We Are All Connected
Running is the passion that unites us, the reason many of us met, and a big part of our lives. Sunday's NYRR NYC Half Marathon was canceled. It was the right decision, but it was a disappointment for many of us who trained hard for weeks.
Fortunately, virtual racing was an option that we were happy to use! What is Virtual racing? NYRR issue several races that can be run anywhere during a certain timeframe. Most of the races are free; some of them offer guaranteed entry to another race and require a fee. The rules are: (i) you must run outdoor, and (ii) you need to record your race on Strava.
Strava has a leaderboard with all the results of the virtual races. Thus, running a virtual race is a great way to feel connected with your friends who live far away and with strangers who are running all over the world.
This weekend was the perfect day for a Virtual Race. We decided it would be better if everyone ran on their own in their neighborhood . As a result, our team covered three NYC boroughs: Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
We are used to meet up, run in a group, and have breakfast or lunch after our training or race. Today, each of us had their own routine, but we were virtually together.
Amina, Chiara, Dario, Elda, Elena, Ilaria, Matteo, Paola, Silvia, and Stefania ran the NYRR NYC Half – Virtual 13.1M. Emanuele, Valeria, and Xiomara ran the NYRR NYC Half - Virtual 5K. Federica B., Federica C., and Romualdo are training for the Brooklyn Half and had their first long run.
Kudos to everybody for their achievement and for keeping alive your passion for running. If you ran the virtual half marathon, do not forget to rest and hydrate. Be nice with your body and give it time, food, and hydration!
What can we do during the next few weeks, especially now that we cannot even meet for our weekly group training? Some of us are starting the training for the Brooklyn Half this week (still nine weeks to go!). We will also schedule some Virtual trainings and identify some challenges that we could all join. Stay tuned!
This week we have learned that even though running is often considered an individualistic sport, it is not. Today we proved that running connects people. People you know and people you don't know. People near you and people across the ocean.
Stay healthy and keep up the good work!