Virtual Easter Race!

Living in rural America certainly has it's blessings, but access to lots of road races is not one of them.  Tom and I almost managed to coordinate a 10K race in Rome, NY when we went to visit his sister, but it just didn't work out.  The only other race in the area is over an hour away, so I started looking for virtual races to participate in.

Here's a quick primer on my understanding of virtual races:

There seem to be two types; free (no medal) or only paying for your medal and shipping, or races where you pay more (some have shirts and medals) but your entry fee is donated to a cause. 

I think virtual races appeal to different groups of people.  There are people that might not like to go to races but still want to participate in an event and compare their times to others.  You can do a virtual race on a treadmill. Some people may only have a treadmill as an option due to child care or a fear of running outside.  Then there are people like me, looking for a reason to push the envelope a little but and compete with other people but without the inconvenience of travel.

A couple popular sites hosting virtual races are:
www.willrunforbling.com
www.usroadrunning.com

I found a virtual Easter 5K at US Road Running that was quite inexpensive.  Last night for the first part of my 5 mile training run I timed a 5K (3.1 miles).  I think this may be my fastest "official" 5K race.  I think if I wasn't still getting over being sick I could have gone a bit faster.  Once I saved this I continued on my way and completed my 5. 

Phew, race is April, DONE.