Edinburgh Virtual Half Marathon

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I took part in my first virtual half marathon and am now the proud owner of a 2020 race shirt.
Me in my EMF 2020 shirt with medal.
A 2020 race shirt I can actually wear while running.

Why Edinburgh Virtual Half Marathon 

I had signed up to the Edinburgh Half Marathon in February, only for the pandemic to delay it and then force its cancellation.

I had the option to roll my entry over to 2021 or take part in their virtual half. Seeing as I was already running a half a month, I liked the idea of taking part in an official virtual race for one of them.

Plus, I really have missed getting medals.

The pre-race treat

I had this idea that I would treat this race like I would any other race I traveled to pre-pandemic. I would spend the day before exploring the city I was in, seeing the sights, eating the bites.

So even though I wasn't going anywhere for this virtual race, I'd head into Edinburgh city center and play tourist in my own city. Then I'd write about the experience in my blog.

Playing tourist didn't happen in the end. I just didn't have the motivation to do so.

The only thing I was motivated by was sugar. I had been wanting to go to Tasty Buns bakery in town, after seeing too many photos of yummy-looking things on their social media all lockdown.

I figured a race weekend would be the most guilt-free time to get something from there.

I opted for a banoffee s'more slice. And to make it somewhat touristy, I ate it in front of the Usher Hall so I could take this picture.
Banoffee s'more slice in front of Usher Hall.
Guiltless pre-race carb loading.

Needless to say, it was very, very delicious. 

The race

Edinburgh Marathon Festival, who organize the race, kindly sent out actual number bibs for participants to race in.
Me wearing my race bib.
A real bib for a virtual race.

Getting a bib in the mail was an exciting feeling to get back in life. Even if they did write my name as 'Lauren Lauren' on the envelope.

As this was the Edinburgh half, I wanted my route to take me through the heart of Edinburgh. This involved going from the West End to Meadowbank to Holyrood Park. 

It was my first time ever running along Princes Street. Running with a bib that said my name, I had expected at least one person to shout some good wishes while I was running a virtual race. No such luck.

My favorite bit was running along Regent Road. I never get tired of the view of Salisbury Crags from there.
Salisbury Crags as seen from Regent Road.
Crags from Regent Road.

I had been running at a good pace the first 9 miles until I got to the uphill bit along Queen's Drive. I don't remember the uphilliness lasting so long from the last time I ran it. But it does last a long time.

After then, my miles were all over 10:30. This wasn't helped by having another massive hill afterwards. 

Even so, my 'moving time' ended up being 2:13:37. That's what I'm calling my official race time. There were too many waits at traffic lights along the way for me to care about what my elapsed time was.

It wasn't my best half time, but considering how hilly it was and the fact that I felt okay afterwards, that's a successful virtual race to me.
Me after finishing the race.
The face of someone who ran a lot of hills but is okay about it.

The goody bag

My race goody bag arrived in the mail a few days later. It wasn't addressed to 'Lauren Lauren' like the bib was.

Another one of my motivations for taking the virtual option of this race was I thought having a 2020 race shirt would be a novelty. Not many of those going around.

However, I was a bit skeptical of this shirt because once again, only unisex sizes were on offer, with small the smallest size.

Surprisingly, though, it actually (for the most part) fits. It's longer than ideal but narrow-fitting, so thankfully my hips prevent it from becoming a baggy shirt. Thanks, hips.
Back of the virtual race shirt that says 2020 finisher.
2020 race shirts will be the ultimate conversation starter between runners.

I don't have to add it to my racing sleep shirt collection. I can proudly wear it outside running. 

(Race organizers: don't think you're off the hook with me. I still want to see XS or women's sizes on offer.)

The medal was pretty neat with a sketching of Edinburgh landmarks on it. 

And I especially loved the 13.1 keyring that came with it. That's now been added to my house keys so I can see it every day.
Medal and keyring that say 13.1.
I feel like I'm officially part of the 13.1 club now.

Next race

I have another canceled-made-virtual race next month: Great North Run.



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