Disclaimer: I received a free to entry into the America Runs Virtual 5k to review 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!”
Since in person races are being cancelled each day, it’s getting harder to stay motivated to run. Even though “running isn’t cancelled”, most runners agree that it’s nice to have a goal to work towards. It helps keeps us motivated if we know we have an event to prepare for. Also, the race day atmosphere is exciting and rewarding all at once. But with actual running events currently on hold, it’s time for those virtual races to shine! So I finally decided to run my first “race” of the year – The Inaugural America Runs Virtual 5k!
The America Runs Virtual 5K is a virtual 5k that can be run anytime between July 27th and September 30th and is open to residents within the Contiguous United States. It’s hosted by Gannett and EnMotive and will be making donations to COVID-19 recovery efforts through the Gannett foundation. 100% of all the money raised will be donated to COVID-19 recovery state funds. So it’s a great way to not only get motivated to run, but to also contribute to a philanthropic effort!
So how do you train for a virtual 5k run? It does take more motivation and discipline – kind of like working from home or going to school online, especially since many running groups have also temporarily dispersed. The best way is to make a plan that best fits your lifestyle. Create a training plan that you can stick to for a good four weeks. And also focus on your nutrition and hydration needs (i.e. cut out junk and drink more water). I also focused more on cross-training in the beginning since I couldn’t get out to run as much with the kiddos being home.
Then I started going on walks to get back into the groove of running.
I finally was ready to start running consistently again, but guess what? July and August are the hottest months and combined with Florida humidity – it was quite the challenge to stay motivated at first. However, I finally adjusted and started to enjoy the heat! I’m a little crazy like that! 🙂
I even took a quick jaunt through Taintsville! 😉
I also made a new running friend along the way! 🙂
And then I was finally ready to run my “official virtual 5k!
The race course 
Official time 
Post-race photo
Although I didn’t achieve a PR (although there is a big debate on whether or not virtual races count as PR’s, but that’s a whole different convo) – I still had fun and was grateful to have this virtual race to motivate me back into running! I wish I could say that I set up a big post-race meal or threw confetti in the air or something to celebrate the finish; however, I just celebrated with some water and a banana.
Although I did take a rest day…
So what was the SWAG?!
I felt like the swag was pretty decent for a virtual 5k! I like receiving swag that I can actually use, like the water bottle and the hat. And I like that the medal has the year on it so I can commemorate what a unique time 2020 was. 😉 You can also log your time on the website to see where you stand on the leaderboard and download your official finisher’s certificate!
Overall, I thought it was a fun virtual event with nice swag! And it’s only $35 to register!
I did see room for a couple of improvements: 1) The event is only open to US residents (excluding Hawaii and Alaska). I do wish this was open worldwide, but given it is the first year I’m sure this opportunity will be considered. 2) The swag came a little later than expected. I would have liked to have had it sooner, but not a huge deal.
But there’s good news! YOU still have time to register! Registration closes on September 30th so there’s still time to run and snag the swag! I hope you will join! 😉
~SM
The Swag Mama 