Dopey Challenge: Parting Thoughts

It's now been three weeks since Matthew and I completed the Dopey Challenge in Walt Disney World. Let me start by saying this, I didn't know runner's high could last this long :-) If you want to read the recaps from all the races, you can find them here.

While I'm not quite ready to move on from all the awesomeness that was the Dopey Challenge, I know that all my friends and family and coworkers and people in the grocery store are tired of hearing me talk about it and/or trying to convince them to do it next year. It was probably the coolest experience of my life.

The most asked question- besides "Are you insane?!?"- has been "Would you do it again?" Without a doubt, my answer has been a resounding yes. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it requires waking up at 2 am four mornings in a row. Yes, it means spending very little time in the parks. Yes, it requires hours and hours of training on the weekends. But it was worth it. 100% worth it.

Matthew and I have already talked about registering for next year. While I don't think we'd be able to do this every year, it would be kind of cool to be a legacy Dopey runner for at least one year. We have discussed the possibility of just doing the Goofy Challenge for 2015. We'd be able to spend more time in the parks and less money on races. We'll decide when registration opens in April.

There's also one more consideration- my Dad has decided to run his first marathon at WDW in 2015. How awesome is that?! Matthew and I can't wait to start planning and training together with him :-)

So, while I'll still be wistfully looking at Dopey pictures for the next few months, it's time to re-focus on my 2014 goals. The Shamrock Half Marathon is only five weeks away and I'm hoping this flat course will be a fun PR race for me. I've also been strategically thinking on how I can become a double agent- both a Half Fanatic and a Marathon Maniac- with two marathons in the fall (Wineglass and Baltimore). I'll post a more detailed plan for 2014 in the next week. It will probably still have some Dopey pictures in it :-)

Happy running, friends.

2013 in Review

2013 is almost in the books. Before 2014 (and all the goals/resolutions that come with a new year) begins, I wanted to reflect on the highlights of my last year. This year has been a year of change for me. I moved away from the city I've lived in for nearly 30 years, started training for a marathon, lost people close to me, and grew even closer to amazing friends who have become family.  Without a doubt, it was a year to remember.

Though I could have included so many more, here are my top thirteen highlights of 2013:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What were your highlights of 2013?

 

Happy new year and happy running! Have a blessed, safe, and amazing 2014!

Race Recap & Review: Baltimore Running Festival

Being born and raised near Charm City, the Baltimore Running Festival holds a very special place in my heart. This event has something for everyone: kids races, 5k, half marathon, full marathon, marathon relay. Last year, I completed leg #1 of the marathon relay (4 legs total) and this past Saturday I decided to tackle the half marathon.

By completing both the Frederick Half (May 2103) and the Baltimore Half in one calendar year, I would also earn the Maryland Double Medal. If you know me at all, then you know I'm motivated by bling. So, adding a second medal by completing the Baltimore half was a no-brainer.

Now, Matthew and I also had 17 miles on the calendar for our Dopey Challenge training for this weekend. Naturally, when presented with the option to complete the 5k (8 am start time) and the half marathon (9:45 am start time) on Saturday, we  jumped at the chance.

Spoiler alert- this race is the best non-Disney race I've ever participated in and I'll be back next year for sure, maybe even to run the full marathon :-)

***This post is long and could have been MUCH longer. If you have specific questions about the race(s), please comment and I'll answer as best I can! :-) ***

The Awesome & Amazing

Expo and Premiums- This expo was incredibly enjoyable. Free parking, well-organized, and lots of vendors including a few of my favorites- Hoka One One, yurbuds, and Charm City Run. We picked up our awesome premiums (see below), got some free under armour shoe laces, walked through the vendors and were on our way in less than 2 hours. Shirt exchange was convenient and well-stocked. The official merchandise was pretty amazing (there will be more available online later!) but I managed to get out of there with only a pair of feetures elite light cushion socks. More on them later.



Short sleeve for the 5k, long sleeve for the half. Also, some pretty cool medals.  

Just a sample of the official merchandise.

Course- I loved this half marathon course. It went through some of Baltimore's most beautiful neighborhoods, Lake Montebello, and culminated in an exciting finish through Camden Yards. Yes, this course in notoriously hilly, but to be honest I did not notice the hills. Maybe it's because I've been running a lot or maybe it's because I have been training on hills but I really liked this course and didn't think it was incredibly hilly. The 5k course was also enjoyable, hilly, and quick! It had the same finish line as the marathon and half-marathon so that was pretty cool to cross the same finish line twice in one day.

Also, there was food provided at the 7.5 mile marker of the half. Not just gels, but actual food- bananas, chips, etc. which was much needed. It's important to note that the half marathon course joins with the marathon course at mile 3 of the half, mile 16 of the full. We were running with the full marathoners for their last 10 miles- so inspiring. Since I'll be running a full in just a few months, it was really motivating to be among people who were so close to completing their goal.

The "M&T Merge Mile." Half marathoners on the left, marathoners on the right.

Running around Lake Montebello.

About .25 miles from the finish line!

Crowd/Volunteers- By far, this race has the best spectators and best volunteers I've ever experienced. The citizens of Baltimore were out in force! There were hundreds of kids giving out high-5's, awesome spectator signs, and some pretty cool costumes. My favorites were a kid dressed as a ninja turtle and a couple of volunteers dressed in 80's clothes- complete with mullets. Then there were the "eye of the tiger" people- dressed in full tiger costumes and playing the Rocky theme song at mile 10. I got a free beer from a grown man dressed as cupid at mile 12 and the salsa dancing couple somewhere near mile 11 cracked me up. Mile 9 featured a ton of gummi bears and a remix of "Good Morning Baltimore" from Hairspray. I've never felt more proud to be a Baltimorean :-)

"Boh knows you're thirsty."

 

"Stop whining. I'm tired too!"

"You're running better than our government"



"Eye of the Tiger"

Cupid and free beer.

 

"We're strangers but I'm so proud of you."

Company- My friend Kelly and my boyfriend Matthew both ran this race for time and finished about 35-40 minutes before I did (way to go, speed racers!!). Knowing that I was going to be alone for this race, I had my music and was ready to just cruise along and get my medal. But as luck would have it (and because I'm a ridiculously social runner), I met a new friend around mile 5. I saw a woman with a shirt on that said "Let nothing stop you" on the back. During one of my walk breaks, I walked up next to her to tell her how much I loved her shirt. We chatted for a few minutes and I learned that this was Nikole's first half. She asked me about my walk/run interval and the next thing you know, we were running this race together :-) I can't describe how cool it was to run with someone during their first half. I still like to think of myself as a new runner but I'm starting to realize I may be more of a veteran than I thought: at one point, she asked me "Are you even sweating?!?" Though she couldn't tell, I was struggling a little with this race. I had run about 14 miles this week leading up to the 5k/half so I was running on tired legs. Talking with my new friend Nikole helped distract me from the pain and encouraged me to slow down and enjoy this experience. So, thank you Nikole, and congratulations!

The Not-So-Awesome-&-Amazing

Post-race- After finishing both races, the lines for food were insanely long. I grabbed my medal (from a pile on a table- more volunteers needed to hand out medals!), got a bottle of water, and walked out of the Runners Village to go find my friends. Also, we had to wait in line over in Celebration Village (vendors, bands, food, etc.) to get our Maryland Double medals and again, this was a ridiculously long line. Everything else about this race was so well-organized. Take a page from the run Disney handbook- pre-package the food so it's easy for runners to grab and make bibs for different races/challenges so different medals can be given out at the finish.

New socks- I know better than to try new things out on race day. However, as it was going to be a rainy half and I wanted to wear a thinner pair of socks, I bought a new pair of feetures at the expo.  The result? Blisters. Ugh, at least they aren't TOO bad.

Half marathon start- After finishing the 5k, we had to walk about a quarter of a mile to the start line of the half, including crossing over the marathon course. Now, this is risky in any race to try and cross the course but with this many people, it was dangerous and (I think) rude. I hated having to run across the course to get to the half start. I don't know if it's always like this but I sure hope not.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for the amenities of a large race with the feel of a local race, then you should run Baltimore. There is something for everyone and all runners/walkers are celebrated. Lots of entertainment, colorful locals, great medals/shirts, and excellent organization make this an event you don't want to miss.

"27,000 runners. One heartbeat."

PS- do yourself a favor and check out their facebook page. They are responsive, hilarious, and connected to the running community in a way that makes the race so much more than just one day.

Happy running!

Before the 5k- just a light drizzle! The rain held off until we all finished the half- yay!

Team Sparkle skirts- much love for our Baltimore sports teams!

Done! With the bling to prove it!

Half, MD double, and 5k medal :-)



The perfect running photo: lots of port-a-potties in the background.

Training Tip Tuesday- Experiment!

Most anyone who runs will tell you, "don't try anything new on race day!" Solid advice. I am a firm believer in using your training runs to try out all different kinds of products, fuel, intervals, paces, etc.

These runs are your "practice races." How else will you learn what works for you if you don't try out all types of different things on your training runs? Knowing what works will help tremendously to put your mind at ease at the starting line- you'll know that everything you're wearing won't chafe, you know what you'll need to keep your energy up during the race, and you'll know what to do if something doesn't go according to plan (your phone dies, you have to alter your pace, it's raining, etc.). I've learned so much in the past 14 weeks while training and I hope I'll learn even more in the coming weeks so that my race day(s) will be smooth and worry-free.

Here are a few things I've been trying out over the past few weeks as part of Dopey training:

1:1 Intervals
A few weeks ago, I deviated from my 2:1 interval (2 minutes of running, and 1 minute of walking) and tried the 1:1 interval. Not only did this earn me a PR in a local 5k (check it out here), but it has helped me mentally as I've been steadily increasing the long run distance. Telling yourself you just have to run for 1 minute is glorious and guarantees that I'll run that minute pretty fast because I can't wait to get to the walk break! I will continue to explore other intervals to find out what will work for me on race day.

Fuel
At the Disneyland Half, I ran into some of my favorite bloggers, Pam and Christine of We Run Disney. They had a contest going on and because I stalk their blog and facebook feed, I knew enough answers to win this awesome prize bag filled with cool runner stuff (including Disney princess tattoos!).

Thanks, Pam and Christine!

In the bag was a water enhancer, watermelon-flavored nuun. I've seen a lot of runners use this but hadn't tried it out yet- they are little tablets that you put in water, similar to alka seltzer. Last week, I filled my new handheld water bottle with water, dropped in a nuun tablet, and took it out for a 5.5 mile walk. While I like the product- it was a little fizzy and kept me hydrated, I did not like the watermelon flavor. I'll definitely be trying out another kind of nuun.

Shoes/Clothes/Gear
A few weeks ago, I bought my first pair of Hoka One One's (pronounced ho-ka oh-nay oh-nay). What are hokas, you ask? Just the BEST, MOST AWESOME, AMAZING, WONDERFUL shoe I've ever worn, that's all.

These were designed by ultra-marathoners, people who run 50-100 miles at a time, for fun. They are the exact opposite of the "minimalist" trend of shoes. They have a great deal of cushioning and are designed to maximize comfort while you are on your feet for hours and hours.

Hoka One One Bondi B's.

As you can see from the above picture, they are larger than your average running shoe. But, they are not any heavier. In fact, these shoes are incredibly light and easy to run/walk in. They feel like pillows on your feet. I don't feel so much pressure on my feet/knees/ankles when I run and the best part- my recovery is amazing! I can run 15 miles in these shoes, and feel virtually NO PAIN the next day! Hoka One One will be at the Baltimore Running Festival expo this weekend- I'd highly suggest you check them out if you're there.

Pre-run fuel with my new shoes- they don't look too big when you're wearing them!

I also recently bought a pair of Under Armour Compression Shorts (so awesome!) and a ton of Team Sparkle Skirts. Yes, I run around the neighborhood in these skirts. And yes, it is pretty damn cool.

I've got LOTS of costume ideas :-)

I also have started carrying a handheld water bottle that holds 22 ounces of water for my long (10+ miles) runs. I have a hydration belt but the last time I took it out, I ended up taking it off and carrying it for the last few miles- not fun.

So far, the handheld has been working out really, really well. It's not too heavy and it has a space to store my phone, ID, etc. You can see what it looks like here. Also, it's purple :-)

I'll keep you updated on my future experiments during training- I hope you will keep trying and experimenting to find the best race-day plan for you!

Happy running!

Dopey Challenge Training: Week 13

In less than 100 days, the Dopey Challenge will begin at Walt Disney World! Tomorrow marks the end of my 13th week of training. Using Jeff Galloway's 26 week plan, I am officially at the half way mark. This is both exciting and terrifying.

This weekend will be my longest training distance- 15 miles on Saturday followed by 5 miles on Sunday. As in any training program, we've had to adjust some of the training runs to better fit our schedules. For example, we have 17 miles scheduled for October 12th. This is the same day as the Baltimore Running Festival. So, we will line up for the 5k at 8:15 am, run 3.1 miles, and then go get in our corral for the half marathon starting at 9:45am. This way, we'll get 16.1 miles of racing and the other .9 running between the starting lines.

I've also decided to run The Tomato Run (3.1 miles) on October 19 and the Gettysburg Blue-Gray Half Marathon on October 20. If you're keeping track- that's 3 back-to-back weekends of half marathon+ distances. My motto for these races? "Forward is a pace." :-)

In more exciting news, I was recently interviewed for a national news story on mud/obstacle races and the prevalence of injuries in those races. A fellow runner in an online running group that I am part of was looking for runners who had been injured in a mud run for a story (she's an executive producer for a news company)- and I just so happened to have sprained my ankle last summer during Rugged Maniac.



Smiling after a visit to the medical tent!

She reached out to me via email, we chatted on the phone, and then we set up an interview for later in the week. A few days later, a production company came to my house and filmed a 10 minute interview and some footage of Matthew and me running outside. They spent about 2 hours with us. As soon as I get the link to the final story, I'll be sure to share it here!

Chatting before the interview with a pug on my lap! Awesome!

Getting a close-up of the medals.