The End is Near

The end is near.  No, I'm not some soothsayer predicting an apocalypse...Quite the contrary, actually.  Those winter doldrums brought about by nothing but cold, dark runs are soon to end.  It's the time of rebirth, rejuvenation, and racing.  Spring is upon us.  It may not seem like it (especially with a bout of winter weather barreling across the plains towards us as I type), but, yes, spring is almost here.  Daylight savings will have us leaping forward in just a couple of weeks.  That means the arrival of something us runners have seen little of for the last several months...daylight!!!  Groundhogs have nothing on runners in predicting spring.  We start getting antsy and stare at our treadmills with discontent as the number of daylight minutes slowly increases.

Spring also means its time to start planning your upcoming racing schedule.  What says spring more than pounding the pavement at a St. Patty's day race?  (Okay, if you said pitchers and catchers reporting, I'll give you equal credit.)  Where's a great St Patrick's day race, you ask?  There's one in Cottleville - and that's the one that the FLEET FEET Racing Team will be calling home base on March 16th.  C'mon, that race had me hooked as soon as I saw the age group category titles!  Check out the Run for the Helmet race website to see what I mean.

Spring is also the time for half and full marathons.  It seems like everyone is training for a PR this spring.  How about using the Relay and Run for 21 as a prep race?  A half marathon that runs from Clayton to Westport...awesome! This is not only a half marathon, but also a three-person half marathon relay.  Grab two friends and come up with a wacky team name.  (My brother's suggestion: 3 Feets to the Wind.) 

If you just can't wait to get out and race, the Firehouse 5k in High Ridge is a great choice.  Get up, get out, and blaze a 5k for a great cause.  No worries if you burn up the road, the High Ridge Fire Department's there and got it covered.  Make sure you get registered before this Friday to guarantee you get one of their awesome race T-shirts. 

Need some more choices???  Ok, so who didn't have that nightmare back in middle school of accidentally showing up for school in their underwear?  Well, the UNDY 5000 encourages showing up to their race in your skivvies!  This one is anything but a bad dream, though.  It's a family friendly race to raise awareness for colon cancer.  Participants are encouraged to run in their boxers in this fun 5k in Forest Park. 

Get out there, knock the dust off the old racing flats, show winter a clean pair of heels, and jump into your spring racing fling in fine fashion.  Don't forget to wear your FLEET FEET Racing Team top and submit your results via the Racing Team page on our website to earn your points.  Good luck and happy racing.

Coach Cary