A few months ago, I participated in a virtual race. It was a 5k put on by a local race organization, PACE Runs. I have participated in a few races in the past put on by PACE Runs, but this was my first time doing a virtual race.

Because the virtual race uses elapsed time, I wanted to find a course where I would have as little disruption as possible. Living in the city, I often run on sidewalks where I have to dodge dog walkers, children on bikes, and wait at street corners for streetlights to change so I can safely cross the street. I do live close enough to some parks where I could run uninterrupted so I opted to run to a local park where I could do several loops to equal a 5K distance.

The day I ran, it was hot, but I was only doing a 5k and I brought a water bottle to have along the way. I was also fortunate that the route was fairly shaded. When I finished, I submitted my time to PACE Runs and a few days later, I got my medal and my PACE Runs mask!

So when thinking about your virtual race, decide whether you need you will need to bring water or if you have access to water fountains as you will not likely have the same support you would if you were participating in a live race.

Keep on running!