Lumos' Travel Officer Josh Rice shares his marathon training experiences and tips for other runners. Share your own training tips and progress with us on social using #WeAreLumos
Josh's Marathon Training Tips
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 Josh Rice, Lumos' Travel Officer, who is running the London Landmarks in support of Lumos, on his training progress so far and his advice for other runners.
Why are you fundraising for Lumos?
I’ve worked for Lumos for the last 18 months and in my role of Travel Officer, I get to hear about the amazing work my colleagues do around the world. I’m running to help raise awareness and funds for an organisation that aims to end the institutionalisation of children.
Last year I ran the half marathon and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I was fuelled only by a desperate need to get to the finishing line, Jellybabies given to me my kind spectators and Abba Gold on repeat on Spotify.
The final three miles of the course were utter agony. Slowly trudging down the Embankment in battered old running shoes whilst listening to SOS was extremely tough. Despite the pain, it was an amazing day. So many people lined the route to offer encouragement, high fives and sweets which is an amazing boost when tired legs start creeping in.
Being part of a team of colleagues running a half marathon was fantastic and the race experience is amazing thanks to the support.
How is your marathon training going so far?
Memories of last year have been a real motivation for my training. I did a few runs and played rugby for fitness before the 2018 London landmarks. The pain of the final 3 miles of the course taught me that I can’t do that again. I really want to run under two hours this year. Fitting training in around work and social life is difficult but I’m naively hoping for a warm March so I can finalise my training runs in the sunshine.My target is to raise £500 which is a fair amount of money but doable – I’m asking for double money from people if I can run under my 2:00:00 target.
What top tips would you give to other runners?
The main advice I’d give to people running the London Landmarks is horrifically clichéd but true. Just enjoy it! Whilst the thought of 13.1 miles through Westminster and the City of London sounds like an utter nightmare to many people, it’s a phenomenal experience. The course offers more than any other Half Marathon. I recently did a half in my hometown of Nottingham and whilst it was a good, nostalgic course through the city, industrial estates and parkland, it didn’t really compare to running down some of the most famous streets in the world. The spectators make the experience enjoyable too, their support provides better motivation than any Spotify playlist and they really push you on.
With the race only 3 weekends away, I’d recommend all participants ensure they’ve got a decent pair of running shoes (this will save you a lot of agony – believe me!) and start to look forward to an amazing event.