The Dopey Challenge!!

...Or why I'm starting this blog

A couple years ago, the morning after running my second Crescent City Classic 10K with almost zero training, I found myself in unbelievable pain wondering why people think running is so much fun/rewarding/challenging/etc.  I was 39 years old, typically fairly active, and in decent shape.  I had participated in various martial arts since college, but the wear and tear on my body had gotten to the point where to continue I was probably looking at shoulder surgery in the near future with the rehab that entails.  

I've enjoyed cycling since high school, but it had been a long time since I put in any appreciable mileage on my bike (a Bianchi Campione with Campagnolo components, aka the Sexy Italian Bitch®).  But I was looking for something "new" to do to keep myself active and maintain my fitness, since I'm a firm believer in staying healthy not only for myself, but as a role model for my daughter.  So once the soreness in my calves had worn off from the CCC, I started dabbling with running a bit, doing a couple 2-3 mile runs a week.  

Part of this was prompted by the Nike+ App on my then-new-to-me iPhone 4.  Having something that somewhat accurately tracked my distance and time gave me the immediate feedback I needed to gauge whether or not I was improving, which was motivating for me.  But while reading some running forums about apps for running, I came across Adidas' MiCoach, and thought the price was perfect (free ninety-five).  The MiCoach site has plans for all sorts of running goals, from getting started as a first timer to running a Boston Qualifier Marathon.  I found the plans for various race distances, did some Googling and found that there was a Half-Marathon in October (The Jazz Half), and thought what a great way to celebrate my upcoming 40th birthday than by doing something so stupid as running for t h i r t e e n  p o i n t  o n e  miles.

And if that wasn't dumb enough, the day after the race we (the wife, kidlet, and me) were getting on a plane to spend a week at Walt Disney World.  So not only was I going to subject myself to running a half-marathon, but for recovery I was going to go on a vacation where I would probably average walking 7 miles a day.  Made perfect sense.

Well, as my training progressed, my goal for the race went from "finish" to "finish under 3 hours" to "finish under 2 hours", which I did (1:54:39).  That led to another half-mary the following February (Rock N Roll Half Marathon New Orleans) where I went 1:47:35, followed up by a 47:53 10K the weekend after (and missed a seeded spot in the CCC by 2 spots, as I was 17th overall).  The 2012 Jazz Half was a few months later where I went 1:39:53 for a top 20 AG finish, which was my best "big" race result.  After that race a friend of mine told me it was time to do a full marathon, which I did this past February (Rock N Roll NOLA, 4:03:51).  After that race, I seriously doubted if I'd run another marathon, because of the time commitment to the training as well as the excruciating pain I was in for a couple weeks afterwards.  

But Dopey...

Notice a couple paragraphs up where I mention Walt Disney World.  We're not people who'd be classified as Disney "freaks".  We're about a notch below them.  My 5 year old daughter has been to Walt Disney World 3 times.  There's a Mickey Mouse doll that lives on my guitar amp.  We've been to WDW for the Epcot Flower and Garden Show, the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and The Food and Wine Festival.  We've stayed at 4 of the onsite resorts, eaten at several others, and have planning a vacation to WDW down to a science.  I just don't wear Mickey Mouse ties (but I do have 2 watches) or have any Disney animation cells hanging in my house.  

WDW every year hosts several running events, with the biggest being the Marathon Weekend every year in January.  The races go through the various parks, characters are on the course for photos, people dress up in costume to run, etc.  It sounds like a very "Disney-ized" race experience, as I've never run a race there.  I didn't really have a desire to either, as I like racing in New Orleans. Nothing beats running down St. Charles Ave. in the Fall or early Spring, under the oaks, in front of the mansions, around the potholes.

One of the challenges available to runners in Disney is the Goofy Challenge.  It's the Half-Marathon on Saturday, and the Marathon on Sunday, for 39.3 miles of sheer Disney Running Magic (or dopamine overload).  My above mentioned friend did this a couple years ago.  He also said there's an "unoffical" Dopey Challenge that adds the 5K race on Friday for 42.4 miles, but it's unrecognized.  

Until this year. 

The Inaugural Dopey Challenge is happening in 2014.  It's combining the 5K, Half-Marathon, and Marathon into a 4 day running challenge for people with way less sense than courage.  4 days, one might ask... What's the 4th day?  

Well, just to make sure that it's a real challenge (and to get more money/registration fees/sell more shirts/etc.), Disney has added a 10K to the Marathon Weekend.  So the official Dopey Challenge is a 5K on Thursday, a 10K on Friday, a Half-Marathon on Saturday, and a Marathon on Sunday, for a total of 48.6 miles of racing over 4 days. 

Naturally, we (my friend and I) signed up. 

And remember the kidlet I mentioned above?  She wants to do the Kids' Races (400M dash and the Mickey Mile) so she can get her own personalized bib and finisher's medallion...  Which will put Dad at 49.6 miles of racing since she wants me to run the Mickey Mile with her.  (I can't tell her no, can I?)

I'll use this blog to chronicle my training for the Dopey, as well as talk about some other running related subjects.  I'll also post about races as well as my dabbling in multi-sport, including my horrific attempts at swimming.  It might be fun, so enjoy.

Russ

There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity.  And I dance all over it for entertainment.