To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

Yeah, it is my favorite burger on property, but I grew up with bison burgers so I am probably biased. Oh, and if not too late I would say 41:50.

I'll give it another try when I'm back at that restaurant then.

 

[DopeyBadger]

G guessed 43:00.

 

[HangWithMerida]

Really enjoyed reading your race/trip reports. It looks like your family had an awesome time! It sounds like you are recovering from COVID quickly. I hope your race goes well this weekend!
Your family and mine like almost the exact opposite types of rides. We all love roller coasters of all kinds. My kid is the type that wanted to wear their tallest shoes so they could make height cutoffs when it was a close call. Both my kid and I get car sick but luckily rides have never triggered any motion sickness in either of us. The new GotG ride is definitely my favorite in all the parks. Just amazing!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Really enjoyed reading your race/trip reports. It looks like your family had an awesome time!

Thanks! We did!

It sounds like you are recovering from COVID quickly. I hope your race goes well this weekend!

I'd say it's going pretty well. Based on the four runs I've done thus far, I would say COVID has had zero effect. The only effect to my fitness has been the normal response to taking a week off from training.

Your family and mine like almost the exact opposite types of rides. We all love roller coasters of all kinds. My kid is the type that wanted to wear their tallest shoes so they could make height cutoffs when it was a close call. Both my kid and I get car sick but luckily rides have never triggered any motion sickness in either of us. The new GotG ride is definitely my favorite in all the parks. Just amazing!

I'd say our family is definitely across the whole spectrum. Some who like all the roller coasters, some like me that can tolerate a select few, and a few people who don't ride them at all. G seems more in the middle. Definitely not a thrill seeker at this point.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Shamrock Shuffle 10k

Picked up my packet on Thursday before the snow started coming down. We ended up getting about 5-8 inches, but because it was hovering around 32F on Friday the roads and sidewalks were essentially clean. I ran 3.5 miles on Friday night and did a few strides. It was a little tough to get my body to go fast, but not too bad. Lastly, for historical reasons this race occurred 11 days after my COVID diagnosis, and I only restarted running after a week off on Monday.

Alright, so let's start the recap on Saturday morning. I woke up at 5:15am. Ate breakfast (PB sandwich) and had 12 oz water and 4oz of Liquid IV. I took a shower and got dressed. I said bye to G and Steph, and then I was on my way. I decided to go with my 2015 Dopey long sleeve and olive green shorts. I also wore my columbia pants and the yellow brooks jacket for my WU. Additionally, I wore the medium glove/mitten and the UA beanie. I felt comfortable during the WU, and then removing the jacket/pants left me comfortable for the race. I left the house around 6:30am, and got to the Madison parking garage around 7:00am.

I parked on an upper level since I was essentially all alone. I headed outside the car and did some stretches on the ground. Got up and headed down to the road. Used the porta, and then went and checked out the start. Did some dynamic stretching and then around 7:20am I started my WU. I decided to run along the race course on the sidewalk to check out the start of the race. It was a slight uphill on state st, and then turned north on Gilman. The road still had snow/ice were cars were previously parked. So it was going to be single/double wide running for everyone to avoid the snow/ice. Other than that brief section, it was pretty much clear. There were a few other runners getting warmed up. I did a loop around Madison back to the portas, and then found some empty space on the mall where I did some brief 15 sec strides. Looks like I did 6:23, 5:54, and 6:01 pace. Then I did some easy running back to the portas. In all it was a 2.1 mile and 19 min WU. I felt reasonably good afterwards. I hit up the porta one last time, and then made my way back to the car to drop off my jacket/pants. I stayed in the car from about 7:45-7:50, and then decided with an 8:15 start time I should get ready and head back. In retrospect I had some more time before I needed to head back, but I didn't end up getting cold in my shorts/long sleeve combo so it didn't really matter.

I was in the starting chute by about 8:01am. There were a few other runners lining themselves up in the 6-7 min/mi range. About as many as I expected, maybe 20-30. So I felt like I would have some decent company for most of the race. They sang the national anthem, they had some speakers say some things about the Boys/Girls club. I drank about 6oz water and had my Maurten caff gel. I was also carrying 2 scoops of concentrated Tailwind if I got thirsty. And then we head the countdown and we were off...

Conditions - Overcast clouds, Wind 6mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 27°F + 24°F; FL - 21°F
End: Temp+Dew = 29°F + 25°F; FL - 21°F

Mile 1 - 6:36 pace - 6:33 GAP
Mile 1 started with everyone sorting themselves out. I tried to hit a pace in the 6:35-6:45 range. I was doing 6:20-6:30 pace out the gate, so I did reasonably well holding myself back from a torrent starting pace. Most of the people around me were essentially the people who would be with me for the whole race. Seemingly matched paces. The first half mile was a 50 foot incline. When I hit the crest I saw my average pace was 6:58 min/mile or so, which is about where I expected to be given the incline. It's at that point that I tried to loosen up, get the breathing right, and then attack the gentle downhill. I was doing 6:00-6:15 pace down the hill to the first mile marker. I got passed by one runner during mile 1 (after the initial start), and I passed a few here and there when I went down the hill.

Mile 2 - 7:03 pace - 6:43 GAP
Mile 2 has the westward Observatory hill to start. It is a windy 0.3 miles and 90 foot gain. I got as slow as 9:30 pace, but GAP has me maintaining a 6:35-6:45 effort through this. When I crested the hill we had to do a short more gentle downhill and I gained some time back hitting that 6:00-6:20 pace or so. But as soon as you hit the dip you got to go right back up on a short 0.2 mile 17 foot gainer. Followed by a steep 65 foot drop in 0.2 miles. That one really took a toll. I was doing 6:00 flat pace through that section, but GAP was still in the 6:35-6:45 range. The end of mile 2 had a little out and back so it gave me a chance to see those ahead of me as well as the gap I had on those behind me.

Mile 3 - 6:37 pace - 6:40 GAP

From Mile 3 to 5 was where things flattened out a bit. Two groups in my near vicinity had formed. I was with about four other guys in the back group, and then there was a second group of 4 guys and 1 girl ahead. Maybe 30-40 seconds ahead of us. I was feeling pretty good about how the race had gone thus far. I decided to try and kick it up a notch. Maybe reel in the group ahead of us. So when we turned onto Linden (the split for 5k/10k runners) I made my move. I felt like I increased the pace and the effort. But little did I know that I was now doing 5:50-6:00 pace for the next minute or so. It probably explains why when I made my move and passed the other four guys in my group that one initially tried to follow and then very quickly dropped back with the others. Turns out my burst was SUPER aggressive. Because by the time I reached the 2.3 mile mark I had opened a sizeable gap on my previous group. Now I was the in-between runner and not with either group. So I just kept trying to reel in that group ahead of me. I looked at my watch around the 0.5 mile mark and saw 6:28 average pace and was pretty pleased with myself. Knew I was giving a good effort here. At about the 2.7 mile mark is when the girl in the group ahead broke off and left the four guys. I could also see in the distance on the comeback at about the 4 mile mark was the leader. He ended up finishing in 32:14 (5:14 pace). When I saw the 6:37 pace at the conclusion of Mile 3 I knew I had slowed down a bit since I saw the 6:28 pace earlier. So I dug in and kept pushing.

Mile 4 - 6:48 pace - 6:48 GAP
I had gained some ground on the four guys in front of me by the start of this mile. What had been maybe a 30-40 sec gap was more like 15-20 sec now. They were within striking distance and I just kept trying to catch them. I also got a brief chance to peek behind me on the comeback portion and saw that I still had a gap on the group behind me, but it wasn't as big as it was when I made my initial move. So they picked the pace up as well. I could tell I was getting tired as everything felt more difficult. The pack ahead of me had started to string out. The two younger runners were still clicking along and the two older runners had slowed a bit coming closer to me.

Mile 5 - 7:05 pace - 7:02 GAP

Not long after starting the 5th mile I had caught the two older runners. At about the 4.4 mile mark. I got a look from each as I had passed because after Mile 1, essentially no one was passing anyone else. So it was probably a bit of a worrying sign to them to see me pass. So while my pace had slowed from the start, against my peers I was holding my own / gaining some ground. The 5th mile was going to be the last bit of flatish running. So I did try and conserve a little bit of energy. Because I knew I had two climbs left. A moderate longer incline, and then a freaking really steep short incline. Just as we came towards the end of Mile 5 is when we combined back on course with the 5k runners. They started 10 min after the 10k runners. There were definitely a lot more runners on course now. But there wasn't any traffic on either side of the road, so I ended up running on the non-closed lane and didn't get inhibited by other runners.

Mile 6 - 7:12 pace - 6:58 GAP

Seeing the 7:05 pace from the last mile was the last time I did a really pace check-in. With some undulated hills coming up I knew pace was out of the question. Now it was nose the grind stone and push with everything that's left. The first hill was 40 feet in 0.3 miles. I was passing 5k runners right and left. But the crowding also meant it was harder to pick those two younger runners out of the crowd. I also didn't get a good look at the runners behind me either. But I was moving pretty good. GAP put me at 6:35-6:50 pace and 7:50s real pace. Then it flattened out a bit and I was doing 7:10s. Then came the monster finisher hill. It was 55 ft in about 0.15 miles. I was doing 8:15-8:30 pace with my best effort, and that was 6:10-6:30 pace per GAP. Crested the hill at the 5.6 mile mark and knew it was all downhill or flat from here. I opened up the legs and let loose. I started at the top of the hill at 7:30s pace and then progressively got faster to the point that I was doing 5:30s pace as I was closing in on the end of the 6th mile. I hit the 6th mile and saw my total time was around 41:30 or so. So it was time to dig deep for the final kick. I couldn't pick out the 10k runners ahead or behind me at this point because I was in a mass of other runners.

Mile 6.20 - 6:33 pace - 6:31 GAP
I was giving a really good effort now. This is the same spot I was doing my strides in earlier. I was passing 5k runners right and left as I was closing in on the finish line. I was about 10 seconds from the finish line when two of the four runners that had been in my original group came sprinting up behind me. They looked at me in the eyes, said "hey 10k runner" and then sprinted past. I tried to match them and did for a brief second, but couldn't maintain their blistering kicks. We were doing 6:00 flat pace across the finish line.

I officially finished in 42:42.

Official Time - 42:42
Overall Place - 32/386 (8.3%)
Gender Place - 28/179 (15.6%)
AG Place - 4/27 (14.8%)

For the other runners around me, the two that were in my original group that sprinted past finished in 42:36 and 42:39. The two younger runners I was chasing finished in 41:47 and 41:50. The two older runners I passed at Mile 4 finished in 42:51 and 42:55. And lastly the girl finished in 41:38.

Afterwards, I collected some items. Found another local Cottage Grove runner and chatted a bit. And then I headed home.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the race overall. My clothing choices were good. I'm coming off a short period of time off running and COVID and yet did reasonably well in the race. The temps were pretty good and the snow had essentially no impact. The course is quite difficult at an average 44 ft gain/mile, and the GAP shows I handled it reasonably well. Maybe I let Mile 5 get away from me a bit too much. But going into it I had estimated a best case scenario of around 41:30 and came in at 42:42 given everything going on. So I'm pretty pleased with that. Based on how I feel, I think I'm going to go ahead and sign up for the HM that occurs in two weeks at the end of March.

So let's check-in on the season standings after this one.



G has a commanding lead. I'm holding well tied for 2nd. @flav is going for a golf score at this point. Three new players joined for just the Shamrock Shuffle 10k and have equal or more to a few Princess players. Few races to go to try and catch up!

 

[flav]

Congratulations Billy, and I am not a golfer

 

[GollyGadget]

Great recap! I will never forget running up observatory hill and that was well over as decade ago. Definitely a tough course!

 

[Jules76126]

Congrats! And I need to check the dis more to play this game.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Congratulations Billy, and I am not a golfer

Thanks! There's still time to catch up! I believe in you!

Great recap! I will never forget running up observatory hill and that was well over as decade ago. Definitely a tough course!

Thanks! Might have been the first time I've run up Charter St and not down it. While it was short, it was pretty brutal in addition to the Observatory hills.

Congrats! And I need to check the dis more to play this game.

Thanks! You're still within striking distance!

 

[DopeyBadger]

With Disneyland 2024 on the horizon, it looks like my POT from Nov 2019 has officially expired (HM in 1:28:40). So I was looking at my times from Jan 2021 to present for my next best time to submit for the Disneyland HM. Fastest times available were:

10k - 42:03 (Run Wild 10k in Sept 2021)
HM - 1:35:20 (Princess HM in Feb 2022)
M - 3:15:13 (Madison M in Nov 2021)

Then I used what I believe to be the calculation that runDisney is using for conversions:

T2 = T1 X (D2/D1)^R

The trick is determining what R is equal to. For M/Goofy/Dopey runners, whether it be 10 miler or HM submitted, the R value appears to be about 1.08. But for the HM (or HM Challenge runners) that value appears to vary whether you submit a 10k, HM, or M.

10k appears to be 1.052-1.065
10 miler appears to be 1.012-1.036
M appears to be 1.113-1.125

So punching in the above time and converting them to HM times using what appears to be the runDisney system gives the following range of conversions for each:

10k - 42:03 - converts to 1:32:14 - 1:33:08
HM - 1:35:20 - no conversion
M - 3:15:13 - converts to 1:29:30 - 1:30:15

So based on the data available to me, it would appear the M time of 3:15:13 is the best submittable time. At the end of the day this is purely vanity driven (getting a low bib number). Because all of these time easily qualify for the current "A" corral cutoffs. With that being said, in order to have a better POT between now and the deadline, I'll probably need to run a sub 1:30 HM. It's good information to know and I've got potentially three shots at it in the next 1.5 months.

 

[DopeyBadger]

1 Week to go until First Call and 6 weeks remain in Spring Season - Week 12/18




3/13/23-3/19/23
Tues (3/14): 10 miles @ Easy LR
Wed (3/15): 13 miles @ Moderate on Jack/Jill
Thurs (3/16): 45 min @ Easy on Treadmill
Fri (3/17): 7 miles @ Easy LR
Sat (3/18): 60 min @ Easy on Treadmill
Sun (3/19): 3 miles @ HM Tempo

Total Run Miles - 49.9 miles
Total Run Time - 6:58 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:00 hours
Total Training Time - 6:58 hours


Tuesday

After the Shamrock Shuffle on Saturday I took Sunday and Monday off from running. This week was about building the mileage a bit more back up after COVID and trying to get my legs back underneath me in advance of the First Call HM which is next weekend.

Conditions - Clear sky, Wind 3mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 32°F + 17°F; FL - 29°F
End: Temp+Dew = 29°F + 17°F; FL - 29°F

Goal was to do something around 80-90 min at an easy pace, but not completely easy. I ended up settling in around the 8:30s. I bounced around 8:20-8:30 GAP. I felt good to finish when I hit 10 miles. I wore my Tracer2 vest, but forgot with daylight savings that it wasn't needed anymore. So yea for that.


Wednesday

G had an assembly in the afternoon. She had a speaking role, so we left work and went and watched. She did great. The secondary benefit of this was that I had ample time in the remainder of the day to do a nice long run. So the goal was to run about 15 mile or 2 hours. Originally the plan pre-COVID was to do something like 18 miles (2.5 hrs). But I'm still trying to build myself back up. I also decided to do it on the Jack/Jill course.

Conditions - Overcast clouds, Wind 14mph to 27mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 44°F + 30°F; FL - 37°F
End: Temp+Dew = 46°F + 33°F; FL - 37°F





Felt good through the first few miles, but as the run progressed I could tell I was slightly fading. So as I was closing in on 10 miles is when I decided I would cap the run at 13 miles and not go for 15 miles. In all a good run to hopefully get me back into a groove.


Thursday

I didn't like the weather (don't remember why) so I ran on the treadmill. I did 45 min and called it a day.


Friday

With the HM in about a week, it was all about balancing regaining what I've lost with being in a good place for the race itself. Additionally, Saturday morning's weather looked absolutely not worth running in (-7F and 30 mph winds). So I decided to do a longer slightly harder run on Friday, easy treadmill run on Saturday, hard run on Sunday, and then I'll do an easier hard run on Wednesday of next week. So the plan was to hit something in the 75-90 min area at a easy/moderate pace.

Conditions - Scattered clouds, Wind 16mph to 30mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 27°F + 17°F; FL - 15°F
End: Temp+Dew = 26°F + 15°F; FL - 15°F

This just wasn't fun to run in. It was cold and the wind was so aggressive. I had planned on doing like 10 miles. Then I was aiming for 8 miles. Well I ended up running 7 miles because I was just done with it. I did it at easy LR pace (8:22) which was also slower than I had intended but running in 30mph wind definitely makes a difference. Body just feels stuck in neutral.


Saturday

Another treadmill run. Body felt a little better. Ended up doing 60 min at an easy pace.


Sunday

I went around it a bit in my head about what I wanted to do today for a hard run. I considered a progression run with some 45 min RI breaks. I also considered a Mona workout with Tempo and then some uphill faster paced work with floating RI. I looked at the Daniels 3rd edition HM plan and saw they recommended a 90 min easy run 7 days out from the "A" HM race. I ended up settling on a 3 mile HM Tempo workout. Just get in some paced work to see how it feels and how realistic of a race day pace it is. The 42:42 10k adjusted for the elevation gain says something around a 7:05 min/mile HM Tempo. So that's what I was aiming for on GAP adjustment.

I did the run mid-afternoon because it was really cold this morning again. The downside was as it warmed up it did so with high winds again. So I tried to balance the two by going at mid-day.

Conditions - Clear sky, Wind 11mph to 21mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 36°F + 14°F; FL - 28°F
End: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 14°F; FL - 28°F





I did an easy 4 mile run, and then I settled in for 3 miles of HM Tempo work. I came out the gate a little too hot and slowed down to the correct pace. Then the second mile was on target but a little more work. The third mile was into the wind and uphill and I held on as best I could. In the end the three GAP miles were 7:08, 6:59, 7:02 pace (7:03 average). Under the conditions of the day, there's little chance I would have been able to hold on for 13 miles. Thankfully race day shouldn't have such high winds (at least I hope not). I finished up the run with a single mile CD and then called it a day.

Despite the good paces during the Shamrock Shuffle 10k, the body still feels stuck in neutral and not race ready. We'll see how next week plays out and if I can right the ship. Otherwise I've got a little longer span of time until the next two HMs.

 

[Herding_Cats]

So based on the data available to me, it would appear the M time of 3:15:13 is the best submittable time. At the end of the day this is purely vanity driven (getting a low bib number). Because all of these time easily qualify for the current "A" corral cutoffs.

Now who's looking for a golf score?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Now who's looking for a golf score?

 

[DopeyBadger]

2023 DopeyBadger Spring Racing Season Prediction Contest: First Call Half Marathon
Original Post

Current Standings after Shamrock Shuffle 10k:

G has a commanding lead and is now just mocking us from her perch high above.

First Call Half Marathon
The First Call half marathon course is one of my favorites. I've run the December version (Last Call) twice before in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, I ran it in a then PR of 1:53:18 (besting my PR by 4 min) and then in 2015 I had a massive breakthrough and ran a 1:38:49 (besting my PR by 7 min). That 2015 race was magical because if memory serves I set a PR at HM, 10k, 5k, mile? and 1km? during that race. So suffice to say, I like the course.



The course is an out an back. It has a total of elevation of 260-280ft which is about 20ft per mile. For reference, my normal training route is about 30 ft per mile and Jack/Jill is about 45 ft per mile. Additionally, the elevation gain that does happen is nicely spread out and is more gradual. So unlike the hills of Madison which come with 10-11% grade, these are less noticeable hanging around 1-2% grade. The course is primarily on a paved bike path, and because of it's slow windy nature it also blocks your view of the continued climb. So you never get this view that makes it seem daunting to continue. For around here locally, it's about as flat as it gets and with a good course design.

The overall GAP of the course despite the 20 ft per mile gain is actually a net zero. So this course runs as fast as flat (which is exactly how they advertise it). And again, with the decline not being overly aggressive it means a runner like me who is not good at downhill running can succeed since the down is barely noticeable. But the down does have a pace effect of about 5-7 sec per mile.

The race has a 9am start time and the current weather looks decent. Feels like of 31-37F, 8-9 mph SW wind (race runs east to west, so this will be mostly a cross wind), partly cloudy, and a slight chance of precipitation. Although given the temps this week, and the temps during the race is more likely to be rain or non-sticking snow. So those are pretty good conditions everything considered.

As for fitness, I still don't feel like I'm back to pre-Princess fitness levels. Easy days feel fine, but I'm still missing that snap feeling I had earlier. With that being said, even during Shamrock I was hitting 6:00 min/mile pace and didn't realize I was overdoing it in the moment. So it's there.

I ran the Princess 10k in 42:53 on a 6.26 mile course at T+D of 132 on a course without a GAP adjustment. Boiling that down to a flat, ideal day, on a 6.22 mile course is about a 41:33 finish (6:41 pace).

I ran the Shamrock 10k in 42:42 on a 6.20 mile course at ideal temps on a course with a +6 GAP adjustment. Boiling that down to a flat, ideal day, on a 6.22 mile course is about a 42:12 finish (6:47 pace).

The First Call HM is looking like ideal weather, the course has a net zero GAP adjustment, and this race director is usually spot on with 13.11 miles (additionally the course is easy to run tangents on). If I put the two times above as a general assessment of current fitness, then Princess says a 1:32:05 HM (7:01 pace) and Shamrock says a 1:33:33 HM (7:08 pace). I did 3 miles at HM Tempo on Sunday at 7:03 GAP and recent historical HR data says that might have been a bit too hot. Out of 20 official HMs, anything under 1:34:57 would be a 3rd fastest ever, and if including unofficial HMs, then to get 3rd or better needs to be under 1:33:32 (Lakefront M 2017).

My guess is 1:34:00.

Current Guesses

1:32:59 - @JAMIESMITH
1:33:00 - G
1:33:31 - @MissLiss279
1:34:00 - Me
1:34:25 - @eminemilie
1:34:56 - @flav
1:35:22 - @Naomeri
1:35:50 - @azrivest
1:36:00 - @bovie
1:36:22 - @FFigawi
1:37:10 - @Jules76126

 

[MissLiss279]

1:33:31

 

[FFigawi]

1:36:22

 

[flav]

1:34:56

 

[azrivest]

1:35:50

 

[Naomeri]

1:35:22

 

[JAMIESMITH]

1:32:59