Making the leap to Dopey

[TCB in FLA]

Any advice on making the leap to Dopey?

I'm really concerned about overuse injury and burnout. I've run a couple of fulls (inc Disney 2014) but dealt with IT band issues as a result that basically stopped my running for a few months. I've run at least a dozen halves and like following a training plan, but at this point it's like same-song-new-location. I'm a middle of the pack runner, not really committed to getting much faster, and in fact, I'll probably switch to Galloway's method if I ever do another full. I've got a lousy knee thanks to a ski injury and an extra 20 pounds that this mid-40s body doesn't want to seem to let go.

I've talked myself in and out of Dopey 2018 a dozen times. I did the 5k-10k-half combo at Princess 2016 as a mini-Dopey trial, plus am doing it again at the Dark Side. What made you take that leap?!

 

[PrincessV]

Successfully making it to mile 25 of my first full was when I first thought "maybe Dopey..." - I'd had no injuries during training and felt at mile 25 like I easily could have done Dopey, had I done the back to back training. I've battled ITBS, too, and for me, it took totally rehabbing that and finding the right mix of workouts, mileage, recovery and shoes to prevent a re-occurrence before I could even consider the kind of mileage Dopey training required. Once I got to that point, it was just a matter of putting in the training miles! In the end, I actually felt better, physically, after doing 48.6 than I did after my first 26.2. Trust the training is true!

 

[Ariel484]

I did 2 marathons before Dopey - 1 of them was part of a Goofy + 5K weekend (before Dopey was a thing), so I knew I could handle it physically and mentally.

In your case, I would not recommend signing up until you get the IT Band issues under control - since Dopey is going to require more mileage during training and during the weekend as a whole, you need to know that your IT Band can handle that.

 

[Ariel484]

@TCB in FLA do you do any kind of cross-training? Mixing in some non-running activities (yoga, strength training for example) will help your IT Band and the variety could help avoid burnout.

 

[TCB in FLA]

I do CrossFit 3–4 times a week, and really love/hate it. I also taught Jazzercise up until a couple months back -- resigned after 11 years and upped the frequency at Cross Fit.

I do think my biggest concern is uping my running mileage so significantly. I live in the mountains of western NC, so the majority of my runs are done on hilly trails, which can really play havoc on the knees, plus they take up so much more time. Also, my two BRFs that I run 70% of the time with are not interested in doing anything more than a half, so most of those training sessions would be solo.

 

[PrincessV]

I live in the mountains of western NC, so the majority of my runs are done on hilly trails, which can really play havoc on the knees, plus they take up so much more time. Also, my two BRFs that I run 70% of the time with are not interested in doing anything more than a half, so most of those training sessions would be solo.

I've run in your neck of the woods and yes, those hills are hardcore! My IT Bands HATE downhill running, so when I do hill work, I'll run up, but always walk down; it seems to help. As for running solo, FWIW I do all of my training solo and love the time away from everything! Maybe you can look at it as your "me time" to listen to music or podcasts, or just be alone with your thoughts?