.....Straight to the Wesley Mission
4 months ago DIV’s Dr Katherine Armour began training for the Sydney marathon, which she knew would be challenging. To help motivate her she decided to use this tough experience to raise money and awareness for others doing it tough. The Wesley Mission support people of all ages who are currently experiencing or are at risk of experiencing homelessness and/or family violence by helping to provide accommodation, food, financial aid and social support.
At DIV we are proud of the effort that our team member is making, so we sat down with Katherine to find out a little more about why she has chosen to run a marathon in the first place (is she crazy!) but also her desire to raise money for charity.
Q. SO KATHERINE, WHY A MARATHON?
I’ve always been a runner, and aspired to run a marathon - mainly to prove to myself I could do it! This is my first marathon. I’ve run several half marathons (21km) in the past but, the last one was 11 years ago!
Katherine and her son preparing for a run/ bike ride.
Q. Why did you choose the Wesley Mission as your charity and more specifically why the Crisis and Homelessness area?
With so much media coverage of the terribly sad atrocities occurring around the world I feel like sometimes we might not notice those suffering in our own community. While I definitely advocate helping all those in need in a global sense I chose the Wesley Mission, and in particular the Crisis and Homelessness area as they do so much good for all those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, especially those who are victims of family violence.
They have a strong focus on helping children and young people who are at risk, which strikes a real cord with me as I have a young family.
Q. HOW MANY TIMES A WEEK DO YOU RUN?
3-4 times. Sometimes one of my runs might be substituted for a mountain-bike ride with my family, I believe in cross-training and my families support is really motivating!
Q. OBVIOUSLY SUN PROTECTION IS A MAIN REQUIREMENT – HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOUR SKIN WHEN TRAINING?
I always wear a sunscreen with at least SPF 50+ on all exposed areas and I use a cap or visor. I’ve noticed that these aren’t ideal as the sides of your face still take a beating from the sun, but it’s hard to run wearing a sombrero! I also wear sunglasses to protect my eyes and to stop me squinting.
Katherine with her other running companion Tigger
Q. HYDRATION WOULD BE ANOTHER IMPORTANT FACTOR IN YOUR TRAINING AND RECOVERY – DO YOU HAVE SPECIFIC PRODUCTS THAT YOU USE TO HELP YOUR SKIN STAY HYDRATED (OTHER THAN DRINKING GOOD OLD H2O)?
I love using a nourishing moisturiser that contains resveratrol – it’s super-hydrating, and the strong antioxidant helps combat the damage being done from all those hours outside. I also regularly use a serum containing niacinamide (vitamin B3) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). These ingredients help deal with the brown spots that are cropping up on the sides of my face (eek) as well as helping stimulate new collagen production – great to prevent fine lines.