Dopey challenge training – week 11

I have embarked on a bit of a crazy quest to run the Dopey Challenge in 2020. It’s in Walt Disney World in January 2020 and takes place over 4 consecutive days of a 5k, 10k, half marathon, and full marathon. I’m trying to document my training weekly to help keep me on track! I am following the Jeff Galloway training plan.

So good news! I did my longest run I’ve done in about 4 months. I got my 11 miles in on Saturday. That should basically put me back on track with the Galloway training plan (11 miles was supposed to be week 10, with the next long run being week 12 with 13 miles. I figure if I do the 13 next weekend I’ll be back where I’m supposed to be). The bad news is it was ROUGH.

I only did one of the two shorter runs this week because I came back from our cruise with the “boat sickness.” It seems a lot of people came down with a pretty rough cold, but luckily I felt better enough by Thursday to attempt a run. 

Thursday I was back with my running group, yay! I missed my beer runners while I was on vacation. We did a new route and a new bar this time so it was fun to switch it up a little. I was amazed at how sore my muscles felt just doing a 4 mile run but I got it done (even though they had to send someone back to get me to make sure I was all right since I was the slowest…).

Saturday I did my long 11 mile run. I went into it telling myself to just get the distance done. Even if I walked the whole thing. And I did do that. I did 11 miles, and yes there were longer walk breaks than usual, but I was feeling it everywhere. The good news is that I felt it the way I’m supposed to feel it – muscles sore and difficult from not using them for awhile, but no “bad” pain. My toe felt fine throughout and my hips were behaving.

I’m proud of getting it done especially when it’s been a struggle for me, but I’m not going to lie and say it’s not difficult mentally as well. I ran a half marathon in May with a 10:15 pace. Now I’m struggling at an 11:20. That’s about the speed I was 4 years ago so it is frustrating to feel like 4 years of work is lost with 2 months of injury. I’m hoping it will come back quicker than that, but it does scare me.

The reason why I signed up for Dopey 2020 was because at registration I felt like I was running really well and if there was ever a time to do it, then it would be now. I was running faster and feeling better than I ever had before. Now that’s all slipped away and it makes me nervous. There’s still that nagging little question at the back of my brain going “what if I can’t do this?” I just need to try and keep moving.