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

[Naomeri]

From the time I saw the first trailer for Elemental, I wanted to figure out how to do Ember for 2023 Springtime Surprise, since it was Pixar themed, but I couldn’t come up with all the elements () needed in time.

 

[GollyGadget]

What an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Scootin'By]

I'm so glad you had an awesome trip! The costumes looked wonderful

 

[DopeyBadger]

Very sorry to hear about your MIL. I hope this trip was everything you hoped for! Those costumes look so professional, I'm surprised you didn't get kicked out for being too close to cast member costumes!

Thanks! As you probably read later, there were a few guest interactions that had me a little worried about being too good of costumes. Guess that's a good problem to have. But it all worked out in the end.

That story about you meeting the Trackers was so awesome! My husband and I watch their videos, and our son is only two weeks younger than Jackson. During the pandemic, I often said Jackson was my son's only friend. I'm so glad your MIL got to meet them and they were so gracious.

The Trackers were completely genuine and the same as you see on youtube. Just good people. It was an awesome random experience.

All that work really paid off! You look like you are having way more fun than G in every single one of those pictures. I really can't believe how great they look in action.

Thanks! I was having a great time and I can't understate how many pictures and comments we got. It was just a constant stream of people. Things died down once it got darker out, but they were still coming fast and furious all night. It's going to be hard to top them, but G's already got ideas.

All my thoughts go out to you and your family. Hope you were able to make lasting memories with your MIL

Thanks! This was an important trip for the family and I hope one of many to come in the near future.

Loved this entire trip report. You guys looked fantastic in your costumes! I love how many cast members and guests interacted with you, all your hard work really paid off.

Hooray for a great family trip with lots of good memories, those are the best!

Thanks! The hard work, time, and money spent was worth it. Just a fantastic experience all around. So good we want to do it again, maybe even twice!

My 'down the rabbit hole' brain loves this so much.

I'm glad your MIL was able to attend this trip, and that you (and she) had a nice and meaningful time.

Yep, that's where we're at now. Cost of tickets is pretty much the same. We tend to be either 1/2 park + 1/2 pool or 1/3 park + 1/3 pool + 1/3 park people. So the amount of time spent in the park is roughly the same (about 8 hrs). And we get to where costumes which is a bonus. And just the more leisure experience compared to a runDisney race is a big plus. If you see a character you like, but the line is long, you can just come back later in a Halloween party. You can't do that in a runDisney race.

From the time I saw the first trailer for Elemental, I wanted to figure out how to do Ember for 2023 Springtime Surprise, since it was Pixar themed, but I couldn’t come up with all the elements () needed in time.

Great minds think alike. We'll detail making them someday. G has to sketch out what she wants the costumes to do first. But I figure I've got to get started on them soon if I'm doing four costumes, plus a few costumes for the Moana theater play next summer.

What an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks!

I'm so glad you had an awesome trip! The costumes looked wonderful

Thanks!

 

[The Expert]

I'm not kidding when I say there were countless interactions like this.

They felt we were the best costume they had seen which was a pretty cool recognition.

Because an actual Disney costume designer just happened to be back there.

Impressing cast members is always a huge ego boost -- and a costume designer to boot?? I'm so impressed but not at all surprised! I'm only sorry we ended up doing the party on Tuesday night instead, and I missed seeing them until January. (Though the weather on Tuesday was downright chilly and would've been super cozy for those costumes!)

Honestly, it was fine, but not something I'd feel like I need to frequent other than this first pass through. I feel like it's going to be a pretty abandoned area, but maybe it'll surprise me.

We also wandered through Moana this past week and I thought the same. Something fun for little kids when it is hot out, but not something I need to do again.

We'll see if we do it, but G is so stoked about making two sets of costumes now.

Better get more suitcases!!

MIL really needed this trip to lift her spirits and confirm to herself she can do this.

So glad you were able to get her there and have some meaningful moments.


Also I had to comment about Epcot crowds this past weekend. It WAS about as busy as I've seen it outside NYE on Saturday. Including you all, I knew four different people there at the park that day and there was no way I was going to just happen upon any of them. It was nuts!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Impressing cast members is always a huge ego boost -- and a costume designer to boot?? I'm so impressed but not at all surprised! I'm only sorry we ended up doing the party on Tuesday night instead, and I missed seeing them until January. (Though the weather on Tuesday was downright chilly and would've been super cozy for those costumes!)

Agreed! Bummer that they likely won't be in their full glory in January either. As I'll likely need to edit them to make them contour with our natural body. But we'll figure it out after Halloween.

We also wandered through Moana this past week and I thought the same. Something fun for little kids when it is hot out, but not something I need to do again.

Agreed!

Better get more suitcases!!

LOL! Steph said the same thing. Although a huge reason these took up so much space was the foam base costumes. I don't think we'll have something similar for the four we have planned out. But we'll see. Good thing Southwest exists!

So glad you were able to get her there and have some meaningful moments.

Agreed!

Also I had to comment about Epcot crowds this past weekend. It WAS about as busy as I've seen it outside NYE on Saturday. Including you all, I knew four different people there at the park that day and there was no way I was going to just happen upon any of them. It was nuts!

It was definitely nutty!

 

[DisneyParrothead]

The character bubble may have burst, but G can still have tons of fun. Heck, I still do! If you get a great cast member, it can be a really fun interaction.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I think fate meant for your MIL to meet the Trackers. I'm glad she had that much needed good experience.

Your costumes turned out just amazing! I know it meant a lot to receive compliments for an actual costume designer!

I think fall is my favorite season to travel. I love all the pumpkin decor. Costumes and candy are big plusses too.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Thursday, October 19th - Pool Time, and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
We decided to sleep in to make sure we had high energy levels for the party. Got up around 9am. Steph went and got us breakfast from Artist's Palette. G got lots of bacon, and I got the Breakfast Bounty Platter.

The main pool (High Rock Spring) opened at 10am. We remembered from the Feb Princess trip that getting a seat at the pool is SUPER competitive. Well that wasn't the case this time around. There were far less people and we wondered whether that meant good things in terms of crowd capacity for the weekend. We had a great time at the pool for several hours. At some point G and I headed over to the arcade.

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The Saratoga Springs Arcade is mid-level. It has some good games, but lacks a pinball machine which would put it over the top. It did have a really good air hockey table that pushed out several different colored pucks worth varying points. It added a nice twist to the classic game.

After arcade, we headed back to the pool again. I headed back to the room and took a shower and then headed back to the pool. I just watched G swim and I absolutely baked in the sun. I was sweating profusely despite not really moving. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about how hot the costumes were going to be.

I think we had some lunch at Artist's Palette (pizza and a salad), and then it was time to put the costumes on. The Magic Kingdom Halloween Party officially starts at 4pm, but you can start lining up before the start of the party. We were aiming for leaving at 2:45pm, and planned to head to Contemporary because everyone else had a reservation at Steakhouse 71. I started assembling the costumes, and was really happy to see everything was in working order.

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Because of the green man suit, it was going to be a chore to use the restroom, so I tried to really empty the bladder before putting the costume on. At about 2:40pm we were right on schedule and then I adjusted my hat a touch and the half circle styrofoam that was being used as a support detached from the velcro. UGH.... I had to disassemble the whole hat to put it back together. And then the velcro didn't want to stick back on the styrofoam. Thankfully we had brought a cosplay med-kit with all the essentials to fix anything that might have gone wrong. So we cut some extra velcro, reattached it to the styrofoam, and then reassembled the hard hat. Thankfully, everything was all good, and then I finished putting everything back on. It was about 2:55pm when we finally headed out, so not too far off schedule.

We drove over to the Contemporary. We were about halfway when we realized that my FIL didn't bring his phone. We hemmed and hawed about whether we would turn around and go back to get it. We've had previous trips where we get separated and then have all sorts of issues. So not having the phone could have been an issue, but we ended up not going back for it.

We got to the Contemporary and informed them of the Steakhouse 71 reservation. We parked the car in the disabled parking, and then started putting all the parts of the costume on. While we were in the midst of putting the costumes on in the parking lot a family walked by and gave us our first compliment. "Great costume you all." I looked up and thanked him. Did a double take... and then tapped Steph on the head. I was like, "Steph... that's the Trackers!" Now for those that don't know the Trackers are Disney vloggers. Steph, MIL, and SIL have been watching their videos for years and years. So I was like, "you've got to say something." So Steph, said something like "Tim, Tim Tracker." And then my MIL came out of the car crying. She couldn't believe it. The whole Tracker family was there and they had just enjoyed Steakhouse 71. They spent a good 20 minutes with us just swapping stories. My MIL informed them of her cancer and everyone cried. She spent a good bit of time talking about how much their videos meant to her and how much she's been involved in their story as they've gained more and more of a following. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

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Look. The universe can really throw you a **** sandwich sometimes. But this. This was truly serendipitous. And the Trackers may never truly understand what this moment meant to my MIL. She's had a rough few months. She wasn't sure she could/should go on this trip. We were suppose to arrive 10 min earlier to the parking lot. We could have turned around in the car to get my FIL's phone. And yet, we didn't. And then Tim didn't have to say anything about the costumes as just another guy without us even seeing him or knowing who he was. And yet he did, and that made us aware of their presence. It just all felt like the universe just saying, hey ya'll you've had it rough and here's a toss up.

After we left the Trackers, we headed towards the Magic Kingdom. It's at this point that my MIL realized she forgot to bring her phone as well. So BIL and FIL headed back to the hotel to get the phones, and Steph, G, and I headed towards Magic Kingdom. We got a picture with the Contemporary bushes in the background.

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As we passed the Contemporary bus stop a group of people stopped us and complimented us on our costumes. We told our first joke for the evening and got some laughs. This experience repeated over and over. As we got close to security check on the path from Contemporary, a man in a scooter stopped us and wanted a picture. I could see security chatting out of the corner of my eye as we took the picture and they said something to the effect of "this is a decision for her." So I knew we were really close to the allowable limit.

We passed through the security and then I was pulled aside. She wanted to look at the laugh canister. She picked it up and grimaced as it was heavier than she anticipated. Then she touched the sides and said it was soft. Then she asked me if I could open it, and I said that I could open the top and bottom and showed her the insides. She agreed to allow it in. Then she wanted to check out our costumes. She gave me a once over on the costume with a wand. Asked if it was hollow inside, and then she was satisfied. She gave me the green light and let me walk in. A huge relief washed over me as I was passed the hardest part. In the back of my mind I had been going through months of "what ifs", but we were good to go. But based on how she was responding to everything, I think it was really really close.

We got a few more compliments as we headed towards the Halloween party line. I'd say there were at least a thousand people already in line (probably more). It was around 3:50-3:55, so we didn't have to wait long before they started allowing some Halloween people through the queue. The shaded parts of the line were nice. Honestly, all the delays were a good thing because it kept us from overheating. It took maybe 5-10 min before we got into the parks. The amount of compliments were endless. Just people saying, "Wow", or "How did you do it?" and the such. The entrance cast members were really impressed as well. We finally got in, and then it was time to go start our Halloween party experience.

G's classmate and friend was in Magic Kingdom as well. They had normal MK tickets so we overlapped from 4-6pm. They give you a wristband to differentiate between Halloween party and normal. We headed over to the overflow direction where we picked up our trick or treat bags, and got our first dump of candy. It wasn't really a priority for us to hit the treat trails. The Petersons were over at Casey's so we headed that way to meetup with them. They've got three boys and they had some extended family with them as well. When we walked into Casey's a cast member went absolutely bonkers about the costumes. She said you've got to follow me and she took us to the cashiers to show us off. She told us to wait there, and then came back with two Mint Juleps on her.

View attachment 804547

Honestly, I wasn't expecting that and was so thankful. I didn't think I needed it, and I wasn't planning on ordering it, but that drink was divine! It was so refreshing.

We hung out for a little inside Casey's. A few different people asked for pictures she we obliged.

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I should say that we were stopped several times for pictures, and I vaguely remember that runDisney has a rule that you're not suppose to take pictures with others on the off chance they mistaken you for cast members/official. So I was trying to be careful not to upset anyone official, but obliged when asked. Took a few more pictures with others and then we headed towards the castle.

The Petersons and us got some pictures in front of the castle and then we headed towards Haunted Mansion. The whole plan for G and their son was to ride Mine Train together. So we separated for a bit, and headed towards the mine train area. We passed by a few rides, and Steph and I went back and forth about whether we should ride/see anything while waiting for them to finish with Haunted Mansion. They were going to be quick because they have DAS passes. We ended up getting in a 25 min line for some Princesses, but then bailed on it after seeing the line in person. Steph didn't think we had enough time. I was bummed out about it, but it's hard to know what to do when you're waiting on another group of people. So we headed to the Tea Cups instead. G took the costume off, and then I stood with her outfit while Steph and her rode the ride. I was stopped SOOO many times while standing there. It was really awesome, but I was getting anxious about how many people were stopping for pictures. But I was just trying to be gracious and nice to all the kids that came by. And grown-ups. So many adults wanted pictures too.

G and Steph got off the tea cups and then we headed back to mine train. We hung out there for a bit, and then texted the Peterson's for an ETA, got nothing, and so we headed towards Haunted Mansion. By the time we got to HM, we got a text they were now at SDMT so we headed back that way. Once we got back they all rode SDMT and I hung back.

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LOL at G's face!

Next - Thursday, October 19th - Pool Time, and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party: Part 2

The irony being that the kid next to your daughter got Mike Wykowski-ed.

And so cool about the Tracker encounter.

 

[NYC_MW]

Sounds like the most amazing experience for all. Well-deserved wide recognition for the costumes, and hoping for many more of such trips for your whole family. Thanks for sharing it with us!

 

[DopeyBadger]

The character bubble may have burst, but G can still have tons of fun. Heck, I still do! If you get a great cast member, it can be a really fun interaction.

Agreed!

I think fate meant for your MIL to meet the Trackers. I'm glad she had that much needed good experience.

Your costumes turned out just amazing! I know it meant a lot to receive compliments for an actual costume designer!

I think fall is my favorite season to travel. I love all the pumpkin decor. Costumes and candy are big plusses too.

I agree with all of this!

The irony being that the kid next to your daughter got Mike Wykowski-ed.

And so cool about the Tracker encounter.

LOL, yes he did! Thought it was a good one.

Sounds like the most amazing experience for all. Well-deserved wide recognition for the costumes, and hoping for many more of such trips for your whole family. Thanks for sharing it with us!

For sure!

 

[dis_or_dat]

Wow what an amazing trip. Those costumes were a huge hit and it was great that so many people appreciated them - love the pin they gave you, well deserved!

 

[eminemilie]

I’m so sorry to hear about your MIL. My MIL was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer last year a few months before our wedding, and it has been tough. I am so glad you guys were able to do such a great family vacation with lots of magical moments and I hope you get to do many more!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Wow what an amazing trip. Those costumes were a huge hit and it was great that so many people appreciated them - love the pin they gave you, well deserved!

Thanks!

I’m so sorry to hear about your MIL. My MIL was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer last year a few months before our wedding, and it has been tough. I am so glad you guys were able to do such a great family vacation with lots of magical moments and I hope you get to do many more!!

Appreciate it. It's been hard, but thankfully she's making good progress since the initial huge downturn she took. I just keep telling her "One day at a time. No more. No less." We're just trying to keep putting the carrot out there to encourage her to do what she can.

 

[DopeyBadger]

26 and 27 Weeks to go until 2024 Non-Cancelled M - Week 8 and 9/35

The 27th best performance was the 2023 Parkinson's HM (link). I completed the race in 1:36:36 and had a VDOT of 47.0. Of my 24 HMs, this was my 8th fastest performance. This was not a PR at the time. Overall, I finished in 17th place out of 112 runners, and 8th in AG. The heat really bothered me in this one (T+D of 125) and I slowed way down at the finish.



The 26th best performance was the 2017 Disney M (link). I completed the race in 3:20:52 and had a VDOT of 47.0. Of my 17 Ms, this was my 4th fastest performance. This was a PR at the time by about 3 min over a solo event M just 3 months prior. Which makes this performance all that more impressive coming off a 5k/10k in the days prior as this was during a Dopey attempt. However, this was the cancelled 2017 HM weekend as well. Overall, I finished in 197th place out of 17728 runners, and 40th in AG. Unlike the 2023 Parkinson's HM at T+D of 125, this was a cold race. According to my notes, around 30-35F wind chill. So right up my alley in terms of having a good performance. The pacing was definitely "U"-shaped. I started slow, sped up in the middle, and then started to slow down towards the end. However, this is one of the few times where I looked like I was going to suffer a late stage collapse in pace only to rebound in Miles 24-26 all being faster than 21-23. While the cancelled HM was a bummer, I made the most of it with a PR in the M and I was really pumped up as I came across the finish line.


10/16/23-10/22/23
Mon (10/16): 5 miles @ 80% M Tempo (9:08 min/mile, 126 bpm)
Tues (10/17): 8 miles @ 85% M Tempo w/ Strides (8:33 min/mile, 129 bpm)
Wed (10/18): 8 miles @ 90% M Tempo (8:05 min/mile, 137 bpm)
Thurs (10/19): OFF
Fri (10/20): OFF
Sat (10/21): 6.7 miles @ 80% M Tempo in Disney! (8:37 min/mile, 137 bpm)
Sun (10/22): 6.7 miles @ 85% M Tempo in Disney! (8:21 min/mile, 133 bpm)

Total Run Miles - 35.0 miles
Total Run Time - 4:58 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:00 hours
Total Training Time - 4:58 hours
****
10/23/23-10/29/23
Tues (10/24): 8 miles @ 85% M Tempo (8:20 min/mile, 134 bpm)
Wed (10/25): 5 miles @ 80% M Tempo (8:49 min/mile, 126 bpm)
Thurs (10/26): 3 x 1 mile @ HMT Uphill (1.8% grade)
Fri (10/27): 7 miles @ 80% M Tempo (8:37 min/mile, 115 bpm) (Treadmill)
Sat (10/28): 8 miles @ 85% M Tempo (7:52 min/mile, 116 bpm) (Treadmill) + LIIFT More Chest/Biceps
Sun (10/29): 16 miles @ 80% M Tempo on Jack/Jill (8:39 min/mile, 126 bpm)

Total Run Miles - 51.4 miles
Total Run Time - 7:13 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:19 hours
Total Training Time - 7:32 hours


Monday

Conditions - Clear sky, Wind 1mph to 3mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 54°F + 42°F; FL - 52°F
End: Temp+Dew = 50°F + 41°F; FL - 52°F

A rare Monday run. Because of going to Disney, this was an opportunity to get in some mileage before the trip. Just an easy 5 miler. Nothing notable.




Tuesday

Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 3mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 59°F + 46°F; FL - 57°F
End: Temp+Dew = 54°F + 45°F; FL - 57°F

A relatively easy run at 85% M Tempo. Total of 9ish miles with some strides at the end. Stayed in the mid-5s.





Wednesday

Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 9mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 46°F + 40°F; FL - 42°F
End: Temp+Dew = 48°F + 42°F; FL - 42°F

This was the morning of our flight to Disney. Since we had a late flight, and I had the day off, it wasn't too wild of a run. Temps were good. I definitely overran this one. The goal was 8:28 pace and I did 8:05 pace. I was suppose to do 11 miles, but because I overran the pace I decided to cut the run early.







Thursday

OFF. I never intended on running this day because the Halloween party was that night.







Friday

OFF. I had planned on running 7 miles, but my body battery suggested that I probably shouldn't push it. So I took the day off.







Saturday

Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 13mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 85°F + 65°F; FL - 87°F
End: Temp+Dew = 86°F + 65°F; FL - 87°F

I carved out some time and got a run in. Despite the higher temps than I've run in recently, it wasn't too bad.





Sunday

Conditions - Clear sky, Wind 0mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 82°F + 57°F; FL - 82°F
End: Temp+Dew = 85°F + 58°F; FL - 82°F

I was able to run a tad faster without much additional effort. The dew point was down and that probably contributed to it feeling easier.





Tuesday

Conditions - Scattered clouds, Wind 11mph to 20mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 76°F + 61°F; FL - 76°F
End: Temp+Dew = 73°F + 61°F; FL - 76°F

We brought back the heat from FL with an unusually warm run in late October. I had planned on doing 9 miles with strides, but I just wasn't feeling it. Also, because I was 11 miles under planned the week prior, I decided to drop a little mileage from this week's plan. I had been scheduled for 57 miles, but that felt a little aggressive.





Wednesday

Conditions - Mist, Wind 6mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 61°F + 59°F; FL - 62°F
End: Temp+Dew = 61°F + 59°F; FL - 62°F

Just an easy run and things went alright.




Thursday

Conditions - Overcast clouds, Wind 9mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 63°F + 61°F; FL - 64°F
End: Temp+Dew = 63°F + 60°F; FL - 64°F

First real paced training run. I was aiming for 4 x 1 mile at HM Tempo (7:02 pace) up the Jack/Jill hill (94 ft in 1 mile/1.8% grade). But I figured I might drop down to 3 reps instead of 4. My mind was going all over the place because of some things going on at work. So I ran a little angry.





The legs were flying and things felt reasonably good. I hit the first split at 7:03 pace and 6:42 GAP. Way too fast, but it felt nice to run fast. Then I ran down the hill for a mile, turned around and did it again. I slowed down a little and hit the split at 7:12 pace and 6:50 GAP. I stopped at the house to drink some water, and then I made my way to the bottom of the hill. I decided before I started the third rep that it would be my last. I did the last one in 7:15 and GAP of 6:53. Still too fast, but it was nice to run fast. I packed it in and ran home. All in all I did 7.5 miles (60 min) instead of 11 miles (92 min).



Friday

Steph had to work late, so it was treadmill time.





Saturday

Steph had to work in the morning, so I had to get up early to be able to run before she had to leave. Except that when the alarm clock went off at 5am I decided, nope, no thanks. I like sleep and so I did. Slept almost 10 hours. The treadmill was fine, and then afterwards I did the first LIIFT More workout.





Sunday

Conditions - Overcast clouds, Wind 9mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 34°F + 30°F; FL - 26°F
End: Temp+Dew = 33°F + 29°F; FL - 26°F

Steph had to work again in the morning, so I needed to get up early. Alarm clock went off at 5am and I really questioned my life decisions. Did I really want to run at all? Did I really want to run 16 miles? I can count on my hands the number of times I've had little to no motivation to run. This was one of those days. I continued through the motions and got everything on and prepared to go. I had a Nutri-grain PB biscuit, but then I didn't plan to eat anything else during the run. Didn't feel like I would really need it since I was going so slow (relatively speaking). I wore a medium long sleeve, shorts, medium hat, medium gloves.





I was out the door at 6:30am. A whole 90 min after waking up, just to emphasize how much motivation I didn't have for this. As I got started, the body felt fine. Nothing too difficult. Just going through the motions. I constantly tried bartering with myself. Make it to 2.5 miles. Then to 5.0 miles (one lap of Jack/Jill). Then make it to double digits (10 miles and two laps). I was ready to call it, and then said, what else am I going to be doing? Might as well keep going to 12.5 miles at this point. Then 15 miles. Then might as well do the last mile to make it to 16. Never really felt challenged. Ended up making it all the way through the 16 miles. Didn't expect that to happen. Hopefully just a little of a funk. One thing the 2.25 hr run did give me was some time to think through some costume schematics for next year's costumes. So the mind was working just as much as the body. Which was helpful working through some design issues.

Next week is a down week with a 10 x 3 min at 109% at 6:40, 4x1 mile at HMT, and 11 mile LR. The Madison HM is the following week afterwards, but I highly doubt I'll run it based on how I'm feeling right now. Maybe aiming for Last Call HM in December instead. We'll see.

 

[dobball23]

Steph had to work again in the morning, so I needed to get up early. Alarm clock went off at 5am and I really questioned my life decisions. Did I really want to run at all? Did I really want to run 16 miles? I can count on my hands the number of times I've had little to no motivation to run. This was one of those days. I continued through the motions and got everything on and prepared to go. I had a Nutri-grain PB biscuit, but then I didn't plan to eat anything else during the run. Didn't feel like I would really need it since I was going so slow (relatively speaking). I wore a medium long sleeve, shorts, medium hat, medium gloves.

Thanks for sharing your struggles with motivation when you have it. I think it helps us all to know that low motivation can hit any of us on any day.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Thanks for sharing your struggles with motivation when you have it. I think it helps us all to know that low motivation can hit any of us on any day.

I like to keep it real.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Everyone has their off days with lack of motivation, probably every LR/tempo I had to drag myself to run and half the time bartered as well. Sounds like you have a lot of stressors going on, so be good to yourself.

 

[DopeyBadger]

25 Weeks to go until 2024 Non-Cancelled M - Week 10/35



The 25th best performance was the 2017 Disney 5k (link). I completed the race in 21:02 and had a VDOT of 47.0. Of my 11 5ks, this was my 6th fastest performance. This was a PR at the time by 47 seconds over the 2016 Disney 5k one year earlier. Placement unknown. This was the start of my 4th Dopey, and after the race I was pleased with the performance.

10/30/23-11/5/23
Tues (10/31): 10 x 3 min @ 109% M Tempo
Wed (11/1): 5 miles @ 70% M Tempo (9:14 min/mile, 125 bpm)
Thurs (11/2): 4 x 1 mile Uphill @ HM Tempo
Fri (11/3): OFF
Sat (11/4): 9 miles @ 85% M Tempo w/ Strides (8:22 min/mile, 130 bpm)
Sun (11/5): 11 miles @ 95% M Tempo in Disney! (7:46 min/mile, 138 bpm)

Total Run Miles - 41.9 miles
Total Run Time - 5:47 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:00 hours
Total Training Time - 5:47 hours
Tuesday
Conditions - Few clouds, Wind 7mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 32°F + 26°F; FL - 26°F
End: Temp+Dew = 32°F + 26°F; FL - 26°F

Halloween night! I took off from work around 2pm so that G and I could get all dressed up for Trick or Treating. We went out with one of her friends Lonni. We got back to the house around 7pm, and then I got ready to go out and run. I put on my Superman Halloween costume from several years ago complete with a cape. And then I patrolled the neighborhood with my super speed.

The workout was 10 x 3 min at 109% M Tempo (6:40 pace) w/ 2 min RI.





Fun to run around the neighborhood and get some callouts. Ran my flat loop for the speed intervals and the one neighbor I've chatted up with a few times about running was outside enjoying a fire. I teased him every time I ran by his house (which was frequently) that he could always put his gear on and join me. He never did.

Overall, I was pleased with the run. Been a while since I've run this fast and it felt relatively smooth. So starting to feel like I'm getting my race legs back underneath me. But definitely not ready to run the Madison HM which is next weekend (so I won't sign up for it). All in all the goal was 6:40 splits and I ran 6:43 average.

Wednesday
Conditions - Overcast clouds, Wind 9mph to 20mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 36°F + 23°F; FL - 30°F
End: Temp+Dew = 36°F + 23°F; FL - 30°F

Just an easy day. Nothing special from what I can remember.
Thursday
Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 6mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 49°F + 31°F; FL - 47°F
End: Temp+Dew = 46°F + 30°F; FL - 47°F

Another HM Tempo uphill day, but I was determined to get 4 reps in this time at a more appropriate pace.





Goal was a GAP of 7:02 pace and I figured that was around 7:24-7:27 real pace. I felt stronger from rep 1 to rep 2 to rep 3. But definitely was feeling it on rep 4. Was glad it was over on the last one. All in all the average GAP was 6:57 pace. So a touch too quick, but not bad. My left hip was bothering me on this run, so I made sure to run on the opposite traffic side of the uphill to give my left leg a little more room when making contact with the road. This helped some.

Friday

I had intentions on running. but it ended up being a long day at work. So when I got home late, and then G was hosting a sleepover with her friend Lonni, I just decided to call it a night. No regrets.
Saturday
Conditions - Mist, Wind 5mph to 6mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 34°F + 31°F; FL - 29°F
End: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 33°F; FL - 29°F

Woke up early and got out the door for a nice and easy 9 miler. Left hip was a little sore, but not as bad as Thursday. Pace was nearly on target and had a nice low HR at 8:22 pace and HR of 130 bpm. This would put me in line with mid-plan 2022 Canova training. So cardiovascularly I'm in the 1:32 HM area, but I don't think I'm physically there yet.

Sunday
Conditions - Overcast clouds, Wind 5mph to 11mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 42°F + 35°F; FL - 38°F
End: Temp+Dew = 50°F + 38°F; FL - 38°F

I did some reworking on the training plan since I was removing the Madison HM next weekend. I planned to do an 11 miler at 90% M Tempo (8:04). That's not quite what happened though as the body felt like doing more.





Despite running it too fast, I was settled in and it didn't feel all that challenging until maybe Mile 7-9. I ran a pretty even GAP across the entire run. HR of 138 at 7:46 pace puts me at about 20 sec/mile slower than previous peak fitness. So something more like 1:36 or so. I'd say that's reasonable prediction at this moment. So making good progress, but not where I want to be yet.

I think I'm going to run the local Cottage Grove Gobbler 5k on Thanksgiving morning. So I'll probably add in some 5k training in the next two weeks just to get some quicker pacing in.

 

[avondale]

I put on my Superman Halloween costume from several years ago complete with a cape. And then I patrolled the neighborhood with my super speed.

Love this!