The Third and Final Dopey Simulation, Two Weeks to Go!

I made it to the final test.  Week 15 of my 18-week training plan for the runDisney Dopey Challenge.  Week 18 is Marathon Week itself.  After this week, I have only two taper weeks before we leave for Disney.

After week 14 ended with some beautiful weather for December in Wisconsin, winter returned on Monday of week 15.  It was 30°F colder on Monday, December 11, than on Friday, December 8.  With the windchill it was even colder.  So I headed to Planet Fitness to run on a treadmill.   The plan called for an easy 5 miles.  I, of course, over did it and ran 6.2 miles and pushed a little harder than I needed to.   That left me sore and fatigued and wondering if I would be recovered in time to start the final Dopey Simulation on Wednesday.

 

The weather forecast for the rest of the week was a little warmer with no precipitation, but still relatively cold. I was starting to get nervous and anxious about getting this simulation done.  I would need to layer up, which makes running outside more cumbersome.  I could go on a treadmill, but that is too monotonous for long runs.  I could go to the indoor track at the Pettit Center, but I already did that once this training season and it’s hard to get in the mindset to go back and do it again. 

 

Wednesday morning was 25°F with a feels like of 15°F.   So back to Planet Fitness I went to get in 3 miles for Dopey Simulation Day 1.  Running on the treadmill allowed me to zero in on my target pace of 10:30 /mi.  And I could run comfortably in shorts and a t-shirt, so not so bad for 3 miles.   

 

The temperatures rose into the 30’s for Thursday.  With clear skies and bright sun, it turned out to be quite a nice day for running.  My target pace was 11:00 /mi. but I struggled to keep my pace down.  Even with throwing in a few walking breaks, my pace was 10:40 /mi.  But I felt good, the weather was great, and I enjoyed the run.

 

Friday was a little bit warmer with partly sunny skies and temperatures nearing 40°F.  Another good day for running.  I set out with a run/walk interval of 3/1 minutes.  My target average pace was 11:30 /mi.  I hit that almost exactly with an 11:25 /mi average pace.  But I started feeling fatigue in my legs at about 6 miles. That was not a good sign for what was to come the next day.  

Here’s a vlog from Day 3:

 

Saturday’s forecast called for rain starting about noon.  The temperatures were going to be in the low 40’s early in the morning, so I set out a little earlier on Saturday to try to avoid the rain. My legs were not completely recovered from Friday’s 10-miler, so I was a little concerned that 20 miles may not be attainable.  I set out with a run/walk interval of 2/1 minutes.  My hope was that I could maintain a 12:00 /mi. average pave.   It was overcast but the temperatures made it good weather for running.  I covered the first 10 miles in 2 hours, right on target.  I slowed down to about a 12:10 /mi. average pace for the next 5 miles.  My heart rate was starting to climb during my running intervals, so I started extending the walking intervals. 

 

The last 5 miles were very tough.  The rain started a little earlier than forecasted.  It was a very light rain, not really that bad, but still a little unpleasant.  The fatigue in my legs and an elevated heart rate forced me to a 1/1-minute run/walk interval.  My pace dropped to 13–14-minute miles.  I began to wonder if I should just walk the rest of the way.  I was not moving much faster in my running intervals than in my walking intervals.  Nevertheless, I stuck with the 1/1-minute strategy to the end.  My average pace for the first 15 was 12:03 /mi.  My struggle with the last 5 miles dropped my average pace for 20 miles to 12:37 /mi. 

Here is a vlog from Day 4:

I partly lamented the fact that I was unable to get through the 20-miler easily after the first three simulation days.  My strategy all along has been to take the first three days slow enough to get to day 4 in good enough shape to easily cover the distance.  My best experience was Simulation #2, where I ran Day 4 on the indoor track at the Pettit National Ice Center.  Perhaps that is not a fair comparison because it was in ideal conditions with a perfectly flat surface.  Perhaps running a 10K on Monday at an unnecessarily aggressive pace left me depleted for the simulation days.  Perhaps carrying the GoPro and taking video along the way was an added stress on my body.  Perhaps I need to go even slower than what I targeted.  

 

Regardless, I have completed the pinnacle of my training, and now I need to taper and let my body heal and recover.  I have done all I could, whatever level of fitness I have now is what I am taking to Walt Disney World.  Although I struggled through the 20-miler, I do have confidence that I can complete the first three days of the Dopey Challenge and start Day 4, the full marathon.  I will be immersed in the energy and comradery of thousands of other participants along with the atmosphere of a runDisney event.  I should be able to feed off that to get across the finish line.