I fear it's going to take me WEEKS to catch up here, so if you'll forgive the post-and-run, I'm going to share my post-races thoughts now and then go back to read!
I am happy to report that I successfully, and officially - no canceled races!! - completed Dopey! And... nailed a big PR in the marathon, just for kicks. Yeah, I'm still riding that high!
Race reviews:
5K: A Feels Like of 26 is really cold. Like, really, REALLY cold. ETA: anyone else have to scrape ICE off the windshield to drive to the 5K?! We did! Yikes. I wore: two pairs of tights, old PJ pants, a skort, thermal mock-turtleneck, long sleeve tech tee, fleece jacket, hat, wool scarf, two pairs of gloves with hand warmers between them, toe warmers, and a mylar. The only items I tossed were the PJ pants and Mylar... and I never once got warm. Not an ounce of sweat was produced. I tried to run a couple times and couldn't: my legs were so cold, they were stiff! I was afraid if I pushed myself to run I'd injure myself, since I couldn't actually feel much, so I just walked with friends, took a bunch of pics, and had fun. Loved all the characters out there! Loved the CM and voluntEar interaction - super impressed by their energy, considering the weather! Finished thinking, "Surely this will be it - the rest of the races will be a little warmer..."
10K: Turns out a Feels Like of 30 is
not noticeably different than 26. Wore all the layers again... managed to warm up enough to unzip my fleece jacket by the time I got into EP, but that was it. Again, the characters were fantastic, CMs and volunteers were terrific, and I had a blast hanging out with friends. I even managed to run some! Finished thinking, "No way will it be
this cold tomorrow!"...
Half: Know what? 33 degrees? Feels a lot like 30. FYI. But I had soooo much fun with this race! I wore: thin, ventilated tights, old PJ pants, a short sleeve tech tee, long sleeve tech half-zip, fleece half-zip, hat, ear cover, neck gaiter, 2 pairs of gloves, hand and tow warmers, Mylar. Around the MK I ditched the PJ pants & toe warmers - and didn't regain feeling in my thighs until mile 12, lol! Ditched the fleece in MK, and pocketed the 2nd pair of gloves. Everything else stayed put! Took my sweet time stopping for loads of pics with friends and enjoying every mile. It seemed like a
lot of characters! More than previous years, no? They had run out of Sport Beans by the time I got there, which is inexcusable. I didn't need them, but the thousands of other runners still out there might have. Other than that, I had a grand time and finished thinking, "I'm so glad it won't be as cold tomorrow!!"...
Full: Hooray for temps that don't start with a 3!!! I wore a layer less when I saw 41... and "enjoyed" a very chilly pre-race wait. But the thin tights, tank, long sleeve shirt, throwaway fleece & leg warmers, Buff and gloves were perfect once I got going. I woke up feeling really good and like I might be able to best my previous marathon PR by a minute or two. I still made some stops - to potty, to remove layers, for a couple quick pics - but stuck to my :30/:30 intervals through AK. Still feeling strong, I started skipping some run intervals here and there, and skipped every other run for the final 5 miles. By the time I got to DHS, I was down to a tank and tights and felt perfect: not too warm, not too cold. Given that all of my long distance training runs were warm or hot (65-90*) leading up to marathon weekend, it was insane how good I felt comparatively! By the time I got into EP, I knew I had a 20ish minute PR if I wanted it... and when I saw the long line for margaritas, I
wanted the PR, lol! So I finished strong and got it.
Even though I didn't stop for them, I was again pleasantly surprised to see so many characters out! And hello - a FREE hat at the finish?!?! Loved. it.
All in all, I had a near-perfect Dopey experience and I'm so glad I went for it again! And because it was so perfect, I feel no need to do it again in 2019. Think I'll go with the 10K and full and enjoy some down time between for a change.
Congrats to all who started, finished, braved the weather, conquered fears, met goals, laughed, made new friends, had a nice getaway, or whatever kind of awesomeness you gained from the experience!