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Disclaimer: I received an entry for the America Runs 5k to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the “new normal” that we face since COVID-19 changed all of our lives. As a runner, it was tough to see so many races being either postponed, re-tooled, or cancelled.
Thankfully, virtual races have been the real MVP. They are a great way to maintain your running fitness while being socially distant, stay motivated to train by giving you something to look forward to, and of course earn cool swag! I’m happy that I was able to participate in the America Runs Virtual 10K and I’m sharing my recap of the experience!
I’m linking up with Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Laura Norris Running, Mile by Mile, and Runs with Pugs!
Check out my recap of the @america_runs virtual 5K! #bibchat #americarunsbr Click To Tweet
One of my favorite types of blog posts to write (and read) are race recaps. I’ve run a couple of virtual 5K’s this year but this is the first time that I’m writing a recap of my experience!
Over the past several months, I’ve been doing very limited running. Time management is still a challenge postpartum when it comes to fitness, so I try to make the most of the time that I have. The summer’s heat was miserable so that kept me off the roads and trails for a bit, but by late July, I was ready to get back in the swing of things! That’s why I was excited to get to do a virtual 5K, something that should be manageable for me!
Once I signed up, over the next 2 months, I started building back a base, trying to run two days a week, usually around 3 miles at a time. My pace is currently hovering around 12-minute miles, but I was hoping to finish the 5K in about 35 minutes.
Last Sunday afternoon, I was ready to run my 5K! I set out my door and figured that I could do a loop around the neighborhood. I’ve done a couple of virtual 5K’s earlier in the year and really just made things up as I went along, which isn’t the best approach! This time I wanted to run a more familiar route so that I don’t find myself trying to improvise in the middle of a race!
Unfortunately, my feet haven’t been happy lately, which is another reason why I haven’t been running as often. So I made sure to do my active stretches during my warmup so that I can start the 5K strong. Thankfully, I felt really good at the start! It didn’t hurt that I intentionally chose a slight downhill!
The first mile went really well but I knew I’d slow down because of an incline that lasts for a couple of long blocks. I paused my watch whenever I had to cross an intersection, and believe me when I said I took advantage of that time to catch my breath! 5K’s always mess with my head, so there was no way I would look at my watch for pace, only for distance!
I enjoyed the neighborhood scenery and tried to use that as a distraction, along with my music! I knew that I wanted to completely run the first 2 miles and I was glad that I able to do that. Eventually, I did need to take a couple of walk breaks, which I think cumulatively made up about a half mile of the race. Honestly, I did much better than I thought I would! Fortunately the weather was perfect…I was almost overdressed!
I didn’t have a grand finish line for the race, so it was a bit anticlimactic as I finished in front of a random house, lol. I was just glad that I got it done! My finish time was 35:03 with mile splits of 10:13(!), 10:53, 12:50, and 10:19 (last 0.1). Works for me!
The America Runs Virtual 5K was a good time and I’m glad that I signed up. I do wish that the race was more interactive and engaging with communication and that “running together” was more emphasized, but since I’m pretty experienced with running and racing, it was more of a “nice-to-have” than an essential component to the experience. I’m still adjusting the virtual racing, but I’ll take what I can get!
I also shared my review of the America Runs Virtual 5K on Bibrave.com! This is still one of the greatest places to share and read other race reviews!
Do you enjoy virtual races? Do you have a typical route for your virtual races or do you like to wing it?
