I have done a runstreak a few times in July, but for various reasons I didn't think it would work out this year. I decided instead to give it a try in August. It will be more of a walkstreak. To give myself a bit of an extra challenge, I thought I'd complete a 5K per day and that each day's 5K should be an event of some sort. 

I have a bunch of virtual races I've been neglecting to complete so those will make up a bunch of the days. There are also several free virtual events for which I've registered. As of right now, I'm a bit short of "events", but I hope to complete the challenge by the end of the month. Here's a recap of what the first week was like.

runDisney recently announced that their fall race series, Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend, would be converted to a virtual event due to the pandemic. Earlier this year, their summer Virtual Series sold out in hours. While virtual races have proven to be wildly popular in this year when in-person events are difficult or impossible to stage, the Wine & Dine series has not sold out since it was opened up for new registrations since going virtual a few days ago. This might be due to the cost: running the virtual challenge, which will get you a set of three medals and three t-shirts, will set you back $252. That's a lot of cash for a virtual event with the bare minimum of swag. The sold-out virtual series challenge, which will get you four medals and no shirts, cost $145.

runDisney medals are typically of quality design that utilize popular characters and unique themes. You can find both medals and shirts from past in-person runDisney races on the second-hand market. There are a variety of sources that runners use to sell their swag.

If you're looking for a virtual race to run and love the swag typically offered by Disney, you could make up your own virtual race using second-hand medals and shirts.

You can find a big mix of shirts and medals online. Often they are not being sold together so you might have to do some detective work to find a good set.

As expected, there are a lot of runDisney t-shirts on eBay and runDisney medals on eBay. When you expand your search to reseller sites like Poshmark and Mercari, you have a really good chance to find a pre-loved runDisney medal and a matching shirt in your size.

I found the medal and shirt from this year's WDW 5K, shown below, for sale by two separate sellers on Poshmark earlier this year.

Runners sell off t-shirts and medals from other races, too, so there are more options to make your own "budget" virtual race.

With the money you save buy purchasing pre-owned race medals and shirts, you could consider making your DIY virtual race a charity run! Make a donation to your favorite charity or non-profit organization in the name of your run.

An unresolved nagging injury has kept me from making running goals. I still have a bunch of virtual races lined up, though.

These virtual runs in my neighborhood aren't particularly memorable and the reports are pretty boring. I won't continue posting individual reports about these, with a few possible exceptions.

The #CrushCorona 10K was a themed race put on by Medal Dash. A portion of proceeds from the event was donated to the First Responders Children's Foundation.

Race Day: July 16, 2020
I completed this 10K in my neighborhood. Arthur walked about 5 miles with me. It was about 79°F with 79% humidity when we started just before 7AM.

Swag
This race came with a tech t-shirt and medal.

Recommendation
Good swag. I'd run with Medal Dash again.

Garmin GPS elapsed time: 1:36:38
Cost: $40.75

Report written August 4, 2020

An unresolved nagging injury has kept me from making running goals. I still have a bunch of virtual races lined up which I'll review as I walk them.

Sommer Sports in Clermont started doing in-person events shortly before this event took place. For this race they offered participants the option to complete virtually, which I really appreciated. I had originally signed up for this race because I was curious to see what a triathlon looks like and this race is part of their popular summer series.

Race Day: July 11, 2020
I completed my 5K in my neighborhood on the day of the in-person event. It was about 81°F with 89% humidity when I started out just after 8AM.

Swag
For this run I got a medal and t-shirt designed around the theme for the race, comedy.

Recommendation
I think Sommer Sports has a really good reputation among runners and triathletes here in central Florida. I have run their events in the past and I've been pretty happy with their organization. I was very happy to have the option to run this virtually, and I'll definitely run with them again.

Garmin GPS elapsed time: 45:08
Cost: $31.75

Report written August 4, 2020

An unresolved nagging injury has kept me from making running goals. I still have a bunch of virtual races lined up which I'll review as I walk them.

The Red, Wine & Blue virtual run was offered as an Independence Day race. I signed up for the 5K distance.

A portion of proceeds from the race went to the following charities: Be Well Therapy; Komen Orange County; and Keep A Breast. 

Race Day: July 4, 2020
It was a pleasant 75°F when I completed this 5K in the evening of July 4th.

Swag
This race package included a nice cotton shirt (with a tank top option), a silicone wine glass, and a medal.

Garmin GPS elapsed time: 48:38
Cost: $39.98

Report written July 21, 2020

ROYGBIV is the acronym for the sequence of colors in the rainbow. The Raymond James ROYGBIV Virtual Run was organized to benefit Metro Inclusive Health in the Tampa Bay area and was meant to be run on June 27th, Global Pride Day. I chose to run a 5K for this virtual race.

Virtual Race Goal
Since I ran the Sugar Skull Virtual 5K on May 31, I've had on-and-off Achilles and heel pain, so I've been trying to take it easy. My plan was to walk and not concern myself with my time.

Race Day: June 27, 2020
I wore rainbow colors and headed out on my usual 5K route of late. It was hot, about 81°F with 89% humidity and bright sunny skies.

Mile 1, 2, 3+: 15:04, 15:22, 14:23, 1:31
Familiar story: I had meant to walk this virtual race but I added a few little jogs here and there when I felt okay. Often the pain improves as I run but that hasn't been the case lately, though it felt really good to sweat and get my heart pumping. I miss really being able to run.

Swag
The race information suggested there would be both a t-shirt and a medal for participants (with the line Since we immediately spend the money on ordering for the medal and shipping, all sales are final.). However, my packet included a cotton t-shirt, cooling neck wrap, stickers, a pin, and a lanyard.

Garmin GPS elapsed time: 46:20
Cost: $25

Report written June 30, 2020

I found out about the Ryan Walsworth Virtual Spear-It 5K when I was searching RunSignUp.com for budget virtual races. This run, part of the National Asparagus Festival that takes place each June in Oceana County, Michigan, was converted from an in-person event to virtual due to the pandemic. The entire festival was cancelled for the year.

It's maybe a silly reason but I've been on big asparagus kick for the last year or so and the thought of an asparagus-themed race made me laugh but was also really appealing. So, why not? I signed up kind of late so I missed the June 14th deadline to complete the race, but I got it done soon afterwards. I also added this festival in "The Asparagus Capital of the Nation" to my travel bucket list.

Virtual Race Goal
Since I ran the Sugar Skull Virtual 5K on May 31, I've had on-and-off Achilles and heel pain, so I've been trying to take it easy. My plan was to walk and not concern myself with my time.

Race Day: June 19, 2020
The physical race would have taken place on June 14. It was about 79°F with bright sunny skies and 84% humidity when I started at 8AM on June 19.

Mile 1, 2, 3+: 15:15, 15:42, 14:31, 1:32
So I had meant to walk this virtual race, but when I began I had very little heel or Achilles discomfort, so I added a few little jogs here and there. Often the pain improves as I run but that was not the case on this morning, unfortunately. At least it felt really good to sweat and get my heart pumping.

Swag
This is my new favorite race shirt. The annual asparagus festival race was forced to go virtual because of the virus so the shirt has a virus theme. So of course it has a running spear of asparagus wearing a mask. It's perfect. The medal is pretty good, too.

Recommendation
I have no idea what the physical race is like but the swag was so fun for this virtual race and I'd do it again if they have to go virtual again.

Garmin GPS elapsed time: 46:59
Cost: $23

Report written June 19, 2020