scenes of Rich’s own running story.
You can currently see Rich in “Good Omens” on Amazon Prime alongside David Tennant and Michael Sheen, and he’s recently been working on another project with David Tennant during which he had a break in filming to talk to us.
- Where did the idea for a running vlog first come from?
Initially it was just a bit of fun really and something to share with friends while I trained for my first marathon (Brighton Marathon in 2022). I thought if I filmed my training it would make me actually do it. I was often away from home filming at the time (filming Good Omens funnily enough) so I would edit my videos during any downtime.
After completing the marathon (in 3:53) and as my general fitness developed over time, I decided to set myself a goal (I do like a goal!) of trying to run a sub-20-minute Parkrun – recording my efforts along with other races along the way. However, I wasn’t getting many views or interactions so I decided my 20-minute 5K video would be my last. But the video actually took off, so the result of all my hard work – other than a new PB was a video that received over 16,000 views – as opposed to the 200 or so I would normally get!
So yes, an unplanned and very unexpected “Youtuber” had been born!
- How do you see Rich Runs Developing in the future
I really enjoy putting content out there and I’m still constantly amazed that people find it interesting and are actually nice to me (in contrast to the Top cashback days) but I think for now this will remain a labour of love as opposed to any major career move! Maybe if people reading this subscribe to my channel that will motivate me further!
- You are clearly very passionate about your running – but when did you first get the bug?
Probably like a lot of people I hadn’t really run since I was at School, and even then I didn’t run very much; I would go to the gym to struggle through a 5K on a treadmill occasionally in my 20s and 30s – and had dabbled at one time in a bit of Kung Fu (long story!) but overall by the time I reached my 40s and with a couple of young children around the house – I probably wasn’t as fit as I would have liked to have been.
And then of course COVID came along and as I say I do like a goal so when we were told we were allowed to go outside and exercise once a day if you remember, some friends and I set-up a virtual running challenge along the lines of how far we could run around the world (virtually of course) in the next few months or so and that as they say was that – I was hooked!
- Your videos often record your experiences of the running events you participate in – including our own Brighton Half – what do you like about the whole race day experience?
I think for me I’m hugely motivated by receiving an official time for completing a run which I can use to track my progress and compete with myself – and yes, I am quite partial to a good race medal!
An interesting course always helps, along with great crowds – which Brighton certainly has – and I genuinely love that feeling of running along roads that would normally be open to traffic – and a bit of a no-go area for running.
I also like having an event to aim at – not least because it gets me out of the door – and motivated to put the hard miles in!
- Can you tell us a little bit about your training routine?
I tend to train on my own mainly although I will do the occasional run with my mate Dale. (That first Brighton Marathon was actually how I got to know Dale who features in my videos. He had a Brighton entry but got into London Marathon unexpectantly causing a clash, so he transferred his place to me via a mutual friend.)
When I first started running, I tended to get a fair bit of advice and tips online and particularly liked the content that Sarah Place and Ben Parkes were producing.
As I became a bit more confident in my running, I started to follow more structured training plans when preparing for a half or full marathon for instance.
- What’s been the biggest learning for you in terms of your running?
I have just loved the way my fitness has improved over time with all the benefits that has given me in terms of my energy levels and the positive contribution this has made to my mental health. I can run for a bus now without needing the whole journey to catch my breath! And I have more energy for my kids. In terms of my training without doubt it’s been understanding the importance of keeping the “easy run” truly easy in your training program (easy days easy and hard days hard!) – it’s taken time for me to understand this and stop worrying about what people think about my paces on Strava, but now I do, I feel it’s really helped my overall fitness and general confidence in my running.
- Are we allowed to talk Running Shoes?
Hah – yes – I never thought even a couple of years ago that I would be one day talking about a “shoe rotation” but yes runners and their shoe addiction is a well-documented problem!
My daily workhorse tends to be a pair of Brooks Ghost and I quite like the Saucony Endorphin Speed for intervals and the odd race – although I must admit that I have recently fully embraced the world of carbon plates with a pair of Nike Vaporfly now sitting proudly in my collection.
- Will we be seeing kit reviews anytime soon on your channel?
Who knows – it feels like there may be a good comedy angle or general spoof in there somewhere!
- What are your plans for the rest of the year running wise?
Ideally, I’d like to try and get my 5K time back below 20 minutes by the end of the year (I’ve had some off periods this year and you certainly lose it quickly) and a new PB for a Half would be fantastic – and who knows – perhaps Brighton next February!
Longer term achieving Good For Age for London Marathon would be amazing – I’m a way off there at the moment – but as a I say – I do like something to aim for! I managed 3:39 at Manchester Marathon this year after coming back from an Achilles issue so maybe it’s not completely ridiculous!
- And finally, in addition to currently seeing you in Good Omens do you have anything else in the pipeline?
I’ve been lucky enough to have been working during a tough time for the industry, although I did have a bit of a quiet start to the year, but you may well have seen me in “The Change” on Channel 4 back in June, and I have some other stuff still to come out, plus I’ve also made it into a new series called “Rivals” (alongside David Tennant again) which is currently still shooting and hopefully airing on Disney+ near the end of 2024.
Once again Rich many thanks for your time, good luck with your running and we hope to see you back in Brighton next February!
The Race Team – Brighton Half Marathon.
Updates on all Rich’s current projects are available here: https://linktr.ee/richkeeble
And you can follow Rich at:
https://twitter.com/RichKeeble
https://www.instagram.com/richkeeble/
https://www.strava.com/athletes/57937467
