Wife Mother Runner Dopey Challenge Archives - Page 3 of 4

Dopey Training Update

December 7, 2014

As we are partly into December and a month away from flying into Orlando for the Dopey challenge, I wanted to give an update on my training. I just got back from my Sunday morning run (one of my favorite parts of my week/weekend). It was a VERY rainy day Saturday so I was hoping that rain would push away overnight and Sunday would be clear. My alarm went off at 7:00 and I peeked out the window to see everything wet and cloudy but no more rain drops were dancing on the pool cover. I got up, had my tea, got dressed and hit the road. Six miles were on the schedule today and I had the latest pod cast on my ipod from Another Mother Runner which was about the Philadelphia marathon (which I had just run 2 weeks ago), so I had something to look forward to listening to on my run. All bundled up, I hit the road SLOWLY today. I start off walking some of my hill and then began my running intervals.

I headed up to the vineyard and it was peaceful and beautiful. It was a very wind morning so on the hilltop I was getting blasted. But it was still wonderful. At the vineyard I totaled up to 3 miles so I headed back home for the remaining 3 so I could wake up the family and get ready for breakfast with them. On the return trip home I finished my podcast and then switched to music which gave me an energy boost and I had a productive 2 miles return trip home. As I was running home I was thinking of how thankful I am that this year I didn’t need to go to physical therapy for any issues and that I was remaining strong and healthy for this training and also keeping focused. Despite a little burnout during the Philadelphia marathon, I am on the right path to successfully complete my first Dopey challenge and I am happy about that. I have one more group of training runs in the next two weeks which will contain most of the miles that the Dopey challenge will be; but I am making slight modifications based on what I decided after Phillly. I don’t want to do to the full 26 mile training run and then the full marathon at Dopey, that would be 3 marathons withing a 6 week time period and mentally that would just be too much for me. So my plan is to do 20 miles on my last long training run and then the marathon during the Dopey challenge.

So good reports overall and I am happy with my progress.

Dopey Training Going Well!

October 28, 2014

I had my long run this weekend in preparation for the Dopey challenge, but mainly for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 23. I haven’t really talked about that marathon, because I haven’t really been thinking about it! I have mainly been thinking about the Dopey races in January. I need to do some research about this race to find out what train I need to take to get there and also to get home, which station to get off in Philadelphia, what time the expo closes, and to figure out all the details to prepare for that race! I guess it’s a good thing I don’t feel too nervous about it. I was nervous about the 23 mile run that was on the training plan this past week. I had to do 3, 5, 8 and 23 miles. I did 3, 5, 8 and 22. I did most of the runs on the treadmill because of timing and my job and my husband’s job. But I’m ok with that now.

I started the training at 9:30 a.m. on the treadmill. My husband was working so the kids and I went downstairs and they played while I got started. I had my iPad and ate a bagel with peanut butter prior to the run so I was fueled up and ready to go. I learned that after 99 minutes, the treadmill shuts off. I stayed on it for 12 miles so that I would only have to do 11 miles on the road. I did well. I wasn’t as bored as I thought I would be. I don’t know if I would WANT to do the full 23 miles on the treadmill, but I think if I had to I could.

Around noon I got off the treadmill, mapped out a new route for an 11 mile trip, ates some pretzel fish and then hit the road. I was on the road until 3:00 p.m. I started to feel sluggish around mile 7 so I started to do the marathon math in my head and realized I was approaching mile 18 so I was getting close to a wall. I brought with me some fruit chews and ate some of them to help get some sugar to my brain. I mapped out a new route so that I was doing something different and that helped. When I was feeling tired, I decided to walk a mile and then resume my 30/30 intervals. I was maintaining a pretty consistent 13 minute mile. My legs were doing ok but I was getting tired of running. I had been doing it since 9:30 in the morning and I wanted to get home to my family. I ended up cutting the run short by 1 mile. I don’t like to do that, but I needed to. We had plans for the evening and I needed to get showered and ready to go out.

A beautiful fall day. Not a bad view to have to run by.

I know Jeff Galloway recommends you walk most of your runs prior to your long run, but during the week I ran most of the short runs. I was in a time crunch so to walk 8 miles would have taken me too long so I had to run most of it. I don’t feel too bad for cutting my long run short by a mile because I realized that it was the last run of 4 consecutive runs and considering that I really felt good. It was a beautiful day to be out for a run and I did enjoy the wonderful weather I had to run in.

The downhill I was approaching and it was so difficult to run DOWN that steep hill!

So I am encouraged now to know that I CAN do the Dopey challenge. I WILL do the Dopey challenge and based on how well I felt that night and the following day I am going to be just great when it is all over!

The issue I was having with my left leg has improved greatly since I got my orthotics replaced. I don’t need to use KT tape anymore to help lift my arch. Something I did notice is that I should consider wearing different shoes for every other day. My shoe laces were digging into my foot from my treadmill running on the previous days so by the fourth day, it was quite sore. I also heard that it is best to pack 2 different pairs of shoes for the race in case of weather. You want dry shoes each morning. However, my older shoes have more miles on them, so I will wear them for my shorter runs and save the newer shoes for the long runs.

I Have Rekindled An Old Relationship

October 24, 2014

No, I’m not cheating on my husband. I have reacquainted myself with my treadmill. For several reasons lately, I have had to do all my running indoors. I wasn’t happy about it at first; but after the third day in a row of my Dopey training schedule for this week I have come to terms with it.

I had to do 8 miles today. I had an online training class that starts at 9 and it’s dark out by 6 p.m. so I knew I couldn’t get in 2 hours of running outdoors tonight. So I set my alarm for 5:30 this morning so that I could have my tea and get downstairs to begin the run at 6:00. My daughter woke me up at 4:30 because she was coughing (side effect of fall rainy wet leaves). Once I got her settled back down and into my bed I think I slept for about 15 minutes before my alarm went off. I reluctantly hit snooze and laid there for a few minutes. I knew I couldn’t waste time so I got up, had my tea, got dressed and ventured downstairs with my iPad and headphones.

I felt good. I planned on walking all of the 8 miles per Jeff’s training plan. As the first mile was complete, it was almost a 16 minute mile. At that pace it would take over 2 hours to get the run done and I really only had 90 minutes to do it. I decided to throw in a little jogging here and there. It was still a productive run. I caught up on my episodes of Nashville and watched the latest episode of Scandal (LOVED IT!) At about 6:50 my son came into the workout room and scared the heck out of me! He had a bad dream and couldn’t go back to sleep so I brought him back upstairs and set him up with a tv show so I could complete my run.

I was keeping an eye on the clock and knew I had to stop at 7:30 to wake up my daughter and get them their breakfast. At 7:30 I had 5.25 miles completed. I woke her up, made breakfast for both kids and went back downstairs. The kids were so awesome and cooperative. At 8:00 I checked in with them and told them to get dressed and brush their teeth. I made their lunches and went back downstairs. I was at 7 miles a little bit after 8:00. So after making their lunches I had to finish my last mile on the plan and get them out to the bus. By 8:30 – Mission Accomplished!

I was so glad. I got them off to school, took a quick shower, made my chocolate milk and breakfast and got ready for my 9:00 online training class. It’s nice to know that my third workout was done before the day even got going. I am feeling soreness in weird places and I know it’s from running on the treadmill. My right butt muscle feels a little weird and I feel it in my muscles in my back going up along my spine. All good things, not bad soreness, but adjustments

I am considering beginning the first 10 miles of my 23 mile run tomorrow on the treadmill so that I can be home with my kids and have it done while my husband is at work, then when he gets home I’ll finish 13 on the road so that I won’t be out of the house for 5+ hours after he gets home. This way we can spend most of the afternoon together as a family!

I am rekindling my love for my old treadmill. That treadmill has been with me for over 14 years! I began using it religiously in 2002 when I first started to “run”. Then I used it as soon as I could after my son was born and began running again after I was given the OK to run again. I remember watching Prince Harry get married while running on that treadmill! I ran 9 miles for the first time in my life while watching the NYC marathon on TV that my old boss was running in 2002 on that treadmill. It stopped on me while I was running today so it is quirky and it may be time to invest in a new one, but for now I’ll make it suit my needs while I get my mileage in so I can be successful with my Dopey Training.

Dopey Challenge – It Really Is A Challenge

October 19, 2014

This past month I started a new job. I really enjoy the new job and so far it hasn’t gotten in the way of my training for the Dopey Challenge. The challenge for me is that I was Dopey to sign up for this challenge when I never before even did the Goofy challenge! What have I gotten myself into?

My training has been going well, I will admit that. But I don’t feel as successful as I think I could feel. Maybe I just don’t know how I am supposed to feel. I do know that at times running does feel like work. Mike and Michelle talked about it on their podcast in a recent episode and it hit home with me. I do enjoy running still and I get out for my two short runs during the week and then my assigned run per Jeff Galloway. Typically if it isn’t a long run or race weekend then it is a 4 or 6 mile run. Again, I still enjoy those runs. It’s when I have the long run showing up closer on my calendar that I start to feel anxious.

I knew that next weekend I have a long run on the schedule and I can’t take a day off of work to fit it in. This means I will have to spend a weekend day running for 5 hours. It also means that I have to figure out when and how I will get out there because my husband is starting a new job and has to work on Saturday. I don’t want to spend my Sunday out running for half the day when it is the only day he will be home with the family.

So we discussed the plan over breakfast and since he will only be working 5-9 on Saturday I will head out when he gets home. This is similar to when I would go out for my long run after getting Kevin on the bus and dropping Adrienne off to preschool last year. So if I keep that mentality I will be ok.

However, the difference this time is that I have to do a 3, 5, 8 and 23 mile run in 4 consecutive days – The Dopey part. It’s getting dark out very early and it’s also dark early in the morning. I can’t run in the morning because my husband is starting his new job this week. So I’ll have to plan on doing my 3 miles Wednesday after work, 5 miles Thursday during lunch since I am taking online training at home, and I am not sure yet how I am going to get in my 8 miler on Friday. Here’s where the crazy juggling comes in.

I think what helps me not freak out too much is knowing that I only have 2 more groups of training runs like this in the next two months. One right before the Philadelphia Marathon and then before the WDW weekend the week before Christmas. I guess I’ll worry about how I’ll fit that all in when the time comes. I may have some accrued vacation time to squeeze in the long run on a Friday. I may have to fire up the treadmill in a few weeks and put in the miles indoors early in the morning. I don’t know how to get back into treadmill mode. I swore it off four years ago.

Do you have any advice on how to integrate the treadmill back into my training routine?

First Dopey Consecutive Training Runs

September 25, 2014

This week Jeff Galloway had a 4 day consecutive training run on my schedule. I had to do a 3 mile, 4 mile, 6 mile and 20 mile run. Thankfully for me, I am off of work (between jobs) this week, so I had the time to get in these runs. I am also fortunate that my husband is home so I could do these runs early in the morning. I chose to do them early in the morning because I always feel better when I begin my day with a run. It makes me feel more energetic and I also don’t have to worry about trying to fit it in later in the day. I went out each day at around 6:40 a.m. The sun rises late now so I wait till after 6:30 to head out. The weather this week was so comfortable for running early in the day. The scenery was so beautiful as well! Here are a few pictures from my second run day (the 4 mile day).

My doggie friend who sometimes joins me for a little bit of the run. He wasn’t in the mood to run with me. He ran away instead.

The fog was slowly melting away as the sun was rising and warming the air.

I have been battling a problem with my shin due to my orthotics being 4 years old. When I first started running I thought I had severe shin splints. I stopped running for several weeks, tried calf sleeves and finally gave in and used my custom orthotics. Come to find out that was the answer to my problem. But recently that pain was coming back, so I went to my chiropractor and we decided it was time for a new pair to be made. I put a lot of miles on mine and I am hoping this will solve my problem. I also ordered new sneakers, so I am hoping I can make it all correct again. So during the week I have been careful to ice my leg often during the day. Tylenol made a big difference after my run and I wore KT tape and calf sleeves during my run. After taking Tylenol the pain was gone for several hours. I was told by my coach, Jeff Galloway, to walk all of my runs for this training assignment. I started my runs by walking to warm my body up and I would see how I felt and make my determination on whether or not I could handle the runs. Thankfully after I warmed up I was ok to run. I actually felt better the longer into my run and also when I ran longer intervals. Each day I started the run the same way, a long warm up walk and then gently ease into running. I used 30/30 intervals. After the first 3 miles the pain was pretty much gone. Seems like once the muscles warmed up the pain would go away. As the week went on I was looking forward to my morning shorter runs, but the 20 mile run was on my mind. I was beginning to dread it. I saw on the Mickey Milers page that people were talking about the latest episode from MIke and Michelle about running feeling like a job. I was looking forward to listening to that episode. I loaded it to my podcast and it was the first thing I listened to as I started my run today. I was feeling the exact same way as Michelle. I enjoy running, but preparing for Dopey was difficult for me. I could handle the short runs. I was nervous about the long run. I was mostly nervous because of my shin/arch problem. I gained confidence that I could do 4 consecutive runs with the last run being the marathon, but I am feeling scared about the Goofy portion of the Dopey Challenge. I did the 6 mile with the 20 mile run the following day and ran all 4 days. My body held up for it. So I know I can do it. During January the races will be with friends in Disney with photo ops and I won’t be running the races for time. I’ll be running them to finish and to enjoy myself. So this gives me confidence. I just need to get my leg back to normal and keep healthy for the rest of my training. For the 20 mile run I walked the first 2 miles to warm up. Then I began to add some running with 15/30 intervals. I did well for the next 8 miles. By mile 10 I didn’t feel anything with my left leg. I was also relieved that I only had 10 miles left. It was supposed to be a very rainy day (Nor’easter storm forecasted), but the rain held off for the first 7 miles into my run. When it did begin to rain it wasn’t bad. It was a gentle rain that was very peaceful. I continued with my 15/30 intervals through mile 13, then I started to walk some more. I decided to change part of my route so that my husband could meet up with me with water and pretzels. I met him at mile 15 and took a 10 minute break to have some water. I didn’t need a lot of water and fuel on this run. It wasn’t hot so I didn’t go through my fluid quickly. I also didn’t use Nuun on this run. I just used water, gummy bears and pretzels. By mile 17 I was walking a lot. Then at mile 18 I was able to put in some more running until I got to my street. I had to burn the last mile by running in my driveway and up my street a little bit so I could earn that last mile. I didn’t want to cut my run short. I am happy that I got it done. I had no expectations on the finish time that I wanted, and am feeling good. Just a little tired from being so busy all week and running 4 days in a row with a long run. In my mind I am accepting that I can do the Dopey challenge. It may not be pretty but I know that I can get it done. The key will be RESTING each day after the race and taking naps. Here are some pictures from my 6 mile run. It was another beautiful fall morning. I stopped to savor the peaceful morning and to embrace the alone time I had. How can you beat views like this to begin your day?!

I Won’t Try To Do A Tri This Year

August 26, 2014

I had a goal set this summer that I would participate in a Women’s Sprint Tri this September. I did take part in training, biking, running and “some” swimming. But I didn’t get the chance to step up my swimming training and I also didn’t do any brick workouts. So after being on vacation last week and doing my first open water swim in a lake, I decided that I am just not ready for a race like this. I can do well with the biking and the running, but I am too afraid I will run out of gas from just the 1/2 mile swim alone.

The medal they are giving for the race is a cute charm bracelet and that sure did tempt me to suck it up and do it anyway; but I talked to my husband and kids and told them I had made the decision to not do that race that I had been working for during the summer. It was so cute when I told them. The kids immediate told me “you can do anything you want to mommy! Don’t give up, you can do it!” It was so obvious to me that they listen to me and what I tell them when I encourage them to keep trying and to not give up while they are doing something hard and get frustrated. It was so sweet that they were telling me that I still had time to train and get myself better and ready for the race. But I told them that sometimes I have to be wise and make a decision to NOT do a race to prevent myself from getting hurt. I wanted them to understand that I wasn’t giving up; but that I was making my decision so that I could be safe and to know that next year I will work harder towards the goal.

I am slightly disappointed that I won’t be doing this race, but I also want to stay injury free and healthy as I prepare for the Philadelphia marathon and the Dopey Challenge in January. Sometimes the best decision is to sit out an event rather than try to do it all.

I am so happy that my running hobby is also teaching my children some good lessons in life.

Dopey Training – August 17

August 22, 2014

I am committed to my running. So much so that even if my long training run falls on my vacation I do my best to make sure I am out there getting in the miles. This week Jeff Galloway has me running a 6 mile run on Saturday and a 17 mile run on Sunday. I did both runs back to back and am very glad that I have them done.

As I was enjoying the first part of my vacation it was on my mind that I had this long run on the schedule and I also had to be sure I was eating and drinking appropriately. I was enjoying some red wine by the fire the nights prior to the runs but made sure to be careful of how much I drank. We have been cooking our meals at the house and those were also good food choices to fuel up for the long run.

My husband said he would get up early with me and head out on his bike while I did the run. The main reason for this was because I was going out to run in an area that I wasn’t familiar with. I wasn’t too worried about being out there alone, but the thought of some bears or a “wild animal” did cross my mind when I went out on my shorter runs earlier in the week.

I set my alarm for 6:00 a.m. but when it went off I completely blew it off and reset it for 6:30. It was looking dark and grey out the window and I didn’t have to worry about trying to beat the sun and heat as much so I snoozed for an extra 30 minutes. Then we got up, I had my toast and tea and hit the road around 7:20. The weather was good, overcast, no sun and no rain. The showers blew over as we were getting ready to head out so thankfully it stopped when we left.

The route was nice. We followed the lake in an out and back route and then I went in an opposite direction but the route wasn’t the mileage that I had mapped out prior to our trip. I became frustrated when we got to the end of the road I planned to go to and I saw that I still needed to get in 5 more miles which wasn’t the distance back to our house. The distance back was just about 2 miles. At that point I needed some sugar to my brain to help ward off the negative thoughts that were creeping in. I told my husband that I needed some reinforcement. He helped determine an alternate route to get in some mileage and then we headed back into the direction of the house. I was concerned because the return trip back had a lot of hills. Once on the return trip I just dug in my hills and sucked it up and pushed on.

I was done with trying to make up the mileage on the road and just wanted to get back so we headed back to our beach and I ran along the road and driveway of our vacation area and got in the last 1.5 miles there.

I’m glad the miles are now behind me. I tried not to think about the fact that I did a little more than a half marathon and would have to do a full marathon after a half when we are doing the Dopey challenge in January. I did think about Dumbo while I was out there. That race is a 10K with a half the following day. Today’s run was over a half but the weekend structure will be the same. I am in good shape for the Dumbo Double Dare but I do still have many miles and training runs to put in for the Dopey Challenge. I know I can do it. It’s going to take a lot of work.

Dopey Mental Training

August 10, 2014

I set my alarm for a Sunday morning early run again and have to say I enjoyed it. At first when the alarm went off I turned it off and thought about going back to sleep. I could see through my blinds at the sun was shining bright so I knew I had to get up and get out there. I took my time while I had my tea and cinnamon bread. I checked my emails and Facebook, watched the news and weather and then headed out the door.

The air was comfortable and I was prepared for some humidity. I kept the pace steady and not too fast not too slow. But while I was out on my run my iPod died so I had time alone to think. I was thinking about my trip coming up next week and how I need to do a 6 mile run followed by a 17 mile run the next day. Where I will be on vacation will be a very hilly location so I am concerned that I am going to struggle with the hills. This is why it becomes mental training at this point.

I have to not worry about the hills and just put one foot in front of the other and get the miles done, especially with a 6 mile followed by 17 mile run back-to-back. I’ve never done such a run before.

I want to enjoy my vacation, and I know I will but I know I will feel even better about myself when I get these training runs completed while on my trip.

Since it is going to be a hillier run I’m thinking that I need to pack my Camelback. My husband said he may ride his bike while I am on my training run. I don’t think he realizes how early I plan on hitting the road.

So now as the week goes on and I know that I have a double run and a long run on the schedule I will spend the week thinking about it. Usually I am more comfortable with it. But since it is in a different location I feel a little anxious about it. Mental training time. Sometimes it is harder than the actual run!

My Very First Race Location

August 4, 2014

This was the field I ran in for my very first race. It was a 5K at the Potato and Corn Festival in North Branford, CT August of 2011. It is a very memorable day for me, not just because it was my first race, but because it was probably the worst first race anyone could have had! I had thrown my back out the day before because I was riding on the hayrides in a bumpy field, going on the slides with my kids, and sitting improperly on the grass. These were all recipes for disaster. The morning of the race my mom had to go to the quick clinic for an infection so she wasn’t sure if she was going to make it for my first race, and not to mention it was a torrential downpour.

But, it didn’t stop me from participating in my first 5K that I had been training for. Despite being driven there in tears with my family, I pinned on my number, slopped through the mud and lined up with the other runners. Then the race began. I pushed through the pain and took my first steps into my racing career. The rain came down so hard my headphones stopped working. I was afraid I was going to short out my iPod. I had no clue what the course we going to be like but I followed the pack. I was mostly towards the back, but I was just happy to be there.

My finish time was 38 minutes. Not my best 5K time, but it was my first PR. Since then I have done many 5Ks, several 10Ks, half marathons and 3 full marathons. This was where it all began for me. As they do every year, the race was held this year, but I chose to sit it out because I am training for the Dumbo Double Dare, along with the Philadelphia Marathon, and the Dopey challenge. I can’t afford to twist an ankle on a trail run that I haven’t trained for. But this race will always mean something to me. And I am proud to walk its course and remember what it was like running my first race there.

Dopey Training and Philadelphia Training All At Once

July 27, 2014

As I am on out my long run this morning I asked myself, “Why did I sign up for Dopey?” I did a 5 mile run yesterday per Jeff Galloway’s instructions and my 16 mile run this morning. I felt ok considering I did 5 miles yesterday, but then I was doing the math in my head…5 and 16 not so bad, 13.1 and 26 the following day — kind of scary. 3.1 (5K), 6.2 (10K), 13.1 (half marathon) then 26.2 (full marathon)… WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING????!!!! Seriously, I had a bit of panic over the idea.

The back to back 5K and 10K races don’t scare me, but the “Goofy” part of the challenge, the half and full marathons do. I must trust in the training Jeff is setting up for me to prepare my body for this and hopefully not get injured during the training as well. I did as he instructed and changed my intervals from what I normally use (45/30) to 15/30. It slowed down my pace to 13 minutes/mile, but also having the shorter bursts of running and longer walking helped me to not be as sore and endure the distance better. Compared to my 16 mile run a few weeks ago, I did finish it 7 minutes slower, but that was mainly because I did the 15/30 intervals.

I set my alarm for 5:30 this morning. My kids tucked me into bed last night and I read my book and fell asleep rather quickly and relatively early compared to my usual bed time. I didn’t stall when the alarm went off, I got up, made some toast and tea and got my butt out the door by 6:20. I was concerned with the storms that were in the forecast on the news and it was still a bit more overcast at that time of the morning. But once I was out there it didn’t feel as dark. There was a point in time around 7:15 that the sun came out and I was worried because it was very humid already.

As usual, my iPod was loaded up with my favorite Disney Pod casts, Mickey Miles, Be Our Guest, The DIS Unplugged so I had my usual Disney magic in my ears. The Mickey Miles Podcast was talking about California and that made me a little excited about the Dumbo Double Dare coming up next month. I haven’t had been thinking about it as much lately with other events going on in my life right now. But the training I am doing now for the Philadelphia Marathon and Dopey is rolled in with that race weekend as well. I haven’t been thinking about Philadelphia as much either. It’s funny how you put your head down and push forward with what’s on the training plan without thinking much about where you are racing. At least that is how it is for me. November and January are a long time from now for these upcoming races, but the work needs to be put in now to build up to them.

So the lesson I took out of this weekend’s training routine was about being dedicated to get up early and hit the road in the early hours before it gets too hot and also so I can spend more time with my family. With the longer runs coming up on the training schedule and my work schedule I don’t know how I will get them all fit in so I may be using my weekend mornings like I did this weekend with early starts. In the winter, I have no clue what I will do when it is dark out so early. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I was also very conscious of cars when I was on the main roads. I was thinking a lot about the poor young man who was killed recently in the town next to me, on the roads that I run on. I am a very conscious runner and did move to the side of the road a few times when I wasn’t sure if I was being seen. I pray that nothing like that every happens to me, leaving my family without a mother and a wife. I hate to think that way, but it has been on my mind a lot more lately. I won’t stop doing what I love, but I will be more aware and make changes accordingly (like choosing different routes to run on that are less busy).

Here’s to looking forward to a weekend of low miles and recovery in the next coming weekends and to an excuse to sit in the movie theater with my family this afternoon!

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Tag: Dopey Challenge