Back for its second year in a row, on 24th March the London Landmarks Half Marathon will be putting our runners through their paces as they compete to raise funds on behalf of Lumos, aiming to help us end the institutionalisation of children by 2050.
We interviewed Anna-Thérèse McGivern, Lumos' Projects and Research Officer, who is running the London Landmarks in support of Lumos, on her training progress so far and her advice for other runners.
Why are you fundraising for Lumos?
I’ve just joined the Lumos team, having known about the essential work the charity founded by J.K Rowling does for a few years. I thought running a half-marathon would be a good way to get to know my new colleagues, get to know the people that support Lumos, and gives me the chance to share the work of Lumos with my friends and family. Also (and very importantly) I only moved to London when I started working for Lumos so running the London Landmarks Half Marathon is a great way to see the city I now call home and get fit as well.
How is your training going?
I have mixed reviews on the training… This is my first big run since dislocating my knee back in February 2018. A combination of physiotherapy and a good training plan have helped, and it was quite fun feeling triumphant over the winter elements when training back in January. February ended up with a few days of lovely weather for running, but I did pick up a little injury so have been resting. However, with less than a month to go I’m back to it and enjoying running past all the March daffodils as they are beautifully bright and look like they are cheering me on.
What tips would you give other people training for the marathon?
There are a million tips for runners out there but in my experience you need to:
- Listen to your body; if you’re injured give yourself time to recover and if sometimes you’re just not feeling it take a moment, ask yourself what’s stopping you from going for that run, and decide what’s next from there.
- Just keep swimming - you just have to keep going and you’ll get there, and smiling along the way will help (even if you don’t feel like it). A 1hr 30m half-marathon and a 4hr 50m half marathon are both still half-marathons.
- Keep practicing and believe in yourself. You are about to achieve something awesome.