Races provide fuel for viruses. Dozens, hundreds, sometimes thousands of runners in close proximity, breathing for long periods of time greatly increases the risk of getting enough virus in your system to get sick. So races have gone virtual to follow quarantine orders and to protect runners and spectators. A virtual race is when the runners who register for that race run the distance they registered to run anywhere they want, or can, and at any time they want, or can. Runners keep track of their distance and time using GPS enabled apps such as Map My Run or Strava which can be entered into the official race website and share via social media.
When I started running eight years ago, I couldn’t make one lap around a track without walking. I was overweight and it was an iPhone game that motivated me to run and to stick with running. Now I don’t want to stop running and even though I don’t need the Zombies Run Game to keep me going, I’m still playing the game! I don’t know if it was because I started running late in life, or whether it’s because running is hard on the human body, or whether it’s because I just have an unusually weak body, but I have suffered a LOT of injuries in my brief running career. Not all runners increase their distance to the point of running a marathon but I have wanted to do it for a while now. As I increased my distance I wondered, how far can I go? So after running a half marathon I thought, I must try to run a full marathon! As a matter of fact, I have started a marathon training program, the Hal Higdon Novice 2 training, four years in a row and was not able to attempt the marathon race the first three years because I kept injuring myself during the training! I’ve injured my calves, my hamstrings, and abdomen and decided each time to downgrade the race to a 10K or a half marathon rather than attempt a full marathon severely undertrained. This year, my fourth year, 2020, I knew was going to be my year. This was going to be the year I finally finished the full Hal Higdon Novice 2 Marathon training and finally ran a full 26.2 miles in one run! Then the coronavirus hit.
Being susceptible to injury and being a runner who enjoys running but isn’t an extreme runner or an endurance athlete, I don’t average very many miles per week when I’m not training for a marathon I typically average anywhere from 16 to 25 miles per week. That’s really not much. And even training for a marathon I’m averaging 30 to 35 miles per week. That’s not much compared to competitive athletes but it’s fun for me. Running is a lonely sport and our trainings typically mean it’s just the lone runner hitting the pavement unless you belong to running club. That’s why races are so cool. It’s our one chance to run with other fellow runners! The one chance to be around people who love what you love. So when a race goes virtual, and I do a few virtual races a year even during normal years, it’s kind of sad. There’s something about running with others and the nerves of wanting to do well that makes us run just a little harder and a little faster during a race. When I feel like slowing down while running down my street with no one looking, I will slow down more often than not (unless zombies start chasing me on my Zombies Run Game!). During a race, when you slow down other runners will pass you. That’s motivating to push a little harder and keep up a faster pace.
So with races going virtual all over the world some of us will continue to train, even for our first marathon. Besides, for me, it’s to prove that I can finish the training plan and actually run my first marathon! This Saturday, May 16, I will have made it farther in the training program than the previous three years! Two weeks ago, I ran 19 miles straight (out and back actually) and this weekend I will run 20 miles! The 19-mile run was the farthest I’ve gotten so hitting that 20-mile goal is very special to me. Plus after that 20-miler, the plan is to start tapering down in mileage so my muscles will be fresh on marathon day (June 6 or June 7, I haven’t decided which day to run), so that will make it much less likely that I will injure myself again. This year I’ve gotten farther than the past three years because of one change I made, I slowed down my pace. I was planning on running my first marathon at my 10K or half marathon pace for no other reason than because I just didn’t know any better. On good days, I can run a 5K (3.1 miles) at just over an 8 minute per mile pace. I can run a 10K (6.2 miles) at about an 8:40 minute per mile pace. Increase the distance to a half marathon (13.1 miles) and my pace slows to over 9 minutes per mile. A marathon, 26.2 miles, is a different beast altogether and for my body, running around 9 to 10 minutes per mile and trying to keep that pace up for 20 to 30 miles per week has resulted in injured calves, hamstrings, and abdominal tissues. So I followed the prescribed plan for my training and have been running anything over 11 miles at a 10:30 to 11 minute per mile pace. Running at around and over 11 minutes per mile has allowed me to continue running for the past two and a half months without injury! At this rate, I feel like I can make it to June, especially since I’ll be decreasing my weekly mileage after this weekend! Then it’s on my way to finally attempt a full marathon!
The North Olympic Discovery Marathon is the race that I have signed up for four years in a row! The first two years I downgraded from the full marathon to a 10K and last year I downgraded to a half marathon. It’s bittersweet that things are going so well this year, the year I could finally run a full marathon, because not only will I be running it ALONE, but I will be running down the road I’ve run on for the past seven years! I’m going to miss the discovery trail but plan on running down my road because there just aren’t many people on it at all. The last thing I need is to be breathing in any germs while running the longest distance I’ve ever run in my life!
So who trains for a marathon during a pandemic? Am I being obsessive? Or am I showing grit and perseverance? It’s probably a combination of all those things. What are our students doing that they are passionate about? And can they do those things while quarantined? I can’t imagine not being able to get outside and run the four times a week I run. And I can run without a mask because I’m usually all alone aside from passing cars. And if other people were to pass me, it’s unlikely that I would breathe in enough virus, if they were infected and asymptomatic, to actually get sick. Treadmill? Yeah, we have one. And I seem to get injured when running on a treadmill more often than running outdoors! I seem to have horrible treadmill form, I guess! I’m both hopeful and confident that I’ll make it this year. I’ve even made a Staying Fit At Home assignment for my students where we all share what we are doing to stay fit while confined to our homes. And for me, I’ve told my students that I will be dedicating every mile I run to them and their education. Plus, I asked them to cheer me on so I don’t feel like I’m doing this all by myself. On the Staying Fit At Home discussion board, my 6th graders are sharing their playing volleyball or doing exercises indoors when it’s raining, running across fields for those who live on farms or have yards, lots of bike riding (I’ve seen a few when I go out for runs), walking dogs, practicing soccer, mowing lawns, running around in a circle, and shoveling dirt! ?
So there’s nothing wrong with a little obsession, especially if you are safe.
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Update on 6-7-20: Yesterday I went out of my house at 12:57 pm and I wobbled back at about 6 pm having run my first ever Marathon in 4 hours 57 minutes and 54 seconds! It was tough and lonely but I did it! One of my colleagues and a good friend who lives about six miles away from me came out in the rain to take a photo of me and cheer me and that was so cool! I’m glad I did it even though I didn’t get to see all the other runners who signed up for the North Olympic Discovery Marathon Race.
