Man, I have been terrible about getting an update here. I have every intention of this being a "Dopey and beyond" training log, I just need to figure out how to change the title again and we'll be back in business.
So, I was going to do a training log-specific post on each of the four Dopey races, but honestly, that just sounds like a lot of work. You can read about the races and my other Disney escapades here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/dig-a-little-deeper-dopey-2019.3729973/
All in all, Dopey went extremely well. It was a little cold the first few mornings, I battled a little upset stomach and fatigue here and there and the heat and exhaustion from commando touring caught up to me a bit in the last eight miles or so of the marathon, but I would still call my first Dopey Challenge a hugely successful experience. I didn't set any hard and fast time goals, but the 5K and 10K went well, the half was tremendous fun (including two character stops) and 18 miles of the full also went well (with a sub-4 pace). Even though I hit the wall hard in the full, I still turned in a course PR and my second fastest marathon time by 14 minutes. Huge shout out to
@DopeyBadger for a training plan that allowed me to succeed, stay fresh and have a great time, despite my efforts at self-sabotage through long days at the parks, big meals and a relatively late night before the marathon.
So, what's next?
For a brief time, I actually entertained doing a full at the end of April. However, weather and life got in the way a little bit. When we got back to Iowa the Wednesday after the full, my lower back was in really, really bad shape. Not so much from running, but more from not running, getting tight, being on my feet for eight days, sleeping in hotel beds and lugging around kids, camera gear, etc. I actually ended up going to the doctor and getting some muscle relaxers for a little relief.
By Sunday or Monday (MLK day) my back was feeling better and I was more than ready to run again. I four easy miles on Tuesday. Unfortunately, it was snowy and a little slick, causing me to tighten up a bit when I ran and it aggravated my back again a bit. Between that and the weather, I didn't get another run in that week.
This week has been no better. As you're probably all aware, Iowa is in the middle of a polar vortex and it's pretty dang cold. I couldn't even start my car today. This weekend calls for much, much warmer temperatures, but ...
I'm having surgery Friday afternoon. Nothing serious, just a vasectomy (TMI? Sorry!). So, that's going to prevent me from running until at least *next* Friday or Saturday.
I don't know how much stamina and conditioning I'll have lost by then, but I don't know if a marathon 10-12 weeks later is feasible. I'm also entertaining the idea of doing the half, but I'd really like to knock out another full. (I'm open to any feedback!)
Regardless of what happens with the marathon at the end of April, I am 100 percent committed to running the Lakefront Marathon again at the beginning of October. I have a friend who wants to run it, she has some friends who may join us and we might turn it into a long weekend in Milwaukee. I had my worst marathon time (but still a really fun race) at Lakefront in 2017, so I want to give it another go, but properly trained.
Beyond that, I don't really know. I could do the Bix again in July, but getting up early to drive to Davenport, run 7 miles, drink to Michelob Ultras in the finish area and drive back isn't as appealing anymore. The Iowa City Run for the Schools is in October, as well, but my participation in that will be largely contingent on how close it is to Lakefront.
I need to talk with my wife about this, but I'm also leaning heavily toward entering the lottery for the 2020 Chicago Marathon. If I get that, I'll see about getting up to Duluth in June 2020 for Grandma's Marathon.
A lot to think about and train for in the coming year. Fortunately/unfortunately, I'll have plenty of time to sit and ponder things in the coming week...