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Thursday, January 20, 2022

A Solo Virtual 13.1...some thoughts



As the saying goes, "I can do hard things."

And, once in awhile, I can do said hard things on my own and with a smile.

Case in point: The Key West Half Marathon. I chose to run it virtually, on my own, mostly in the o'dark hours, sans friends or course support. And, I finished with a crazy dose of finish line endorphins, believe it or not.

First off, I had been registered for this epic event since last summer. I knew we'd be in Florida, for the month of January, so why not? Long story short, I was naive in thinking lodging would be easy to come by, or affordable if you could actually score a place. As race day drew near, I considered just driving there (on race day) and driving back...but that didn't pan out either. And, to further complicate matters, my right hip flexor had been giving me some attitude, so I was leery of risking such a big travel agenda only to have to bail on the start line or DNF while on the race course.

Thus, I decided my best option would be to run the 13.1 miles virtually. After all, I'd still be running those 13.1 miles in the state of Florida, so that would somewhat mimic the race day conditions (weather-wise, palm trees, etc. LOL). A bonus would be that I could do it on my own terms, and there would be ZERO time in the car before or after (which my entire body, especially my hip, would appreciate).

So, how did that work for me? In a nutshell, it worked out remarkably well!

Here are five key challenges I had to face in making this virtual Key West 13.1 a successful endeavor:

Realistic expectations. Even though my training had been a bit botched in recent weeks (my longest run had been eight miles, back in mid-December), I had high hopes my endurance would still be able to carry me. But, there was that thing going on with my hip flexor (and recent back pain)...so, I knew I had to take things easy. It would have been ever-so-stupid (and quite arrogant, truth be told) to even think a PR could happen, so I focused on the (virtual) finish line and not the finish time. There would be walk breaks (several of them, LOL), but they would probably be necessary.

I definitely had the weather on my side!

The location. Although I have run several races in Florida, I have never run a half marathon in the sunshine state. That said, I had only been in my immediate area for a couple weeks. I had some shorter routes I'd discovered, but I hadn't had the time to map out an actual 13.1-mile "race course." My game plan was to run these shorter routes (which are all loops), and that would allow me the option to swing by our place for water or fuel or a potty stop.

In the wee-dark hours. I am no stranger to running in the early, pre-sunrise hours. I have already done many such runs, during our snowbirding gig. With other Saturday plans on the agenda, I had to get this virtual race done early...which meant a 5:35 start time. Thankfully, this is a very well-lit area, with numerous golf cart paths and plenty of sidewalks (and very few streets to cross). It wasn't until between the eighth and ninth mile that I had the beginning of daylight.  

finally, a sunrise

My entertainment: Me, Myself and I. I'm also no stranger to running solo. Setting out to run 13.1 miles all on my own (in a somewhat still unfamiliar place), though, was a major mental undertaking. Most know that I no longer bring along my headphones or music, so I didn't have any outside sources to distract (or entertain) me from the task at hand. I did see several other walkers, though, at that early hour, as well as many golf carts (already!) driving around.

No race day amenities. As most know, running a virtual race is simply just not the same as being on an actual race course. There were no fellow runners to chat with, or share support or encouragement. Obviously, there weren't any water stands. I didn't see one spectator with a clever sign. I didn't hear any cowbells. I didn't even get any immediate swag (more on that below). But, when my Garmin showed 13.1, I felt quite accomplished, and (dare I say?) victorious!


Alas, all went surprisingly well. The mid-40F temps were chilly, but comfortable (thankfully, I successfully had my layering game on-point). I did take several walk breaks (at mile marks 3.5, 6 and 9) and only paused my Garmin for my two potty stops (a perk of running virtual, LOL). Although my finish time is nothing stellar (in comparison to my usual half marathon finish time of 2:05ish), I'm fine with it. If I had to guess, I'd say my "walking time" was anywhere between 10-15 cumulative minutes. Taking those minutes into consideration, my finish time was not too far off. Oh well, it's not like I was in contention for any awards anyways, LOL.

Definitely one of my slower finishes, but a finish none the less

As mentioned, I didn't get my swag at the (virtual) finish line, nor do I know when it will arrive. Having rallied all my grit and perseverance to run these 13.1 miles, on my own (with a compromised pace), I will have ZERO guilt wearing the event shirt. This also was my first-ever January half marathon, so this event shirt will have a great deal of sentimental value when it shows up in my mailbox.

Isn't this a thing of beauty!

And, the medal! How could I not want this baby as a keepsake?

gotta love the rooster-themed medal!

So, that's what went down on a chilly (very) early Saturday morning on the streets of Florida. I was several hours north of the in-person event, but I had a similar setting. I just didn't have any roosters on the race course! 

Have you ever taken on a virtual race? If so, did you run it solo or with a friend(s)? Would you take a DNF over running a virtual half marathon?

  I'm linking this with MichelleReneeDarleneJenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.



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20 comments:

  1. Well done, Kim! It takes a lot of grit to get out in the dark and run for nearly 2.5 hours all on your own!
    I would have taken it easy too. There's nothing wrong with walking breaks and pit stops in a virtual race. :-)
    That race shirt is right up your street. Please show us what it looks like when it arrives in the mail!

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    1. Thank you, Catrina! This was an interesting undertaking...but my gut told me I could do it. I'm SOOO excited to see the race shirt in person! Yes, I'll be sure share a pic (or two).

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  2. While I've never run a virtual half, I have run other virtual races. I also did my 17 mile run in prep for my 18 mile race solo, but here at home, on a path I know like the back of my hand.

    That said I always run on vacations (well, almost always) and I've done some relatively long runs in new areas (for a half marathoner, anyway). It's always fun!

    I'm so glad you enjoyed your virtual half, Kim, and that is a cool medal! Maybe it's a good thing there were no roosters on the route, LOL!

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    1. This worked out great, and I actually had better weather than they did on race day ;-)

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  3. It is definitely challenging to do a virtual race in a new place without any support. The adrenaline of an in person race often carries me through. Sounds like you made a smart move

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    1. There were plenty of challenges to face, but that just made the "finish line" that much more exciting ;-)

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  4. That race has always been on my bucket list.

    And in 2020 I had to run SIX virtual half marathons.

    Two I ran two with friends. I got medals for all and in my book they all count. They were slow and not much fun.

    Sorry that you couldn't run the real one. But kudos to you and getting it done. At least it was not in the freezing cold or rain.

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    1. I have done a few virtual halfs before, but never entirely on my own (and they were always in my hometown).

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  5. This is so fun! I love the idea of setting out on your own for an adventure like this. I'm glad you didn't try to drive to Key West- it is a deceptively LONG drive, even from where I am, and you're a couple hours north of me. You made the perfect choice, and TOTALLY deserve the medal and race shirt! Congratulations!

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    1. I had been corresponding with another person, about possibly carpooling...and he said it was probably an 8-hour drive (one way) from my place! A big no-thanks to that!

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  6. Way to get it done Kim! I have run one virtual half and pretty much vowed to never do one again LOL - definitely a good mental challenge! It definitely sounds like you made a wise decision to do this on your own terms and you most definitely earned that race swag :)

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    1. Thanks, Michelle ;-) We need these kind of challenges to keep our "grit reserve" on task ;-)

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  7. Well done! And doing it so early in the morning is a great tactic. You ran a 1/2 before most people were on their first cup of coffee.

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    1. Ha ha...that was part of the fun, getting it done before others had even started their day ;-)

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  8. I ran two virtual halfs in 2020, and looking back on it, they were two of my best half experiences. The thing that I enjoyed the most was creating my own courses. I "bundled" some of my favorite running routes to get the distance, and had the start and finish lines close to home. The hardest part was having enough water, since this was before I had a hydration vest. The easiest thing to do would have been looping by my house, but I didn't want to give myself the temptation to quit.

    The best part about the 2nd virtual was that I ran it on the "real" race day at the real start time and several other runners did the same, so that added just a touch of reality to the virtual event.

    If I was in your situation where I couldn't get to the real event I would TOTALLY run another virtual race. Last year I was pretty jealous of your Air Force 10k swag, and I don't have a reason to go to Dayton, so that might be one that I would do virtually sometime.

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    1. Running your second one, on the real race day (with others), would really make it seem more real. I actually ran this a day early, and had much better weather than the ones who ran it live ;-)

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  9. Well done, it's not easy to run a half solo and with the start at 05:30 a.m.! Sorry you couldn't run the real race.
    I agree to stop the Garmin for the pit-stops during the virtual.
    I have only run some virtual 5 km. It's difficult for me to stay focused for longer distances at the race pace.

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    1. Yeah, I kept the Garmin going for all the walking, but I paused it for the pit stops. Heck, why not? I just kept my focus because I knew the race shirt (and medal) would be coming and I didn't want to feel like a schmuck receiving them, LOL

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  10. Well done! I love that medal so much and was bummed I couldn't get down to the Keys to claim one of my own. Boooo.

    If it came down to a virtual or DNS/DNF, I would take on the virtual, for sure. I'm not sure I would want to do 13.1 miles virtually, but at the end of the day, why not?

    I'm so glad you were able to make it work!

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  11. Congrats on completing the Key West Half Marathon - I love the medal and the shirt! I'm well aware of how expensive hotels are in the Keys in January. LOL Our trip was very expensive considering the short amount of time that we were there.

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