The 2017 Dopey Challenge: My First Marathon

As we approach the 2022 Dopey challenge, I decided that it was time at last to talk about an experience of mine that predates this running blog: The 2017 Dopey Challenge. For those of you that are not familiar with the Dopey Challenge, it is a RunDisney event where runners complete 48.6 miles over the course of 4 days, by completing a 5k on Thursday, a 10k on Friday, a Half marathon on Saturday, and a full marathon on Sunday.

I know, it’s a little insane – or at the very least, DOPEY.

I took on the Dopey challenge in 2017 with my then-boyfriend, now husband, Dennis. You see, once upon a time I was someone who would have laughed at the idea of running a race of any distance – in fact, when friends ran races before 2015 I had no interest in even considering lacing up a pair of running shoes – who needs $100 sneakers anyway, I thought the whole thing was insane.

I eventually came around to the idea that this could be something fun – and signed up to complete the 2016 Disney Princess Half marathon with my cousin Ryan, as my family had a trip to Florida planned that coincided with the dates anyway. Once I crossed that finish line I couldn’t wait to do it again, and in the summer of 2016 we started talking about heading to Florida for marathon weekend in 2017, I toyed with the idea of running my first marathon.

We started talking about signing up for the Dopey challenge. At first, I seriously resisted but over time started thinking “well, I have almost a year to train, and if I am going to go all the way to Florida for a race I may as well run all of they races they’re offering….”

So, when registration day rolled around I found myself not only registering for my first marathon, but clicking on that Dopey Challenge option.

I essentially started training right away, using Hal Higdon’s Dopey Challenge plan. Throughout the summer Dennis and I logged miles together. My Dad biked along with me on many solo runs, where I made sure I was logging every mile that my training plan assigned. We completed races together – Dennis and I even got engaged at one! As the seasons changed and fall rolled around, Dennis and I ran the Run Rock and Roll half marathon in Philadelphia, so that he would have a proof of time to submit to RunDisney. After the half school picked up for Dennis– who was still in college at the time – and I started logging more and more miles with Dad biking along. I honestly would not have made it through that training cycle without him. I also started running with the Merrick Bicycles Tri team that fall, and made friends with runners like who were down for a long, cold weekend run with lots of miles. When it got too cold for dad to bike outside, members of the tri team often agreed to tag along on long runs, even though they weren’t marathon training at the time. I remember logging my last long run – my first 20 miler – with two guys from the tri team with weekend before Christmas, and just being so grateful for my amazing team.

Soon enough it was January, and it was time to head to Florida for Marathon weekend. I feel like I packed every piece of running gear that I owned, and I had even headed to the thrift store and purchased throw away layers in case of chilly race mornings. We arrived Tuesday night, spending our first night at the Caribbean beach resort, before moving into Saratoga springs for the rest of the trip. After we swapped rooms on Wednesday, spent some time in the parks before eventually heading to the race expo. I went jacket crazy that year, in part because it was my first marathon – by the end of the weekend I had purchased three jackets: the preorder jacket, the dopey challenge jacket, and one of the marathon jackets.

We had assembled costumes for the various races, but were all at different training levels, so as we prepared the night before the first race, we were uncertain how much we would all run together over the weekend. I had put a lot of hours and early morning wakeups into training for the dopey challenge, and wanted to really give it my all.

For the 5k we were all planning to stick together – it was the start of the challenge, and we needed to be conservative with our paces. We headed to the buses together, all dressed up as characters from the lion king. I had found a vintage Simba hat, and then made character hats for the rest of the group to wear. The icing on the cake was that Dennis surprised everyone by adding a hula skirt to his Timon costume. As we waited for the race to start we layered up with trash bags to keep warm, as it was a little cold that morning. Once the race got moving, we all enjoyed a 5k around Epcot together, and checked off the first 3.1 miles of our challenge. We headed into the parks after freshening up, and had an easy day wandering around Magic Kingdom.

Next up was the 10k, where Dennis and I had our own Wall-E and Eve costumes. It was a little harder to wake up on morning two, but it was a warmer outside that morning which was some small consolation. We all started the race together, and were able to snap some photos together in the backstage areas of Epcot and on the boardwalk, as the sun came up. As Den and I ran the last mile together, we even broke into a full sprint as we raced for the finish line – to this day, neither one of us is really sure who won. After the race we all met up and headed back to the hotel together, where we ate breakfast in the food court. Dennis and I headed to Epcot and got lunch in Via Nappoli, for a full carb-loading feast.

We had been regularly checking the forecast for Saturday morning, as rain was being predicted. When we headed back to the hotel on Friday night, we went to the hot tub to relax before another day of running. We chatted with other runners, and while we were there RunDisney sent out an update: The half marathon was cancelled due to thunderstorms.

I was devastated. All of the back to back long runs, the hours spent training to be prepared for dopey, were they for nothing? I saw others reacting to the news – many people were relieved because they were undertrained, and now they would be getting a $180 disney gift card, and not have to run 13.1 miles. But it was about more than that to me… so, Greg and I, being the crazy runners of the group, made a pact – we were going to get in our 13.1 miles, so that we would have ran 48.6 miles over four days, even if it meant running loops around the resort.

I can safely say I have seen every path at Saratoga Springs resort in walt Disney world. We ran between all of the buildings, over to Disney springs, passed the pool, around the dining area, and passed every carousel. About half way through our run the promised rain began, and it was almost a relief when the humidity broke. We made our own aid stations, with Dennis bringing us fuel and water when we ran by the room. When we completed our 13.1 miles, I took the rubber luggage tag that RunDisney had given us – it was supposed to be the 20th anniversary of the half marathon – and clipped it to my pin lanyard, and declared it my medal. So, Friday held 18.3 miles instead of 6.2, but I would still have my 48.6 miles by the end of the weekend.

When the race was cancelled, Disney offered runners several options to refund their registration – they could either receive a $180 Disney gift card, 2-two day park hopper tickets, or they could run the marathon in place of the half. Since we had annual passes and were already running the marathon, we took the Disney gift cards. Dennis and I were completing the castaway cay challenge after the marathon, so we wanted to pick up our gift cards rather than wait for them to come in our email, that way we could use them on the cruise. So, on Saturday we slept in, and through the thunderstorm that had derailed our half marathon, and headed back to ESPN worldwide sports for another visit to the race expo. It was raining at this point, and the expo was packed. We had to park in a field near the expo, and Disney had shuttle buses running to bring us to the main entrance. Once we got into ESPN, it was clear that we were not the only runners wanting to pick up our refunds and medals. The lines were so long that they weaved outside of buildings and around the sport fields. As we waited, it started raining. Thankfully, we were almost in the building at that point, so we were not stuck outside for too long.

Once we got into the building picking up the gift cards and medals was the same process as bib pickup. Wait in line, show your ID, and get issued your items. We headed back to the car once we had our stuff, and were once again watching the weather in anticipation of the following morning’s race: it was going to be cold. Like, winter in New York cold! They were estimating a temperature of 28 degrees at the start, with a wind chill that would bring the real feel temperature into the teens – yikes! I had packed my cold running gear, but the rest of my group was in need of throwaway layers. So, to make sure everyone stayed warm we headed to Walmart. We scoured the store for gloves, but apparently we were not the first ones to have this idea… all we could find were children sized gloves, which were far too little for the guys hands, so we wound up buying a pack of socks to keep their hands warm at the start. We also couldn’t find sweatpants for the guys, so they wound up with women’s sizes for those. Also in short supply were sweatshirts, with only the “3XL” size remaining. But it would do the job to keep them a little warmer in the morning. We headed to Disney springs after Walmart, where I picked up a heavier pair of gloves at the underarmor store, just in case it stayed cold throughout the race – the pair I had packed were on the lighter side.

I spent the night before my first marathon stressing over whether I was going to be too cold or too warm during the race, flip flopping about what I was going to wear at least a dozen times. I was also nervous about the race itself, as I was planning on running it alone, since no one else had trained for mileage beyond a half, and since it was my first full I wanted to see what I was capable of.

The next mornings our alarms once again went off too early. Once we were ready we loaded onto the bus and headed for the start area.

Den and I split up into our own corrals as we Hiheaded for the start line. By the time I got to my corral the race was just about to get going. As a result of the cold temperatures, they weren’t waiting long between releasing corrals and I was on my way just after 6 am.

I like to break the WDW Marathon down into segments:

1. The run from the start to the magic kingdom

2. Magic kingdom to animal kingdom

3. Animal kingdom to ESPN

4. ESPN wide world of sports

5. ESPN to the Hollywood studios

6. Hollywood studios into Epcot

7. Epcot to the finish

For me, breaking it down like this really helps me to appreciate each step of the journey, and to enjoy the mile that I am in.

As I ran to magic kingdom I spotted the entrance sign – it was my first time seeing it in the dark, and it was MAGICAL! It gave me exactly the boost I needed. By the time I got to magic kingdom, the sun was just starting to come up. I ran through the park with a huge smile on my face, and it was warming up already – it would wind up being in the 40s-50s for most of the race.

Once I was through magic kingdom, the next step was to make it to animal kingdom- the half way point would be right after that park. When I got to the back stage entrance, there was a petting zoo! Did I stop to pet a bunny? OF COURSE! It was the little things like this that make me feel the magic of Disney. We also had a banana stop at mile 12. Animal kingdom flew by, and on my way out I stopped for a photo with the haunted mansion grave diggers.

The highways between animal kingdom and ESPN are somewhat brutal, as they just feel like they’re dragging on forever, especially in the out and back sections. My parents were cheering me on from NY, texting me encouragements as I ran. When I did get to ESPN, I deemed it my least favorite part of the course. We ran through various sporting fields, it was crowded, and just felt like we were winding in circles. But, when we finally exited, there were strangers with candy and I happily accepted a twizzler.

Another long stretch of highway eventually lead me to Hollywood studios, where we entered the park through the fantasmic area. Right before we got to the tower of terror they had an official candy station, and I picked up some more goodies to help carry me the rest of the way to the finish line. My emotions were running high by the time I got to Hollywood studios – I was already at mile 24 – I was going to finish this thing, and then I would be a marathoner!

By the time I left Hollywood studios it was just over a mile to the finish line. When I entered Epcot it was already opened for the day, and cones separated runners from park-goers. I had a smile plastered onto my face, and even stopped for a few characters as I made my way around world showcase. All my hard work had paid off, this was really happening. I ran passed spaceship earth, turned the corner, and heard the gospel choir singing. One more turn, and I spotted the finish line. I could do this. I ran through the finish line, hands held high, and crossed that line. I had done it. I was a marathoner. I burst into tears – full, sobbing heaving tears. A volunteer at the finish line pulled me into a hug and congratulated me. I needed that hug! I started moving forward, collected my metals, and had my finisher photo taken. In the photo my face is literally swollen from crying as I finished the race. When I began that 26.2 mile journey I didn’t know if I would make it to the finish, but by the end I was only wondering when I could do it again.

I sat in the finishers area for a little while, checking on where the rest of my group were. They all still had miles ahead of them, so I decided to head back to the room and shower since it was cold at the finish line. Eventually they all filtered into the room, medals strung around their necks, and Dennis proclaimed “I am never doing that again!”

What can I say, we are very different people.

The next morning Dennis and packed up our things, and got ride to the Port Canaveral cruise terminal. We were boarding the Disney Dream, for a short cruise that would include one last running challenge – the castaway cay 5k. I was looking forward to just relaxing and laying around doing nothing for a few days after all those miles. We ate lots of delicious foods, I got my medals signed by the characters that are on them, and I even got a photo with Dopey.

The morning of the Castaway Cay 5k challengers runners had to be off of the boat before the rest of the cruisers. It was a cold morning on the island, and I was glad that I brought along the mylar blanket that they gave out at the end of the marathon. Dennis and I dressed up as the aliens from toy story – the costumes that we had all intended to wear for the half marathon. I decided not to bring my phone along for this race, since it wouldn’t work on the island anyway, so I don’t have any photos from the race, since they use the cruise line photographers at character stops. I was particularly bummed out by this, because chip and dale were out dressed up as the rescue rangers, which was one of my favorite shows as a kid.

Dennis and I started the race together, but he eventually needed to stop running due to ankle pain. So we agreed to meet at the finish line. After the race we re-boarded the ship, took a quick nap, and then spent the rest of the day hanging out on the beach.

Ok guys, I’m done rambling on. I enjoyed the dopey challenge so much that I later decided to complete the goofy challenge in 2019, the 2020 dopey challenge, and soon I’ll be taking on the 2022 Dopey challenge. At the end of the day, I really believe runners of all levels can enjoy the Dopey challenge, especially if they embrace the magic of all those Disney miles.

2020 Dopey Challenge: The Walt Disney World Marathon

On the final morning of the Dopey challenge, the early mornings caught up to me, and I completely slept through my alarm. Thankfully, I roused right as Mike was finishing up getting ready, before he had to resort to shaking me from my slumber. I had set out my costume and packed my pre-race bag the night before, so I just had to get dressed and we were on our way.

We walked over to the All Star Sports bus stop and joined the queue of runners climbing on board. Mike and I found seats and settled in for our ride for the start. There was more traffic that morning and getting to the race start area took significantly longer than it had other days, but it gave us time to enjoy our Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches in comfy bus seats, instead of on the floor of the corral.

When we finally got to the start area, there was a long line of people waiting to go through security, and we joined in, slowly stepping forward. Once we were into the start area, I rearranged my possessions so that anything I needed for the race was on my person, and then dropped by bag off at the bag check truck. We made a quick stop at the porter potties, and then walked over to the start corrals, which were about a mile from the start area.

Mike and I were starting the race from corral D that day, and the corrals seemed emptier than they had the day before. They didn’t close the corrals as they had they day before, and as 5 am approached, the corrals didn’t start to collapse.

5 am came and went, and there was no indication that the race would be starting, which was weird. With all of the RunDisney events I had participated in previously, I had never experienced a late start. I hopped online and saw that RunDisney had announced a delayed start. Then checked some RunDisney Facebook groups and saw that many runners were stuck in so much traffic, even some on resort busses, that they still were not at the start area! 

So, we waited in the corrals, wondering when the race would begin, and I started to get a little anxious about the warm temps that were predicted for that day - a later start meant more time running in the sun! Mike took advantage of the late start, running to the porter potty one last time, and when he came back to the corrals, they had finally started to move us forward. The race officially started around 5:20, and Mike and I crossed the start line at 5:36 a.m.

There was a marching band not far after the start, and we worked on settling into an ok pace as we made our way towards Epcot for the first time that day. There was a water stop before the first mile marker, which I was thankful for after the long wait in the start corral. Shortly after the first mile marker we spotted the first character on course that day - Tinkerbell with one of her fairy friends, and a larger than life teacup.

With the mileage adding up on our bodies, Mike and I made the decision to run intervals for the full marathon - it would hopefully keep my knee and his ankle happy for the full distance. So even early in the race, we listened to my watch as it beeped and instructed us to walk or run. 

Mile marker two was in the parking lot at Epcot, back near the race start. It was the same path that we had taken the day of the 5k, and we would be in Epcot before mile three. I was surprised at the number of spectators lining the way to Epcot so early in the race. Just before heading into Epcot Judy Hops and Nick Wilde were on the course, greeting runners as they ran by.

We entered Epcot near the imagination pavilion, and there was a giant Figment sculpture placed in front of the journey into imagination ride. I lost Mike as we lost Epcot, but thankfully found him without too much effort. Even this early into the race it was hot out, and the air was thick thanks to the humidity. 

The mile marker for the third mile had seen better days, as the number three was sitting on the floor in front of it, instead of hanging as it should have been. Phineas and Pherb were the next character we spotted, as we made our way through Epcot. As we left the park, they had an old ride vehicle out - the Nautilus from the closed 20,000 leagues under the sea ride. 

Now that we had left Epcot for the first time, we had a long stretch of highway ahead of us, as we ran to Magic Kingdom. The course had changed from recent years for the 2020 event, and Magic Kingdom would be around mile 10. Previous years that I ran this race it was closer to mile 6, so it was a little odd for me to wrap my head around.

There were surprisingly few characters out on the long stretch of highway, and the sun started to peek up around the time we hit mile 7. I was very disappointed when we got to the Magic Kingdom entrance sign, and instead of running under it, we ran on a road to the right of it - such a bummer! For me, that point in the race really gets me excited that we are so close to Magic Kingdom. 

More characters started popping up as we got closer to Magic Kingdom, starting with Goofy out with his water skiing gear, followed by Vanallope out with her Sugar Rush Racer car from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Parade. Mike and I stopped for our first characters when we saw Flick and Princess Atta, partially because there was no line. 

When we got to the ticket and transportation center, there were spectators lining both sides of the road. My husband Dennis and Mike’s husband Jude were there cheering for us, and we started searching for them in the crowd. Before we found them, we found frozen, and then spotted them cheering! I dropped my running belt off with Den, and Mike grabbed his sunglasses from Jude, and then we were on our way again. The crowd had so much energy that I couldn’t help but to cheer back at them, and even accepted a pack of fruit chews from a spectator. By the time we left the ticket and transportation center, we were already up to mile 9.

When we got to the hotels that surround the magic kingdom, the road narrowed, and we dealt with some course crowding as we ran by the contemporary resort. 

The course didn’t bring us through the main entrance to magic kingdom, but we did enter right onto Main Street. The first thing we saw was the big Christmas tree, and then after a quick turn, The Castle!!!

Main Street was lined with spectators, and I was so excited as we made our way further into the park. I knew the mile we had in the park would fly by, so I tried to just soak it all in. Just as we got into fantasy land, we spotted the white rabbit in front of Alice’s teacups, and we hopped in line for a photo. 

We ran through the castle and got our jump shot, and then the course took us through Frontierland, before making the sad park exit. We got to go through a backstage area as we left the park, and when we saw Jafar, Mike’s favorite villain, we had to stop for a photo.

There was a sport beans stations as we made our way through the backstage area, and then the big dragon float from the festival of fantasy parade was positioned along the course, threatening to breathe fire on runners if we didn’t make it by fast enough - but with the rising temps it felt like we may have been a little singed. 

We had a few miles of highway ahead of us, as we ran from Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom. Just as we got onto the highway the Haunted Mansion grave diggers were on the side of the road, inviting runners to join the ranks of the 999 happy haunts that live within the mansion - we stopped for a photo, but opted to keep moving forward with the race, which was quickly approaching the half way point. 

There were a handful of spectators as we ran through the Magic Kingdom resort area, and when we got to the Grand Floridian, Daisy and Donald were out, and all dressed up, so we stopped for a photo with them. 

The crowd levels got smaller as we left the magic kingdom resort area and approached Animal kingdom, and it was weird to already be halfway done with this race! When we got to mile 15 there was a special mile marker commemorating the 15th anniversary of the dopey challenge, and Goofy was out and dressed up as a football player for runners.

One of my favorite “character” stops was out again this year, as we entered animal kingdom - there were real animals out, each with their own race bib. Mike and I stopped and took photos with a possum and a parrot before heading into animal kingdom through a backstage entrance. 

Mickey was in his safari clothes greeting runners right before we entered the park, which had more spectators than I expected lining the course. As we ran through animal kingdom, we spotted Timon, stopped for a quick selfie with the tree of life, and made the tough decision not to ride expedition Everest. It was something that we discussed prior to race day, but there are times where I am nauseous after riding when I am not in the middle of a marathon, and with the heat of the day we decided against it. 

Mile 17 came just after we passed Everest, and then as we headed into dinoland Kevin, the bird from Up, was out, so we decided to stop for a photo. As we exited the park there was a boat from the nighttime river of life show along the road, and I was excited to see it up close! The adventurer’s club cast was also out, talking with and entertaining runners as we ran by. As we left the “animal kingdom” area of the highway, there were a few more animals out, and the then we were headed for blizzard beach. The sun was high at this point, and we were taking a conservative pace - we just wanted to really enjoy the experience and complete the dopey challenge!

As we continued along the highway, Mike and I made a new friend and chatted with her for about a mile, before she hopped in the line to meet Minnie Mouse. We would yoyo with her for the rest of the course and get to chat a few more times. 

We would later learn that the marathon course got cut short for some runners as a result of the heat of the day, but lucky for us we made it to Blizzard beach before that happened. It was the first time I would get to run through that park, and actually the first time that I had ever gone to the park in general. We ran past mile marker 21 while in the park’s parking lot, and since the mile marker featured Mike’s favorite movie - Lilo and Stitch - I snapped a photo of him with it. We were closing in on the end of the race now, with 5 miles to go, that would bring us through three parks. 

Blizzard beach wasn’t operational as we ran through it, but honestly, I wish it had been. It was hot out, and the water attractions looked so nice! It was a huge tease to see them and not be able to cool down. Olaf was in the park though, with his own personal flurry going, and making a mini snowstorm over runners. 

Right after we left Blizzard Beach, we were given Bananas, and upon entering Hollywood studios through a backstage area we were handed Hershey kisses! It was a short distance through Hollywood studios, entering just after mile 23, and exiting before mile 24. We got to run by the tower of terror, and then past the front entrance gate as we left the park and headed toward the boardwalk resort, which would lead us to our final park - Epcot!

We ran around the boardwalk, stopping for photos with Pluto and Max before we finally, at long last, made our way into Epcot. Mile 25 greeted us as we entered the France pavilion in the world showcase, and our marathon was coming to a close. We took our time as we travelled around the world, meeting some princesses as we went. The park was already open to the public at this point, but runners had a priority line for characters that were out for the race. 

In the last stretch of park before we headed for the finish line, my husband Dennis was waiting for mike and me, with margaritas for us in hand. We said hello, grabbed our drinks, and headed for the last finish line of the weekend - the frozen drinks were so refreshing that it was hard not to drink them all as soon as we had them! 

We reached the final mile marker - 26 - and turned one more corner. The finish line was in sight. Mike and I ran through the finish, smiles on our faces and margaritas in hand. Plus, a PR for Mike, and a PB for me in the most fun I have ever had during a race. 

We enjoyed finishing our margaritas as we walked through the finisher’s chute, collecting drinks, snacks, and the best bling of the weekend - our well-earned Dopey Challenge medals. I was so happy that we had completed this race together, and I had so much fun thought the experience. 

We spent the rest of the day recovering, taking naps and eventually making our way to Disney springs for a celebratory brunch. It felt surreal that the weekend was coming to a close, and we were all left with the same question - when can we do this again?!

2020 Dopey Challenge: 7 Days to Dopey

The end of 2019 was a blur, with the week between Christmas and New Years somehow squishing together so tightly that it just felt like one deep breath, flown by like a blur.

After spending Christmas with my family, I headed back to work on the 26th, Bah Humbug. I was officially in the taper zone, so my mileage was decreasing rapidly as race day grew closer. After my Christmas Eve 20-miler, I only needed to get in two more runs that week, an easy 4 miles and a long run of 12 miles on the weekend.

I sadly headed back to work the day after Christmas, and it was a quiet day at the office, as most of my co-workers took the whole week off. I packed my gym bag before work and headed for the treadmill when I was finished for the day to get my miles in. I snagged a treadmill and started moving. The air was felt stagnant at the gym, and it was hot! Of course I had forgotten my water bottle, and my phone refused to stream Netflix, but it was fine. Everything was fine. It was only four miles, four very sweaty miles, and they got done quickly enough. After the gym I dipped into the craft store and bought some supplies to make Dopey costumes! I put a little bit of work in that night, and successfully completed a few masks.

I had a lot of thoughts about cross training, or going to a yoga class this week, but honestly, it just didn’t happen. I enjoyed the low mileage that was scheduled, and just took it easy around the holidays. The next time I headed out for a run was on Saturday, accompanied by Mike and Carson. We let ourselves sleep in a bit, and planned to meet up around 11 am. The three of us headed to the Massapequa preserve, and got on the road together. We headed into the woods and did a three mile loop that took us by lots of doggie friends, and then looped by the car to grab some water. The original plan was just to keep repeating the loop, but Carson needed to pee, so we headed towards the park bathrooms, which were about four miles north on the trail. So off we went, our loop plan turning into an out and back.

The preserve is a little but hilly, and as the miles crept us on us we made a group decision to switch to run/walk intervals. We were much happier campers with this change, and shortly after reached the restrooms. We were a little concerned that the bathrooms would be locked for the season, but thankfully one was open. After business was attended to, Carson took a quick swing break on the near by playground, while Mike and I did a quick loop on the parking lot. The weather was super nice for December, and I was very happy as we entered mile 11 of the run, knowing that the end was in sight as we approached mile 12 - and then Carson threw down the gauntlet and said “We should just run a half today!”

I sighed. I was tired. I half fought Mike and Carson, but they won the battle, and we adjusted our goal to 13.1 miles - our out and back had been a little longer than expected anyway, so we only had to go about a half mile beyond the car, before turning around and entering the true final stretch at last!

It was a sense of accomplishment when we got to the car, and I was relieved that the miles were behind us. When I got home i treated myself to a nice big pasta dinner, and hit up the craft store for more costume supplies. I have a lot of costume work ahead of me in the next week, but my glue gun and I are ready!

On new years eve my Dad and I have a tradition, we head into manhattan, head to a few stores, and then grab lunch before heading home. When I woke up on New Years Eve I almost forgot this was the plan, and found myself scrambling to get ready so I would make the train on time. Of course, as I headed out the door I called Dad and he told me the plan had changed - we were driving. That gave me a little time to dry my hair at least. Once we got into manhattan we wandered around, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, visiting a few historical sites, stopping by a yarn store, and eventually getting lunch at Fraunces Tavern. After a busy day of exploring the city we headed home, and I decided to try to get a few miles in before heading over to Mike’s house to celebrate the new years. I geared up, got outside, stretched, and started moving - I got to the end of the block, and an awful side stitch hit. I took a minute to stop and try to breathe through it. I wanted to run about four miles, but the run just kept going like that - run a few houses, get an awful side stitch, have to walk. It sucked. So instead of four miles, I threw in the towel after a mile. It was a sucky last run of the year, but if I have learned one thing in 2019, it is that there is always a better run ahead of me.

To close out the year, Den and I headed over to Mike and Jude’s house, where we watched the fan fare around the ball drop in NYC, ate lots of yummy food, and enjoyed hanging out with a bunch of friends to ring in 2020.

As sad as I am that the holidays are behind us, I am so excited for marathon weekend to be here!