Virtual racing - The Brooklyn Mile

Last weekend I participated in my first "virtual race" -- the Brooklyn Mile - which entails running one mile between June 19-21,  recording it on my GPS watch and uploading it to the Brooklyn Mile site.   

The thing that attracted me to the Brooklyn Mile virtual race is the age graded prizes -- I merely need to run a 5:31 to achieve "Level 8" and capture prize money and significant glory:

VDOT Levels 8-10 

The target time of 5:31 is an interesting challenge - seemingly quite doable based on recent workouts, but the mile is not a distance I race and going out too fast could doom my chances.  I last raced the mile distance seven years ago and was distressed after struggling to a time of 5:16.  

I managed to talk three other (much faster) teammates to join me, along with a handful of supporters.  I knew I needed some other participants in order to generate some energy.  And when my training partner George and I toed the line at 9:45am on Saturday morning I felt I had worked up enough adrenaline to somewhat replicate race conditions. 

In fact while I did burst out to a reasonable start, at around 500 meters I seemed to lose concentration. I had hopes of sticking within site of George, but he blew me away running a very impressive 5:02, and then alone on the sidewalk I lost any mental toughness and started staring at my watch and engaging in mental calculations whether I was on pace to hit the 5:31 target. 

You can see me in this picture - my eyes glued to my watch for a shockingly long stretch at end of the mile waiting desperately for my GPS to hit 1.00. This slow finish almost costing me the prize, as my Garmin records 5:30 for 1 mile and I manage to hit Level 8 with only one second to spare.  

While the virtual event did lack for crowds and color and pageantry, it did prove quite convenient - allowing us to pick the time and place to meet. 

Moreover it provided opportunity for some good photo-ops, an artistic video, some nice camaraderie, and at last something to talk about again. 

Training in a Pandemic – Preparing for a virtual mile

I never stopped interval training during the shutdown.  

Instead the track closures proved a catalyst for shifting to shorter faster interval sessions – rather than 1000s at 10k race pace, my teammate and I blasted through 400s and 200s at mile pace (or maybe the mile pace that I was capable of running decades ago and still have delusions of hitting). 

With no race in sight, and no need for race-specific training, we figure it is best to work on trying to maintain speed, since speed is reportedly among the primary things we lose as we get old. Moreover it just seems more appealing of late to do shorter sessions.  

The loop where we run has marks every 100 meters and we fixate on these marks as we alternate between sprinting and jogging (or sometimes walking to get more recovery).  

I said we had no actual races to target, but then a few weeks ago I noticed a message about the Brooklyn Mile, a virtual event, which I had initially dismissed as pointless (isn’t the point of entering a race to experience the course and the energy and competitive push of the other participants around you?)  

I remember that the other reason to enter races is to have a focal point for training.  And to have something to talk about – “so what is your next race?” is the standard conversation starter among my teammates and without this topic of conversation we either just stare blankly at each other or engage in endless speculation about the future spread of the virus. 

So I enter the Brooklyn Mile which will take place this coming weekend.  I am not sure that my overly fast 400s and 200s are optimal preparation, but it is nice to have a sense of purpose (and something to talk about). 

Training in a Pandemic - Who needs a gym when you have the park

My Murph Test training of a year ago has morphed into a workout that has become a core part of my training regime:  





Twice per week, usually on Monday and Friday I jog to nearby park and do a variation of 3-5 sets of the following: 

• 20-25 chin-ups

• 20 jump squats or jump lunges (alternating) 

• 25 push-ups mixing in some other core plank work 

• 1k run around park with some bounding / high knee / sprints on grass or dirt field 

The park workout has some clear advantages - 

1. Time management - In one hour I accomplish strength, cardio, core and form work -- versus the time-consuming showering and changing and travel involved in separate running and gym sessions
2. Financial savings - The park is free 
3. Enjoying the outdoors - Always good to get outside, especially lately, and especially in scenic park surroundings 
4. Working on weaknesses - I never ever broke up my usual stay run or strength sessions to incorporate explosive movements like jump squats, but they serve as break between push-ups and chin-ups 

That said, when the fitness center fully re-opens I anticipate paying the monthly  fee and start swimming and lifting weights. 

But I won't entirely abandon my park workouts.  

Training in a Pandemic - Zwift

Over the past few years I have noticed fewer and fewer cyclists on Strava posting rides in the real world. Instead I see them post routes in Watopia, Richmond and Yorkshire - the virtual bicycling world of Zwift.  They tell me how Zwift has made indoor cycling so much more fun and more motivating. 

But I had assumed that the “dumb” turbo trainer I had purchased some 15 years ago was not compatible with Zwift, I was not confident I could figure out the technology, and anyway, I figured that I had enough entertaining and motivating videos to watch on Youtube on my Apple TV while cycling indoors.

Then in early April the combination of the lockdown and learning that a $75 investment in Wahoo speed and cadence sensors would quickly and simply allow me to setup Zwift spurred me to become a Zwifter.  


It was cool to jump on my ancient bike, start pedaling and see my avatar spring to life and move out amidst the other avatars - cyclists from other time zones around the world.  At first packs of cyclists raced past me, but within a few minutes I found myself drafting off a Canadian cyclist.  Of course I became obsessed on staying with her as we traded position for the next 10 kilometers, sweat pouring off me as I maintained some 150-200 watts & 25-35 kilometers/hour according to Zwift.  It was only when we started climbing a 8 percent grade hill that I fell off as my speed plunged to 5 kilometers per hour and my Canadian friend disappeared into the distance.




This struggle climbing hills in Zwift has proved the most intriguing issue for me and points to the question of whether my Zwift avatar actually matches my effort.  In a strange reversal from the real world, on Zwift I am glacially slow climbing and rocket fast on descents.  This creates an interesting new twist on my cycling tactics. 

Is it worth the $75 and $15 per month?  If you are going to do a lot of indoor cycling, then Zwift seems absolutely worth the effort.  But in the best of worlds I think we would ride outdoors rather than in a virtual world.