As much as I hate to see the summer come to an end, it does mean that fall TV is coming back – and with that comes the eagerly anticipated second season of NBC’s This is Us. While shooting episodes for the new season, Sterling K. Brown, who plays Randall, makes sure to fit some running into his schedule.

The handsome 41-year-old actor is no stranger to working out, as he showed us while filming The Predator back in March,. In an interview with Runner’s World, he explained that he’s been running regularly since he was a 21-year-old student at Stanford University. (He also ran track in high school, but admitted hen was a “terrible sprinter.”) Since then, Sterling has strapped on his sneakers to get some miles in during his off time. He told the magazine that he aims for four miles, four to five times per week and said, “It feels good to look in the mirror and say, ‘I did something for myself today.’”

Also in the interview, Sterling, who confesses he has a “psychological zeal” about running said that he has a friendly running rivalry withy Justin Hartley, who plays his TV brother, Kevin and shares how he prepares to run “in character” for the show.

On what he loves about running:
Running gives me the confidence to be at my peak throughout the rest of my day. I feel free and light. In the midst of this storm that has become my life, giving myself that little bit of time helps me endure the craziness of everything else.

On his rivalry with co-star Justin Hartley:
“…we’ll go for these jogs, and then the camera will call cut but we’ll continue running after cut has been called. And each time, we’re about neck and neck. So if we actually had to run in real life, it’s too close to call. It’s really too close to call. He’s taller so he’s got the longer gait. I’ve got quicker turnover than he does. It’s too close to call.”
 
On which This Is Us co-star is most likely to join him on his runs:
“It’s just been Justin and myself who does most of the running together. I’m sure Milo would run with us if we asked him to. My wife would probably run with me, Susan Kelechi Watson, if I asked her to too. But Justin and I are probably the ones who are the most apt to get out and go for a good run.”
 
How he prepares his character, Randall, for running scenes:
“If there’s a day when Randall has to run on the show, like you’ll only see about a minute or two minutes of it but sometimes I will get on the treadmill beforehand to warm up because I do everything kind of all out. Because it’s just easier for me to do it than pretending. I’ve run 6 miles on set on the treadmill getting ready for that one minute they use for the script.”

[From Runner’s World]

If there’s anyone who should be an ambassador for the benefits of running, it should be Sterling, because, damn. Sorry, Kevin Hart. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait until September 26 and the kickoff for season 2 of This is Us. The cast dished about the new season at the Deadline Hollywood This is Us Emmy panel earlier this week. Show creator Dan Fogelman promised that Randall and Beth’s adoption storyline will be a big part of the new season and assured fans of the TV couple that “Randall and Beth will never separate in this show. They’ll experience trials and tribulations, and this one (season) will have a big one in front of them.” Sterling then joked, “You can talk about the polygamy storyline.” A great actor, gorgeous and funny. Oh, how I would love to be his friend.

Photos: Runner’s World/Michael Lewis, WENN.com