Virtual Race Beneficiary
Conquer COVID-19 virtual run participants could choose a local race store to benefit from registration. I chose Front Running Sports in Lake Mary, Florida.
Virtual Race Goal
I hadn't been feeling myself for a few days, with some mild stomach issues and general feeling of lethargy and malaise. This race needed to be completed by May 15th so I decided to walk it without a particular time goal. I figured it would take me two hours at most. If I was feeling better my goal wouldn't have been too ambitious anyway, since I haven't run so far in a while. Maybe 82 or 85 minutes. There was a time that I had hoped for a sub hour 10K! My 10K PR is 1:03:29 set way back in 2016 at Suck It Up Buttercup.
Race Day: May 12, 2020
We had some gorgeous weather at the beginning of May. It was about 66°F at the start of my walk, with clear skies and 73% humidity.
Mile 1, 2, 3: 16:04, 14:55, 15:06
I walked most of the first mile with a couple of really short runs thrown in. I started feeling better and jogged a bit more in the next two miles, but without set intervals. I mostly jogged the gimmes -- the downhills.
Mile 4, 5, 6+: 13:55, 13:38, 12:41, 1:29
I kept looking at my watch. I felt better as the miles went on and added more short, slow run spurts. After mile 4 (where I got just a little bit lost for a minute) I thought I'd try to hit sub-90 minutes. Why not? I felt good enough for that little push. I finished just under 90 minutes at 1:28:33.
Swag
For this race I got a nice cotton blend t-shirt (optional) and a funny coronavirus-themed spinner medal. The packet also came with a car decal and a temporary tattoo.
Recommendation
This was my first virtual race from Runtastic Events and communication was pretty good. The medal and shirt are both nice. If I was interested in the theme or charity, I would purchase another virtual race from this company.
Garmin GPS elapsed time: 1:28:33
Cost: $38 (the t-shirt was a $10 upcharge)
Report written May 12, 2020
While I'm back to participating in in-person events, I've still got some virtual runs on my calendar. These virtual runs and walks are often completed alone, in my neighborhood or on local trails, so they unfortunately aren't particularly memorable. They may also be completed in conjunction with another race,...