Although it’s been chilly, windy and wet for the last few days, the lighter evenings and (slightly) higher temperatures are a help to us all in finding the motivation to get our running shoes on and get out and about!
For those of us who are missing the competitive part of running, there’s a great chance to take part in the final chapter of the West End Runners' virtual 5K race series in a couple of weeks’ time.
We’ve not had as many people take part in the series as I’d hoped up till now, but getting involved really is very easy and, although it’s a ‘race’, times really don’t matter. It’s much more about being out there to represent Striders and uphold our reputation as a competitive club that always enters lots of runners, all wearing the vest with pride!
If you’re planning a much longer run on the race day, it doesn’t matter if your 5K time is slower than you might otherwise manage – just submit a time anyway to reinforce the message we’re a club not be messed with!
The final race in the series, on Saturday 22nd May, could capture a moment in history. Potentially it could be the very last virtual race of the pandemic and maybe the last virtual race ever, at least locally.
It would be great if we could put on a real show, like we did when the club celebrated its 30th anniversary back in February, and get dozens of us out in Striders colours for one last virtual race!
To take part all you need to do is run at some point on Saturday 22nd and submit a 5K time to Cheryl Tonks, either on email to dsrc.inform@gmail.com, on the club Facebook page or via Messenger.
So, if you're going out to run a 10K, 10 miles, a half or a marathon that day, pick out your best 5K and submit it. Cheryl doesn't need evidence, just a time, so it really couldn't be simpler.
It looks like we have a truncated summer Leicester Road Running League season to look forward to, including our own Desford 5 on 5th September, so the end of the restrictions is finally in sight.
But, before we get too excited about running real races alongside lots of other people again, let's give this great series from West End the send-off it deserves with a huge turnout from Striders!!