A Virtual 5K

I am participating in my friend Ashli's challenge to run 500 miles in 1 year. I'm using Daily Mile to track my progress. Since September 27, I have logged 80 miles towards that goal. One way that the group decided to stay motivated was to schedule a Virtual 5K. We set a date (this weekend) and all results have to be reported on Monday. Christy and I headed out to our standard neighborhood near work to get our 3.1 miles done. Neither of us were particularly motivated but knew we needed to get it done. I tried to keep pushing... I tried to go faster and run more. But a virtual 5K doesn't have other participants. One of the great things about running a 5K event is being around all those other people. I also have to admit that I like being able to pass people- even if I'm only passing walkers. It's very motivating and a great way to feel like you're making continual progress. That is completely lacking when doing a virtual 5K. I had no other runners or walkers around. Christy and I knew we had to head outdoors- trying to do the 5K on the treadmill would have been torture for us. It's funny- when I started running, I hated running outside. Then I got used to running outdoors and now I hate being stuck on a treadmill. So I did my 5K. I ended up with an average time- slower than I'd like, really. But I did it. My time was right around 45 minutes. Christy's time was approximately 35 minutes. Christy and I both want to break 100 miles by Christmas. Christy should hit that next week as she has logged 91 miles. If I really push, I should hit by the end of the following week. It's going to take some serious motivation. So it isn't an "official" race. And I've done the 5K distance on regular runs. But I'm counting this 5K as one of my races. Race for the Cure, Fishers Freedom Festival, Wine At the Line, Indianapolis Monumental, and now the Virtual 5K. In February, I did my first ever Couch to 5K workout. As of today, I've participated in 5 events. That's pretty cool.