"Find that feeling of happiness"

Norway's Filip Ingebrigtsen comes from a family of super-milers. The 1500m world bronze medallist from London 2017 and reigning European champion shares some of his best pieces of advice.

Championship tip

For me, it is all about finding that feeling of wellness or happiness.

It is important to enjoy the whole atmosphere of the championships, not just let the importance of the championships take over. Any athlete needs to believe in their training and realise you have done all you can to this point.

Psychological tip

Running is important, but it always pays to have some perspective and realise there are more important things in life – like family. If I have a bad day in training, I try to remember this.

Tactical tip

After I won the 2016 European 1500m title in Amsterdam last year, many people were saying I ran the perfect tactical race. Then the next month after I was disqualified in Rio, people said I ran the worst tactical race and that I lost my head.

In 2016 I didn’t have a lot of world-class level experience, but I learned a lot that year, particularly from my Rio race. There I took a number of risks by running on the inside the whole way and what the race taught me was to run a little further on the outside to eliminate the risk of being boxed.

Training tip

From my own past experiences, I think I have been prone to rushing my return from injury and illness without letting it come naturally, which is something I need to work on.

Top tip for surviving the athletics circuit

It is a lot easier when you are travelling with someone.

I am lucky in that I have my brother, Henrik [2012 European 1500m champion] and now my younger brother, Jakob [the youngest ever sub-four-minute miler]. We are good friends so it is nice to travel with someone close to you.

Cooking tip

When at home I do enjoy cooking because when we are away racing and in training camps it is often restaurant food. I don’t have a specific recipe, but I enjoy eating traditional Norwegian seafood like salmon and shrimps.

Fashion tip

I really like retro sneakers such as Air Max – I have quite a lot from the 1970s and 1980s.

Driving tip

It is nice to get back home and drive a manual car with a fifth gear. When I am training in the US all the rental cars are automatics. When I was training in St Moritz, Switzerland and the mountain roads are really steep driving a manual allows you to race like a rally driver. It is fun!

Vacation tip

I can recommend Norway as a good place for a vacation. The nature is really nice and it has many great place for hiking.

Social media tip

I try to be active to give something back to my followers, although I should be more active! I think it is important to post other things that occupy your time than simply running and athletics.

Dating tip

It is nice to do something original, so rather than take your date to a restaurant why not take a portable kitchen powered by gas – like you might take on a hike – and cook your date a meal on that? It is nice to do something different!