Everything has changed since COVID-19 rolled in and changed our lives. No races. No group runs. Social distancing. Parks closing. Stay home. It is frustrating, but we can still run and even race. Just not all of us in the same place at the same time.
My family was signed up for the Shamrock Marathon weekend festivities earlier this March. Connor and I were set to run the half marathon while Cole was to participate in the Final Mile Kids race. Our hotel was booked. We had taken time off from work to travel to Virginia Beach. Like everything else, the race was canceled. So now what?
A few of my running buddies who had also trained for the half still wanted to run on the date that race was supposed to happen. We chose to travel to the Western Maryland Rail Trail where the course is flat, much like the Shamrock course. Race morning, the four of us, spaced apart at the appropriate 6 feet or more away from each other, took off for an out-and-back 13.1 miles. Even without the adrenaline and nerves of the crowded race start, we all ran solid times for our unofficial half marathons. And it was surprisingly fulfilling to get the miles in and try to push the limits of our training. There was no medal or shirt at the finish line, but we all shared in the accomplishment of a successful “race”.
VIRTUAL RUNNING OPPORTUNITIES AROUND WINCHESTER
Virtual Races for the Winchester Area
Virtual races have been around for a long time. Now they are becoming more mainstream since we can not congregate to race one another. Frederick County Parks and Recreation has organized a Virtual Race Series that allows you to run on your own and record your time to compete with others. Here is the description of the series:
Description of Virtual Race Series – FREE
We invite all runners and anyone looking for some fun, to join us in a competitive Virtual Race Series.
Virtual Race Series Guidelines
1. Each race will consist of finishing the required distance over the course of a weeks time.
2. This is on an honor system. Please only submit accurate times.
3. Run alone or with a group of 10 or less, staying at least 6 feet apart.
4. The race can take place anywhere you currently run, race or love to visit.
5. Submission forms will be completed on a per race basis, and link will be posted on facebook.
6. Run as much as you want during the week. Only submit your fastest completed race time.
7. Awards will be given to the top 3 males and females per race.The Virtual Race Series
Isolation 5K: March 25 – March 30
Beat the Boredom Extra “K” (4 Miles): April 4 – April 11
Enough All Ready! 10K: April 25 – May 1
Peakin’ Out Kids 1 Mile: April 25 – May 1
Connor and I took part in the Isolation 5K and we treated it like a real race morning. We got up early, donned our racing attire, laced our shoes and toed the line of our unofficial 5K course. We knew the loop that we had been using through our neighborhood to get some exercise during these stay-home days was 3 miles, so all we had to add was a tenth of a mile at the end. The official starter (me) did the countdown from 3 … 2 … 1 and we were off. We stayed pretty close together for the first 3/4 of a mile or so until I started to pull away a bit. The old man still has some gas in his tank. This race was a little different from others – no spectators, except for my neighbor who was taking his morning walk. He gave me a funny look as WE WERE running like a bear was chasing US at 7:00 in the morning.
“Virtual … 5 … K!” I told him between gasps. “Connor is coming … behind me”. He probably still thought I was insane.
I had no set time goal. Some of my running friends had shared their Virtual 5k times, so I wanted to be competitive at least. I hammered down the last stretch back past my house to round out the 3.1 miles in 19:02. Not bad. In the upper tier of the times I had seen. Connor cruised in shortly after, panting “John …. told …. me …. to … catch … you.”
After the run, we recorded our times at the link provided for confirmation and uploaded a screenshot of our run data as proof.
It was a lot of fun and I recommend checking out the rest of the Frederick County Parks and Rec. series. Here is a link for more information. https://fcprdrun.wixsite.com/runatthetop/the-virtual-series
Check out the links at the top of this article for other virtual running opportunities here in the Winchester area.