As we approach International Women’s Day on Friday 8th March t seems timely to focus on two of the women who have stepped up to the plate to fill roles which are vital to the smooth running of the club.
There’s a saying that if you want something done ask a busy person and that certainly rang true in our recent recruitment campaign especially regarding our female volunteers. I took time out to chat tour new Welfare Officer and female club captain. Grab yourselves a cuppa and read on.
Firstly, I met up with Lana O’Hara, who has agreed to take on the role of Welfare Officer. I’ll be stepping down after 4 years in the role, feeling that it’s time for new ideas, and Lana certainly has plenty of those.
JH: How long have you been running and what motivated you to start?
LO’H: I began running in 2009 when I decided to train for my first half marathon, the Sir Chris Hoy half marathon in Edinburgh. Initially, I was motivated by raising money for charity but found that I was bitten by the bug and have run umpteen more races including 10ks, more halves and a few marathons. Now running gives me mental clarity. With a busy home and work life it just keeps my mind and body healthy. I enjoy the routine of a training block and I love learning new things about running, training and nutrition.
JH: You’ve only recently started running with the club. Tell us about that.
LO’H: We moved to Winchburgh in 2021 and I joined LAC at that point early 2023. However, it took me a whole year to pluck up courage to attend a training session. I’m not sure what I was worried about, everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Tuesday track has become a highlight of my week. I should have done it sooner!
JH: What do you do when you’re not running?
LO’H: I work as a Consultant Paediatrician in NHS Lanarkshire and have two children who are currently in Primary 2 and Primary 7. So, I’m fairly busy both at work and at home, plus the usual “Mum’s taxi” duties. I’m lucky that my husband can keep an eye on things at home to allow me to get out as often as I do. We have an 8-year-old cocker spaniel, Duke who runs with me when he can be bothered to! Other than running, I love musicals and frequently visit the theatre. Hamilton is my favourite! As a family we love rugby, and we passionately support Scotland at Murrayfield home games. I also spend many Sundays watching my son play rugby with Linlithgow RFC.
JH: I’m really pleased that someone has offered to take on the Welfare Officer role. What made you consider this?
LO’H: As a Paediatrician I specialise in Child Protection and Neurodevelopment so I recognise how vital the role is. I’m passionate about inclusivity and making sure that access to clubs like LAC is available to all, no matter what their background is. I’m looking forward to the challenge of promoting inclusivity and to meeting you all at training, races and social events.
Later I spoke to Tor Munday who has agreed to take on the new role of female club captain.
JH: How long have you been running and what was your motivation to start?
TM: I’ve been running for about 12 years. I did quite a bit on my own early on and did the occasional 10k as something to work towards. I was running with Witney Road Runners when we lived in Oxfordshire which was great for interval sessions. They did some really nice off- road trail runs through the summer too. It was beautiful running in the Cotswolds. I really enjoy running with LAC now and the coached sessions are great. We ( my husband Sam and I)do quite a bit of parkrun tourism, we’ve only got 8 Scottish parkruns left to do. We do lots of run exploring if we’re away for a weekend and have done some of the long-distance trails including Fife coast path and John Muir Way (in small sections).
JH: You’ve only been a member of LAC for 2/3 years. What made you choose our club?
TM: We tried a couple of clubs when we first moved up to Scotland but for various reasons they just didn’t feel quite right for us. Post-Covid I was keen to join a club again and went to a Thursday session with LAC and haven’t looked back since. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. It’s a really nice size club, big enough that there’s always someone to run with at your pace, but small enough that you get to know people quickly. I loved it so much have that I’ve since roped Sam into joining too.
JH: I know you’ve been struggling with an injury for a while. What else are you doing to keep yourself fit and sane at that moment?
TM: I cycle (mostly on the turbo through winter) and do strength work and Pilates to help me get back to running. I spend lots of time walking Harris, our Golden Retriever.
JH: Thanks for stepping up to the club captain role. What made you volunteer and what are your main aims?
TM: I’ve really enjoyed the last couple of years running with LAC and wanted to be able to give something back to the club. (When I’m not injured) I try and get to Tuesday & Thursday sessions and love catching up with everyone. I work as a User Experience Designer so I’m really interested in people’s motivations behind actions and experiences. User experience design really focusses on understanding what a user wants/needs and ensuring the offering/service meets their expectations. We’ve got a really great club but I’m keen to explore some of our assumptions and see how we could even better support our existing and prospective members. A club member survey and conversations are great for surfacing these insights.
Interviews conducted and article written by Jill Horsburgh
