The Virtual Race

We are currently living in different times. No longer are there weekly races to compete in. Gone are big city marathons, local 5k’s and kids charity fun runs. Since the world has turned upside down we have now entered our new normal in the running community, virtual races. Last fall I did my own sort of virtual race. I called it a "time trial". I had set the date for running my last local 10k race of the year. I have been hesitant the previous year coming off injuries so I didn’t want to jump into a race. I picked a race, set the date and began training. The only thing I didn’t do was sign up for the race. As the last entry deadline loomed, family commitments that morning and the forecast looked horrible so I passed on registering. However the next day seemed promising. I searched and couldn't find anything nearby, so off I went to run what little did I know would be the only type of racing I would be doing eight months later.

Fast forward to the present, the “virtual race”. So my 2020 Race Goals was to run a spring 10k and fall half marathon. However, since Covid-19 hit my training has changed focus and I got into wanting to run faster. Speed and track workouts looked more exciting and appealing, so since I had no race on the calendar I started to throw in more hills and intervals into the routine and stopped following my training plan. I am a fan of DeMoor Global Running channel on Youtube and he had the idea to put on a virtual race the weekend of the Boston Marathon since many people who were training for the big city races all got pushed back to the fall. Since my training derailed from the 10k, I decided to jump into the 5k race which also seemed to make more sense since I was adding speed workouts into my routine. So with little more than two weeks left, I changed up my training schedule into what you call a makeshift training plan and proceeded to go into this virtual 5k the best last minute shape I possibly could.

Race Day

My scheduled race was planned for a pretty flat out and back course on a bike path close to a ravine. Since there wasn’t going to be any big hills or changes in elevation I needed to look for something similar. I picked a flat road heading North and South slightly over 2k in length. I would have to run and out and back and repeat a section over again. The only downside to this course is that it’s pretty open, so on a windy day, wind gusts can be felt pretty strong from whatever direction they are coming from. The timing of the event took place slightly after lunch. I wanted to run at the warmest part of the day since the forecast is still not too favorable up here. So after heading out and racing, I managed to run an unofficial PB of 18:37* (Strava had me at 18:23 moving time, but I had to stop twice to tie my shoe laces - rookie mistake).

So after all this begs the question; Are Virtual Races easier or harder than official races? I posted this question on various Facebook running groups I’m part of, the answer remains unclear:

Positives of Virtual Races

First here we have the choice of our race course. Yes we can go to the actual race course and run it. However, with main roads not being blocked off and traffic lights this seems almost unlikely if you want to run all out. So we often make up a course around our local area. We can pick and choose to make it harder or easier as possible, but we can never really replicate the course.

Secondly, the timing of the race. Waking up at ungodly hours to run with hundreds or thousands of other people. You get to wake up at whatever time you wish. Plan for the great weather and run whenever you are ready. Some virtual races have a window of the weekend, so even choosing a day to best suit your life is also nice. Finally, convenience. So along with the crowd is the convenience of not having to eat super early, go to the washroom, bring warm clothes, post race clothes, throw away clothes and not to mention, not having to wait in line for port o potties before the race or after the race. Finally if you're running longer distances thinking about on course nutrition what they are serving and if your stomach is well prepared for it.

Negatives of the Virtual Race

So the crappy part of the virtual race is the whole hoopla that comes along with racing. The crowds, the people, the music, the post race gathering. All these things usually make the race. You often hear of the big city races having such a great atmosphere. Well all that is missing as you run through the streets of your local suburb; the adrenaline that rushes you as you take off from the start line; the pacer that you want to keep with holding that sign (as you wonder how the heck can you run with a sign that fast for that long several times a race); trying to keep up with a pacing group or better yet, not letting that person you picked out randomly not pass you for whatever reason. No music over the loudspeaker, no cheering, no finishing chute of fan fair to make you push through that last half km.

So at the end of the day it remains uncertain what works more for you. Does the convenience of everything else make you run faster? Or does the atmosphere and fanfare around the race push you more?