Year In Review

As 2022 comes to a close in less than an hour, time to look back briefly on the year gone by. First, mileage (rounded to nearest mile), and marathons run in those months:

Jan    211    -    Dopey Challenge

Feb    179    -    Mesa Marathon (sub-3!!!) and Wilmington Marathon

Mar    195    -    Shamrock Marathon

Apr    157    -    Boston 2 Big Sur

May    190

Jun    230

Jul    258    -    Interesting, my highest mileage month includes the time I spent off work given a positive COVID test

Aug    235

Sep    199

Oct    201    -    St. George Marathon and Marine Corps Marathon

Nov    175    -    New York City Marathon

Dec    174

Total    2402

Always fascinating to see how the mileage dips during months with races in them, especially months where I run two marathons. That's because I take approximately a week off from running. Any time I spend on the elliptical isn't counted in these totals, even though it is additional cardio and time spent working the legs to some extent.

And lately, for this month, I've spent more time than I like on the elliptical because I've had some sort of intermittent strain in my right thigh. Sometimes I can run through it and it works itself out on the day, but there are other days that I can tell within about 1-5 seconds that trying to do so would cause a bad injury, so I get off the treadmill and go on the elliptical instead. Still gets me some cardio, and is never painful for my thigh.

So, what's on tap for 2023? At the moment, a surprisingly "calm" list of races. Dopey (my last) next week, Mesa (trying for sub-3 #2) in Feb, and Boston in April. I'm already signed up for Chicago. I'll sign up for the MCM 50k once registration opens (since I have my deferral from 2020 that must be used or lost), and likewise will sign up for NYC again once it opens. Apart from those six, I'm hoping that I'll be able to manage a trip Down Under this fall, timed well enough so that I can run the Sydney Marathon - before it likely becomes the 7th Major in a few years and getting in becomes nigh impossible. Will I have more to run? Possibly. Partly depends on whether I think I have any chance of doing well overall in Abbott Age Group or not. (Can I get two sub-3's? This will be the last year I actively attempt the Age Championships.) 

I may take on some race pacing -- I would certainly like to do that more frequently. And if I can knock off some additional states in the process, all the better. That may tick up a bit starting in 2024, as I will no longer be doing Disney in January, and doubt I'll do Mesa a third time. So, my dance card in 2024 will be open before Boston and otherwise empty apart from MCM and NYC in the fall. I can't very well "just" have three marathons in 2024, now, can I? :-)

Planning my final Ultimate Dopey Challenge

From the beginning of the Dopey Challenge, I've always stopped for all of the character stops en route (at least, those not repeated from the other races that weekend). That's the basic level of craziness during the marathon. Within a couple of years, my eyes were opened to doing rides during the marathon. I've only ever wound up doing rides in Hollywood Studios, as I get through Animal Kingdom before it opens, and I've always been too impatient to stop in Epcot, so close to the finish line. The most I've done in one race is three, I think: Toy Story Mania (when it was only barely off-course, before Toy Story Land was created and we came up from the Streets of New York area), and both Tower of Terror and Rock 'n Rollercoaster (when those were a sizable diversion from the course, rather than directly on course like they've been for several years now). One thing I've never done is buy any food or drink along the course.

This year is my last Dopey Challenge, and I well may be doing the most I've ever done on-course before. If all goes well, the plan is:

• Toe the line at the front of the first corral, to cross the start line at 5am - maximize the amount of time I have to hit all my objectives
• Stop at all character stops for photos
• Arrive at Expedition Everest (~Mile 16.5) when Animal Kingdom opens at 7:30am. I've never managed this ride during the marathon. It'll be great to finally manage it! Averaging a little over 9 minutes/mile -- eminently doable.
• Arrive at Tower of Terror (~Mile 22.75) when Hollywood Studios opens at 8:30am. That's averaging 9 - 9.5 minutes/mile from getting out of Everest, assuming that ride is a walk-on.
• Immediately go across the way to go onto Rock 'n Rollercoaster. I can afford to take as much as 45 minutes between these two rides. And if they go really quickly, I can consider going back to Toy Story Land to see about going on a ride back there; preferably Toy Story Mania.
• Arrive at Trattoria restaurant (~Mile 23.75 - on the Boardwalk) at about 10am, in time for a 10:05am brunch reservation that a group of 6 of us have -- all running the marathon. Looking forward to that breakfast pizza!
• Depending on just how long it takes us to get and finish our food, there is the possibility of doing multipe rides in Epcot. I just need to make sure that I am always staying in front of the balloon ladies who, by this point in time, may be relatively close. They should arrive into Epcot approximately noon, finishing by ~12:30pm. The rides that are directly en route or have a minor diversion: Remy's Ratatouille (~Mile 24.25), Frozen Ever After (~Mile 25), and even Mission Space and/or Test Track (~Mile 25.5). I likely would not be allowed to get onto Guardians of the Galaxy (also ~Mile 25.5) since I won't have any semblance of reservation or Lightning Lane -- doubtful the CM would have pity on me and allow me on; but might be worth the brief diversion to give it a shot. After all, who knows when my next opportunity will be to go on this ride, since I have no idea how long it will be before I return to Epcot.
• Assuming I can find one relatively easily at the end of the race, I'd like to have a Mickey Bar in hand as I cross the finish line.

Talk about a fair bit more than your usual marathon! Just hope that the weather is pretty good that day. Just over three weeks left!

OK with ending my perfect streak

Even though my 1st and 2nd marathons were the New York City Marathon, I really owe it to Disney Marathon Weekend for sparking my interest in marathoning on a regular basis and which, over time, has turned into a very central part of my life. My first Disney race was the Goofy Challenge in 2012, and I "upgraded" to the Dopey Challenge when it began in 2014. And I've even run a few of the Disney races at Disneyland while they were still doing them. To date, I've run a total of 59 marathons and 1 ultra, and I've got a lot more in me.

And despite the fact that runDisney does a pretty damn good job with the races they put on, simply put... I'm Disney'd out. This upcoming Disney Marathon Weekend will be my last Dopey -- ending my being Perfectly Dopey on the 10th year. Seems kinda fitting. 

I've done the Disney parks so much (and paid WAY too much in aggregate over the last decade), there really isn't any thrill any more (beyond running up Main Street toward the icicle-clad castle). In fact, apart from running through the parks during the races next month, I won't be doing Disney. I'll actually be going to Universal Studios (where I haven't been for nearly 30 years). And I'm totally fine with it. End of an era.

Drawing for WMM marathons

This year, Abbott has started up a new program that will provide entries (guaranted, but not free) to runners to run in one of the upcoming Majors. Two biggest conditions:

1) You will have needed to run 3, 4, or 5 of the six races and claimed your stars. (How many stars will depend on which race you're trying to get into.)

2) You have never run that particular race before. So, for anyone who has already secured a 6-star medal, you will not be able to use this method at all to get into any of the races for a subsequent 6-star medal.

Volunteer for Boston?

BAA has opened up their schedule for volunteering for the marathon in April. Aside from various races where I have been one of the pacers, I have only volunteered at Chicago 2016, where I helped out in distributing the t-shirts for packet pick-up, and one of MCM's slate of races this year, manning one of the aid stations.

Once I see the available slots (after I reset my password -- getting into my account wasn't working minutes ago), I'll need to decide if I want to take the chance of taking one of the slots now, prior to knowing what the full schedule in Boston, the Expo, and the surrounding environs will be. One of the things I am fully expecting to occur, and which I would like to attend, is a ceremony related to the 10th anniversary of the 2013 bombing. I could see it being held in the morning on that Saturday, but I could also see it being held to coincide closely with the actual time of the explosions.

Regardless, volunteering for any of the various aspects of road races is a great thing to do, and something that is always desperately needed.

If you're interested in doing so for Boston Marathon, make sure to log into Athlete's Village to see the schedule and sign up.

(Update: I finally got in and submitted my preference for either of the Saturday shifts at the expo "Wherever I'm Needed". We'll see if I get it, and if so, where they will actually use me, from bib or shirt distribution, to expo ambassador, to selling the merch.)