I Did It!

Oh yes, I did. I completed the Disney Dopey Challenge. Back in 2018, Rich ran the challenge in honor of his 50th birthday and referred to it as a "Bucket List" item. I am referring to it as my "If Rich could do it, I can to" statement as I usher in my 50th year on this earth. 

I've been a little shy to share my news of training for this crazy feat. 4 races in 4 days, each doubles the distance of the last race. Rich wanted to broadcast my progress via social media, but I stayed reserved-- not wanting to jinx my effort or tout that I know what I am doing. In all honesty, I winged most of training-- knowing what I had to do in a general sense but not following a set training schedule, diet, cross training routine, etc. I copied what my running friends were doing as they prepared for the Las Vegas Marathon two months before and then just tacked on some consecutive running days where I doubled my mileage. I had a "mini dopey" week where I ran 3, 6, 10, and then 20 miles consecutively. 

The biggest challenge I had during training was listening to my body. I certainly tested some muscles and clearly discovered those injuries that result on "overuse." But thankfully I was directed to see a physical therapist who swears by dry needling-- and now I swear by it too. She got me through to race day(s) feeling more prepared and ready to prove to myself that I had what it takes to do the Dopey. 

Mind you, the last marathon I have run was back in 2003-- the Marine Corps Marathon. That is 17 years ago. A lot of life has happened between then and now. And from what I recall of the marathon, it was no picnic. I struggled at mile 22 through 26. So to just jump right back into the marathon ring by doing the dopey seemed, well. . . a little dopey. But my mantra pulled me forward. "If Rich could do it, I can too." 

And so marathon weekend came and went. People are right when they say one of the hardest parts of the whole challenge is to wake up so early for four consecutive days. My alarm clock was set for 3:00 AM Thursday thru Saturday and then 2:30 AM on Sunday. It is odd to run the majority of the races in the dark and so early. It forces you to focus on getting sleep during the day and to use that time to recover and rebuild for the next day. Thankfully, I had a very understanding husband and some great kids who gave me the space I needed to take care of me when we were in a place that could easily have been all about them. 

The other hard part was the weather: one of the few things the runner has no control over, and therefore stresses over ALL THE TIME. Will I be too hot? Will I be too cold? In 2018 I remember the weather being FREEZING! I think it was down in the 30s with only the high in the 40s. Layers for that kind of weather is important. So I came prepared with lots of layers and some costume ideas. 

But, wouldn't you know it, in 2020 we got to experience the other side of the continuum: it was freaking HOT! We are talking 80s with high humidity. And I haaaate running in hot weather. So, I had to readjust and think about running with little. Costumes were out for all but the first day. I needed to run sensibly. 

I captured each event with pictures and a reflection on social media that I will share here too. 

Dopey Challenge Day 1: 5K completed and I felt “Incredible!” Woke up early and ran a good pace with thousands of other crazy people. Due to the time of day, the entire race was in the dark. Not as much fun, but I’ll soak in the sights later this weekend. One down, three more to go! 

Dopey Challenge Day 2: Check the 10K off the list... and my days in Corral A! I got to feel like an elite runner when I found myself at the front of our starting wave. Just look at my position at the start! Disney is notoriously crowded, so I treasured the space to move around on the course. Made me run fast....maybe too fast. My legs are tired and I feel the fatigue setting in, right in time for the hard part. No more walking for this girl today! 

Dopey Challenge Day 3: So glad to have family here! Rich, the boys and my niece, Alyssa arrived to cheer me on!!! Rich came to the Half Marathon start with me and met me during mile 5 in the Magic Kingdom. Got to admit, running through the park gets me pumped up every time!! It was humid today which made the run a bit more challenging. It was so hot, even Olaf melted (see picture). Finished at a respectable time, but was ready to be done. Now I have to double this tomorrow? Oh boy!

Dopey Challenge Day 4: My first marathon was at Disney in 2001 with Camp Seafarer. My most recent was the Marine Corps 17 years ago (remember that one Kelly Ormond?) A lot of life has been lived between then and today. But I showed myself that I still have what it takes to get the job done.  

For the record, it was HOT and HUMID. 83 degrees and 93% humidity to be exact. Not the kind of weather you would expect in Orlando in January nor what one wants for a 26.2 mile run. But weather helped me lower my expectations for speed and allowed me to focus on running right (and helped me justify the pit stop I took in Animal Kingdom to ride Expedition Everest— yep, I rode a roller coaster in the middle of a marathon!!! 

I LOVED having Rich by my side (for at least part of the race), LOVED seeing my boys at mile 10 AND 24 (thank you Alyssa). So appreciative of Lisa Schreiner and Denette Jury coming down to be our support and the texts I got from running buddies back home.  

Today, I have reclaimed the title of Marathoner after an 17 year hiatus and added the Dopey to my list of crazy feats.... oh and a half dozen more medals for my collection!

Now that the challenge is passed, I feel accomplished. So many people congratulated me and praised me on Facebook and in person-- which has been great. But like so many other things that have challenged and tested me, I kind of feel like I did what needed to be done and did it. No big deal. Anyone can do it. It's a balance of pride and humility. But make no doubt that my medals are displayed on our wall right above Rich's medals from 2018! If he can do it, I can too!