THIS summer will see the first running of the Riverside Runners 10k charity race in St Neots.

Not only will the event mark the 25th anniversary of the Riverside Runners, but it was also raise money for The Hunts Post’s New Life Appeal, which raises money for the special care baby unit at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon.

The race, which takes place on Sunday, August 19, is open to everyone – no matter what your ability.

Here, in the first of our series of blogs, we will follow the progress of three women – all workers at Mick George, one of the sponsors of the event, as they prepare for the 10k.

INFORMATION: To enter the event, which is also sponsored by Circle Health and TriSportPlus, go online www.runnersworld.co.uk/events and search for events on August 19.

Meet the Mick George trio.

There’s Victoria George, who is 24-years-old and is a sales account manager. Then there’s Julie Heading, a contracts administrator, who is 23. And finally there’s Jolene Vinn – aged 29 (but 30 in a few weeks!) – who is a PA to Mick George himself, the company managing director.

All three will be running the 10k in August and all three are sharing their pain, frustration and joy with Hunts Post readers as the event draws nearer.

Jolene’s Blog:

I like to train most days and often skip my rest days. However, that wasn’t the case this week as I did not get to train once! So I’m a bit disappointed in myself but on the plus side I’m feeling rested and ready for next week. The highlight of which will be the Race for Life in Cambridge on Sunday. There are several of us from the Mick George office in St Ives taking part and we shall all be keeping our fingers crossed for fine weather!

Julie’s Blog:

Two more runs under my belt this week so all is going to plan. I kept a comfortable pace all the way through on the first run and decided not to push myself on time. The second time I went out, I did focus on completing the course faster than before, and although I was still more or less spot on my usual time I felt more relaxed whilst I was running as though there was so much more I could still do with that little extra effort. So with that reserve strength and speed in the bank as it were, I am feeling confident and on track. I think the key is a good warm up routine beforehand.

Victoria’s Blog:

The gym is my new best friend – I never thought I would say that but I actually look forward to going and challenging myself to beat my running time and work up a sweat. I feel so much better after a good work out! I have a personal training session on Saturday – my PT is going to set me up a running programme to follow for the next seven weeks, this will hopefully get the best out of me!

I’m particularly proud that I completed my first 5 km run this week; a dress rehearsal for Sundays Race for Life. So I’m definitely at the half way stage and even starting to feel excited about this challenge now the dread is slowly subsiding!