Virtual races? Training when there’s nothing to train for?

RunnerGirl238

I.miss.racing.

I know, grand scheme it isn’t a big deal but in my microcosm I just neeeeed it.

I have one marathon on the schedule and I’m struggling to stay disciplined to train for it without my normal 5k/10k/half marathon docket beforehand.

What virtual races are you doing? What’s worth the money? What else are you doing to train when there’s likely nothing to train for?

(Also- I know the adage of running for running’s sake, but I need to endorphin rush of a race to get that real kick in the pants...)

amorfati601070

Just doing the Strava challenges and getting up there in the leaderboards. You could go KOM hunting. I'm considering the Melbourne Marathon in October, still a while away so looking like it should go ahead!

ABabilonia

I just joined the monthly running challenge here at MFP and that keep me motivated. I am not a big fan of virtual races. I am also trying to modify my routes once in a while to kill boredom. I also love races because of the medals 😅. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon.

Duck_Puddle

I’m doing stuff that seems like a fun/unique theme, anything supporting a charity that’s meaningful to me, and supporting virtual options from the companies that put on the races I ordinarily run. So if a virtual race helps keep them afloat, why not? I’m not paying any other race fees right now. Plus some of them are getting creative with ways to offer more of a community/gathering feeling to the event.

My primary motivator right now is really just supporting the race companies that have no revenue - and no likelihood of revenue until mass gatherings are allowed.

If my $30 virtual race fee helps keep a company in business so next year’s races can happen? That’s worth it to me. So whatever they email/post about is fine with me.

Motivation is a whole different ballgame. And virtual races will never serve as a proper tuneup race. But it’s still worth it to me.

spiriteagle99

Money is tight, so spending money on virtual races isn't really an option right now. I use my annual mileage goal to keep me following an approximate schedule (40 mpw running, 20 mpw walking).

pondee629

Virtual races seem to me to be nothing more than a fast training run. The Atlantic City NJ Marathon is still on for October 18 so I'm still training for something. Kinda looking for an intermediate run to gauge my improvement, but we will have to see. A neighboring town has moved their Memorial Day races to Labor Day, Sept 7, perhaps I'll try my first Woolworth double ;-)

dewd2

Why not challenge yourself? This weekend I did the Goggins Challenge. It consists of running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 (plus 2 bonus miles to get my total for the weekend to 50). For each run I had one or more friends join me and changed the location often (all close to home so I could sleep and shower). I started Friday evening at 6 and ended Sunday afternoon at 2. It turned out to be an amazing weekend. Well worth it to do something like this (there are many others if Goggins is too much or too little).

emmamcgarity

I enter Runbet games that fit my planned training schedule. It helps keep me motivated to run 4 times per week.

moonangel12

I am working on a triathlon series through Rev3. I was originally signed up for one in April, my first ever (Sprint), but it was pushed to October... once the realization that this would be longer lasting than hoped they made all the races virtual so I am hoping to do all 6!! It’s definitely not the same, but it’s an external motivator that’s way outside my norm so it’s fun... and I hope to have a nice wall plaque with all the medals on display as a reminder that I CAN! By the end of it all I should be at or near goal weight and living a completely different life compared to the year(s) prior.

LiftandSkate

I'm an inline speedskater. All of our races except one in November have been cancelled, and I expect that one to cancel soon. 🙁 I'm still skating, but haven't been pushing myself as hard as usual, focusing instead on lifting. Then I read something that lit a fire under me: training is more important than ever right now because we may only get one chance to race this year, and we want to be at our best for that one shot. That totally changed my perspective, and I'm back to training hard. If I do get to race in November, I'm going to make sure Ive put in the work to have a phenomenal race!

I dis the Bigfoot Social Distancing half marathon inay, and am doing another virtual race this month, mainly because I like the t shirt. I dont remember the name. The virtual races are fun, but not quite the same thrill as a live race.

BasedGawd412

Currently training to beat your marathon time old pal.

moonangel12

BABeautifulBadass wrote: »

I'm an inline speedskater. All of our races except one in November have been cancelled, and I expect that one to cancel soon. 🙁 I'm still skating, but haven't been pushing myself as hard as usual, focusing instead on lifting. Then I read something that lit a fire under me: training is more important than ever right now because we may only get one chance to race this year, and we want to be at our best for that one shot. That totally changed my perspective, and I'm back to training hard. If I do get to race in November, I'm going to make sure Ive put in the work to have a phenomenal race!

I dis the Bigfoot Social Distancing half marathon inay, and am doing another virtual race this month, mainly because I like the t shirt. I dont remember the name. The virtual races are fun, but not quite the same thrill as a live race.

I did my first ever triathlon virtually for the T-shirt... a neat memento for the weird time in history. QuaranTri.

Duck_Puddle

moonangel12 wrote: »

BABeautifulBadass wrote: »

I'm an inline speedskater. All of our races except one in November have been cancelled, and I expect that one to cancel soon. 🙁 I'm still skating, but haven't been pushing myself as hard as usual, focusing instead on lifting. Then I read something that lit a fire under me: training is more important than ever right now because we may only get one chance to race this year, and we want to be at our best for that one shot. That totally changed my perspective, and I'm back to training hard. If I do get to race in November, I'm going to make sure Ive put in the work to have a phenomenal race!

I dis the Bigfoot Social Distancing half marathon inay, and am doing another virtual race this month, mainly because I like the t shirt. I dont remember the name. The virtual races are fun, but not quite the same thrill as a live race.

I did my first ever triathlon virtually for the T-shirt... a neat memento for the weird time in history. QuaranTri.

I did a virtual one put on by vacation races. Their usual slogan is “run where you play” (they host races at/in national parks.

This one is “ Run where you have to run because you can't go anywhere else right now.”

The race info made me smile a little:

“RACE OVERVIEW
This is a challenging course but also easy, we're not exactly sure what it'll look like for you. Could go either way. There will be plenty of water and leftovers at the aid stations.
Race Day: 4/25-6/17 (or whenever you want, we don't really care)
Reporting Deadline: June 30, 2020
Time: Early morning or late evening or sometime in between
Location: Your house.
Course Type: Loop probably
Stroller Friendly: Why not
Dog friendly: Are you going to make your dog leave?!
Terrain: Road or trail (or maybe carpet)
TRAVEL OVERVIEW
We recommend staying in your house and not going anywhere. Seriously. Don't even think about it. Okay maybe the grocery store but that's IT.
Weather: Whatever your thermostat is set to
Where to fly into: Don't fly, too many germs
Where to Stay: Home (yours, not someone else's)
Driving Directions: Just turn your car on and then off again”

durhammfp

Thanks for all these suggestions. I had never heard of runbet before.