Racing and Training Virtually
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Janet, a Roadrunners of Kansas City athlete, set a personal record by two minutes in a virtual 10K race this weekend! Cue the band, the post-race treats, the medal, the t-shirt, the race stats chronicled online. Well, OK, there may not be any of those post-race rewards, but nothing supersedes the satisfaction of a PR, even without the extras.
When Janet’s goal half marathon was canceled, Coach Amy added this virtual 10K race to Janet’s personalized training plan to give her the opportunity to celebrate her training efforts and demonstrate her improvements in speed.
As the list of canceled and postponed races grows, runners are left in limbo, unsure about running virtual races and continued training. Many runners struggle without the motivation of a training buddy or run group.
Coach Amy’s suggestion for Janet might differ from her advice to you. Are you excited about an upcoming 5K’s, 10K’s or half marathons? If so, Coach Amy suggests running the race virtually. However, it can be difficult to muster up the same kind of energy without the competition and camaraderie of other runners. If you’re not feeling it, let it go, free from obligation and from the burden of commitment.
Most importantly, runners should focus on staying healthy and injury-free during the pandemic. Coach Amy recommends maintaining base mileage this spring and including one or two quality runs like tempo, hill repeats or fartlek runs to maintain strength. She does not recommend long training runs or virtual marathons.
“Long training runs in excess of fourteen miles temporarily decreases immune function, so running excessive long distances or virtually racing a marathon is riskier right now.”
If you’d like customized advice about virtual training and races or training in general, consider Coach Amy’s online coaching for runners. Spots are limited.
While running in a group isn’t possible right now, consider running virtually with Roadrunners of Kansas City. Sharing selfies on the run with friends and other runners in the community helps you stay accountable, and it also helps us all feel a little less alone out there. While we can’t cue the band and hand out medals, Coach Amy, Janet, and the other RRKC athletes’ likes and comments will come close.