Dopey on the Run

It’s now almost two months after the 2024 runDisney Marathon Weekend.  And I am still amazed that my Dopey Journey has come to a end, and a successful one at that.  It’s been 4 years since I first planted the Dopey Challenge seed in my brain.  Since then we have had a pandemic that nearly shut the world down, I suffered a bout of COVID that has perhaps done permanent damage to my heart resulting in episodes of irregular heartbeat,  I retired from my lifelong career, and I suffered a hip injury that took over 6 months to recover from. In February 2020, I imagined that I could and would run an 8:30 pace for the 5K, a 9:00 pace for the 10K, a 9:30 pace for the half-marathon, and a 10:00 pace for the marathon.  I even did a test run on a treadmill where I ran a 5K and 10K back-to-back at my target paces with a short rest in between.  By the time I got to the starting line in Walt Disney World, I had added 2:30 per mile to each of m...

runDisney Marathon Week was upon us before we knew it.  The running plan was simple, 4 consecutive days, 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon, Marathon.    Here is how my actual mileage compared to the plan for the week starting January 1, 2024:   Week 18 Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Total Plan Rest Travel Expo 3.1 6.2 13.1 26.2 48.6 Actual Rest Travel Expo 3.1 6.2 7.1* 26.2 42.6 By Steps 4.0 9.0 8.5 11.5 12.0 14.0 33.0 92.0   The half marathon was shortened to 7.1 miles due to incoming storms with a chance of lightening.  I included my estimated total miles on foot, based on step count, because it is easy to underestimate the impact of being on your feet more than you realize when participating in an endurance event at a vacation destination.   Monday of Week 18 was New Year’s Day.  After our typical New Year’s morning, we scrambled in the afternoon to take down all our Christmas decorations.  We had no snow yet and temperatures outsi...

When I woke at 1:30 am, I was ready to go tackle the marathon.  I got up with a sense of excitement, today was the last day of the Dopey Challenge.   I knew that once I crossed that starting line, it would only be a matter of hours before I crossed the finish line and completed the runDisney Dopey Challenge. I went through my morning ritual once again.  The preparation the night before was a little more challenging because I had to include enough fuel for a 5–6-hour journey.  My FlipBelt was loaded with four Hüma gels, 3 extra servings of HEED electrolyte powder, and a dozen electrolyte capsules as well as my phone and a spare GoPro battery.  I slipped the belt on, laced up my shoes and headed out to catch the 2:30 am bus.   I ran into some friends on the bus and upon arriving in the pre-race gathering area, about 3:00am, we were able to snag an open picnic bench.  We sat and chatted about many things and before we kn...

Early Friday evening, the news started to spread that Disney was changing the course for Saturday’s Half Marathon due to incoming storms with a threat of lightening.  I checked my email and found a message from runDisney.  To ensure the safety of runners, volunteers and cast members, Disney wanted the course cleared by 8:0O am.  The course was changed to 7 miles, eliminating a segment of World Drive and the loop through Magic Kingdom.  In addition, the start time was moved 15 minutes earlier, Corral A would start at 4:45am.  Social media came alive with complaints and disappointment.  I took it in stride, one can’t argue with an organization responsible for the safety of 15-20 thousand people when you consider runners, volunteers, cast members and crews hired to tear down and clear the roads along the course.  Completing the full marathon on Day 4 was what meant the most to me.   Nevertheless, as I fell off to sl...

  Our alarms were set for 2:00 am, but I woke about 1:45 am again and got up and started my morning ritual.  I made sure Cat was up by 2:00 am.  We both went through similar morning rituals.  I had laid out all my gear the night before, so the process was mechanical for me again.   One quick check of my watch, phone and ID and we were out the door on our way to the bus stop by 2:40 am.  We made one of the first busses from Boardwalk and were in the Epcot parking lot by 3:00 am.   It was a colder morning.  We both had multiple layers and hats and gloves on. In the fall, I had purchased some inexpensive warm top layers, sweatpants, hats and gloves for this purpose.  I was wearing a zippered hooded sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants, Cat had a fuzzy half-zip pull over. In addition we both had windbreakers that would go in our drop-bags before we headed to the corrals.   We sat in the bleachers for a ...

  My alarm was set for 2:00 am. I woke at 1:30 and lay awake for 10-15 minutes before I decided to just get up and get going.  Cat had said not to worry about waking her, just do what I needed to and she would go back to sleep if I woke her.  My goal was to be out the door at 2:40 am so I could be in-line for the first bus at 2:45 am.  I made some coffee, fixed a small bowl of cereal with banana and granola, and quietly sat in the entry way enjoying my coffee and cereal while pondering Dopey Day 1.   The night before I had laid out everything I needed to wear or take with me. The pre-planning and lists that I had made at home weeks before we left became very valuable.  I systematically went through my checklist for the 5k, packed my drop-bag and arranged my clothes and gear.  After I finished my coffee and cereal and took care of some grooming things, I simply put on my running gear, grabbed my drop bag, and verified that I had...

Given the late bedtime from the previous night, we slept in and let ourselves wakeup naturally.  Too late for early entry at Animal Kingdom, so we took our time with breakfast and getting ready for the day and then headed directly to the runDisney Expo for the 10:00 am opening.  By the time we got there a little after 10:00 am, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex was packed with runners anxious to get their race packets and scoop up Marathon Weekend merchandise.  We had to queue for about 30 minutes to get our race bibs, not bad really.  When we left the bib pickup building the line was out the door and around the corner.  Our timing was pretty good.   We got in and out of the Expo building quickly to get our shirts and checkout the vendors.  I had joined the virtual queue to get into the building with runDisney merchandise, but our time was still 90 minutes or more away, so we left the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and ...

Wow! That was a whirlwind.  It’s now nearly 14 days after Marathon Weekend and I am just sitting down to write this.  So much as happened since January 1 .  January 2 was travel day, with a 6:40 am flight from Milwaukee to Orlando.  I figured getting up in the early morning to make that flight was good practice for getting up at 2:00 am for each runDisney event.  The flight to Orlando was uneventful, quite pleasant.  We collected our checked-in luggage and picked up our rental car without delay and headed off to Disney’s Boardwalk Resort.   We arrived at Boardwalk before noon, way before our room was going to be ready.  We parked and headed straight for Epcot for lunch.  After lunch we toured Epcot and checked out the recently opened World Celebration area behind Spaceship Earth and sat for a photo with Walt at Dreamers Point.  After that we headed to the Beach and Yacht Club resorts to check out t...

With the first day of the Dopey Challenge just days away, it’s time to zero in on pacing strategy. When I first started thinking about doing Dopey, I created a spreadsheet modeling different run/walk intervals and paces to see where I would end up.  Before I started training, I had this delusion that I could still run a 2:15 half marathon and a 4:45 full marathon on back-to-back days.   While participating in the Badgerland Striders Marathon Buildup program over the summer, I ran several long runs, 18 or more miles, under an 11-minute pace.  So 4:45 was perhaps a stretch, but 5 hours was within reason.   So I backed off my expectations to a 2:30 half-marathon and a 5-hour full marathon. Then I started my Dopey Challenge training plan with back-to-back training runs and Dopey Simulations with 4-consecutive runs.  That was eye-opening as to how hard day 4, the full marathon, was going to be.  After the first Dopey Simul...

Week 17.  The final week of training before runDisney Marathon Week.  Week 17 was the second week of taper with total of only 15 miles on the plan.  This week was more about letting the lingering aches and pains heal, getting those last strength training sessions in, and staying healthy.  Oh, and deciding what running gear to take to Florida and figuring out how to pack it all up. Here is how my actual mileage compared to the plan for the week starting December 25: Week 17 Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Total Plan Rest 4 Rest 3 Rest 8 Rest 15 Actual Rest 4.2 Strength 3.2 Strength 8.1 Rest 15.5 As has been typical for me over the years, the last taper week felt sluggish and achy.  The 4 miles on Tuesday was much harder than it should have been.  But I think that is just the effect of cutting back weekly mileage from 45 to 15 miles, along with working out the lingering fatigue and soreness. Experience had taught me not to panic, I...

🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 Week 16 and 17 of my training plan were two weeks of taper before the main event. Week 16 ended on Christmas weekend and week 17 ends on New Year’s weekend.  I followed the Hal Higdon plan as my model for tapering.  Maintain the intensity but cut back the volume, about one-half of the longest weekly mileage in week 16 and about one-third of the longest weekly mileage in the week 17.  Higdon doesn’t state that in the plan, but that is the model that I have followed through decades of marathon training, and his plan seems to fit that model.  My longest mileage was 45 miles in week 15,  so Week 16 was 22 miles and week 17 is 15 miles. I also included 1-2 strength training days each week. Seems easy until you factor in the hazards of the holiday season.  Week 16 included the days leading up to Christmas which included last minute shopping, planning, and prepping for the holiday weekend, and having adult chi...