Virtually Crossing That Finish Line - NYRR Halfway There 13.1M Results

Disclaimer: I am participating in the NYRR Virtual Halfway There 13.1M as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

You may recall a few weeks ago, I told you about the NYRR Virtual Halfway There 13.1M virtual race that had registered for. Well, the virtual finish line has passed for 7600+ participants who joined on Strava. So how did it go?

Well we had from Sept. 7th until Oct. 13th to cover the 13.1 Half Marathon miles, anytime, anyplace. I had a few different options for mine since I have been pretty aggressively training for the Rock n Roll Savannah Half Marathon on Nov. 2nd. In fact, I had 4 weekends during that time that I was scheduled to run 13 or more miles. 

I eventually picked Sept. 28th as my "official" race day. This ended up being pretty big running day for another reason, I joined a new running club that day also. I had known several members of Fast Feet over the years, but had never officially run with them, so I figured, sure, let's share a Virtual race. I think my logic was that I would be less nervous about both if I combined them. Well, I guess it worked, because I had an awesome run with some awesome people. 

My goal for my training plan that day was to run 13 miles at a 10:00 pace. Oops, I ran 13.28 at a 9:43 (I'm terrible at slowing down when I need to). But I was happy with my time, and happy with my run. I of course tracked everything with Strava so I got an awesome little badge for my account and added to the leaderboard. Fun! 

My Strava Results Screen

Overall, it was a lot of fun. I got to connect with some awesome people by joining both the Strava Challenge group and the NYRR Virtual Racing Facebook Group. Virtual races like these are awesome opportunities to help motivate you and connect you to other runners. Plus you can pick your date/time so if the weather is not optimal, no big deal, move it! 

I would totally do another NYRR Virtual. And lucky for me, they have several! Just check out their website here for more upcoming races and details. https://nyrr.org/run/race-calendar

Have you ever run a virtual race? If so, which one and what did you like or not like about it? Let me know in the comments below.

Virtually Running with NYRR - Halfway There 13.1M

Disclaimer: I am participating in the NYRR Virtual Halfway There 13.1M as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

So if you are a regular reader of this blog you have heard (seen) me extol the virtues of Virtual Racing before both here: https://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-benefits-of-racing-virtually.html and here: https://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2019/06/join-me-for-world-refugee-5k.html 

I'll summarize: Virtual racing is awesome. You can do your race anytime, anywhere and still get to be involved with other amazing runners completing the same challenges as you. I'm very pro. 

Well, I am at it again! Just signed up for another Virtual Race and this one I am a bit stupid excited  about, the NYRR Virtual Halfway There 13.1M! See, running the TCS New York City Marathon and Half Marathon is one of those dream races. But with my budget and schedule, sadly it is one of those races that I will probably never get the chance to do. (Never say never, right?)

And that is the beauty of Virtual Racing. I can run right along with those who are training for the TCS New York City Marathon and Half Marathon without having to travel. 

And you know the best part of this Virtual Race? It's absolutely FREE! You just need to register for a free account with the NYRR and with Strava and you are good to go. Just do your Half Marathon wherever, whenever you want before October 13th and log it with Strava as a Race and you will join Virtual runners all over the world.

Since the Virtual Race is powered by Strava, there are a few minor disclaimers:

• The Challenge starts and ends based on each runner's local time zone.

• All activities logged during the Challenge period must be uploaded to Strava no later than three days after the Challenge ends.

• Manual entries, virtual runs, or treadmill runs are not eligible. Activity privacy settings must be marked "Everyone" to count towards the Challenge goal.

• Each activity must be tagged as a "Race" in order to count towards the challenge and influence an athlete's leaderboard position.

There's also a little extra cool thing for those who are doing the actual NYC race. Show your badge of completion at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo Presented by New Balance from October 31 to November 2 for a surprise gift (limited supplies, first-come, first served).

Decisions, decisions... 

Now for the hard part - I have to decide when to run it! I am currently training for the Rock n Roll Savannah Half Marathon the first weekend in November. Between now and the October 13th race deadline I have four 13 mile or higher long runs on my training schedule. I could go with one of two different strategies - 1) go ahead and use the first one to knock it out and get the accomplishment or 2) pick my fastest long run time to count for the race. Or, I could just pick one of the weeks and say beforehand - this is the one. I've got a bit to decide. Which would you do?

Let me know in the comments if you plan to join me and the already over 4,500 other runners registered. Follow this link to sign up: https://www.nyrr.org/races/nyrrvirtualhalfwaythere131m 
You can visit the Strava event page here for more details as well: https://www.strava.com/challenges/nyrr-virtual-half-marathon-2019
There is even a Facebook Group that you can join to further connect with your other Virtual Running Buddies. 

But don't delay, the Virtual has already started and runners are completing their race every day! Don't miss out.