Lorraine Keane Joins Team World Vision

Great news! TV3 broadcaster and celebrity mum Lorraine Keane is going to run the Mini Marathon for World Vision Ireland. Lorraine sponsors a boy from Tanzania and is already very familiar with our work. We're really delighted to have her join our team.

Speaking about her run for charity, Lorraine said “It’s going to be tough but I’m really looking forward to the challenge. I’ve hardly done any exercise since my youngest was born 2 years ago.

I have been a World Vision child sponsor for the past eight years so I know the great work they do. The Mini Marathon is a great chance for me to get fit and show my support for their work.”

Lorraine will undergo an 8-week training programme with a personal trainer from David Lloyd Riverview Helath Club. She is aiming to complete the course in under an hour.

She will run three times a week, do gym work, pilates and improve her diet, all to get fit for the day.

Good luck Lorraine!

You're in good company

As part of Team World Vision Ireland you are in good company.

Check out our US team mates and their website.
Ryan Hall one America's current best long-distance runners and 2008 Olympian is part of the team and a real inspiration.
Here one of the team's videos that show the causes they support and the amazing races they run:

To view more footage check out Team World Vision US' Youtube Channel

Also on the team but unfortunately not running the Women's Mini Marathon is our very own Marathon Man Tony Whitmore who completed the Dublin Marathon in October.
We don't know what's more impressive, his time of 3 hours 41 minutes for the 26 mile race or the €11,600 he raised for World Vision!

Go team!

Keeping it green

About.com: Running & Jogging is fast becoming one of our favourite running blogs out there. They had a great article on green running earlier this week in honour of St. Patrick's Day.
We adapted some of their hints & tips to make our training and racing greener:

Don't throw away plastic bottles.
Plastic bottles form a huge waste issue around the globe. Just think about it this way, if every person in Ireland uses one plastic bottle a week, that's about 4 million bottles...multiply that by 52 weeks...that's 208 million a year! Even if 3/4 end up in recycling that's still 52 million bottles in landfills. Why not buy refillable water bottles? Or be 100% certain they are recycled in the correct manner.

Buy powdered sports drinks.
This goes hand in hand with the refilling of plastic bottles. And often the powder is cheaper than the individual bottles - recession buster!

Hold off on buying new clothes.
This can be a tough one...of course we want to look our best at all times. But if it's really time for new running gear, make sure you recycle your old ones. I had a pair of trackies that made great dusters!

Recycle your used running shoes.
Here is a list of centres that will accept old shoes of any kind:

Ballymount Recycling Centre
Dublin 12, Ballymount Lane Ballymount Industrial Estate

Ballyogan Recycling Park
Dublin 18, Ballyogan Rd, Carrickmines, D 18

Coolmine Recycling Centre
Dublin 15, Coolmine Industrial Estate

Estuary Recycling Centre
Swords, Seatown East, Swords, Co Dublin

Ringsend Recycling Centre
Dublin 4, Pigeon House Road, Dublin 4

Shamrock Terrace Recycling Centre
Dublin 3, North Strand Rd, Shamrock Tce, Dublin 3


Find races that are environmentally friendly.
Find out if the organisers are recycling paper and plastic. If they aren't recycling try and put pressure on them to do so, maybe get a petition together to show support for the idea. Keep contacting them until they make suitable arrangements


Run local races.
This is all about our carbon footprint. Choose local races first and if you are travelling further field use public transport or car pool to get there.

Does anyone else have any other green running hints & tips?

Paddy's Day Cheer

Here's a video to cheer up everyone who is working today and not preparing for the mini-marathon or Paddy's Day:

Juliet, one of our Programmes Officers, is currently visiting a number of our programmes in Africa including the Imperi Women's Group, Sierra Leone. The video is taken with her digital camera, so unfortunately it's a little short. But it really reflects the joy of the women's group so we didn't want you to miss it!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

If the shoe fits ..

If you want to avoid injury, it’s important to have a good pair of runners, which are suited to your type of foot and running style,

Things to consider include
• Your foot shape
• How your foot moves (gait analysis)
• Your weight
• Your budget

If you go to a specialist running store, they will firstly look at your foot shape i.e. if you have a normal foot, are flat footed or have high arches. They will then look at the way you run and recommend a shoe that is designed for your running style.

If you are overweight then be sure that you have a good pair of shoes with extra cushioning from the very start of your training programme. The extra cushioning will help protect your joints when running.

In general, the more technical the shoe, the more expensive it will be. If you’re a beginner and your mileage is quite low, you shouldn’t need a particularly advanced shoe. Remember though that it can be worth paying a bit more for the right shoe or else you might end up injured and spending the money on medical bills. Worse still, you may not be able to run the race at all.

Specialist running stores in Dublin where you can get good advice on the right shoe for you, include Amphibian King in Bray and Runways on Parnell St.

You can also check out About.com: Running & Jogging. We subscribe to Christine's blog from the site and she has written some really interesting stuff on how to figure out if the shoe really fits or not!

Happy Running!