The Dopey Experience, my final thoughts

It's been a couple of weeks now since Dopey and I've had some time to sort through the race.  It's been hard to really put into words, but I am going to try and do a post on my thoughts on the Dopey experience.

This was only my second multi-day challenge (Dumbo Double Dare being the first).  I knew this would be a challenge.  4 days, including a marathon?  What was I thinking?!?

Ahhhh - what was I thinking!

I knew this was not something to be taken lightly.  My training for the Dumbo Double Dare was actually a perfect lead in to Dopey training.  It gave me a strong base with some back to back practice.  I decided to go with the Hal Higdon Dopey schedule as I felt it would work best for me.

Physical training is not the only aspect.  I do feel that mental training is one of the most important aspects of this race.  Pushing yourself when you are tired/sore is tough and if you can work through that, then you are ahead of the game.

I felt truly prepared heading into the race weekend with the Hal Higdon plan.  I had only missed 2 runs and knew that I had done everything I could do be prepared.  My strategy of taking the first 3 races easy and having lots of energy for the marathon worked best for me, but from reading other blogs, it looks like most Goofy/Dopey'ers seem to do it the other way (race the half, take it easy in the full).

But for me, taking the first 3 races easy was key.  Something else that help was trying to limit time on my feet Friday and Saturday.  Saturday Pam and I literally did nothing but have lunch at Downtown Disney and dinner in Hollywood Studios.  By the time marathon morning rolled around, my legs were not feeling tired.

I wouldn't say my legs were feeling 100% fresh, but they weren't completely tired.  It allowed me to be able to have the race I wanted on Sunday.

I think the main question is, would I do Dopey again?  Honestly, I don't think so.  I'm sure some of you are thinking, wait, really?

Don't get me wrong - I loved the race and it was a great experience and I am so glad I did it, but there were some definite downsides to it.

First, let's talk about money.  The registration price tag is not a joke ($495 in 2014, but I anticipate it will go up in 2015).  Plus, you also have to factor in plane tickets, hotel/tickets, merchandise purchases, plus the sheer expenses that go into training (sneakers, nutrition, etc).

Another issue is the time commitment.  I gave up a lot of time (and personal life) to train for this.  Many hours in the park, lots of weekends were I did nothing but run.  When you run long on both Saturday and Sunday, you can't really do anything on Saturday.  Speaking of time, let's not forget about needing to take a week of vacation the 2nd week of January.

And of course, my favorite - sleep deprivation.  Getting up that early for 4 mornings in a row is no joke.  By Friday night, I was becoming slightly delirious.  By Sunday, it took all my effort to get going when the alarm went off.

I think at some point, I would be open to doing Goofy again (many, many years in the future though!), but no Dopey again.  Never say never, but at this point, I feel this way.

Did anyone else do Dopey?  Would you do it again?

Reflections on Age 30

So I have officially been 30 for 3 months now.  In all honesty, not much has changed, but I have definitely noticed some subtle shifts in things.  I want to state prior to the below list that I am not complaining about getting older (everyone I know tells me the 30's are the best), just wanted to share what I have noticed.

1.  First off, I am tired more often then not and need a good night of sleep all the time.  I used to be able to go to bed late and get up in the morning full of energy.  Now, I need to my full 7-8 hours of sleep and sometimes it's still not enough.  Compounded with this is the fact that any sort of long run now wipes me out completely.  I used to be able to do a long run on Saturday and then be out and about all day and night.  Now after anything longer then 8 miles and I need a nap to be any sort of productive.  It's brutal.  I would like to formally apologize to my mother for back when she was training for the Disney Half.  She would always complain how exhausted she was after her long runs and I never understood.  I understand it now.  Sorry Mom!

2.  I have noticed my metabolism is just not what it used to be.  I've always been pretty conscious of what I eat (healthy with definite unhealthy splurges), but recently I've seen that while I am eating the same things, my body is reaching to them differently (i.e. it takes less unhealthy food for me to feel crappy).  I don't know how to describe it, but I can just tell I am not burning calories the way I used to.  I'm really trying to make a more conscious effort to eat healthy and lay off the junk.  Before if I wanted something unhealthy I just ate it and knew it wouldn't make a difference in the long run.  Now, I know that is not the case.  If I don't make an effort and only splurge occasionally (and actually mean occasionally) it will catch up to me.

3.  Hangovers now last at least a day.  Back in college I used to never get hungover.  I did my fair share of  partying in college, but always managed to get up and make it to class.  I would have a bagel and coffee and be fine.  I didn't really start getting hangovers until I was living and working in NYC.  But even then I could go out and still be a functioning person the next day, albeit with a headache and lack of sleep.  But now, a hangover lands me on the couch for an entire day trying to muster enough energy to get something to eat.  It is rough.  I am glad I got my partying out of the way in college when my body could handle it and not be hungover!

So, like I said, I am not complaining.  Just thought I would share what I have noticed in my new decade.  I am actually looking forward to seeing what the rest of my 30's bring!