2020 Dopey Challenge: 13 Days out

An alternative title for this post: What do you mean we will be in Florida two weeks from now!

I have to say, the entire month of December feels like a blur, there has just been so much going on. Dennis and I started the month by moving out of the apartment that we have lived in for the last year and a half, and into his parents basement, which we spent most of November cleaning out and re-painting. We are working on saving up for a house of our own, so this felt like a smart decision for our future. So far it has been going well, and our cats have adapted to their new surroundings already.

My work life has been crazy as well, as I prepare for a new product to launch, and try to see it through a successful engineering run - so stress has been high on all fronts really. Mix in a little marathon training, holiday get togethers that are all over my schedule, out of town family coming in for the holidays, and suddenly I understand how it is the end of December, when I feel like I just ran a turkey trot yesterday. This isn’t a complaint though, all in all I am thankful for all of the good stuff that has been going on!

After we got home from Disney late on Tuesday night, I had to head to work Wednesday morning. I spent Wednesday night unpacking and dealing with a closet that had collapsed while we were out of town, so no run happened that day. But Thursday I made plans with Mike to meet up at the gym after work, so we could run together. This weekend was to be our last Dopey simulation, so I knew that I had a lot of miles ahead of me, all to be squeezed into the holiday chaos. I was, once again, doing things a little out of order. Since a cold front had blown into NY, and I planned on running outside for Friday’s leg of the simulation, I opted to complete the simulation out of sequence – 5 mi, 3 mi, 10 mi, 20 mi was my plan. At least the two longest legs were in order this time!

Back to Thursday – I headed right to planet fitness after work, and Mike and I managed to find treadmills next to each other. We chatted as we ran, and I kept the pace easy. Five miles went by in no time, and I headed home to pack once again – I was headed to Jersey for a wedding on Friday, and an overnight stay was involved.

It was cold out on Long Island when I woke up Friday morning, and it took all of my energy to get myself out of bed, knowing that I had to get in at least a 3-mile run before heading to work. It was a real feel of under 20 degrees, so I had a lot of layers on. I felt really stiff, but did an easy loop around the neighborhood and got my miles in. Then it was off to work for a half day, and then a ride to Jersey that included a lot of traffic to get to the wedding.

I had a lot of fun at the wedding with Den’s family on Friday night. His sisters were even in town from Grenada and California, and it was great to have everyone together for a night. It was a late night, but I somehow managed to get myself out of bed and onto the hotel treadmill the next morning. The plan was for 10 miles, so I brought along my headphones and phone so that I could watch TV while the miles went by. The hotel gym was tiny and warm, so I opened a window and let the cool air flow into the room. I had the gym to myself for the first few miles, until another guest hopped on an elliptical, and was not happy about my open window. She asked if she could close it a little, and then closed it a LOT. I kept running as the room got warmer, but eventually had to apologize as I re-opened the window a few inches, as it was just too warm. I was already in shorts and a tank, so it wasn’t like I had another means of cooling off. I kept trotting through my miles, and was quite pleased with myself when they were complete. I grabbed a quick shower, and then we hopped on the road home. I got to spend Saturday with some of my family, including my cousin Jen and her husband Will, who were in town from Georgia for the holidays. We headed to Barcade and then wandered through Chelsea market, before hanging out at my parent’s house for the night.

Now, for the last and longest long run of dopey training – the 20 miler at the end of back to back running days. My original intent for this run was to get it done on Sunday morning, but I prioritized family over running (gasp, I know!). But I did eventually manage to get it done! Since my job was closed on Christmas eve and I had no hosting responsibilities, for the third year running I headed out to get the miles in then. In 2017 and 2018 I ran 18-milers on Christmas eve, and this year I successfully completed a 20 miler. Unfortunately, it was a solo 20 miler, so it didn’t exactly fly by like some other training runs have. Before the run I applied some KT tape to my injured knee, and I also ran with the band that I have been using lately. I put some fuel outside my front door as I headed out, and first did loops around the house until I made a quick fuel stop at mile 5. Then I headed over the parkway and towards my parent’s house, where I made another fuel stop at mile 10, and may have also stopped to chat with my Dad for a few minutes. 10 down, 10 to go. My knee was feeling good so far. I was losing steam, so I made one more pit stop at my parent’s house before heading home, around mile 14. When I walked in to grab water, my Mom had just gotten back from the deli, so I grabbed a pickle and it really hit the spot. I got back on the road, only 6 miles to go. I had to get a little creative with my path home so that I wouldn’t be tempted to cut the distance short, and with all of my weaving I managed to get all the way up to the 20 mile mark, with no back and fourths in front of the house required. I was exhausted, but the run was done, and my knee felt ok. As I approached the front stoop, I noticed that an addition had been added to my running fuel – a white claw had been left with my water and gel! Had Santa come early???

I spent the rest of Christmas eve and Christmas celebrating the holiday with my husband’s family and my family – I may have even been gifted a few new pieces of running gear.

Now, with only two weeks before the Florida trip, it is time to get working on costumes, and to make sure that everything I need for the dopey challenge gets packed!

Packing for the dopey challenge

You’ve spent the last 6 months training, and now the Walt Disney World marathon weekend is only two weeks away – I’m sure you are thinking the same thing as me, where did the time go?!

In this post I am going to share 10 packing tips for the dopey challenge, and at the end of this post I will link to my favorite RunDisney packing list, created by Joyful Miles.

1. Pack the essentials in your carry on

When I head to Disney for races, I always carry on my running shoes and race day outfits instead of checking them. Most of the gear in my luggage I could replace upon arrival, but when I am taking on a challenge like Dopey, I don’t want to get stuck in new gear on race day.

Other essentials that I bring in my carry on are a few gels and body glide. Most of the time these can be found at the expo, but I prefer to bring a few along just in case.

2. Prepare for any weather

Florida weather in January is unpredictable at best. The last time I ran the dopey challenge in 2017 the forecast for Orlando looked warm when I left New York on Tuesday, but by Saturday the forecast for the marathon had shifted to a real feel of 28 degrees. I was very glad that I had brought along the cold weather gear I had been using in New York, just in case.

I was travelling with a group of 6 other marathon runners, and they were not quite as prepared – we wound up spending hours on Saturday trying to find cold weather gear in Florida, which was not the easiest task.

I always save the heat sheets that are handed out at the end of races, and bring those along as well for race morning. Just make sure to discard them before crossing the start line, or it could impact your timing chip!

3. Bring throw away layers

Odds are it will be a little chilly on race mornings, since for RunDisney events the start times are long before the sun comes up. I tend to go through my closet and do a little clean out before Marathon weekend, since I know that Disney will collect and donate all of the clothing that is discarded at the start line.

If I can’t find clothing that I already own and am willing to part with, I will head to a local thrift store to pick up some extra layers. You will be happy to have them on race morning!

4. Organize your suitcases – pack your outfits for each day in a different container

I will be sharing a room with three other people during marathon weekend, so I know I won’t have a ton of space to unpack. To make my life a little easier, I pack each of my race outfits in their own bag, so I can double check that I have all the gear I need before leaving home. 

Then the night before the race I lay all of the gear out, and don’t have to rummage through my luggage looking for a missing sock.

I have used gallon Ziplock bags in a pinch, but I prefer these packing cubes from amazon. 

5. Pack drawstring backpacks for race mornings

Disney provides clear bags that runners must use to check their bags, but they’re not quite durable enough to carry around in my experience. I always wind up receiving free drawstring bags throughout the year, sometimes at expos or when I make a purchase, so I use these bags to make race morning kits. I pack my breakfast, my gels, my body glide, a bottle of water, and anything else I may need the night before the race, so my brain isn’t required to function on race morning, and I can still have everything I need. The backpack is more comfortable to carry around than the gear check bag, and when it is time to check my stuff, I just dump it from the drawstring and into the clear bag.

Plus, after the race it is much easier to pop the drinks and food they give you into the drawstring, rather than trying to balance it all as you head onto the bus.

6. Pack pre-race and recovery fuel that you know works for you!

For me, this means having the supplies for PB&J or a kind breakfast bar before the race, and Skratch recovery powder that I can mix after the race.

I also make sure to pack a foam roller, for post-race recovery needs.

7. Pack a Hub charger for all of your electronics that use a USB to charge

For me, having all of my cords in one place makes it less likely that I will forget one, and wind up with a dead Garmin all weekend. I use this one from amazon.

My husband always packs a power strip, which can be helpful as well when you’re sharing a room with limited power sources.

8. Bring more than one pair of sneakers

Remember when I said weather in Florida is unpredictable? Just in case it rains during one of the shorter races, always pack a back-up pair of shoes, that way you know you will be comfortable for the marathon! I usually pack three pairs, but I have been called an over-packer.

9. Pack extra race fuel

If I told you I had never dropped my fuel during a race, I would be lying. So, I always make sure I am prepared with a few extra gels. I will even give a few to my family and friends that are spectating the race, just in case I need an extra!

10. Odds and Ends: The little things that will count on race morning

• Hand warmers

• Throwaway ponchos

• Chapstick

• Sunscreen stick

• Hair brush (for post-race)

• Extra hair ties 

• Baby wipes (for a quick refresh after the race)

If you are looking for an all-encompassing “Packing list,” I would recommend this one from Joyful Miles. They have everything you could need on it, and even offer a downloadable PDF. It is my go-to when I am making sure I have everything that I need packed.

You can find their list HERE!

If you are heading on a race-cation soon, what are your must-have items?

2020 Dopey Challenge: 23 Days Out

Day by day, the Dopey Challenge inches closer, and my excitement grows! This week was especially exciting, because I got to head to Disney World with my family for a Christmas trip - I had never been to the parks in December before, so I was really excited for this trip!

After another weekend of back to back runs, my knee was sore on Monday. I decided to start my week with a ride on the trainer, so Monday morning I got up early and selected a workout on Zwift. The one I picked was a 55 minute ride that included hill intervals, so it was a little rough at times. I was dripping with sweat by the time I finished the ride, and hopped in the shower before work.

Tuesday morning I once again managed to get my butt out of bed early, this time with a run planned. I drove over to my parent’s house to meet up with Dad, since it was an unseasonably warm morning for December. I got there around 6:30, and Dad pulled his bike around to the front of the house… but then discovered that he had a flat tire as we went to hop on. Not an issue though - he had a spare. We headed into the back yard to pop it onto the bike stand to change the tube…. only to have the second tube to refuse to fill with air. Upon closer inspection, we realized that there was a burr of metal near the stem, and without another tube the bike wasn’t going anywhere that morning. Womp Womp.

So, instead of a run/bike Dad cooked some eggs and bacon for breakfast, I used the stim machine on my knee, and cuddled with the cat for awhile. I texted Mike inquiring about his plans for the night, and he agreed to head to planet fitness with me after work to get in some treadmill miles.

Before running, I headed to the nail salon with my Mom to get pedicures, a pre-vacation ritual. She was heading to Florida on Wedensday, before the rest of the fam, so Tuesday was our best bet. Then I changed quick before meeting Mike, and we met at the gym. We even managed to find treadmills next to each other, and got to chatting as we started our miles. I started at an easy pace, but was feeling really good as I got moving, and after the first half mile kept turning the pace up. Mike and I were both planning to participate in the weekly BibChat session that BibRave hosts on twitter, so at 8:00 we hopped on twitter while we were running. Over the course of the subsequent four miles I upped the pace from a 10:30 to an 8:00 mile, and held that for about a half mile total before slowing down to cool down. I totaled five miles of running, and then walked on the treadmill for a few minutes while Mike made his way to 5 miles. Once both of our runs were complete we headed into the basement, where our planet fitness has their strength training equipment, and did about 20 minutes of mobility work, since both of us had knee pain over the weekend.

Since I ran Tuesday night, I wasn’t going to push it by running again Wednesday morning. Plus it had snowed a little overnight, so that made running a less of a choice anyway. So I had a lazy morning, sleeping in a little and then working on packing for my trip. My plan was to workout after work, and swap one of the five mile runs on my training for a swim. I had my company’s holiday party after work, and planned to head from there to the pool to meet up with some of my teammates from the Merrick Bicycles Tri Team at the pool - until I wound up with a flat tire. That, unfortunately, changed my plans. Instead of heading to the pool I got my car to the shop, where I hoped they would be able to fix it the following morning. I thought about running when I got home after, but my knee was aching so I figured it would just be better to call it a wash.

When I woke up Thursday though, my knee was still aching. I weighed my options, feeling guilty at the idea of not running another day in a row. Ultimately I decided to take another day off, reminding myself that the goal was to make it to the start line, and be able to participate. So I listened to my body, and once again took it easy. At least it gave me time to finish packing, and pick up my car, which had thankfully been repaired by my local mechanic.

Friday after work I headed to Disney with my family, for a Christmas trip! I was traveling with my husband Dennis, my parents, my Aunt Karen, and my cousin Ryan. We spent a total of four days in the park, taking in the new attractions and enjoying all of the holiday decorations. We even went to Mickey’s very merry Christmas party, which was a first for me!

Since we had Christmas party tickets for Sunday night, we weren’t heading into the parks that morning. So, I took advantage of the time I had and went for a run around the resort. We were staying at pop century resort, which has a shared running path with the art of animation resort. I got in a total of 6 miles, and my knee felt foot throughout, which I was really thankful for. My original intent had been to run 12 that day, but with the pain I had been feeling throughout the week, I figured it was a safer bet to keep it short, since I would be walking around the parks for the next few days. I explored the hotels as I ran, checking out all of the decorations that they had around.

I stayed in Florida with my family until Tuesday night, when we headed home. It was a great little trip, and we even got to meet up with our family that lives in Florida. I’m the “planner” for my family, so these trips can get a little exhausting at times, but at the end of the day I’m so grateful that I have the chance to spend time with the people I love, especially at Disney!

2020 Dopey Challenge: 30 Days out

Two weeks in a row - the blog is back to active status guys! I am excited that I am finally starting to be able to train consistently again, and I am getting excited as the countdown grows smaller and smaller, and my trip to Disney for the Dopey challenge approaches!

Monday we got the first snow of the season in NY, and while I had originally planned to meet up with my brother at the gym after work I got a text from him asking to reschedule to the following day, so I agreed to meet him on Tuesday instead. Which made Monday a total rest day, which I think are good sometimes. I stayed home relaxed, and it was a relaxing way to start the week. Plus, my throat was a little sore, which for me usually means a cold is coming on - so I hoped that it wouldn’t mess up my plans for the week.

Tuesday morning I totally had intentions of getting on my bike trainer for a ride, but was exhausted when I woke up and just didn’t manage to get myself out of bed -these things happen. But Tuesday night after work I did manage to get to the gym with my brother Tommy, and we did a chest workout. I like that when I go to the gym with Tommy I get to just play follow the leader, as he likes to set the workout. Today’s set included chest presses, flys, and tricep pull downs, among other things. Once we were done lifting I found a free treadmill and hopped on, needing to get a five mile run in. I had kind of been dreading the treadmill, but when I hopped on and started a show on Hulu, and knew I just had to get through one episode and I would be done. The miles slipped away, and I even managed to increase the pace as I progressed through the miles. The gym that I go to recently remodeled, and I have to say I am a fan of the new treadmills.

Since dealing with this knee injury, I have been swapping some of my “easy” runs for swims or bike rides, and on Wednesday I did just that. I was supposed to run 5 miles, but instead I planned to swap it for a swim. First, I headed to the gym with my brother and we got in a leg workout. He was working on maxing out his leg press, so we wound up doing 7 sets on that machine, which was a lot for me! We also included squats and some calf raises, which I was sure to feel in the days that followed.

When we finished with strength training I headed to the pool and met up with a few members of the Merrick bicycles Tri team. Our coach, Jackie, had assigned us a workout. I was a little nervous about it, since when I go to the pool I usually just swim laps without any real goals. The workout was a long one for me -

Swim workout - concentrate on EVF (early vertical forearm)-

w/u 200 easy

4x75 (50 catch up drill, 25 free) rest 10' btw. each

2x200 bilateral breathing rest 30' btw each

4x75 (50 fist drill, 25 free) rest 10' btw each

2x150 - concentrate on your pull rest 20' btw each

8x25 (follow below)

2x25 - free fast 5' rest

2x25 catch up drill

2x25 - free 5' rest

2x25- fist drill

*add in optional:

2x300 for endurance- rest 30' btw each

I teamed up with Ken, and we split a lane for the workout. We swim really similar paces, so it was nice to have someone to swim with throughout the whole thing. It took us about 50 minutes to get through it all, and I was pooped and starving by the end! But I was glad I got in the pool.

Thursday was listed as an off day on my schedule, and I needed it! I headed to the doctors office on Thursday morning, as my sore throat had evolved into a cold. I’m asthmatic, so when I feel a cold coming on I have to be on top of it, or I wind up down for the count. Leaving the office I was on a steroidal inhaler, prednisone, and antibiotics, plus a recommendation to use my nebulizer a few times a day. I headed to work after the doctors appointment, and took it easy Thursday night. Instead of workout out, I headed to the fabric store and grabbed some supplies to start on my costumes for the Dopey challenge!

I did have intentions to run Friday morning. I even laid out clothes on Thursday night. But when Friday morning rolled around my body refused, feeling the full cold symptoms. I rolled over and got an extra hour of sleep, thinking maybe I would try to get in some miles after work.

But of course, I wound up having to stay late at work, and missed out on having a real lunch during the day, because I was just so busy. So by the time I got home, dinner was my first priority. My mileage for the weekend was planned to be 18 miles on Saturday and then 9 or 10 miles on Sunday. So I was worried about running too late on Friday, and not giving my knee time to recover. So instead of the 4 miles that I planned to run, I hopped on my bike trainer. I figured that way I would still get some cardio in, but it would be lower impact on my knee.

Saturday morning was a little rough when it arrived. Was it really 6 am already? Because it felt like I had just gotten into bed. I grabbed my gear bag, which I had thankfully packed the night before, and got dressed in some cold weather running gear and drove to Mike’s house. From there he drove us into Central Park, where we were planning to get our long run done. Mike was running the ted Corbett 15k, but I had hesitated on registering, and missed out. It was one of the last NYRR events on the year, and since I had already completed more than 9 events, I didn’t want to take a spot away from someone who needed this event to qualify for the 2020 marathon.

It was a chilly morning in central park, and I was glad that we took the approach of booking a parking lot right near the entrance of the park that was closest to race day central. We started our run as soon as we got into the park, and ran right to the porter potties - gotta have your priorities in order! We found Carson shortly after, and were on our way to 18 miles.

So, I carried my own water and tried to stay out of the way of the runners and organizers of the event, as I started my Central Park run that morning. Mike and I started on our loops, and were very relieved that Harlem hill was not a required part of our day. We proceeded to run loops of Central Park for a little over the next three hours, first following the race course and then exploring other routes. Around mile 16 the hills started to bother Mike’s knee, so we eased the pace as we finished up. Despite the pain we managed to finish the 18 miles, feeling strong overall. I really love running in Central Park, there is something going on to focus on between the people in the park and the scenery, and it makes for an interesting long run, even if the hills can be difficult at times.

As is the catch of dopey training, our weekend runs weren’t over after completing our 18 miler - we still had another 9 to run on Sunday! The original plan had been to do the long run Sunday, we we decided to swap the distances, as we were attending a holiday party Saturday night, and didn’t want a late night to impact our long run.

As is the theme of dopey training, we had a second long run planned for that weekend - a 10 miler a little closer to home. We were both registered for Race Awesome’s jingle all the way 5k at cedar creek park. Mike and I met at the park about an hour before the race, and we headed out to the trail that leads towards jones beach. We kept the pace easy as we chatted, and when it was time to line up to start the race we had run just over 4 miles.

We met up with my friend Allison who was pushing a stroller with her 11-month-old in it during the race, and we stuck together for most of the race. it was an out and back course with a loop of the park, and when we were on the “back” part, just around mile 2, Mike’s knee started to hurt again. We took a walk break, and after a moment of stretching we were on our way again. We finished our loop around the park, and headed towards the path again.

As we reached the path, Mike’s knee started to hurt again. It reached a point where we were walking more than running, so we decided to switch to walking after a total of 7.5 miles for the day. We both felt like we would rather cut the mileage a little short rather than wind up injured. Plus, it was nearly a mile walk back to the car, which was still distance under foot! We had a fun time at the race though, and were still able to snag some hot chocolate and bagels when we finished our miles, which was really good.

All in all, I felt good about the mileage that I got done this weekend, and am really trying to listen to my body. My knee was sore after the long miles, but I was so happy that I was able to get through them feeling strong. 30 Days between me and the Dopey challenge!