Category Archives: RunDisney

Happy New Year! I’m Still Here!

Posted on by

Look! I’m dusting off the old blog to let you know that I’m still here! Some of you have been wondering and I appreciate you checking on me! I still love you guys and I still have plenty to say. Where have I been? Mostly I’ve been spending my days like this: Run, work, sleep, repeat. We’re officially in the home stretch for Dopey Challenge 2020! I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally be finished training (almost)!

Happy New Year!

Sunday’s nine lonely miles in the rain gave me plenty of time to feel sorry for myself, but instead of indulging in a pity party, I thought about how grateful I am that I’m able to run. Even though I’m sore and tired and a bit worried that after all we’ve done, we still haven’t trained enough – I still love to run. I thought about how lucky I am to have Joseph running the Dopey with me and how Raymond has been the ultimate support system through these many months of what felt like constant training.

Happy New Year!

2019 is over and what a year it was! Looking back I would most definitely describe it as uncharacteristically busy. We packed a lot of work and play into the past 12 months (and this blog paid the price). Given the choice between typing a blog post and playing with a sweet grandbaby…can you blame me? I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, but I am going to do my best to resuscitate Living a Disney Life and get back to regular posting. To get that going, I’ve got some Wine & Dine race reports and some other thoughts from our November trip coming up for you over the next few days. After that we’ll be trying to cross four finish lines in four days and I will be sharing many thoughts and photos on social media during our adventure – so if we’re not connected on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, I would love to have you follow along.

When we get back from our trip, I’m sure I’ll have opinions (don’t I always?) on everything from dining, attractions and resorts to what happens when we run 48.6 miles in four days at Disney World. I’d love to hear from you! What’s in store for you in 2020?

Happy New Year, Disney friends – may 2020 bring you peace, health, happiness, and adventure! – Lisa

Dopey Challenge 2020 – Choosing a Training Plan

Posted on by

We’re fast approaching the Wine and Dine Challenge and before we know it, we’ll be closing in on January’s races. We’re putting in lots of miles (truth!) and building our endurance, speed, and strength (I like to think so anyway). We’re following the training plan we selected after a couple of weeks of research back in late summer. How did we decide on this particular plan and what is it? I’ll explain.

Dopey Challenge 2020 – Choosing a Training Plan

The most important aspects we considered when deciding on a training plan were that it needed to be both adequate and realistic. We want to be prepared for our events and complete them in relative comfort. We also don’t have unlimited training time and need quality training versus a large quantity of miles. We can fit in long runs on weekends and prefer the longest of those be scheduled on Sundays. We also have time for speed work, tempo runs, and strength training, but in relatively limited time windows.

There are a lot of free training plans available on the interwebs and as I plied my mad Google skills on the hunt for race prep perfection, I quickly became overwhelmed. Information overload! I kept coming up with new plans to run by Joseph and he, never having completed a marathon (or the associated training for said event), kept agreeing to whatever new idea I presented. To narrow down the choices, I went straight to Dopey veterans for advice. First I found 2-3 Dopey Challenge Facebook groups (I like this one and this one the best) and then I searched for some tips on YouTube and BOOM! Just like that we found Hal Higdon’s Marathon Training – Dopey Challenge plan. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!!

This plan is exactly what we needed. Plenty of rest days, plenty of tempo runs and time for speed work. The maximum miles per week reaches 42.5 which sounds like a LOT but is manageable. We can get it done without killing ourselves or taking days off from work. We just finished week 5 of the 18-week plan and we’re feeling strong and optimistic (after escaping from one large angry dog!). An important component to this plan is that in a few weeks we will start to run consecutive days of short, medium and long runs to get ourselves ready for the actual challenge of running a 5K, 10K, half, and full marathon over four days. That’s what makes this plan perfect. Hal Higdon, you’re the bombdiggity!

If you’re interested in watching our YouTube version of this info, check it out here (our little channel could use some love). If you are training for a runDisney event, I’d love to hear from you!

WDW Marathon 2020 – Proof of Time

Posted on by

I was born a procrastinator. If my mom hadn’t been induced on her due date with me, I would have procrastinated my own arrival I’m sure. I always say it’s because I work better under pressure, but that doesn’t apply to today’s example. I procrastinated (or maybe I just didn’t think ahead) – and there was a price to be paid for my inaction.

As I’ve mentioned before, we try to always submit a proof of time for runDisney races that accept it (half and full marathons). For the Wine & Dine Half, we used a 10K time from last fall – easy peasy! When Joseph and I registered for the Dopey Challenge and the marathon portion of the entry asked for proof of time from either a half or full marathon run after January 2018, I realized I should have thought of this much sooner…like last winter! We skipped a favorite December half in Lafayette, Louisiana last year and we should not have done that. Now I needed half marathon race times for Joseph and I and didn’t have them. I checked the deadline for submission – October 8th.

I’d just have to find a half for us to run before the deadline. Easier said than done! I checked the half marathon calendars for four states and found only one possibility – The Walkons Independence Bowl Kick Off K’s Half Marathon in Shreveport on September 28th. I got us registered and started waiting for some fall weather. It never came. Everyday the meteorologist on TV kept saying the temperatures were 10 degrees above average with no break in sight. September 28th arrived with a low of 76-degrees and a projected high in the low-to-mid 90’s. With a 7:00 am race start, we could at least hope to finish the race before the thermometer hit 80.

WDW Marathon 2020 – Proof of Time

In spite of the hilliness of the course, which started at mile 3, we made good time in the early miles. We grabbed water at every opportunity and snacked on Sport Beans somewhere around mile 7. Shortly after that, we mixed some Tailwind into our water at the next aid station. After that, we (mostly I) had issues and we slowed WAY down.

Backing up for a second, our original plan was to finish in 2:15 to 2:20. We’d done it before and were sure that if we had any break in the heat, we could do it again. When the weather was making our training runs nearly unbearable, we cheered ourselves up by believing there was no way the low temperatures could keep being in the mid-70’s. It was almost October – we were bound to catch a break! Oh, it was not to be.

If only we could have kept our average for the first 8 miles going. We would have finished in just under 2:17. Instead, we started taking walk breaks and whining (again, mostly me) about pain, heat, and generally feeling like we were running on the surface of the sun. We crossed the finish line together (I did ask Joseph to leave me to die a few miles earlier, but he stayed with me to the bitter end) in 2:27:26. The temperature when we started was 78 and 80 when we finished with 80% humidity. On a funny note, I still scored a 3rd place age-group prize from Orangetheory Fitness. I managed to beat some of the other old ladies, so there’s that.

Proof of time has officially been submitted for Dopey 2020. Maybe we won’t be in the last corral. We’ll see. Technically, our time was too slow to really make a difference, but we’re hoping for a bit of pixie dust anyway.

I dusted off the old YouTube channel and put this all in video form, which you can find here if you’re interested. I promised Joseph I’d buy him pizza at his favorite restaurant and after 13.1 miles, nothing could have tasted better!

Guess what this weekend’s weather is supposed to be? Yup, lows in the 60’s. Back to training for the Wine and Dine Challenge. Anyone else going to be there with us?

The Road to runDisney 2019 & 2020

Posted on by

My past runDisney experiences look like this: Princess, Princess, Star Wars, Princess. As hard as it was to pass on those early-in-the-year events this year, Joseph and I are registered instead for the Wine & Dine 10K and Half-Marathon in November. Why not try an entirely new race experience? AND Food & Wine Festival calories would never seem less fattening after all that running. But wait! There’s more! In January 2020, we are also registered for the Dopey Challenge. Crazy? Maybe. Let’s discuss.

Seems like it’s my destiny to run a full marathon once every 10 years or so. My first was in early 1999 (Austin, Texas) and I thought once was enough. I ran 26.2 miles in a respectable 4 hours 20 minutes and didn’t feel compelled to repeat the experience. Ever. Until 2010 when I inexplicably wanted to run the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama. It was December, the course was hilly and painful, and those miles took a good bit longer at 46 than they did at 34. I actually cried when I found Raymond after I crossed the finish line, vowing never to do it again. Which brings me to The Dopey. For those unfamiliar with this challenge – runners can enter all four races held during the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend and earn six different finisher medals. One each for the 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon. Then separate medals are given for completing Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge (half and full marathons) and the Dopey Challenge (all four events). Yes, that’s 48.6 miles in four days, but let’s not dwell on pesky details.

Why would I (I’ll be 55 in November) want to do this now? The answer has many layers. Joseph is all in, so I won’t be alone. It’ll be his first full marathon and I’m thrilled he wants us to do it together. Ten years is obviously how long it takes me to forget how difficult it is to train for, complete, and recover from a marathon (I’m avoiding thinking about four days of events right now and how little sleep that means). I’m feeling fantastic – I just had a checkup and all the routine tests indicate I’m in good shape health-wise. In the back of my mind I’ve always wanted to do the Dopey and I’m not getting any younger. I’m kind of feeling like it’s now or never. But who knows? In another 10 years I may be ready to go again.

Are you a runDisney fan? What events are in your future? Will you be at Wine & Dine or the WDW Marathon weekend?