Dopey Challenge: Parting Thoughts

It's now been three weeks since Matthew and I completed the Dopey Challenge in Walt Disney World. Let me start by saying this, I didn't know runner's high could last this long :-) If you want to read the recaps from all the races, you can find them here.

While I'm not quite ready to move on from all the awesomeness that was the Dopey Challenge, I know that all my friends and family and coworkers and people in the grocery store are tired of hearing me talk about it and/or trying to convince them to do it next year. It was probably the coolest experience of my life.

The most asked question- besides "Are you insane?!?"- has been "Would you do it again?" Without a doubt, my answer has been a resounding yes. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it requires waking up at 2 am four mornings in a row. Yes, it means spending very little time in the parks. Yes, it requires hours and hours of training on the weekends. But it was worth it. 100% worth it.

Matthew and I have already talked about registering for next year. While I don't think we'd be able to do this every year, it would be kind of cool to be a legacy Dopey runner for at least one year. We have discussed the possibility of just doing the Goofy Challenge for 2015. We'd be able to spend more time in the parks and less money on races. We'll decide when registration opens in April.

There's also one more consideration- my Dad has decided to run his first marathon at WDW in 2015. How awesome is that?! Matthew and I can't wait to start planning and training together with him :-)

So, while I'll still be wistfully looking at Dopey pictures for the next few months, it's time to re-focus on my 2014 goals. The Shamrock Half Marathon is only five weeks away and I'm hoping this flat course will be a fun PR race for me. I've also been strategically thinking on how I can become a double agent- both a Half Fanatic and a Marathon Maniac- with two marathons in the fall (Wineglass and Baltimore). I'll post a more detailed plan for 2014 in the next week. It will probably still have some Dopey pictures in it :-)

Happy running, friends.