Jenny & Errol Maginley
Age
94
Occupation
Errol - I’m a Design Engineer. I design and manage the track geometry for the Westcoast mainline so if your coffee spills from your table at 125mph… I’m possibly the one to blame.
Jenster - I work in medical education specifically setting the standards for pathology trainees in the UK (its ‘deadly’ serious…)
Reason you started running
Errol - Started jogging in 2009 which helped me cope during a difficult time and increased to marathon distance during an even more stressful divorce.
Running for me was an escape but this changed when I joined Bushey Grove (informal) running club in 2011 and that’s where I met the Jenster and realised there was a lot more to enjoy from running and the rest is history.
Jenster - Years ago, after living and enjoying university life, I realised 3 stone heavier that I needed to change my hobbies to something that did not include alcohol and partying. I decided to take up running, which I had never done before. Little did I realise that it would turn into a full time hobby where I would meet and make some wonderful lifelong friends notably my best friend and now husband Errol.
Jerrol - We joined St Albans Striders in 2012.
Things back then seem different, we would bowl up on a Thursday evening, split into groups by pace and for that hour, we were a unit often pushing the pace with limited conversation and yet we created some great friendships from a mixture of people and different ages. It’s that informal coming together and yet sharing a common interest that we liked most about Striders. The down side was we would occasionally lose new comers if Jenster led the group and sometimes lost contact with people if they couldn’t continue coming to Striders due to injury, hence the changes in how running groups are coordinated and the social walks are a good thing for keeping people engaged. Striders is also a great opportunity to engaged in club activities which includes being club secretary (Jenster) and now the Road Captains.
Favourite race distance
A half marathon is our favourite distance. It’s a challenging race where we can maintain a fairly consistent pace and also not have to over train compared to a marathon which is a big chunk of commitment and training for a world of pain.
Favourite running route and race
The Ridgeway and adjoining footpaths in Tring is our favourite route, but we also never get bored of Gorhambury in St Albans and the surrounding lanes especially in Spring.
Errol - one of my favourite race is Palma Mallorca Half marathon. A well organised race and I now know a prime spot to have a beer near the finish and cheer the marathon runners coming through.
Jenster – Two of my favourite races are the Edinburgh and Vitality half marathons where I got a PB.
Running goals / targets
Errol - I’m not that ambitious when it comes to races but I do like to run at a competitive level. I’ve never been that good at bumbling around at talking pace but I’m starting to see the appeal.
Jenster - I don’t really have any specific running goals at the moment but I would like to improve my 10km time.
How often do you train
We normally train 6 days a week with our favourite run being Parkrun and guaranteed post coffee and breakfast. What’s there not to like.
What motivates you?
Errol - Running (not racing) with other Striders is what motivates me the most especially running with Jenster and trying to keep up with her training pace.
Jenster - I would like to continue to achieve reasonably competitive times in races and challenge myself. I also want to be able to run with Errol for as long as possible in particular when we discover new routes and the laughter when I speed off ahead of him…
Most memorable run/race
2016 Paris Marathon was our most memorable race. After 4 months of winter training, and then 20 deg sunshine on the day we still managed a PB finishing together and earning us both a good-for-age place for London 2017.
Arranging a team for the 2019 Southern Road Relay Championships was one of our most memorable club events as Road Captains where we brought together runners from both Striders and AC.
One of our most favourite events was the ‘St Albans to Olympic Park Relay’ where we ran a choice of legs (and pace) from St Albans and finishing together at the Olympic Park in Stratford.
Injuries
Errol - I suffered from a fractured metatarsal whilst training for London 2018 which has strangely left me with a slight memory limp despite the injury healing years ago. I also have an ongoing hamstring strain which I manage through stretching and a regular sports massage, something I would recommend.
Jenster - I was relatively injury free until I ran the London Marathon in 2017. Whilst I was over the moon with my PB, it did leave me with a reoccurring hamstring/piriformis niggle hence why I would never do a marathon again (or as Errol would say – “never say never”).
Other hobbies
We enjoy DIY around the house and collecting coins (yes really…) but more than anything we enjoy travelling and researching and discovering new places which includes races abroad. Our most memorable trip was cycling across Vietnam to Cambodia with our friends Katie & Gladstone. We have also travelled and raced in Vancouver, Valencia, New York, Italy and Amsterdam.
Guilty Pleasures…
Jenster - I like to hoover. I find it quite therapeutic. Errol brought me a Dyson V6 cordless vacuum which was an excellent choice of gift. I also like eating the chocolate from the edge of ‘M&S Extremely Chocolately Biscuits’.
Errol – I strangely enjoy Chopping wood for the log burner. I also like a Cappuccino, Walnut cake, and eating the centre of ‘M&S Extremely Chocolately Biscuits’.
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