48.6 is the new 40: Introduction

About two years ago I realized that I was getting ready to turn 40 in May 2019.

Up until this point, milestone birthdays had not really bothered me too much.  I enjoyed my 30s and was not quite ready to give them up.  I was starting to show some age, but overall I was feeling pretty good about myself.  However, the idea of turning the big 4-0 really started to rub me the wrong way.

I have been running regularly-ish for several years now and completed a handful of 5Ks, 10Ks, half-marathons, and a full marathon. I am never going to be the fastest person on the road, but slow and steady gets it done.  I ran my first race in 2011.  I lost my dear friend, Jill, to ALS in 2010 and after watching her weekly physical decline and seeing her the day before she passed away--I knew the ability to move and run was a gift that I was not going to take for granted.  Pain during a run was nothing compared to what I watched her endure.

2011:  Laura and I post-race at my very first 5K
Beaufort, NC

I'm also going to say this:  I'm the least athletic adult you know.  I am not lean, mean, nor fast.  I do not enjoy running, sweating, or pain.  I have never set out to beat anyone at a race event.  I want to eat french fries and watch television inside with air-conditioning.  Chris used to make fun of me when I started running because he could walk faster than I could jog.  I started using the Couch to 5K method and it was a struggle the entire distance.

I still do not enjoy running--but I enjoy the benefits of running. Running helps me clear my mind of anxiety.  Running helps me feel like I've accomplished something in the mornings before most people greet the day.  Running helps me remember that I can do hard things one step at a time.  And races are truly the most happy environments next to heaven.  Runners are happy.  Runners encourage each other.  Runners will cheer you on when you feel like you can't take another step.  Races give me hope for humanity--a bunch a strangers coming together and getting it DONE.  

That's a sermon for another post.     

I swore up and down that I would never run another half marathon after running the Disney Princess Half-Marathon in 2017.  The course was extremely crowded and I was running it with my (under-trained) husband which took much longer than expected.  It also cost a lot of money and training time.  However, after running the New Bern Bridge Run a few times, I realized that half-marathons weren't as bad with less people and money invested.

After I ran the Bridge Run in 2018, I started to wonder if perhaps I could run a little bit further.  I am highly motivated by achieving personal goals and I started thinking about the big, bad marathon distance and considering if I could even handle it.

And then, I saw it: The Dopey Challenge.  

Cue the scary music

If you are not familiar with runDisney's Dopey Challenge--it is a 4 day race event in which you run a 5K on Thursday, 10K on Friday, half-marathon on Saturday, and then complete the series on Sunday with a full marathon with a course that goes through all of the Disney parks for a grand total of 48.6 miles.  Also, for those of you motivated by medals and t-shirts, you earn SIX! for completing the challenge.  One for each race, one for completing the Goofy Challenge (which is the half and full marathon), and one for completing the entire challenge.  

I started to consider the amount of training it would involve--but surprisingly it didn't appear to be much more than regular marathon training.  However, it did involve several simulation weekends in which you run several days in a row.  I also considered the amount of wear and tear and how it might destroy my body.  Would it be safe?  Could my hips, knees, and joints hold up to the training?  

After talking with my husband, it was decided that I would train for a regular marathon in the fall of 2018 and then consider if I could handle the Dopey. I began training in May for the Charlotte marathon.  NC summers are no joke, and training was brutal.  I ended up in the hospital for what was eventually considered a vitamin deficiency/electrolyte imbalance.  It made my body mimic several life-threatening issues and diseases (numbness and tingling on the left side of my body, chest pains, dizziness), and I endured several scary tests run to rule out a lot of scary things.  It was a wake-up call that I wasn't getting any younger.  I could sit around and feel sorry for myself that I was getting older, or I could enjoy the life I had right this minute and take control of my health and wellness.   

I chose health and wellness.  

After training for and surviving the Charlotte marathon (hello there, rolling hills and muscle groups I have never used before), I knew I was ready to take on the Dopey Challenge as part of my 40th year.  This gave me a little over a year to prepare for the challenge using the Galloway method.  His method includes intervals of run/walk (I use 4 minute run, 1 minute walk), which involves two short runs (3-5 miles each) during the week, a longer run on weekends, and several simulation runs in which one runs 3-4 days in a row.  In preparation for this event I've run over a thousand miles and I'm on my 5th pair of running shoes.  

Finally, in the spring of 2019 it was time to register for the Dopey race.  To my delight, my husband decided to sign up for the Challenge (and I'm happy to say he has trained for it this time), as well as one of my uncles.  My sister decided to run the half marathon, and my cousin decided to run the full marathon.  It's going to be a family affair!

The serious Dopey training once again began in the summer months.  I was much smarter this summer and made sure I was serious about hydration and fueling to avoid another hospital stay.  I have a faithful running partner, Jennifer, and she agreed to take on the mileage with me in preparation for the race-she's one of those people who enjoys tackling extremely long runs.  We endured hot and humid summer runs, beautiful fall runs, and cold and freezing winter morning runs.  We solved a lot of problems, avoided road kill, and she encouraged me when I hit the wall during our longest runs to just keep going.  I battled back issues and busy schedules.  Weeks passed and we got to the very last weeks of training over the holidays.

During the training taper, I've battled pre-race anxieties.  Is that knee sensation an injury from Charlotte or am I headed into this race with a training injury?  Did my husband give me a cold or a sinus infection?  What on earth am I going to wear for 4 days of running with a low of 62 and a high of 80?  How impossible is it to find running shorts in December for short girls with no thigh gap (hello there, chub rub)?  I need to pack!  Do I have enough running fuel?  Am I keeping hydrated?  Have I run enough miles?

Will I be able to do this?  

to be continued...