The Thrifty Runner: Why I ran a Virtual Marathon

Hi. Remember me? Holly (Thrifty Runner) here! So...2020 was crazy, right? I wrote this awhile ago and because of job/depression/anxiety/impostor syndrome issues, it sat in my drafts folder...along with drafts for the fall races I got to run in 2019, 2019 Bird Camp and the ONE race I got to run in person in 2020. So I'm publishing this now in the hope that it'll be the kick in the butt I need to start writing again and keep me hopeful that there's even a remote chance that racing can start again later this year.

So without further ado, here's my recap of my second marathon ever...which was virtual because 2020. Enjoy!

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I never thought I would only run one race in 2020 and it would be one that I signed up for on a whim and never took super seriously. It was just a training run.

Then Covid.

When Covid hit in March my entire race season was bumped to the fall and then cancelled, went virtual or given the option to defer to the next year's race. I had a friend who was signed up to run a marathon in the fall and I was one of those people who said "why would you want to run a marathon virtually? That sounds like a TERRIBLE idea. DEFER!"

Then I thought about it. And honestly, it didn't sound like the worst idea.

I needed routine.

Like a lot of people, I lost my job due to covid. Not only did I lose a paycheck, I lost a sense of routine. I cried when I had to pack up everything from my job, not knowing if I would ever need it again. (I still don't, but I sincerely miss it.) Having a run on my calendar and knowing I have to get it done to move on with my day doesn't sound like much, but it's something when you don't have much else on your schedule.

I needed something to work towards.

I was just running for the sake of movement. I didn't have any sort of training plan so I'd run 30 minutes one day, an hour another, if I was feeling extra anxious I'd go for a longer run. After a point it felt weird not having anything prescribed and I started dreading getting in my runs and boot camp workouts. (There are still some days I don't want to run, but having that end goal helps!)

I needed an event on the calendar to be excited about.

With having so much cancelled and so many scary things happening in the world, I needed something to genuinely be excited about.

I needed to get out of the house.

The last time I ran outside just after all the shutdowns and race cancellations began was April 6th. Until I started training for the virtual marathon all my runs were inside on the treadmill because being outside and knowing the virus was out there too was terrifying since I'm considered to be borderline high risk. So my husband started doing all of the grocery shopping and errands outside of the house and I stayed home. I spent the entire summer indoors and didn't run outside again until August 23rd when I was officially in training. I ran two half marathons on my treadmill. Even though I picked really good movies to watch while running, it wasn't the same.

I needed something to be proud of in a time of so much disappointment and sadness.

With so much going on, I wanted to have a story to be able to tell people later when we're able to get together again.

It was the 45th year of the Marine Corps Marathon.

This race has a special place in my heart because it was my first 10k ever, and also my first marathon. Since it was the 45th year, there was a special medal with sand from Iwo Jima inside of it. That was enough to make me decide I had to get that medal.

I found a training plan that would put me at running on the original MCM race day.

The training plan I used was by Lauren Fleshman and is 11 weeks long. It was intense, but doable. Just for good measure since I was actually 12 weeks out when I started, I gave myself a week to ramp up the mileage again and did a long run of 6 miles instead of 8.

Race day was super flexible--just run 26.2 anytime from September 27th to November 10th.

How often is THAT an option? If my original choice for race day doesn't have great weather, I'll bump it to another day. The fitness will still be there!

No waiting around for the race to start.

I can just go out my front door or drive to a course and run. No waiting around. No time to get cold on race morning!

Cost!

When I ran the MCM in 2017, it cost $166 and it's gotten more expensive since then. (It was $180 in 2019, and before going virtual it was $171.90.) In 2020? $49.34! You will be hard pressed to find any in-person marathon for that much.

So here's how it went...

I did my 20 mile run, and was starting to contemplate if I should just go ahead and do my marathon the following weekend. I consulted a few running friends and a lot were encouraging to just go ahead and do it. Everything was aligning to it being a fantastic weekend--chilly when I would start, but not get super hot that day. I also had a Friday off from my new job, so throughout the week I slowly started getting ready and planning everything out.

The Brooks race merch dropped the day before I had tentatively planned to run and I was so excited to get a hoodie, half zip and a finisher's shirt. Later that day I got my shipping confirmation and it was all due to arrive the Monday after, so I had to run it now. That same morning I locked myself into picking up my packet with my shirt, medal and race mask (because 2020) the following weekend, so I had to do it ideally before getting my hands on the swag.

I decided to go to the NCR trail where I had run my 20 miler for my first marathon. If I was going to have my redemption marathon, I wanted to do it in the same place where I had a terrible training run for my first marathon. (My IT bands got angry super early on. I pushed through it and paid for it right up through race day.) The trail is flat and would be beautiful with the leaves changing. The trail is also somewhat known for a hill covered with garden gnomes. I've never made it far enough to see it, and I at least wanted to make it far enough to finally see it.

I loaded my hydration vest with gels, two water bottles and mixed some Nuun Endurance in one of my larger bladders. I put a couple picky bars on top of my pack so I would eat one on my drive to the trail head, and have another for after I finished. I also filled a small blender bottle with water and put a scoop of Nuun Recovery into a small container so I could mix it after finishing. Before I left, the bottle went into a small cooler with an ice pack with a bigger bottle of water that I would leave plain.

On race morning, I was feeling good and ready to go. Even though I had decided to run my full marathon that day, I promised myself if I wasn't feeling good I could turn around at any time and try again later. No pressure.

And it felt magical. I got to the trail a little after 7:15 and there were very few cars in the parking lot so I was feeling good that there wouldn't be a lot of people at least for awhile. Once the sun was up, the views were stunning.

So as my watch ticked off the miles I was in shock. I had trained to be able to run my marathon in 5:30, maybe 5:15 if I was doing well so I knew I had to keep between a 12:00 and 12:30 per mile pace. That first mile was 12:08 so I was like "perfect. Gotta keep that up." Then I started hitting miles in the 11:00-11:30ish and started thinking "Oh no. This feels good but I am SO going to bonk!" And I just kept going. And going. Boom. Nailing my paces every time. I made it to the fabled gnome hill and I was NOT disappointed.

It was just as glorious at mile 11 as I had imagined it would be. I even hit a 10:59 mile for mile 15!

The scenery was still gorgeous.

Then I hit mile 18 and I was ready to be done. My IT bands started twinging, so that didn't help at all. My paces started getting more towards 12 minutes + because I was over it. I texted my husband and started counting down how much further I had to go. He sent a few texts back encouraging me. I knew I had to finish it. There was only one way back and it was right in front of me. I took the time to enjoy my surroundings and remember I may not do this again, so I needed to embrace it. My slowest mile was number 25 at 13:09.

The second my watch said I hit 26.2 I stopped my watch. I wasn't in the same place where I started my watch, but I could at least see my car. I walked over to a bench and started stretching and looked at my watch and I was in shock. My watch said 5:08:54. I not only hit my goal of breaking 5:30, I freaking obliterated it. It felt amazing to text my husband that I finished, then immediately I texted some of my friends that I'm in a group text with and told them what I had done. (I hadn't even told them I was going to attempt my marathon JUST in case it went sideways because 2020.)

After some more texts and stretches, I walked back to my car feeling pretty good--definitely not like after my first marathon! I opened the back door and pulled back the cargo area cover, sat down, pulled out my picky bar and mixed my Nuun recovery while eating. It felt amazing to be done but I knew I was on borrowed time. I needed to get home, eat some more, keep rehydrating, shower and nap and I had an hour to do it, maybe two.

So after drinking my Nuun, I headed home. I felt triumphant and was so happy to be home and tell my husband about my morning and show him my pictures. And I was so ready for food, a shower and a long nap.

After everything, would I do it again? Shockingly, YES! I'm a slow-ish runner who is not super likely to qualify for Boston and I'm not focused on that (at least at the moment. Maybe someday though!) The convenience of choosing when AND where to run the race was so totally worth it. And with it being a Marine Corps race? Even better.

The next weekend when I drove out to Quantico to get my swag, it was SUPER easy (and if you're in the DMV you know that part of 95 is generally a nightmare. I managed to luck out and it wasn't terrible!) Once I got home, I ripped open the envelopes for the marathon and the 10k and was not disappointed. (Okay I was a little salty that the 10k and the marathon distances got the same masks and both said 26.2 on them. However in my case it was nice to get a backup in case anything happens to one of my masks!) The swag pack also include the tech fabric half zip (pretty similar to 2019's premium), a patch, a postcard with a note from Rick Nealis (the race director) and some Honey Stinger waffles!