GRTC President’s Letter 3.1.21

 

More than a glimmer of hope! Since just a month ago, we are now seeing more people immunized for COVID19 and another new vaccine just coming on line. Lower rates of infection and hospitalization in Monroe County have lead to some loosening of restrictions. We DO need to continue masks, social distancing and COVID hygiene (as this is significantly contributing to doing better) but trends are optimistically in the right direction. With the caveat that there ARE new strains to be wary of, there is clearly some light now visible at the end of a long tunnel.

 

In that regard, all three major stores are now ramping up in-person offerings, all based of course on continuing COVID protocols. Rochester Running Company has been hosting Saturday morning paced group runs and also group runs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Signup ahead is no longer required and Monday/Thursday nights will likely return soon.   Medved Sports is signing up for their endurance project which includes group runs, training instruction and a yoga/stretching/strengthening component. They are soon to activate signup for their targeted training groups for runners of different levels and with different goals. Fleet Feet is restarting their Tuesday night hill workouts at 5:00 pm and Saturday morning paced runs. With all the stores, check their websites and Facebook pages often to see the status of new and active running offerings. Links to all three stores, as well as much more that is available on the Web, can be found on GRTC’s web page at https://grtconline.org/runners-resources/.

 

And of course the first major race of the Spring season (and of the RROY series) is the Running of the Green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.  Because of COVID restrictions limiting in person group size, the usual race format cannot take place. However, the Running of the Green WILL proceed this March as a virtual race organized by Rochester Running Company and with the Rochester Area YMCA as the title sponsor. Signup comes with a long sleeve cotton T-shirt and a neck gaiter.  One can run any 5mile course between 3/13 and 3/20/21, then post times and pictures of your run on the web. We would ALSO encourage all GRTC members to post their pictures on our GRTC facebook site as well and will offer some prizes for randomly selected GRTC members who do. If well received may do the same with further RROY races. After this long winter of COVID, make your plans to participate in this important virtual event for the Rochester running community which promises to show everyone that we runners are not going to be defeated. Signup: https://www.runninofthegreen.com/.

 

And GRTC itself is planning on ‘rebooting” its own in-person activities as the COVID situation and restrictions improve in 2021. We hope for the ability to have in-person RROY races going forward in the season. Stay tuned also as we make plans for return of our GRTC ultra race series, the popular GRTC track/running clinic with coaching by Mike Reif and Carolyn Smith-Hanna, a possible member picnic later this year (to celebrate the end of COVID) and of course the (triumphant?) return of the Freezeroo Series next season.

 

As I have said before, 2020 has been an “interesting” year that none of us want to repeat, but there is now light at the end of the tunnel. The running community and runners themselves ARE resilient and we WILL all come out of this stronger. I look forward to a robust recovery of our sport in 2021, and hope everyone will be a part of that. See you out on the road (still 6 feet apart).

 

Doug Jones (President GRTC)

GRTC Membership: https://runsignup.com/Club/NY/Rochester/GreaterRochesterTrackClub

GRTC purchases:  https://grtc.threadless.com