Hello! What have you been up to recently? Since Christmas I've been working very hard on two really big projects. One is called Wise, which is the Work In Sport Exhibition. We're trying to get businesses to take on retired sports stars, so we're educating the athletes and the businesses about the benefits. And also a big event for a charity called Wings for Life, where we've been trying to raise lots of funds by organising a big world run.

You do a lot of charity work and TV presenting. How much time do you spend training these days? And does it ever involve jumping over hurdles? I never jump over hurdles! I only jump when I need to demonstrate to young people … but I never actually do them myself. I haven't got the power! But I really enjoy being active. I think of training as something you do just to keep active, so it can be anything you want it to be, from hill walking to climbing, going on a bike, going to the gym … I do a lot!

Where is your favourite place to run and why? My favourite place to compete used to be Rome because conditions were always perfect; it was just a magical place. You feel a sense of history even when you are just warming up for the event.

Do you remember your first ever race? I do! I was four years old and I was third in my competition in the city of Cardiff, so I was the third-fastest four-year-old in Cardiff.

Where are the two who were in front of you now, then? Prison! No, I remember it really well, I can still remember the nerves were virtually identical to what I felt in the Olympics or World Championships. Perhaps that's what set me up well.

What's your greatest running achievement? Probably my first global title as a youngster. I was 19 when I won the World Junior Championships in Athens. That really was important and special. That would be my number one.

When someone asks for a training tip, what do you tell them? Have fun! If you can't have fun you won't work hard, and if you don't work hard you won't get the benefit of your training. So it is an easy training tip for people to understand.

Do you like a running gadget? If so, what's your favourite? Probably my iPhone because it's got everything, and all sorts of statistics on there. I use that a lot, all the different training apps that are available. So it's probably the most important gadget for me.

Do you run to music? I don't run to music, no. I do like skiing and snowboarding to music, which is perhaps strange, but not running – it's just not something I've been used to.

What's your favourite post-race indulgence? Chocolate! Plenty of it: 200g of chocolate. That's a BIG bar, trust me. And a nice cup of coffee to wash it all down.

What is the worst thing about running? The worst thing is the potential for getting injured; that's the thing that nobody enjoys. You spend so much time in recovery that you always seem to be getting back to where you left off.

And the best? The best thing is that it makes you feel like you are free. To me, when things are going well, it's a really wonderful feeling. Liberating is the word I'd use.

What do you eat on the morning of a race or a long run? Not much. Most probably yoghurt, coffee, maybe some fruit. Then later on some eggs, but nothing too elaborate.

What's the furthest distance you've ever run? 19 miles.

That's very exact! Yes, and I said it with venom, too! It was supposed to be only a half marathon but I ended up running 19m for a friend's event. I survived!

If you had to choose who to watch, would it be Mo Farah or Usain Bolt? That's an awful question! I enjoy both for different reasons. The jeopardy of watching Mo is what's nerve-wracking. A 10,000m race is like a chess game and you are watching, wondering what's going on and what's going to happen. And Usain is just the whole excitement of watching his performance because you're just never sure what he's going to do. Well, apart from win!

Who is the greatest runner ever? Ooh … I think you judge a runner by the way they inspire you. The person who inspired me the most was Edwin Moses, so I'd put him up there as the greatest runner ever.

• Colin Jackson is an ambassador for the Standard Chartered Great City race, which takes place on 10 July. The race raises funds for Seeing is Believing, a global initiative that helps tackle avoidable blindness.