Crush Your Virtual Race (Part II: The Route)
Read the intro to this series in Crush Your Virtual Race (Part I: Mindset).
The Perfect Route
Design a race course that suits all your strengths!
A virtual race is an awesome opportunity to take control in an area where the runners almost never have control: the Race Course.
In normal circumstances, I ask every runner I coach to preview their race course as much as possible. That means at minimum, they should check out the course map and elevation profile ahead of time and prepare accordingly. One step better is a preview run on the course. Races often provide course preview events for training runs leading up to the big event. Learning the course is an important part of mental preparation for race day. There are many uncertainties on race day - the course shouldn’t be one of them.
Virtual racing lets us choose our own race course! This is an awesome chance to set the table for a successful run. Here are my considerations for designing your race course:
The Original Race Course
Why not just run the course planned for the original race event? Here’s why I discourage it and why most race organizers do as well: races plan their courses with the cooperation and support of local traffic police to close roads and intersections. These courses would not be appropriate for running only on sidewalks, and some stretches may not even have sidewalks.
Map Pedometer
Mappedometer.com is a great tool to map out and estimate the distance of your route without leaving home. Of course, you’ll want to actually run your planned course as well before the actual race day, but map pedometer is a good way to map it out before a trial run.
Intersections
When planning your route, consider minimizing intersections as much as possible. There will be no traffic management for your virtual run which means every intersection is a possible stop in your race.
Minimizing intersections may require you to drive to a park or dedicated running path. If you want to start and finish near your home, it may work best to do a few loops to get the total distance rather than one big loop equal to your race distance. The bigger the loop, the more intersection possibilities.
Fluid Stations
Fluids and fuel are very important especially for longer races, so plan to carry these with you since none will be provided in virtual races. One bonus to a virtual race is the opportunity to have a support person with you to carrying your supplies. One of the runners I coach has a family member with them riding a bike and carrying water!
Depending on your location, a loop course could be a good option for fuel and hydration. You can leave water/sports drink and food at the same spot rather than carrying it with you, and grab it every time you pass that spot on the loop. Make sure to leave your supplies in a safe place so they won’t be snatched or “cleaned up! while they are unattended!
Minimize Turns
While I encourage loops as a way to minimize intersection crossings and get water/fuel, it’s important not to do very small loops because a lot of turning results in a slow course. If you want to run fast, long straight stretches are the way to go. Turns interrupt a rhythm and slow down our pace.
Elevation Profile
Pay attention to hills, elevation gain and elevation loss. A flatter course or net downhill will run faster. Lots of hills make a slower course even if the course overall is net elevation loss. Of course, speed isn’t always the goal so it’s not necessary to avoid all hills. But no matter what, know where the hills will be!
Plan it in Advance!
Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your race course. The earlier you plan your route, the more opportunities you’ll have to train on it. If your virtual race is a marathon, it will take more than one training run to preview it even one time in full. The more familiar you are with the race course, the less mental energy it will take to navigate the course on race day.
Read Part III: Race Day
Nicole Sifuentes is a full-time Running Coach for adults of all ages and abilities. She is a former professional runner and 2-time Olympian, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Read more about her services, and schedule your free coaching consultation.