Dopey Challenge Race Courses Revealed!

As many of you know, I’ve spent the past several months training for the Disney Dopey Challenge.  It’s 4 straight days of racing.  Thurs: 5k, Fri: 10k, Sat: 13.1, Sun: 26.2.  I’ve been waiting patiently for them to release the course maps…they finally have!

**CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE AN ENLARGED VERSION**

Here’s the 5k and 10k routes…

The warm-up runs.

The first few miles of the 10k ain’t all that exciting, but I’m glad that at least both races follow somewhat different routes (in the same area).  I love variety in my running!  I’m also happy that the start and finish are near each other.  That way any spectators we have can at least see us twice!

Next up is the half marathon…

Half of the most magical place on Earth.

Basically a jaunt up to the Magic Kingdom and back from EPCOT.  Only thing that concerns me is the round-a-bout at mile 10.  I’ve been there before and it is a man made hill.  It’s a swirly overpass of road, and it. is. very. angled.  You can’t take two even steps because of the slant.  I’ve had several friends get injured at that overpass.  At least I know what to expect and can try to be safe there.

Finally is the main event, the full marathon…

26.2 magical miles. Or so they claim… 🙂

I really like this course.  You get to see most of the main attractions of Disney World.  I only wish there was a way they could mix in Downtown Disney.

As you can see, they take us through all 4 major parks – EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, & Hollywood Studios.  In addition, we also get to do a lap on their race car track (1 mile around) and through their Boardwalk resort.

In between we pass by various other “attractions”.  Running past the golf course is cool, but in years past running past the waste water management plant didn’t smell too pleasant.  But I guess you gotta take the good with the not so good, right?

I also really like how that now have us going through the Sports Complex.  There we get to run through the training soccer and football and baseball fields.  We also get to do a lap on the track!  And the highlight is running thru the baseball field where the Atlanta Braves do their spring training.  Last year, that was coolio because there was a big crowd in the stands cheering for us (and they had cameras putting us on the big screen on the outfield wall).

It all ends up back at EPCOT.  Which, if you look at the map, is over a mile in itself.  That just goes to show you how big the parks actually are.  I can say this from experience:  there’s not much more deflating than entering the final park, thinking you’re almost done, then turning a corner and seeing the “mile 25 marker”.  Ugh, another 1.2 to go, all in the same theme park!!!

But it’s all good.  I’ve done the Disney Marathon 3 times now, and I know how the game is played.  In the coming weeks I’ll offer my tips from experience for anyone else who happens to be running at Disney Marathon Weekend.

What about you?  Do you obsess over course maps before a race, or do you care?  Have you run at Disney?  Any tips?  What do you think of the courses?

I May Be A Teenage Girl

I really like Thursdays now-a-days.  Thursday evenings mean I have completed another week of workouts (until the weekend).  Fridays are a rest day for me at this point in the schedule.  So yay for Thursday being the new Friday.

I usually like to run with Thursday Night Social Run when I can.  It’s a fun group of like-minded runners who run, then hang out with food and drink specials at an ever rotating carousel of establishments.  So that is something to look forward to too!

Some of our group. Let’s play “Where’s Scott?”

And of course, now it’s American Football season and they televise some games on Thursday nights, so that’s usually on wherever we meet.  Not to mention Baseball playoffs going on, and basketball about to start up.  Fall is great.  Speaking of which, the weather finally got cool this week!!!  The last couple days have been in the 50’s overnight with mid 70’s during the day.  And I’m proud to report that we had some rain, and the rain made the humidity go away!

But back to the title of this post.  Here’s why I may be a teenage girl.  Thursday also means there’s a new episode of Vampire Diaries.  Don’t ask me why, but I’m very much hooked on that show.  Yes, it’s a show about high school vampires…and werewolves…and witches…and ghosts.  What can I say?

Aren’t they so dreamy? Er, uh, I mean isn’t she hawt?

They also have a spinoff that started this season called The Originals.  I am also into that.  I can’t help it.  Especially since it is set in one of my absolute favorite cities in the world – New Orleans!  Here’s me after the Half Marathon there:

Hey Mister! I like your “throw”.

Finally, even though I’ve given up running with music, when I did I always had Dashboard Confessional on the playlist.  I don’t know why I love that band so much either.  But if you ever see their MTV Unplugged Concert (I have dang near worn out the DVD), most of the audience in studio are teenage gals.  I’ve since seen the band in concert a couple times.  Even once after running a Half Marathon in Dallas and could barely walk…but I sure danced!

The guitar player from that band is also a solo artist and lives here in Dallas.  I met him at a show recently and I think I scared him a little with my talk of DC – “You’re definitely not our normal demographic.” he said.

John Lefler.

So there you go.  I may be a very manly teenage girl.

What about y’all?  What slightly embarrassing unusual obsessions do you have?

Dallas Cup 5K #blog

This is the race that made me want to race…again.  For the past year I had been focusing on longer distances like full and half marathons.  My goal with those was to try to run fast, yes, but mostly to be in an upright position at the finish line.  After 3 halfs and 1 full in four months, I was ready for a break.  So I took one.  But then a month or two later, I ran the Dallas Cup 5K.

I ran it for a few reasons:  1) Some friends were. 2) It was close to my house.  3) It benefited a soccer organization (me heart soccer).  4) I don’t remember what 4) was.

But after months of mostly cruising along in my races, I was in for a shorter faster distance.  And there was a guy running who I find kind of creepy and I wanted to beat him.  And some of my elite friends (one of whom is going for the 2016 Olympics) were running, and that kind of inspired me.  And there were a TON of kids running.  OK, I don’t know how much they all really weighed, but there was a bunch, let’s say.  And the thing about kids, they don’t like to lose.  They take off like meatloaf out of hell at the start.  Can’t keep it up, so they walk.  But as soon as they hear your footsteps behind them they take off on a sprint….until they stop and walk.  Repeat.  I want to trip those little cuties.

But anywhoodle, all that inspiration made me push it.  I did not bad for not having done a lick of speed work.  22:28, 7th in age group.

I should have been holding up seven fingers.

With that little bit of limited success on limited training, the competitive bug re-bit me.  Since then I’ve been really getting into running.  I won’t ever be as fast as I was in high school.  And I won’t be elite.  But I can compete in my age group (and with creepy people from other age groups).  So it’s good to have that fire.

Peace out homeys!