11 Reasons Why You Need To Be Doing Virtual Races

The air is crisp as you bounce around checking the porta potty lines, checking your watch, checking your watch, anxiety building…it’s that start line feeling. And while you can’t recreate it with a Virtual Race, you CAN get some killer benefits from including them in your training.

You sign up online and complete challenges on your own schedule, but you still get many of the benefits of a real-life competition, including:

• accolades,
• community support
• virtual competitors
• the BLING

Virtual race medals are a super fun way to motivate yourself and add a little fun to your group workouts. I’ve found this to be HUGELY motivational for some of the women I coach who live in areas where there are very few races for a large part of the year.

Garfield Goes Running

That’s right, even the donut loving Garfield is joining in on the virtual racing fun!!! Garfield creator Jim Davis has decided that he wants to help get more people moving so he’s doing it himself while encouraging our famous four legged pal.

Disney Virtual runs have become a big thing in the last few years, but I’m a much bigger fan of one’s like this because the medals and swag are SO MUCH BETTER for the price!! If you aren’t going to experience the parks, then you might as well get more to love at home.

“Garfield stayed in bed while I took a 5K stroll through the Indiana countryside this morning. What a glorious day! My time was one hour two minutes which isn’t bad for the Geezer Division. Now for that donut!” — Jim Davis

Maybe you’ve looked in to a Disney Virtual Race because you so love the themes…I gotta tell you this is better.

It’s half the cost and the swag is 10x’s better.

Garfield’s Donut Run

• Registration Closes on June 19th (Garfield’s birthday!!!)
• Code RTTF15 gets you 15% off registration
• Click here to register!
• Choose YOUR race distance, what’s best to push your training right now
• The swag is beyond anything I’ve seen from other races: this certified Garfield merchandise! HIGH QUALITY
• Unlike many virtual races this one still has a charity component: Professor Garfield Foundation is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) and a nationally recognized leader in teacher training and digital education.

Swag doesn’t us usually get my attention, but this is a whole different ballgame, especially for those of you who love RunDisney or of course Garfield!!!

Exclusive limited edition Garfield / Jim Davis lithographs are a free gift* for the Everything but the Kitchen Sink virtual race packages! The medal is out of site, the shirts are so cute, plus hello your littlest supporters might even make signs for your run with one of the plushies coming their way!

Best virtual race with medal!

11 Reasons to Sign up For a Virtual Race

Here are the top 11 reasons I’m recommending more virtual racing to my athletes! And why I’m going to be using the Garfield’s Donut Run to add in some speedwork as I work towards my A races! 

1) Flexible Timing
You’ve got more races that you’d like to do than time and you find races rarely fit in your calendar with work, kids, travel, but you still need a goal to stay motivated.

2) Stress Free
Bad weather? Hit the treadmill.
Feeling lethargic? Just enjoy the miles.
Kids got sick so you didn’t sleep? Reschedule.

3) Gear Testing
Not sure about your new Flipbelt or hydration pack? Test it out in a scenario where you’re pushing hard and just slightly outside your comfort zone.

4) Food Testing
Your normal oatmeal pre-long run, might turn out to be too much to digest when you turn up the pace. Try out some different ideas for pre-run snacks

5) Intensity Motivator
You might find that you surprise yourself with a distance PR simply because you’ve been able to get in the racing mindset and you’ll be sharing your results

6) Readiness
Wondering if you can tackle a longer distance? While a big race might add some motivation, it often scares many away from even trying…this is a chance to test the waters.

Everything you need to know to get the most from a #virtualrace - and why you need to do them! #runchat Click To Tweet

7) Marathon Training Motivation
18-24 weeks of training for a single race often leaves people feeling burned out. If you sprinkle in some fun virtual 5k’s, 10k’s or even half marathons along the way it allows you to work on speed and have additional goals.

8) Community
One of the reasons I encourage the annual Resolution Run is because it’s a chance to run with those near and dear to you. Sometimes having a goal beyond just a run will excite them and with some of the swag that virtual races now provide it’s a major bonus (see below).

Virtual runs for charity are also becoming increasingly common. You’ll find a number of them that allow you to make a donation with your registration.

9) Embarrassment Free
One of my favorite, ok I love them all equally, athletes was terrified to sign up for a race. She didn’t consider herself a runner though she’s faster than many people I know! A virtual race allows you to start treating yourself like the runner you are without worrying about all the logistics or others looking at you.

10) Summertime Activities
Kids going crazy in your house? How about organizing a neighborhood run with a virtual race like Never Give Up where they get shirts, medals, stickers and obviously some bragging rights after they put on that race  bib and go!

11) BLING, BLING, BLING
Virtual races have come a long way and now they always include some hardware and great shirts! Virtual races with medals aren’t always the case, but I think it’s super fun when they do because so many folks LOVE their bling!

“If you’re a competitive person, it can be as motivating and fulfilling as a ‘real’ race,” says Matt Dubberley, a former professional cyclist. “The community sees what you do and can be engaged in your activities, even thought they aren’t with you while you’re doing them.” – Outside online

How to do a Virtual Race

Let’s not over complicate this, that’s part of what makes Virtual Racing such a great thing!

1. Select a Race like the Garfield Virtual Race!!
2. Mark your calendar for the date you’ll do the race:
   1. It could be part of your training plan, per a coach
   2. It could be on a specific day like New Year’s or Thanksgiving
   3. It could ask you to run a certain number of miles over a given time period
3. Run your race
4. Share on your social media using #runwithcharacter to get support from others
5. Post your results and then enjoy your hard earned medal for Instagram Medal Monday!
6. Proudly display that medal on your medal hanger!

Have you ever done a Virtual Race?

What would get you excited to do one?

Other ways to connect with Amanda

Twitter: @runtothefinish

Instagram: RunToTheFinish

Facebook: RunToTheFinish

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Character run, Garfield imagery ©PAWS. All Rights Reserved.