It's no secret that this time around marathon training has been a bit rough. Back in February I was feeling super far behind in my training, and while I picked it up a bit through March, I came to the realization that registering for this marathon wasn't looking like it would be fiscally possible this time around. And, with a heavy heart, I've had to make the decision that this $100 race registration isn't something I could commit to right now. I'm really sad about it because I really wanted to make a spring marathon work this year, but it's just not looking possible.
BUT - it's okay. I still plan to run marathon #4 this year at some point when I've got a bit more wiggle room in my budget. There are some upcoming changes in my life (which I know I'll speak about here soon) that's going to make saving money and purchasing some fun things (like race registrations!) possible. I'm searching around for some late-summer and autumn marathons that I can shoot for, and in the meantime continue to train while running some half marathons and other distance races. It just really stinks sometimes just how expensive race registration fees (especially for marathons) can be!
I AM, however, still planning on running a race on the day of the Rhode Races (which the Providence Marathon is a part of). If you're not familiar with Virtual Strides, it's a Virtual racing company that focuses on a different charity each month. Basically, you sign up for the race you'd like to run, they create a custom bib that you can print and wear and then they mail you a medal that you can rock after you're done running your race! For each race you can choose between 5K, 10K, and half marathon distances and each distance is the same price. You run the distance on your own timeline (they do have a time frame that you need to complete the distance by) and when you complete it you upload your time to the website and you can even share a photo of you on "race day"! It's a really easy and affordable way to race and feel a part of the running community even if you're running solo.
On May 1st, I'll be running the One Tough Mother Runner virtual half marathon that benefits the Family Lives on Foundation. This will be my first virtual race and I'm very interested to see how it goes! I'm excited that I'll still get to run a long-distance race on the day that I was hoping to, even if it wasn't *exactly* what I was planning. PLUS a portion of the registration fee will be going toward benefiting children in need. I'll be posting a review of my experience here on the blog (of course) but for now, here's a little glimpse at my bib! :)
Have you ever run a virtual race before? I would love to hear your thoughts!
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