Overall Thoughts On Dopey Challenge

Well well well the Dopey Challenge has now come and gone. Two weeks to be exact.

Has the excitement worn off? Not in the least!!

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Do I wish I was still in Disney? Hell yeah!

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But as I sit here in cold/windy/snowy Boston, it is my time to reflect back on the experience and answer some of your questions about the Dopey Challenge.

It was a life-changing experience.

If you told me a few years ago, that I would be able to run 48.6 miles in four days I would have laughed in your face.

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But this experience proved that I can do anything I set my mind to. I am stronger than I think I am and leaving my comfort zone pays off. :)

I tried to enjoy every second of the journey and live IN the mile rather than think about how many miles or races I had to go. It allowed me to truly be in the experience.

Now let me answer some of the questions you sent my way:

*How did the shirts fit?

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Five of the six shirts were long-sleeved tech shirts, where the 5k was a short-sleeved cotton t-shirt.

I ordered men's small for the shirts this year and they fit like a glove. Last year, I ordered a men's medium and it was HUGE and boxy. As a result, I went a size smaller this year and the long-sleeved shirts fit great.

Now the women's sizes I've heard were true to size and the ladies I know were happy with the sizes they ordered.

There is a table at the Expo where you can exchange sizes, but I know from experience that it is rare to be able to size down at that table. I tried last year and failed miserably.

*Did you visit the parks while you were there? How long per day?

You bet your BOOTY I did. This trip was the big vacation for the year for my wife and I. We were gone a full week. We flew down on a Tuesday (Jan 7) so we had six days in Florida then flew back to Boston on Tuesday (Jan 14).  We had the five-day park hopper pass.

Our breakdown:

Wednesday Jan 8: EXPO, Downtown Disney Thursday, Jan 9: 5k, Magic Kingdom, Downtown Disney (for #WDWRaceTweetup), Hollywood Studios Friday, Jan 10: 10k, Hollywood Studios Saturday, Jan 11: Half Marathon, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios (just for dinner) Sunday, Jan 12: Full Marathon, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Monday, Jan 13: Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT

So you can see we took FULL advantage of the park hopper pass. I spent most of the days at the park. The only time I napped was after the half marathon. After the full marathon, I made sure to ice my knees/ankles.

I actually think walking the parks kept my legs feeling loose and helped the lactic acid move on. I know "experts" recommended staying off your feet. Well, I didn't feel like I had that luxury after spending so much money to go to Disney. I wanted my money's worth for both the races and the parks.

*Where did you eat dinner? How early?

I did try to get to bed each night by 9 at the latest. The mornings wake-ups were between 2am and 4am. So our dinner reservations were set between 5:30-6:15.

Our dinner breakdown:

Wednesday - Raglan Road Irish Pub - Downtown Disney - great atmosphere, delicious Irish Bread, good beer, Irish dancers as entertainment, quick service - worth the money for me

Thursday - Mama Melrose - Hollywood Studios - standard Italian food, big portions, friendly staff - worth the money for me

Friday - Hollywood & Vine - Hollywood Studios - standard buffet, salad, pasta, meat station, dessert station - wasn't worth the money for me

Saturday - Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre - Hollywood Studios - (wife's choice) she absolutely loved in, cool and different atmosphere, good beer selection, burger/sandwiches type place, I've heard their milkshakes are divine, fountain style cherry coke (wife's note) - worth the money for me

Sunday - Biergarten - Germany (EPCOT) - buffet style, Oompah band for entertainment, lots of kids dancing in front of the stage, family atmosphere, good food - pricey but worth it (thankfully my parents picked up the tab on that one ;))

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*Are there healthy food options at Disney?

There are!! I was able to find great selections at all of the Disney parks, hotels and restaurants I visited. I made sure to always keep baby carrots and apple slices in my bag while we were walking around the parks. You can obviously bring your own snacks, but if you have to buy on site (we did) there are options!!

*Do people wear the race medals/shirts around the parks?

HELL YEAH! Be proud of the bling. Whether you participate in the 5k, 10k, Half, Full, Goofy Challenge or Dopey Challenge or any other Disney race where those medals with PRIDE!

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Also, without fail, every cast member at Disney congratulated me on my race. Outstanding! Where else can you feel like a rockstar as dozens of people (or more) congratulate you on your accomplishment. I also would high-five other folks I saw wearing race t-shirts or medals. It is like a giant party for you! Or maybe I just looked at it that way.

I did make sure to bring my bag and store my medals in there when on certain rides.

Now I rarely wore more than one at a time, but I would keep the others on hand for photo opportunities. ;)

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*How was running in costumes?

AH-MAY-ZING!!!!!

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I am so happy I did it. Now you can see I didn't run in FULL costume like some folks do, but mine were recognizable. A great way to win over the spectators. It was so cool to hear "Go Jessie Go" or a little kid saying "Mom, it's Snow White!" It is a fun experience.

Here is a post I wrote about winning over a race crowd - click.

Make sure you test your costumes out before race day! The last thing you want is a malfunction before embarking on a run.

*You took part in Race Retreat. Was the experience worth it?

I paid $200 to take part in the Race Retreat before the Half Marathon and Full Marathon. Individually the Race Retreat is $120 for each event so I saved $40.

For me, it wasn't worth it. You have to pay extra to bring family/non-racers into the tent and we didn't have those funds/wanted to spend that money elsewhere.

While I was happy for the heated tent and special port-o-potties, the lines for me were just as long as outside. Plus I left the Retreat so early I still had to stop at the public port-o-potties anyway.

Afterwards the food was eggs with cheese, bacon, potatoes and I think something else. I don't eat cheese so I was going to pass on the eggs when a nice volunteer offered to find me some sans cheese. Oh it was so sweet of her. She did in record time too.

But for $200 I ate a couple bagels, some bacon and some eggs. I didn't spend as much time in there as I would've wanted because 1) I had to get to the corrals early being in the early ones and 2) I didn't like making my family wait for me outside while I ate.

Also the massages were extra (which I did know before), but forgot in the delirious of the race. ;)

So if I was to do a Run Disney race again, I would not bother with the Race Retreat.

*Of the four races, which was your favorite event?

Oohhhh this question is tough tough tough. I loved all of them for different reasons, but I think it would have to be the Full Marathon. I just had a freakin' blast out there. You can read the recap here.

I saw the most characters and had the opportunity to run through all four parks.

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The crowds were encouraging and it was also entertaining to see the folks in the parks that were utterly confused with all the runners cutting through EPCOT. :)

*Was the Dopey Challenge worth the $495 fee?

With the prices of half marathons and full marathons increasing by the day, the price seemed fair for four races. Disney really knows how to take care of business when it comes to busses, volunteers, EMTs, water stations, GU stations, etc. Plus the organization puts the participants minds at ease.

*What was your biggest barrier to overcome during the challenge?

I grappled with this one for a while, but knew it had to be the four early morning wake-ups. To me, that is a tough thing to train for. I can try to get myself to bed early, but four days in a row is still a tough feat to overcome. It really hit me after the half marathon. After that race, I came home and actually napped for 45 minutes.

The 2am wake-up call for the Full Marathon was the roughest. I don't think I actually felt awake until I crossed the Start Line.

There are folks that don't wake up as early as I do for the races, but I get nervous with the busses. Hi I am a worrier! So I would rather be early than delayed for any reason: full bus, traffic, etc.

And the million dollar question that I get asked the most... ;)

*Will you do it again?

The wife: "NEVER!" :P Let's just say my wife was not a fan of waking up each morning to make sure I had everything ready to go pre-race.

Now my answer ... not in the near future! Between the length of the vacation, hotel costs, food costs, race fees, etc, it seriously is our only vacation for the year. Now budgeting can change all that - which we did - but still one full week was a lot of time away from home with two pups. I did enjoy every minute of it.

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But, never say never! :)

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If you have additional questions, feel free to send them along! I can always edit this post.

Disney Part 3: Final Day

The Dopey Challenge was over. The medals were earned.

The running was done.

*Tear*

So what is a girl to do with one final day left in Disney????

Why hit up as many parks as possible and show off the bling!

After enjoying a celebratory dinner and beer with the parents and wife on Sunday (January 12) night...

... it was time to devise a game plan for the final day of vacation.

Originally, we thought we would go to Harry Potter world on the Monday, but between park tickets and having to rent a car - the price tag was too rich.

We opted instead to add a 5th day to our Disney park hopper pass for just $12 a person. #WINNING! ;)

The goal was to sleep in.

And we did.

Until 7:30am!!

HEY, after getting up between 2am and 4am the previous four mornings that WAS sleeping in.

I made sure to sleep in my ZENSAH compression socks so when I woke up my legs were sore, but strong after having run 48.6 miles.

We got ready. IE I loaded up my backpack with my 5 medals and wore my Dopey medal. Oh I also allowed myself to rock the Dopey Challenge "I Did It" t-shirt. :)

We grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel before heading to Hollywood Studios. Our goal was to knock out the Toy Story ride right as the park opened to avoid the inevitable hour long wait that the ride averages.

I ran shuffled through Hollywood Studios to arrive at the Toy Story ride with a manageable 15 minute wait. Woo!

Toy Story is an amazing ride that most folks have to Fast Pass to get into in a timely manner. We had had a fast pass on a previous trip, but the ride was shutdown for some reason. Redemption time.

Now last year when we rode this I crushed the wife's score and she was pissed. I mean she is the "gamer" not me.

She was ready to kick my butt. Well...

WINNER DANI! :)

After the quick visit to Hollywood Studios, we were back on the bus and making our way to Magic Kingdom. It was time to catch up on the rides we missed during the previous trips.

I immediately headed to Cinderella's Castle to show off the bling.

After having the wife snap my picture, some other folks came over and asked to take pictures of the medals.

I even found Dopey. ;)

And I learned that I need to do some extra strength training before my next trip.

While we stopped to get some lunch, my friend Kitty found us. She lives in NYC and I in Boston so we don't get to see each other too often. She had OWNED the Goofy Challenge (Half Marathon & Full Marathon) and was glowing.

We decided to meet up for a beer and Fireworks in EPCOT later that night. Woo! :)

The wife and I grabbed a now annual picture in front of the Castle before jumping on the monorail.

Since we stayed at the Pop Century Hotel, we didn't get to use the monorail at all during the stay so we made a special trip. We didn't really have a destination until we decided we were thirsty for an adult beverage. :) Off to the Polynesian we went.

I stayed at that hotel on my first trip to Disney back in fourth grade and loved it. It is outside of our price range, but we could handle a drink on our budget. :P

After a little relaxation, it was time to move on to our third and final park of the day!

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We took our time walking around the park and hopping on all of the rides that didn't have a wait. It was most since many of the runners/families had headed home earlier in the day. We even got to hop on Test Track with a minor 10 minute wait time. SCORE!

While we decided where to grab dinner, I caught a character area in the center of EPCOT and dragged the wife inside. It said there was a 5 minute wait. I wanted to know who was in there. I hit the jackpot.

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All admired their personal medals! And ignored the random cameltoe I was rocking. How nice of them?

As my phone started to die, we found a little corner behind the character meet and greet to juice up our phones. I wanted to have enough battery to capture the fireworks.

Tori grabbed dinner in England, while I got a salad in the USA. ;)

We headed over to Germany to meet Kitty and her friend for the Fireworks show.

It was beautiful, but only lasted 12 minutes. I'm not sure why I thought IllumniNations lasted longer than that, but was sad. Right after the show ended they steered us towards the exit so it was already time to say adios to Kitty.

We headed back to Pop Century to grab a nightcap by the pool with a social media friend Steffany and her husband. It was a blast, but I regret not snapping a picture. Oops! Blogger fail. We will just have to meet up another time. :)

We begrudgingly headed back to our room to pack so we would be ready for the 6:55am Magical Express back to the airport ... and real life.

The day was exactly what I needed. I shook out the lactic acid from my legs by walking around the parks, spent time with friends, beat my wife in Toy Story again and just enjoyed every single minute of it.

Now how long 'til we go back?

3-Year Anniversary of Back Surgery!

I herniated a disc in my L4-L5 in mid-December 2010 – unfortunately I still don’t know how it happened. That's right folks! I hurt myself and have no idea how it happened. The "oh my God" pain set in while on a walk with Laney (she was still an adorable puppy that we had only had about a month) on December 11. I bent over to pick up her present for me and a shooting pain went through my lower back and left leg.

I was working for the Cubs and immediately called our team doctor. Thank goodness I had that man on speed dial. He assured me that I could go to the Patriots-Bears game the following day because it wouldn't damage my back anymore (Phew!) but I would have to see another team specialist on the Monday.

We celebrated our one-month wedding anniversary with a Patriots win! :)

What followed was a 6-week endeavor of doctor's appointments, MRIs and physical therapy. It was a herniated disc and we were going to try physical therapy to see if we could help ease the pain.

The biggest pain (besides in the back of course) was coursing down my left leg - sciatica. The herniated disc was not only pinching a nerve, but cutting it. It left me with little to no strength in my left leg and a series case of dropfoot.

Which meant no working out. I was officially off the work out train and not happy.

Okay maybe I snuck in a 5k on New Year's Day 2011 - but the wife made sure I walked the whole thing ... nice and slowly!!

I started my weight loss journey in November 2009 and was picking up some serious steam by this point. I was nervous that without my workouts my weight loss would stall or go in the opposite direction.

Thankfully I had Weight Watchers on my side. Even if I couldn't work out or really even walk more than to work, I could count Points. And count I did. I measured every little thing that went into my mouth.

I asked folks to send Edible Arrangements rather than flowers. Hello pre-cut zero point goodies. :)

The physical therapy didn't improve the situation. I was offered a cortisone shot, but it wasn't covered by my insurance. A "possible" solution would've run me over $4k. It wasn't guaranteed to work and I didn't want to take that risk.

So on Monday, January 24, 2011, I walked into my doctor's office, the doctor told me the herniation had gotten worse and I would be on the table for surgery on that Friday.

Woah! That was hard to take and I immediately started crying. I was nervous. I knew it was a big risk, but it had to be done. Thankfully my dad had a lot of vacation time available and was on the next flight he could take out of Boston to be there to help the wife.

Time passed quickly and on January 28, 2011, I had a microdiscectomy. It was tough, but the pain subsided immediately. Like literally immediately. :P I awoke from surgery and the pain was gone from my leg. I could wiggle my toes and they weren't getting caught on the sheet. That meant I had enough strength to control my toes. Hallelujah!

I was in the hospital for observation for 23 hours. When I finally got to my room, my wife and dad told me the surgery actually took almost three times as long as he had expected. The disc had gotten that bad and had cut a larger slit in my nerve than they thought.

Wow! I was happy to be hearing that while in recovery.

I love my one goal: Get Well! :)

I headed home to start recooping. The excitement at first was being able to walk around the apartment ... then to work ... then for 30 minutes on the treadmill.

I wasn't able to bend over so the wife got me this sweet grabber! :P

I finally got the go-ahead to go back to stationary bike at the beginning of May 2011 and returned to running in June 2011.

I listened to everything my doctor and physical therapist said to do because I wanted to return to activity as quickly as I could.

Between mid-December 2010 and May 2011, I managed to lose 10 lbs. I was ecstatic. I followed the Weight Watchers plan and still lost. I lost while laid up from an injury. Woo! I felt like a million bucks.

The doctor wasn't sure I would be able to run again because of how the sciatica lessened my strength in the left leg.

But I took that as a challenge! ;)

I started back running in June 2011 and completed a half marathon in August 2011. I felt amazing. I took the training and tweaked it for my body. I made sure to listen to how my back felt and go from there.

I kept a Zensah compression sleeve on my left leg to help keep the blood flowing while I ran. It was an amazing accomplishment for me.

Having this experience taught me to never take moving/exercising/running for granted.

On the one year anniversary of my back surgery - January 28, 2012 - I ran the F^3 Half Marathon in honor of the Ryan Dempster Foundation.

Now, my back isn't 100% and I knew I would never regain complete strength in my left leg, but I work to improve it every day. THAT is a major reason why I strive to keep the weight off and why I work on my core. I want to give my back everything it needs.

I mean c'mon it's missing half a disc back there. :P

But I listen to my body. I know I cannot sit for more than a couple hours without getting uncomfortable. I need to adjust and stretch.

It's worth it.

Since back surgery, I have completed over 70 races including three marathons, 15 half marathons and two triathlons.

And I am just getting started! :)

Disney/Dopey Challenge Recaps

So I thought it might be easier to keep links to all of my Disney posts in one place for people to read a little easier: Disney Part 1: Arrival & Expo

Dopey Challenge Race 1: Family Fun Run 5k

Disney Part 2: #WDWRaceTweetup

Dopey Challenge Race 2: Inaugural Minnie 10k

Dopey Challenge Race 3: WDW Half Marathon

Dopey Challenge Race 4: WDW Marathon

Celebrating Dopey (Video Blog)

Disney Part 3: Final Day

Overall Thoughts On Dopey Challenge

Dani Dishes 1-27-14

On this episode of Dani Dishes, I'm letting you (and me) know that it is Okay Not To Be Okay! Let the emotions flow and find out how I deal with them and depression.

Dopey Challenge Race 4: WDW Marathon

"It's just a marathon Dani."

That is what I fell asleep telling myself the night before the fourth and final race in the Dopey Challenge.

When would I ever use the word "just" and "marathon" in the same sentence.

Nerves were running HIGH!

When we last left off in the Dopey Challenge saga...

Is it really a saga? Can it be a telanovela? Or maybe a series on Netflix only? That way you can all binge-read my recaps.

Woah Woah! I am getting off topic and basically making myself think my Dopey Challenge recaps are binge-worthy ... like Arrested Development or Orange Is The New Black.

Okay they are masterpieces. And entertaining. And fraught with amazing photographs. My odd yet humorous thoughts during races.

But I digress.

We left off from the WDW Half Marathon with me falling in to bed just after 8:30pm. To say I was going to bed peacefully would be a complete lie. I was - as previously stated - a nervous wreck over the marathon.

Now going into this marathon I had completed three other full marathons so I know I could complete it. BUT, after the stress reaction and my lack of long runs (nothing longer than 13.1 since The Boston Marathon back in April 2013), I was worried I wouldn't make it.

I had dreams of being swept.

Now, in reality, I knew that wouldn't happen. Even if I had to walk the entire marathon, I had to keep a 16 min/mile pace. Which for a Bostonian isn't that difficult. If there is one thing I can do well, it's walk fast! :) So I kept that in the back of my mind as I slept and when I woke up.

I flew out of bed at 2am. I felt the day before that I didn't get my money's worth in the race retreat so I made sure to wake up earlier before the Marathon (Sunday, January 12) so I could enjoy what I shelled out for.

It seemed I had decided the order of my costumes from easiest to most difficult to get into. Don't ask me why. But I woke up the wife and she helped make sure Snow White looked perfect before heading off to the race.

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Thank goodness my wife can sew. Right folks?

I had once again laid out everything I needed the night before so I was out the door quickly and hoped the wife would be back to sleep soon.

I think I was the eighth person in line for the bus. Yes I was actually on the first bus out of the hotel. :) I tried my best to squash the nerves and I did that by finding the one and only Linzie from See Sharp Run on the bus and saddle up to him.

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Thanks for the photo Linzie!

Seeing a familiar face was helping. We chatted and hung together until we got to the Start Area.

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As Linzie made some last-minute Dopey Challenge purchases, I headed to the Race Retreat. I grabbed a bagel and pulled a chair up to once again watch Mary Poppins.

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My stomach was not taking well to the bagel. I wondered if it was because it is a plain bagel and I don't really eat those anymore or if it was nerves taking over. Since I was there so early I just ate half before taking one of a zillion trips to Race Retreat's private port-o-potties (score!).

I decided a little later to try another half of a bagel, but with peanut butter this time. It seemed to sit better and I just tried to drink as much water as possible. I knew the humidity would be picking up and I wanted to be as hydrated as possible.

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I was having a tough time connecting with the bloggers and runners I knew running the marathon so I needed something to distract myself. I thought why not make a poster to thank all the supporters I have - aka YOU GUYS! :)

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So thank you again for following this journey and all of the messages I received before, during and after the Challenge.

Before I knew it, they were announcing Corrals A-C to the corrals. I hit the private Race Retreat bathrooms again before heading out. I was alone, which is not my preferred way to hang around a race because I get to in my head, so I was trying to distract myself by looking for people I knew.

And then it happened. Out popped Stephanie from Run for Fun. Stephanie and I met through a mutual friend when she was living in Boston before she relocated back to New Jersey. Gotta love how in a race with over 20,000 runners sometimes you luck into meeting someone you know.

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Stephanie and I chatted while we meandered over to our corrals. We parted ways as I headed to Corral C and quickly sat my butt down and tried to stay warm. I think they said the temps were in the 40s, which should've been a heatwave for this New Englander, but I was freezing.

I tried to make myself as small as I could, while I listened to others around me talk about their excitement. I was just trying to calm my nerves. I couldn't remember the last time I was as nervous as I was in that moment.

So it was time to have a heart to heart with myself. I reminded myself that "I am stronger than I think I am," "I was trained enough for the event," and "I was there to have a blast." That was it. I was there to have fun.

As Tedy Bruschi had said before. The Start Line is the Finish Line and the race itself is the party ... and I was ready to get my party on!

The Run Disney announcers were doing a great job entertaining the crowd as best they could. It was FINALLY time to send the wheelchairs off. I could tell my stomach was starting the settle. I was ready to just get out there and run.

A went off ... B went off ... and it was time for Corral C.

As we walked to the Start Line

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I caught my friend Carissa's eye, a Run Disney announcer, and she gave me a shout out. I looked around as if anyone in my corral knew who I was, but it made me smile and put me at ease. So thanks Carissa! :)

I was checking out the folks around me and caught the Pacer. It said 3:35 on it. I actually laughed out loud. Yes I was placed in my Dopey corral based on my half marathon PR of 1:44, which would make sense that I would end up near a 3:35 marathon pacer. But I know I will never get a time close to that (unless 3:58 is the new 3:35) so I was feeling out of place.

I KNEW I had to focus on running my own race and not get swept up in the speed demons around me. I kept myself tucked to the far left to make sure I stayed out of people's way.

Then it was time for Mickey to count us down! 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... GO!

And there it was. No matter what I was feeling. All I had to focus on in that moment was putting one foot in front of the other.

And locating the first port-o-potty. Hey nerves plus waiting forever in a corral weighs on a girl's bladder.

The marathon starts out just like the half marathon so I knew I had some highway time in front of me. They also use some of the same Disney character stops (bound to happen), but I committed to stopping at duplicates. I mean Hello I am in a different costume.

First stop again was Pirates of the Caribbean.

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While waiting in line for this beauty, I chatted with a Perfect Marathoner. That means she had taken part in the previous 20 Disney marathons and this marked 21. It was really cool to hear her thoughts on how the race has changed over time. Year One the race had 2,000 runners and didn't include any of the frills (aka characters, etc) that the race does now.

Shortly after that stop we hit the Mile 2 marker, which meant all Dopey Challengers were officially halfway through the Challenge. WOO! It was all downhill after that, right? ;)

I had also decided I would have fun with the race photos ... can you tell?

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We made our way to Magic Kingdom just like we had the day before, but Cinderella's Castle looked even more electric.

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Plus do you like the Chuck Norris sign photobomb in the bottom left corner.

It was in Magic Kingdom that I had to do some back running and that means I ran past a character and had to double back for the photo.

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We then made the turn to heard towards the Castle. Instead of Donald and Daisy, it was Mickey and Minnie. I assume since the marathon's mascot is Mickey.

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How amazing did the Castle look?

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I was chatting with women in line and one actually had recognized me from my Jessie costume the day before. :)

And as you emerge from the Castle, the photographers are there to capture your photo and usually get some of my favorite moments from the race.

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Like these!

I took a couple more character photos before we left Magic Kingdom.

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After MK, it was back to highway/parking lot running but not before stopping at the Speedway. Friends, we ran on an actual speedway!

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The entrance was slightly scary as you went down a sharp decline, which was shockingly followed up a steep incline. Thank you photogs for being at the top of that incline so I had to act like I was owning it.

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Holy Sweat Marks Batman!

The speedway gave me a chance to see fellow runners outside making their way towards the Magic Kingdom. I love cheering folks on so I was trying to yell and clap them along as best I could.

It was cool to run around the track. It was lined with race cars, as well as old school cars that people had driven in. The folks were even sitting outside them cheering us on. And some were already BBQing. Ohh the food smelled good.

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We hit the Mile 9 marker while on the Speedway and then made our way to Animal Kingdom. I was wicked excited for the rest of the race since it would all be new to me. We headed down Bear Creek Road and that is when I spotted her. The Evil Queen. I got too giddy for the people around me when I spotted her.

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I got quite a few compliments from folks around me for the photo. I loved it.

I had been told you hit Animal Kingdom around Mile 13 so I knew we would be on the road for a while. I used this time to check in with myself and strike up conversation with runners around me that would talk. ;) I had a great time chatting with two gentlemen doing their first marathon. They were impressed with how upbeat I was for being so far into the Dopey Challenge. How could I not be upbeat? I was running through freakin' Disney and having a blast.

I will tell you I was stopping at every water station and having water and powerade. I wanted to keep myself as hydrated and energized as possible. Note with that much liquid, I was also visiting ever port-o-potties. Between bathroom breaks and character stops, my legs were feeling great. I was shocked and relieved.

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I felt like a giant next to Jiminy Cricket

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I posed with King Louie just before the halfway mark. As I hit the line for the halfway mark, I got a little sad. I only had 13.1 miles left in this amazing journey.

I was getting the text updates for my splits while I was running and saw that I was projected to finish in 5:06:43 at that moment. I was slightly disappointed. I wanted to love the run and not care about time, but I still wanted to try and finish under 5 hours.

I put the phone back on airplane mode to save battery and to take my focus off the splits.

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And to apparently pretend that I was flying?

And at that moment I saw the lovely ladies of We Run Disney - Christine and her mom Pam. I was sooo happy to see familiar faces. It was great chatting with them and snap this selfie.

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I was also working as PR. Telling everyone around us how they should check out these ladies on social media.

Now I had noticed folks passing me all along the course as I stopped for pics, but it hit me when I saw these ladies. I started in Corral C and they started in Corral G. Now they were both going for PRs so they weren't stopping for photos. Either way it made me realize the folks I started with were probably almost done. Eh! I was having fun.

We bid our goodbyes and I stopped to take more photos on my way out of Animal Kingdom.

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The Mile 14 marker was just after this photo. Nothing too exciting happened between Mile 14 and 17. We were out on the highway making our way to the ESPN Wide World of Sports.

Apparently without a ton of character stops my pace picked up.

Mile 17-21 included the trip into, around and out of ESPN Wide World of Sports. I can tell you this was the most boring stretch of the marathon. There were no character stops and no real entertainment besides a brief spell running through the Ballpark where the Atlanta Braves spring train.

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The highlight of this portion of the race was catching back up with the We Run Disney ladies and having Pam pay me one of the nicest compliments I've ever received. :)

I do want to thank Run Disney for having cold rags available here as well. It was wicked necessary.

I made up some serious time here since at Mile 20 I got the notification that my estimated Finish Time 4:53:37. That was a 13 minute jump from the previous prediction.

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If you recall, this Frozen Mile Marker design was seen in all 4 race recaps. We love Frozen!

Now at Mile 20 it hit me. I only had 6.2 miles left in this sweet race. With Mile 22 being one of the last stretches of highway we would have. Woo!

The last 4 or so miles of the race went through Hollywood Studios, the Boardwalk and finally EPCOT.

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Around Mile 23 we were in Hollywood Studios and a volunteer handed me this glorious treat.

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Now Special Dark Chocolate is my favorite chocolate in the world. It was a great treat to snack on while I waited to grab a pic with Wreck It Ralph!

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Now by this time the parks are open to the general public so it was my first experience running through the crowds. Obviously Disney does a great job of patrolling the traffic and making sure the runners stay on course. It was funny running past people that were clearly confused as to what we were doing.

In Hollywood Studios, we got to see some behind-the-scenes stuff like the costume department.

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I loved it.

Again I know everyone is running their own race, but I was surprised more people weren't stopping to take pics.

We ran past the Hat and towards the exit of the park.

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The miles were ending and I was getting sad. Post-race depression was sneaking in before the race even ended. I tried to push it aside and continue with the mantra I had used all race long: "Live IN The Mile."

Just before Mile 25 as we headed into EPCOT, I saw him. He was being escorted from an apparent break by a Disney cast member. It was DOPEY!

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I 100% GEEKED OUT! It was the picture I wanted at the perfect moment. Plus the Cast Member grabbed this shot on my phone.

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Right after this photo I entered the World Showcase and hit Mile 25. Oh man, this glorious morning would be over in just over 1 mile. I had to soak in EVERYTHING I could.

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It was cool to see Mulan and Mushu outside Japan.

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We left the Showcase and headed back towards the Ball. I checked in with my body, which felt great, and decided to kick it into gear and run a little harder.

While in the World Showcase, I was texting with my dad and my wife to find out where in EPCOT they would be. My dad and mom were going to be on my left as I passed the Ball to exit the park and the wife would be at the Finish line.

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I approached the Ball and there they were. I high-fived both my parents and kept going. I started crying. I was so happy to see them and so excited to finishing this challenge.

There were a ton of photographers coming down the pike and I just hoped I looked as happy as I felt. :P

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With a high-five to Minnie right before I crossed the Finish Line ... it was over.

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The floodgates opened and I started the ugliest/happiest cry I have ever shed.

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Glad they caught me stopping my Garmin. :P

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Just after the Finish Line I turned to my left and in the huge crowd I spotted the wife ... and started crying harder!

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The wife captured the moment on her phone.

I had the volunteer drape my marathon medal over me as I headed to pick up the final two medals: the Goofy Challenge and the illustrious Dopey Challenge medal.

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How beautiful!

My official Finish time was 4:45:57.

I was bawling. A volunteer said "Don't cry. It's over." I responded: "That's why I am crying."

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I finally tuned in to my body and it was feeling the 48.6 miles. I was walking slowly, but I kept moving forward. I headed to the Race Retreat tent to grab food. The eggs only had cheese in them and a volunteer offered to locate me some without cheese. I thanked her about 10 times. It was a sweet gesture that I needed.

A different person came over to me. She was worried I was alone. I explained that my wife was outside. But she took a couple photos for me and gave me a big hug. It was exactly what I needed.

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I headed over to the Runner's World portion of the Race Retreat tent so I could check in on Caitlin - a RW employee I met in 2013. She rocked Dopey!

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It was finally time to run outside and be reunited with the wife. We waited a couple minutes so I could snap a photo with the lovely We Run Disney ladies before heading back to the bus.

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As we headed to the bus, I spotted a champagne tent. Yes after finishing the Dopey I was content with spending $10 for a glass of champagne.

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It was delicious!

I hobbled up the steps of the bus and just stared at the medals. I couldn't believe it was over. It hadn't sunk in.

I signed up for this race in April 2013 and now it was over. I was one of a certain number of people who had completed the inaugural Dopey Challenge.

The 4 hours and 45 minutes of the marathon felt like 20 minutes. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. Taking the route I did - stopping for every photo - helped me more than I could have expected.

Once back at the hotel, we stopped so I could get some chocolate milk to refuel with AND so that I could put all six medals on at the same time.

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Ahhh!! The moment I had waited so long for.

After a shower, some social media work and a change, we were off to Magic Kingdom. And yes the six medals came with me.

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We had an amazing afternoon before heading to EPCOT to join my parents for dinner in Germany.

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Celebratory beers.

Walking around the parks was the smart move as my legs felt refreshed rather than sore when I turned in to bed that night.

This race was more than a marathon. This Challenge was more than 48.6. This experience was life-changing!! :)

My Assembly Row Video

This summer I was asked by the lovely PR folks for Assembly Row in Somerville to take part in their campaign called "Faces of Assembly Row." Well the video finally hit the airwaves yesterday... check it out below: [embedplusvideo height="281" width="450" editlink="http://bit.ly/1e165E7" standard="http://www.youtube.com/v/gUSKzV7F-aI?fs=1" vars="ytid=gUSKzV7F-aI&width=450&height=281&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=" id="ep2750" /]

Disney Part 2: #WDWRaceTweetup

Have I told you racecations are an awesome time to meet up with friends both long-time and "just meeting for the first time, but been friends through social media for awhile" friends? Enter the birth of the #wdwracetweetup, which I had the honor to host with my friends Kat (of Katrina Elle) and Linzie (of See Sharp Run)!!

On Thursday, January 9th, after completing the Family Fun Run 5k and getting myself cleaned up, the wife & I made a pit stop at the Magic Kingdom (like folks do)...

... before heading to grab lunch and meet Kat and Linzie at Downtown Disney for the tweet-up. :)

Thanks for sharing this pic with me Linzie!

We had a little time to set up our amazing giveaway prizes before folks arrived. I want to thank our awesome sponsors again:

ENERGYBits

Honeystinger

INKnBURN

Outside PR

Shower Pill wipes

Sparkly Soul

Zensah Compression

The swag was TIGHT!! I knew folks would be climbing over each other to win stuff. :)

As we sat eating and chatting, the rain started to fall. Eek! I got a tad nervous that folks wouldn't show, but I knew Run Disney runners were tougher than that.

As it approached 1, we set up camp near the Carousel. I may or may not have nudged us a little closer to the outside plug I had found the day before so I could charge my dying phone. ;)

Then all of a sudden folks started showing up! YAY!

It was wicked cool to meet folks in person that I had chatted with online for so long. I also met some folks I hadn't known before. That is the great thing about having 3 different bloggers inviting folks to meet-up.

We let Linzie handle the intros and as you can see he did a spectacular job.

It was a great enthusiastic crowd of about 20-25 runners. It was great to chat strategy with other folks that would be tackling the Dopey Challenge. I loved sharing why and how I use my ENERGYBits before and during races to fuel. I may have also shared how Showerpills shared me once or twice or more when I didn't have enough time to shower between a workout and a meeting. :) Plus, I get a great thrill giving away not 1 but 5 Sparkly Soul headbands!

Thank you again to everyone that came out, tweeted, shared, hugged and made some new friends with us! We really appreciated it.

A few folks showed up just as the tweet-up was coming to a close so we stopped at the nearby margarita bar to share an adult beverage with those new friends! :)

After rehydrating? - yeah sure - the wife & I headed over to Hollywood Studios to hit up some rides and meet my parents for dinner at Mama Melrose. Mmmmm carbs! :P

Where shall we meet next? The inaugural Minnie 10k of course!

Dopey Challenge Race 1: Family Fun Run 5k

Share the normal time you wake up for a race? I'll give you a moment to share your answer.

Don't mind me.

A little bit of Monica in my life. A little bit of Erica by my side. MAMBO  Number Fiiiivveee.

So everyone's answers in?

If you guessed 4am then you are spot on for my Family Fun Run 5k wake-up time!

Which you will find over this 4-part series of the Dopey Challenge was "sleeping in."

I was a little worried about getting up on time that I set my phone alarm, my wife's phone alarm AND called in a wake-up call from the hotel. But as soon as my alarm went off, I flew out of bed. I was ready to finally start the Dopey Challenge.

For the 5k, I went simple with the costume: Minnie Mouse.

Thanks to my wife for getting out of bed to snap the pre-race photo!

I'm not gonna lie. It was sort of sad heading to the race alone. To say goodbye to the wife until I returned back.

But I pulled up my Sparkle Athletic skirt and headed out the door.

The buses at Pop Century resort were ready and waiting. The Run Disney team is wicked organized when it comes to transportation for those staying on-site for the races. Now, I made sure to be on one of the first buses out of the resort. Why? Because I had heard horror stories of folks waiting til the last bus and cutting it close to getting to the Start Area. I can't handle that kind of added pressure on a race day so I make sure I am there ready to go for one of the first buses out.

I made it to the Start Area, felt excited checking out everyone's costumes and kept an eye out for any familiar faces. The Run Disney DJ/announcer teams were doing a great job pumping up the crowd and getting people to embarrass themselves doing things like the electric slide at 5am! ;) I've never seen so many Tinkerbells busting a move at the same time.

Being on site so early allowed for ample trips to the port-o-potties ... and there were plenty to hit up. I didn't find many lines, which was great.

The 5k was broken up into 5 corrals and had about 10,000 folks participating - 7,000 of those being Dopey Challengers. I made my way over to Corral A to stretch and try to dance without too many people noticing.

They started moving the Corrals just before 6. Since I was in Corral A, I was part of the first 2,000 to head over. It was great walking past the other 4 corrals and seeing everyone dancing, cheering and high-fiving.

After a couple of announcements from the Run Disney announcers, a Cigna (sponsor) representative and the National Anthem, we were off!

Now, I wore my Garmin to keep my pace under control and to really see how many extra miles I logged running from character to character or port-o-potties stops.

I saw the Mile 1 marker, looked down at my Garmin and saw a 8:20-ish pace. AAAAhhhhhh! I immediately told my body to slow it on down and remember I had 47.6 miles to go after this first mile.

The 5k course went through the EPCOT parking lot and through EPCOT itself.

And offered character stops - which we know I love.

As soon as I noticed Dopey, I had to stop. I would wait as long as I needed to for that picture opportunity. Plus I had no idea if he would be on any of the other race courses.

I knew that I would be running around EPCOT during all 4 races, but it didn't diminish the experience it at all. Every time would be different.

As I headed to the Mile 2 marker, Disney played Frozen's "Let It Go" and I started crying. Yes folks. I was about 1.5 miles into this Dopey Challenge and I was already crying like a baby. I was so excited that the moment was finally here. I was finally tackling a HUGE fitness challenge.

Since it was so early in the morning, it looks as if I was running through the park at night. Thankfully there was enough light in the park itself that I didn't worry about falling.

Plus how could I look down at the ground with such breathtaking sights!! :)

I actually got a little sad as we approached the EPCOT ball because I knew the race was almost over. I was having a blast.

Can you tell?

As soon as it started it was over.

(Note: I never thought I would utter a sentence like that about a 5k - 3.1 mile - run!)

Phase 1 of the Dopey Challenge - the Family Fun Run 5k - was complete in a time of 32:05.

What I love about that time is that I had to look it up to find out what it was. I paid ZERO attention to pace except to make sure I was going steady, not pushing it and enjoying the crap out of the race. :)

Minnie & Mickey :)

As I was waiting in line for this sweet pic...

I FINALLY got to meet Heather (from Through Heather's Looking Glass) IRL (in real life). We have been chatting online for years and were finally in the same place at the same time. :)

Just a couple of Minnies hanging out!

I can say that being in one of the first corrals made taking pictures with characters easier both during the run and in the Finish Area. Many of the folks in my corral weren't stopping either by choice or they were worrying about their finishing time.

Overall, it was a fun run and I would totally do it again.

After snapping some photos and checking out my post-run meal box from Run Disney, it was time for me to board the bus and head back to the hotel. This medal, my wife and I had a date with: Magic Kingdom, the #wdwracetweetup and Hollywood Studios.

Catch ya at the #wdwracetweetup recap!

Dani Dishes 1-20-14

On this episode of Dani Dishes, I talk about post Dopey Challenge depression, how I combat post-race blues & what's next! :)