Can Dopey be my First Marathon???

[Waiting2goback]

So basically, I’ve always wanted my first marathon to be runDisney. In November of this year, I’ll be doing my first half marathon. Both financially and physically speaking, I won’t be able to make a runDisney marathon happen in 2019 because it’s in January. I had originally planned to do a regular marathon in 2019 and shoot for Dopey 2020.. but then I saw an interesting video about someone who ran Dopey as their first ever race. That crazy person (and I say that with tons of respect because... just wow) finished Dopey without ever running so much as a 5k (well I’m sure they ran the distance in training but they never raced it).

I think that most people would pretty unanimously agree that may not have been the smartest; however; I’m spending this year getting comfortable with the 5k and 10k distances and then in the latter part of the year going for a 10 miler and half. If I chose to do my first Marathon as part of Dopey, I would spend the first half of 2019 getting comfortable with the Half Marathon distance and the 2nd half training for… well, Dopey 2020. What do you think?

There have been a lot of good posts but I wanted to throw my $.02 in for what it's worth.

Running is 90% mental and 10% physical. If you believe you can do your first marathon as part of Dopey, want it bad enough, and are willing to put in the work, you can do it. Proper training and the commitment to training is key. As @Keels said, you can't be skipping days for the sake of skipping. You need to have a plan and stick to it short of illness or something serious, like a death in the family or something.

I went from couch potato to marathoner in 7 months. Looking back, it wasn't the smartest route but I wanted it to happen and I made it happen. Finishing a full marathon changes your life like non of the shorter distances can.

But, have you thought about just doing Goofy? The reason I ask is not because of the 2 extra races, but the fact that all those early mornings can impact your actual vacation. I always wanted to do Dopey since I started running and the goal was to do it in 2018 for the anniversary. But, I decided against it. The cost is crazy to me, I was still recovering from an injury, and I just wanted to go to Disney for the full marathon and actually enjoy the rest of my time there.

 

[Katie Little]

I went from couch potato to marathoner in 7 months.

Wow!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Wow!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks. Congratulations to you as well. You may not have done a marathon yet, but you are changing your life for the better. You should join the running thread. A lot of the people that responded here on it. Lot's of good advice and support.

 

[Z-Knight]

Running is 90% mental and 10% physical.

yeah....umm, not so much

 

[kywyldcat03]

If you can survive the training, you can totally do it. Find a training plan which incorporates runs on consecutive days and make sure it has some longer runs in there. I wouldn't go over 20 miles in any run but if you wanted to have one 26.2 training run as a confidence booster, take it very slow and include a lot of walking. I would make sure your training plan has 1-2 mini or practice Dopeys. Also, be sure to take it easy for the first 3 races and stay off your feet as much as possible after each race.

 

[Dr Q]

Its also what I did. I ran my first half at SWDS in 2017 and my first full was Dopey 2018. With an amazing training plan (Thank you so much @DopeyBadger), eating right and listening to your body I believe you can do whatever you set your mind to and your body allows. The marathon was an amazing experience, I took it really easy on the 5K, 10K and the ½ leading up to it. The marathon was my best races of the weekend!

 

[kywyldcat03]

Its also what I did. I ran my first half at SWDS in 2017 and my first full was Dopey 2018. With an amazing training plan (Thank you so much @DopeyBadger), eating right and listening to your body I believe you can do whatever you set your mind to and your body allows. The marathon was an amazing experience, I took it really easy on the 5K, 10K and the ½ leading up to it. The marathon was my best races of the weekend!

I can attest that DopeyBadger creates amazing training plans. I have exceeded every goal since he developed a plan for me and I recommend it to anyone trying to achieve a running goal.

 

[Katie Little]

I can attest that DopeyBadger creates amazing training plans. I have exceeded every goal since he developed a plan for me and I recommend it to anyone trying to achieve a running goal.

Fully agreed! My current plan was written by him and it's been life changing!

 

[CDKG]

Personally, I think you are a little premature in making this decision. Not just because registration is a year out, but because you are still a new runner. Half marathons are HARD, even with good training. You haven't had an opportunity to experience that yet.

I had almost 5 years of running and 15 half marathons under my belt before I decided I was ready to attempt my first full marathon at WDW in 2019. I have been running runDisney challenges since 2014, but just plan on registering for 2 races during marathon weekend. For me, it's about setting myself up for success. Dopey for my first marathon won't help me be successful. Dopey 2020 is a possibility... But, I need to experience that full marathon first before I decide.

Of course, we are all different. Many runners have successfully run Dopey as their first full marathon. My advise to you is to just continue your running journey and make this decision later, after you have a few double digit mileage races under your belt.

 

[Keels]

Personally, I think you are a little premature in making this decision. Not just because registration is a year out, but because you are still a new runner. Half marathons are HARD, even with good training. You haven't had an opportunity to experience that yet.

I had almost 5 years of running and 15 half marathons under my belt before I decided I was ready to attempt my first full marathon at WDW in 2019. I have been running runDisney challenges since 2014, but just plan on registering for 2 races during marathon weekend. For me, it's about setting myself up for success. Dopey for my first marathon won't help me be successful. Dopey 2020 is a possibility... But, I need to experience that full marathon first before I decide.

Of course, we are all different. Many runners have successfully run Dopey as their first full marathon. My advise to you is to just continue your running journey and make this decision later, after you have a few double digit mileage races under your belt.

This is really great advice and definitely great points to think about! It really is ultimately setting yourself up for success so its an overall enjoyable experience that you might want to do again.

 

[Katie Little]

Personally, I think you are a little premature in making this decision.

Thanks! I think you are right, I've kinda decided to come back and revisit this idea after my first half. After my first 10k, all I could think is -- "I'm going to have to run 4 of those in a row one day!! YIKES!!!" It was a little bit of an eye opener on how I should slow my roll with my planning and things like that.

 

[FFigawi]

Thanks! I think you are right, I've kinda decided to come back and revisit this idea after my first half. After my first 10k, all I could think is -- "I'm going to have to run 4 of those in a row one day!! YIKES!!!" It was a little bit of an eye opener on how I should slow my roll with my planning and things like that.

I'll be the contrarian and advise not overthinking it. If you want to do it, then do it. Lots of people sign up for marathons without having run a half or a 10k. If you know you'll have the time to train, there's no reason you can't do this.

 

[LSUlakes]

I'll throw in my 2 cents as well. This may have already been mentioned and if so I apologize. The simple answer to can you do it is yes! The real question is should you? I would lean towards no and I'll make my case in the following comments. The hardest part of running is going from not running to running a 5k. Most of it is mental as it is for any distance, but its the getting your mind out of your way to continuously run for 3.1 miles. The next jump to a 10k is much easier. The next mental barrier is double digit miles, which is still easier than starting from 0. Once you reach 10 miles the jump to 13.1 doesnt seem to bad on the mind since you only have another 5k to go and running a 5k is easier than it has ever been. Thats where the easy part stops. Once you exceed 13.1 and over 2:30:00 hours of running at once, everything changes. The things you do days before these long runs can have a effect both good and bad. Proper fueling and hydrating should be considered. I learned this the hard way. My first half I ran was around 1:50:00 and had 4 months to go to a marathon. I never used fuel, and at that distance I really did not need it. However the first time I ran 16 miles was a big eye opener and it is then I realized I had a LOT to learn. Even then, those 16-20 mile runs are a tuff and knowing you have a 10k after you ran 20 miles puts things into perspective. So you will have all these new things to experience, and on top of that, you will wake up well before the roster crows for 4 days in row (which is probably not your normal schedule) and after each race you should try to stay off your feet as much as you can, but that hard to do while at WDW since well you know.. the parks. You could end up doing very well, and others have, but one really bad experience in the marathon distance may leave you never wanting to do it again, and it would seem unfair if that your only sample size came after running a 5k, 10k, and half before running a full. At the end of the day, its your decision, and if you have dopeybadger helping you, i believe he will prepare you well. I would suggest run one marathon and than follow up with Dopey as a motivator to train again and something else to look forward to. Also, I am not certain if you have visited the running thread or not, but you may find some of the information that is discussed there helpful... maybe. Yes this is my selfless plug at promoting my thread lol. Best of luck and hope what ever you choose is a fun and memorable experience!

 

[dburg30]

So basically, I’ve always wanted my first marathon to be runDisney. In November of this year, I’ll be doing my first half marathon. Both financially and physically speaking, I won’t be able to make a runDisney marathon happen in 2019 because it’s in January. I had originally planned to do a regular marathon in 2019 and shoot for Dopey 2020.. but then I saw an interesting video about someone who ran Dopey as their first ever race. That crazy person (and I say that with tons of respect because... just wow) finished Dopey without ever running so much as a 5k (well I’m sure they ran the distance in training but they never raced it).

I think that most people would pretty unanimously agree that may not have been the smartest; however; I’m spending this year getting comfortable with the 5k and 10k distances and then in the latter part of the year going for a 10 miler and half. If I chose to do my first Marathon as part of Dopey, I would spend the first half of 2019 getting comfortable with the Half Marathon distance and the 2nd half training for… well, Dopey 2020. What do you think?

Was my first.. Was supposed to be my second, but I pulled back and did a 1/2 in October then the Dopey in Jan.

 

[crosseyedkat]

I would say wait and see how you feel after doing a half. I did my first (and possibly only) marathon at Disney this January. I've been running for 4 years, had done 8 half marathons (including all three races at Princess) prior, and knew that I wanted my first marathon experience to be just that - a Marathon! The training for a marathon is the real commitment. And I'm a turtle runner, so those long training runs? They took 3-5 hours.

Like everyone said, it can be done and only you can decide what is good for you and your body. Me, I'm back to doing a reasonable distance - 13.1!

 

[tigger536]

I did my first full in November 2016, and ran my first "Dopey" in 2017 (in quotes because this was the one with the cancelled half). I do not run Disney races for time. I like to stop for EVERYTHING. So doing a full first gave me confidence because I knew what my full time was without all the stops, and it made me much more relaxed the day of the full of Dopey, because I knew I could do it. This made me feel like I could stop for all the pictures/rides/drinks/etc. as normal - if I hadn't done a full yet I'm not sure I would have (or not as many). Also, January weather is unpredictable. It was 25 with a wind chill in the teens for the full that year. I am NOT a cold weather person, so having already done a full also helped with my worries on this front. Its up to you, but if you have the opportunity, I would recommend doing a non Disney full first. That way you can fully enjoy the Dopey experience.