Rose, Katie and Leanne McGinness
Age
Rose - 54
Katie - 28
Leanne – 26
Occupation
Rose – I qualified as a nurse just after getting married in
1987 and have worked for most of that time in paediatrics in various places, including
both the NHS and the private sector. I recently went back to the NHS (really
bad timing I know) after having worked in the school setting and am currently
working as a paediatric sister in children’s A&E. I love the busyness and
unpredictability of the emergency setting as you just never know what you are
going to face next.
Katie – I worked in retail customer services for many years,
and it was only when I went travelling in 2014 that I found myself in the
charity sector, where I realised that putting on charity events is what I was
good at. I have now worked for Norwood charity for 4 years, recently being
promoted to Events Manager.
Leanne – I’m currently training to be a chartered
accountant. I sort of fell into my current job a few years ago when I wanted a
career change. Hopefully this time next year I’ll be fully qualified.
Reason you started running?
Rose - The London Marathon was always on my bucket list and
in Oct 2010 I was offered a charity place to run for Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
for the following April (having approached them for support when my neighbour
passed away from lung cancer). Despite never having run before, I embarked solo
on a training plan, not realising how hard it would be especially as I only had
6 months to get to the start line. I had completed the 26.2 miles of the
Moonwalk overnight walking marathon for 5 consecutive years from 2006 and
though ‘well if I can walk that distance – how much harder can it be to run
it’ (A lot harder it turned out
!!!) Once I had crossed that finish
line, despite being an emotional and physical wreck, I realised I wanted to do
it all again. I joined Striders the following October as wanted to find others
to run with and needless to say I have never looked back despite being too
nervous to join for the first 6 months thinking everybody would be elite
athletes and I wouldn’t be good enough.
Katie – I was the third (but hopefully not last) McGinness
to join the Striders family and after mum pestering me for years, I FINALLY gave
in. Plus Leanne had joined the year before and whatever she does I must do
(it’s that competitive edge we all possess). Not long before I joined Striders
in May 2017 my dear nan got diagnosed with Dementia and this was the motivation
I needed to get me on that course - I wanted to run the London Marathon for
Dementia UK – talk about aiming high right?
Leanne – Because of mum, simple as that! We had supported
her for many years running the London Marathon and every time I said to myself
‘I’d love to do that’ thinking it was just a throwaway comment. I played
football for 10 years until I was about 18 but since then I could barely run to
the end of the road. Finally, in 2016 she convinced me to join the ‘run with
striders’ course, only telling me a week before I had to be able to run 5k!! I
signed up to run the London Marathon in 2017 and never looked back. I’d caught
the running bug.
Favourite race distance?
Rose – I do love a Half Marathon as it is far enough to
feel as though I’ve worked but not too far that I must spend months training
for it. I’m not always keen on 10K as it does mean having to push myself out of
my comfort zone to get a decent finish time. Having now complete 14 marathons,
I should really count this as my favourite race distance, but I have come to
realise that I sometimes actually enjoy the social side of the training better
than the race itself.
Katie – I do like a 10k in the summer as it’s quick and
easy and a good one to keep you out running when you find the summer season is
just too hot for those long runs. I find with 10k’s they need me motivated to
keep getting PB.
Leanne – As bizarre as it sounds, its actually a marathon.
The feeling I get when I’m training for it keeps me so motivated and crossing
the finish line is pure joy, knowing the hard work paid off. I’ve only done 3
marathons so don’t get me wrong I do like a shorter 5k or 10k race as well.
Favourite running route and race?
Rose – I don’t really have a favourite running route as
anyone that knows me will be aware of my terrible sense of direction despite
being a Run Leader so I had been happy to follow others and let them plan the
route. Up until lockdown I would run most weekends with my running buddies and
fellow Striders; Laura and Shanti, allowing Laura (the navigator of the trio)
to do the planning. Having said that since lockdown I have had to do some of my
own route planning (AKA making it up as I go) and have discovered some great
trail routes taking me into Radlett, Elstree, Letchmore Heath and beyond. Maybe
when this is all over, I can lead some routes further afield from St Albans.
I have 2 favourite races - London Marathon simply
because of the atmosphere on race day and the support on the course form the
various groups of fellow Striders. My other favourite race (although its not
actually a race) is The Stampede. I have entered this 3 times, once in a team
of 4 and for the past 2 years I have entered as a solo as I wanted to see how
far I could go on my own. It turns out quite far as I got 3rd solo
female in 2018 and then last year I bagged 2nd place female. Once
again, the support from fellow runners (even non Striders) adds to the general
party atmosphere of the day.
Katie – My favourite race is hands down, the London
Marathon. I have done it twice now and although I would love to do marathons
further afield, there is nothing like the atmosphere in your home city, and the
joy I felt crossing that finish line will honestly stay with me forever. In
2019, I smashed my previous years PB by 40 mins, crossing that finish line with
Leanne at 4 hours 11, best day ever! Although I did end up in A&E the next
day after collapsing and suffering a seizure, it has not stopped me from
continuing to run and wanting to smash that PB again!
Regarding my favourite route – despite what Andy
Normile told us in our Run with Striders course I DO NOT like hills, so
anything without too much elevation is great, and I love anything scenic.
Lockdown has actually been great for me and mum, as we have found some
beautiful routes in Borehamwood that we didn’t even know existed.
Leanne – Unlike mum who I think has done all the races, I
haven’t actually done that many considering I’ve been running for 4 years now.
Just like Katie said my favourite has to be the London Marathon, it’s a race
like no other. Although I don’t really know if its classed as an official race
I do also love doing the mid-week leagues.
I don’t know many routes, I usually just follow
whoever is leading but I moved house at the beginning of the year and since
then I’ve really been enjoying discovering new local routes (even though so far
I’ve had to most of them on my own)
Running goals/targets?
Rose – My current goal is to continue to stay fit enough
to keep running.
My goal for the first 5 or so years of my running was
to get a sub 4 marathon which I have now achieved. I remember saying once that
when I had achieved this, I would not do a marathon again, but that clearly
hasn’t happened, so my next running goal is for a 3:45 marathon (current PB is
3:48:12). I may then hang up my marathon shoes!!!
Now that I have discovered trail running, I would like
to continue this on a more regular basis.
Katie – One of my main goals is to beat my damn mother in a
race! She flies down the road, I lose sight of her in about 12 seconds, and
she’s got 26 years on me! But she’ll start to slow down, and I’ll hopefully
speed up so we should meet in the middle somewhere. But if I can’t beat her,
I’ll settle for beating Leanne, I have to beat one of them! My main target for
a race is to get sub 2 hours in a half marathon. I was SO close in St Neots
last year, just missing out by 41 SECONDS! I’d also love to go abroad and do an
international event as part of my 30 things to do before I’m 30 (which is next
June!) so let’s see what 2021 brings…
Leanne – My goals are always just to keeping improving and
be consistent in my running. My long term goal is to achieve a sub 4 hour
marathon, my current PB is 4:11. It can’t be that hard to take off 11 minutes
can it? Well if mum can run a sub 4 when she’s twice my age I certainly can!
I’d love to do a marathon abroad so hopefully next year is my year! During
lockdown I’ve just been working on my speed, a fast 5k is the aim.
How often do you train?
Rose – Before lockdown I would usually get to most
Striders sessions on Tuesdays and Thursday and then do a long run on a Saturday
morning with my aforementioned running buddies. Due to my new job and shift
patterns I am not always able to keep to such a regime but I do try to still do
1 shorter faster session, 1 tempo and 1 long run a week. I am not very good at
remembering to stretch or roll in-between but I have started doing Pilates this
year (thanks to Wendy) so hopefully that will help.
Katie – Usually, I try and get out 3 times a week, with
Tuesday and Thursday (sometimes at Striders) being a shorter faster run and
then the weekend a longer slower run. Since being in lockdown, I try to get out
as much as I can and at the moment, I am working on my 5k’s, and trying to get
under 25 mins!
Leanne – I like to try and keep to 3 runs a week, 2 shorter
runs and a long run at the weekend. It doesn’t always happen but since lockdown
I’ve been keeping quite consistent with running and also doing a lot of home
workouts since we’ve converted our garage into a gym (attempting to do this but
getting equipment at the moment is taking time)
What motivates you?
Rose –The need to stay fit and healthy motivates me to keep
running (especially during the current pandemic). I don’t like feeling unfit
which is also why I don’t do well resting when I’m injured.
Being able to see and run with my friends (or
following them on Strava when I can’t see them) and not to be left behind. I am
extremely competitive with myself and always want to improve. I have learnt
that I never regret going for a run, but I would regret not going.
Being a Strider definitely motivates me to continue
running.
Katie – Mum and Leanne motivate me every single day. They
are the best people to have by my side and they never let me give up on myself.
When we have a big race coming up, we all train together and if there is one
thing mum has always distilled in us if that when we are tired, we rest, we
don’t quit and we don’t leave a McGinness behind. Seeing how far I have come
already is hugely motivating too, I couldn’t even run 5k without crying on my
first day at Striders, and now I have run 2 marathons, 4 half marathons and god
knows how many road runs! I am very glad I stayed consistent and I am so proud
of what I have achieved in the last 3 years.
Leanne – Having a race planned is a big motivator for me,
knowing I have a ‘deadline’ to be able to run a certain distance keeps me
going. Mum and Katie are also big motivators, seeing if they’ve been for a run
makes me even more determined to ensure I keep running so I don’t fall behind!
Can you tell we are a very competitive family? I love the feeling of being fit
so that also keeps me going.
Most memorable run/race?
Rose – Apart from the aforementioned Stampede, my most
memorable race was The Manchester Marathon in 2017. Training had gone well and
I had stayed relatively injury free. On the day itself, I lined up at the start
alongside Laura and Shanti just with the hope of the 3 of us getting that
elusive sub 4. We managed to stay together for the whole race, helping each
other when one or other of us was flagging. We only realised that we were on
for a good finish time fairly late on in the race. We crossed the finish line
together holding hands in a time of 3:48:12 and were still in shock for a long
while after (I had taken appox 30 mins off my previous marathon PB). We were
due to head back to Manchester in April to try and replicate that before
lockdown- roll on 2021.
Katie – By far, London Marathon round 2. It was worth the
cold early mornings, the dark late nights, the tears, the tantrums, and the
hospital visit. It was everything I had trained for and it was made even
sweeter that I got to cross the finish line with Leanne. I lost her at mile 17
when I hit the wall (big time!) but we were amazingly reunited at mile 21 to
finish strong together, I couldn’t have done it without her. I even met up with
mum at baggage reclaim who was being handed her bag by my auntie (her
sister-who also runs!) so it was a real family affair.
Leanne – My first ever marathon was London in 2017 so that
was pretty memorable. Although 90% of my long runs were alone, my training was
spot on, I didn’t miss a run, ate all the right things and didn’t drink any
alcohol for about 6 months and I was possibly the fittest and healthiest I’d
ever been. I achieved a time of 4:19 that day. For my first ever marathon to
achieve this time within a year of starting to run I was amazed I’d been able
to do it.
As Katie said The London Marathon in 2019 just had to
be top of the list, it was just the ‘perfect’ day, if there’s such a thing when
doing a marathon? Getting a PB was just the icing on the cake too!
Injuries?
Rose – I have had numerous injuries including tripping
over and badly bashing my knee just before my first Stampede. I have had
ongoing issues with pain in my right foot for as long as I have been running. I
have seen specialists, had scans, injections and physio all to no real avail
but I wont let it stop me running. I have also had problems with my glutes,
torn quad and tight calves. (I thought running was supposed to be good for you
!!)
Katie – During my training for my first marathon, I got a
bad ankle injury that kept flaring up every time I ran long distances. After 3
physio sessions it was all cleared up and thankfully (touch wood!) I have had
no injuries since; however I am not good at running down narrow lanes, I ALWAYS
trip over something!
Leanne – I’ve been quite lucky I haven’t suffered that badly
from injuries. I did get plantar fasciitis 6 weeks before I was meant to be
running my first marathon which of course at the time it felt like the world
was ending! Luckily nothing too serious has happened.
Other hobbies?
Rose - I bought a road bike a few years ago, having seen a
number of other Striders out on theirs and am enjoying a bit more exploring on
2 wheels. I had never cycled on my own as am not good at bike maintenance, but
I have forced myself to go out alone recently which I am enjoying. Family is
also hugely important to me and love a family games night.
Katie – Does drinking count? I do love to socialise with my
friends at Saturday brunch, which I am missing a lot during lockdown! We love
karaoke and mini golf and dance classes. I also have a huge passion for the
gym, and when I am not out running, you will find me at Pure Gym, lifting
weights and hitting up a spin class. I have had to settle for home workouts for
the moment, which I am really enjoying. I also enjoy spending quality time with
my family and my niece, walking on the Dunstable Downs or reading Harry Potter.
Leanne – During lockdown I’ve really been enjoying cooking,
I’m no Gordon Ramsay but I’ve been discovering a lot of new recipes. I used to
be a VERY fussy eater so really branching out with all sorts of food. I also
enjoy going on lots of holidays or city breaks (desperate to book one at the
moment) and spending time with family, which with Katie around usually involves
some sort of game/quiz.
Guilty pleasure?
Rose – Westlife and Take That -I have been to see them
several times over the years. My music playlist also contains everything from
Abba to Wham!
Katie – I love a quiz show. I’m no good at answering them
but I do like to play along, and I love learning about events in history. My
brother is extremely smart and he will sit and teach me about history and
science. I am also geeking out on the Marvel films at the moment. My niece was
shocked and disappointed I hadn’t watched any of the Avengers films, despite
calling our two cats Thora and Loki (if you know you know).
Leanne – I can’t say no to dessert, that’s the reason I run
so I don’t have to feel guilty eating anything with a bit of chocolate on it. I
also love shows like ‘DIY SOS’ and ‘Homes under the Hammer’ – I love seeing the
outcome of a home having a makeover and making my comments on how I would have
done it. Maybe my future career should be in property renovations?
And now we have a new generation of McGinness’ tying
up their laces and taking to the roads. We recently encouraged our
granddaughter/niece to run the Muddy Runner and she proudly got her first
medal, may it be the first of many!
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