Conquering the Dopey Challenge
The runDisney races have a special place in my heart; as an everlasting Disney fanatic and where I ran my first half marathon (Super Heroes Half Marathon in Anaheim, CA) and first full marathon (Walt Disney World Marathon in Orlando, Florida). I remembered being appalled by the undertaking that was the Dopey Challenge. It entails running the 5k on Thursday, 10k on Friday, half marathon on Saturday, and the full marathon on Sunday for a total of 48.6 miles over the course of 4 consecutive days. I’ll never forget how more people raised their hands at the start line for doing the Dopey Challenge while running their first marathon. The seed had been planted and I knew that there would be a time for me to conquer this beast…
Fast forward to Fall 2021 and I’ve managed to add 3 more marathons (including one without an official race during the Pandemic – Wholesome Folsom: Running a Marathon with the Power of Your Mind). It seemed fitting to return to in-person races with a bang and register for the 2022 Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. Additionally, it was the 50th anniversary of the Walt Disney World resort. True Disney fans know how special these celebrations are and how much more fun it is to go to the park during them. The decorations are top notch, the shows are spectacular, and if it could be possible – there’s extra magic in the air. Oh also, my birthday is in mid-January and I couldn’t think of a more perfect celebration with my two loves (Disney + running).
I was on a bit of a distance break in 2021, having only trained for a Sub-2:00 Half Marathon. This meant that my mind and body were ready to start ramping up for the challenge. I had also been more consistent than ever while living at home so I was eager to continue my training discipline as I moved to New York.
Add in a few hiccups of adjusting to the move and school and despite a bit later of a start and a few adjustments, I kicked off the first long distance double weekend run on the weekend with a bang. It was 9 miles on Saturday and 13 miles on Sunday. I hadn’t run more than 10 miles in the past two weeks and my consistency was spottier than it had been in the past. Despite having run multiple long distance races, I still get morning anxiety prior to my long runs where it seems daunting to begin a 2-4+ hour run. This in addition to the lack of accountability makes it so easy to skip my runs (the other reason in addition to adjustment is that my training plan kicked off in October vs after Labor Day weekend).
I needed to get creative with how to keep myself motivated to tackle these distances on my own and then it dawned on me – motivation was the key. I remember finding this while listening to Shalane’s podcast when I was having an awful track day and didn’t want to continue. Her message of the importance of showing up and putting in the work on the hard days being what carries you for the race days and I pushed through my cramp and finished the workout.
Shalane is currently undergoing her own feat of Project Eclipse where she has announced not only coming out of retirement but completing all six of the major international marathons within 3 hours and 2 months. This is incredible. Her accomplishments before were already so inspiring but to see her come out of retirement and motherhood with this new mindset and appreciation for running has me so inspired. I listened to her podcast three times the night before my run and woke up inspired (Nike). It became clear to me how important intrinsic motivation would be through this training plan so that I can remain consistent as I put in the miles before this exciting new goal.
Sources:
Nike. “Shalane Flanaga | The Power of Self-Talk and Community in Competition.” TRAINED. July 2018. https://open.spotify.com/episode/4VSXeQXitNxcwnUJjYdhiD?si=oVf1bG3ETU2Q4-PS8lf7zA&dl_branch=1.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insidetracker-partners-with-shalane-flanagan-on-world-marathon-majors-feat-project-eclipse-301380566.html
