While a lot of races are being canceled because of COVID-19, some of these races have turned into virtual races due to the ban on large groups of people being able to congregate together. Some of us are still choosing to run these races on our own to test our fitness, set a new PR, or support a cause.
Your goals for running a virtual race will determine if you run it for fun or if you try to race it and see how fast you can cover the distance. These goals might depend upon how much time you spent training for the race, your current fitness-level, or your intrinsic motivation. You might still want to run the race for a PR, cover a new distance, or see where your fitness is at this time for a baseline in your training. Whatever your motivation, virtual races are a great way to stay connected with other runners and keep supporting the running community.
I ran my first virtual race last weekend and even ran the actual course of the race because I wanted to compare my time to a previous year. The Alaska Heart Run 5K was going to be my first race postpartum after having Bjorn 6 months ago. I wanted to compare where I was after having a baby 6 months ago versus having my first son 5 years ago at nearly the same time postpartum.
Surprisingly, I walked away bettering my time by 13 seconds compared to 5 years ago. This was despite not being in a race atmosphere with all the excitement that it brings, no crowds or people cheering along the sides, and no other runners to push me.
I did implement many of the same strategies I would use on race day, which I contributed to my success. So if you are looking to set a PR in your virtual race, run a new distance PR, or run the race as a fitness check-in, I’ve highlighted five tips below that will help ensure you have a successful virtual race and maybe even surprise yourself with a new PR.
Whatever your motivation, here are 5 tips for having a successful virtual race.
Keep Your Pre-Race Routine
If you are going for a PR or wanting to compare your times on the actual race course, treat that morning like it were race day. Get up around the time you would, eat the breakfast you would eat prior to racing, and go through your routine as if you were running the race.
One luxury to running a virtual race is the ability to start whenever you would like. I did not start at the time of the race because #lifewithkids, but this also helped because I wasn’t as stressed as I often am trying to get to the whole family to the start in time to run the race. We took a little longer getting out of the house, but we didn’t have time constrains or need to worry about the weather getting too warm.
Give Yourself Time to Warm-up
If you are going for a PR or using the virtual race as a check-in, you’ll want to allow yourself some time to complete your warm-ups just as you could on race morning.
Once we got to the start of the race, I did my normal warm-up routine: easy jogging, stretches, dynamic drills, and finally a few striders. I spent the same amount of time warming up as I would for the actual race.
I then told my husband I was ready to go, and he got himself and the boys ready to cheer.
Cheer Squad
Have everyone you live with come and cheer for you!
If you can practice safe social distancing, let other friends or family know about your “race” and that you would love to have them come and cheer you on.
Craig, Cullen, and Bjorn were all there to cheer me on, which was motivating to me. They drove around in the car to several different spots to stop and cheer for me. This motivated me to keep going and get to the next spot knowing they were up ahead waiting for me.
Visualize
When you are out running the course, visualize race day–visualize the people cheering, the noises of the crowds, hear other runner’s feet hitting the pavement and their inhales and exhales working in overdrive as they push the limits of their body. I think this was important to my success as it helped me say focused on the task at hand.
Stay Focused
It is a lot harder to stay focused and be ‘in the game’ when you are racing solo, so you will probably have to exert more brain power to not let your mind wander.
Luckily I’m pretty good at pushing myself and mentally staying focused, but I did have to be a lot more focused on not letting my pace dip, which meant looking at my watch quite a bit.
I focused on my knee drive when my pace started to dip, I used the downhill to gain momentum, and the flat sections to really cruise.
Just as a “regular” race, there are many different reasons to do a virtual race. Some of these reasons might be the same for your virtual race, or your motivation may shift now that your race happens on your own.
Reasons to run a virtual race:
- have fun
- support a cause for the race
- compare your course times
- go for a PR
- run a new distance
Each race has its own steps to completing the virtual run and sharing your results with the organizers, so check each race’s website for details on when the run has to be completed, if there is a medal or a virtual medal, and where to share your results and/or pictures.
Whatever your motivation is, your virtual race is bound to give you an adrenaline boost, award you some virtual high fives and ‘likes,’ and maybe even a medal if the race offers them.
So get out there, set a goal for yourself, and embrace this new normal because running isn’t canceled and racing just has a different format now.
