Randall Park probably made you laugh as an endearing dad in Fresh off the boat or fan-favorite Agent Jimmy Woo in the Marvel Universe, but these days he’s adding something new to his resume: Marathoner. At 50, Park is gearing up for her first-ever 26.2, the New York City Marathon this weekend. He is motivated by a cause that is close to his heart: running for CultureCitya non-profit organization dedicated to increasing sensory accessibility and acceptance of people with invisible disabilities.

The race, organized by New York Road Runnersis a solid choice for a newbie like Park, who will be in good company, with more than 50,000 runners of all backgrounds and skill levels flooding the city streets. As the big day approached, GQ I sat down with Park to talk about how he fuels his long runs, why the start of a new decade made him want to take on this new challenge, and how marathon training for him is more meditative than competitive.

GQ: I heard this will be your first marathon. What is the intention?

RP: Well, I’ve run a good part of my life, but never a marathon. I was only doing a few miles at a time, so it was something I was used to. But I joined the board of KultureCity, the charity that I’m going to be working with, and it’s a charity dedicated to sensory inclusion and people with sensory issues, like loud sounds. Some visual things are difficult for them to process. This was a very personal charity for me as my daughter is autistic and has lots of sensory needs herself.

So, the organization does the New York City Marathon every year and the head of the organization, Michelle, asked me every year, “Do you want to run?” And I would say no because the idea of ​​running a marathon seems so absurd to me. 26 miles and counting. But this year I decided, why not? I also turned 50 this year and I was like, well, when I turn 50, I should do something monumental. So the marathon seemed like a good thing to try. And then my father died this year. So that was something I wanted to do for him too.

Then you are ready. These are all such great intentions.

The intentions are there. Is the body there? Is the VO2 max there? I don’t know.

Let’s talk a little about your approach to marathon training. I don’t think you work with a coach, but do you follow a training program?

I’m vaguely following a training program. I don’t like doing it to a T, but I modify it to fit my schedule and do my long runs every week. In fact, sometimes twice a week. I don’t know if it’s good. But I feel like I need to get them in.

So what does an average training week look like for you?

Lately I’ve been doing a short run to build up speed, or as fast as possible, once a week. And then I’ll do a long run with a partner, then a long run alone. Those of partners will be a little shorter. And then those that I do myself, I will really challenge myself to go further. Yesterday morning I made 20. I could have done a little more, I think. I had a little left in the tank, so that was a big deal for me.

It’s a great place to go when you’re like, OK, I’ve found my rhythm and I know I can keep going a little longer. You’re not totally gassing yourself.

Yeah, yeah, and I really focused on not putting myself in that mindset of pace or time. This is my first marathon. Finish it, you know?

Do you use wearable devices to track data? Do you use apps?

I just use my Apple Watch. I don’t know how accurate this information is, but I’m tracking the data on this. But I don’t think about it too much either. In fact, the only thing I can think of about this watch is the distance. I am attentive. I’ll take a look at my time per mile, like how fast I’m going, but I don’t get too invested in that. Sometimes I’ll be surprised by the stretches I’ve covered. I just get into a rhythm and a cadence and I’m just going to cruise.

Do you listen to anything when you run?

You know, when I ran my 20 yesterday, I didn’t listen to anything. I just ran. But sometimes on my shorter runs where I’m trying to go a little faster, I listen to music or meditation tapes while I run, like guided meditations. They really relax my mind. One thing I don’t like about music is that I like to hear myself breathing when I run. And sometimes the music – the rhythm – changes the rhythm of my breathing. So when I listen to something like a guided meditation, I always hear my breathing.

Running towards me is meditative. You kind of enter a zone. And so it feels natural for me to listen to those while I’m running and also to calm my mind, which calms my body and my breathing. And be present in my surroundings, as present as possible. But also exist at that level. This runner is high.

I love this focus on breathing because instead of focusing on measurements, I feel like it’s more about being in your body. I think a lot of people who are new to running would really wonder how we got to a point where it feels meditative and not just, oh my god, when is this going to be over?

It’s like meditation in many ways. You have to do it, and not do it well, and then finally you realize that, oh my God, I was totally in it. I was able to allow my thoughts not to interfere with the practice. Just do it and do it.