A Dwarf For Every Emotion: A 2017 Dopey (Grumpy?!) Challenge Trip Report! COMPLETE

[dwonderz]

Just got caught up - Congratulations on finishing the marathon! That is really awesome - felt like I was running it along with you (minus all of the crazy soreness/incredible perseverance)!

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Great job @Ariel484 you SHOULD feel super proud of yourself! It's funny because my wife said the exact same thing after she finished..."Is it okay if I feel this proud of what I just did?" The answer is absolutely! You should always feel proud about huge accomplishments and this certainly qualifies, especially after the year you had leading up to it. Way to go gurl!

PS I saw you again in the medal photo line...we were definitely shadowing each other that day

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Oh, almost forgot...we had to stop for Oswald too, there was no one in line! C'mon people, Oswald! There were a lot of really great characters on the back half of the race with very short lines...nice surprise for sure

 

[petals]

Congratulations on finishing the marathon!

 

[ZellyB]

Congratulations!!! And you have soooo much to be proud of. I'm proud of you too. You look fantastic crossing that finish line and I love seeing that emotion on your face. Well-done, my friend!

 

[Ariel484]

Congratulations on finishing & smiling! I think your monarch outfit looks great, that kid was just jealous! Cone head kid is a hoot!

Cone head kid was hilarious! Who cares about watching a marathon when there are CONES nearby?

I had to walk a ton during the 2016 marathon being sick and my back killed, burned like you mentioned, I finished clutching it looking terrible, so your finisher picture is way way better & the happy tears are awesome! I did put tiger balm as best I could on my back, not sure if it helped at all though, it was more my upper back I guess too. So, to me walking so much more than I was used to definitely is what hurt my back, it was stiff for days after too, so not sure if slowing down more than you were used to is what hurt yours more too or not but glad it held up for you to finish smiling!

For me it's all lower back. Thankfully it recovered pretty quickly! The next morning was the worst right when I got out of bed but once I walked around a bit it was much better!

Love that Oswald picture too! Heard it was his first time at WDW too!

Yeah, he meets at DCA and I've met him there so I didn't realize how rare he was in WDW until after I posted that picture on Instagram!

Again, great recaps & that Mickey medal is a beauty!

Thanks!

I bet it's the same kid that told me to stop walking and run (friend and I were on our 30 second walk break). His mom bent down and told him "It's okay. They can walk if they want to." I just gave him a high five and continued walking, lol.

Listen to your mom, kid!

Though...my husband and I were talking about that last night, about how kids don't get that it's okay to walk in these races. Which, I get that mindset too I guess! So funny.

Probably my favorite rD medal EVER! Also completely obsessed!

I love it!! I love how retro it is, and I've wanted a Mickey head-shaped medal for years. I think it's my second-favorite after the 25th anniversary medal. EDIT: 20th anniversary!

I've been reading along though I've not commented til now.
I loved reading so far! I'm proud of your accomplishments!

Can't wait for your next post!

Thanks so much! Thanks for reading!

OH MAN LOVE THIS! Seriously, my sister always says the beautiful butterfly quote in Heimlich's voice...so that's all I can think of now. What a clever CM

I thought that was so clever too! I was just like, "I didn't realize it until now, but I AM!"

Woohoo congrats!

You do look awesome but the butterfly/heimlich comments are kind of funny.

Oh I agree, totally funny. That kid still got the side-eye from me...not that he knew it since I was wearing sunglasses.

I skipped Oswald because I was at the point that I just wanted to keep moving. Stopping to stand line line didn't seem like a great idea to me.

You weren't the only one to get emotion turning that corner. I may or may not have shed a tear as well.

Congrats again!

Yeah I think a lot of people don't want to stop so late in the race. Bonus for those that do! Congrats to you too!

Clearly I wasn't getting notifications of new posts, so I am like 4 pages behing, but I want to add my two cents before I continue to read about your marathon.
FIRST: I love that you put on your bib and went to the park for photos! That is just genius, what a way to turn a negative into something super fun!!

Yeah it was sort of a weird idea in hindsight, but I still had fun doing it!

TWO and THREE:

I hate that we runners have to justify (especially to other runners) our own personal journey.

AGREED! It's just really weird.

THIS. THIS! Unless they have run "in your shoes", experienced your training and the year leading up to it, no one has the right to question whether or not you "earned" a medal. To me this is a solo sport, becasue it is personal, and emotional and dramatic, and a lot more goes into it than can ever be reflected on race day alone.

Okay I'll come back to say more once I read the rest of the recap.

I completely agree that it's a solo sport and very personal - big reason why I like to run alone.

That's the hard thing about putting up a race report like this and having a training journal like I do - it opens you up to allowing people to make comments and put in their own two cents about ME and what I am doing/did. It's hard to put into words why it was so emotional, but TO ME, it just was.

Back pains ... oh no! It's nice that they waited until the 22 mile mark to show up, but still ... I'm sure you would have been happier without them.
I've heard people mention Biofreeze before, but I've never used it ... does it smell as bad as Bengay? (seriously, I can't use bengay because of the smell)

You know...I have only used it once and I don't remember how it smelled or f it had an odor. What I do remember is I used it and then went to wipe my eye and got it in my eye and it stung, which is part of the reason why I was avoiding it during the marathon.

When Beth and I went to the NYC marathon expo in November, we were talking to the runDisney booth guy, and I was saying that I'm excited to see what the race courses look like once they finish the DHS construction. This "barely going into DHS due to construction" thing is just not cool.

YES, I agree with this! Part of why I loved about Wine & Dine was that it went through 3 parks, and obviously it doesn't do that right now. I hope it'll get back to that when the DHS stuff is done.

I'm super jealous of the Oswald picture. That's a character you don't get to see very often - so cool!
Although ... it's been a while since I last saw A Bug's Life ... does Heimlich ever actually become a butterfly?

Yes! But just barely

You did look awesome. And this kid clearly needs an attitude adjustment. There is nothing migrane-inducing about an awesome butterfly outfit.

I know! Sigh.

Another mile marker with a non-functional clock. What's going on here, runDisney???

I don't know! I mean...not like I REALLY cared about my time, but still!

I totally know this feeling. Sometimes you get close to success and you just know the other shoe is going to drop. I'm glad your fears of gloom, doom, and injury did not come true!

Me too! Such a relief.

You look great in this picture ... but the kid kinda steals your spotlight. Cone hat!

Nothing can compete with Cone Hat, let's be honest.

As someone who followed along with this journey ... seeing all of your struggles this year, from the original back pain to the official diagnosis to the rest and PT exercises to the recovery to the struggles in the weeks before the race ... I have to say, I'm really proud of you too.
None of this was easy, but even as you struggled, you tried to maintain a positive attitude (even if you didn't always feel happy and positive), you worked hard at coming back (even though the coming back process was slower than you hoped), you went out there and challenged yourself (registering for the Tink 10K after having to defer the PDC was definitely a big step), you overcame bad races (I think we'd all like to forget that 10-mile race), you accepted the fact that you had to shorten a few of your long runs (those last few runs were definitely a killer, but you knew that you couldn't push yourself too hard), and at the end of the day, despite everything that had happened, you showed up on that very cold Sunday morning and ran 26.2 miles. Shannon, you are awesome.

Thanks Sarah! I think you're awesome too. You have been one of my biggest cheerleaders and sources of encouragement and I have SO appreciated that. I hope we get to meet in person some day!!

Maybe the marathon was "just" a race, but it was also a sign that all of your hard work over the past year has been worth it. You did it. You are officially a four-time marathoner! Congrats!!

AHHH THANK YOU!!

Pluto couldn't miss your triumphant finish!!

Of course not. He loves me too much for that!

Every medal has a story ... and the people who matter only care about the story you tell, not the distance you ran or whether anyone else feels the medals are earned!

Totally agree!

Beautiful finisher photos!!

Thanks! They weren't all beautiful, believe me.

I totally understand this!! And you have every right to!

I hope you spoke to Mr. A before making this public, I mean I already knew, but he may be the jealous type...

I haven't yet. Maybe I should let him in on this! I'm sure he'll understand.

Great finish! I may have teared up reading it! No such thing as ugly cry..you looked great and that was an amazing victory! Awesome!

Thank you!! I think I freaked out the volunteer who handed me my medal though, haha!

 

[Ariel484]

Just got caught up - Congratulations on finishing the marathon! That is really awesome - felt like I was running it along with you (minus all of the crazy soreness/incredible perseverance)!

Thank you so much!!

Great job @Ariel484 you SHOULD feel super proud of yourself! It's funny because my wife said the exact same thing after she finished..."Is it okay if I feel this proud of what I just did?" The answer is absolutely! You should always feel proud about huge accomplishments and this certainly qualifies, especially after the year you had leading up to it. Way to go gurl!

Well thanks - I did and still do!! Big kudos do Mrs. CheapRunner (CheapRunnerMichelle?) too!!

PS I saw you again in the medal photo line...we were definitely shadowing each other that day

Why you gotta follow me like that?

I remember - when I was waiting for the medal pic.

Oh, almost forgot...we had to stop for Oswald too, there was no one in line! C'mon people, Oswald! There were a lot of really great characters on the back half of the race with very short lines...nice surprise for sure

Yeah, when there's no line - you gotta stop!! Definitely a great part about those last few miles

Congratulations on finishing the marathon!

Thanks so much!

Congratulations!!! And you have soooo much to be proud of. I'm proud of you too. You look fantastic crossing that finish line and I love seeing that emotion on your face. Well-done, my friend!

Thank youuuuuu my friend!! And well-done to you too, Future Dope!

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Yay!!!!! Congratulations a HUGE accomplishment! It's amazing having "met" you on the boards when we are getting ready for PHM 2016, and then to see how you have come back from that injury is such a huge inspiration. THANK YOU so much for sharing your journey!

 

[FFigawi]

I love it!! I love how retro it is, and I've wanted a Mickey head-shaped medal for years. I think it's my second-favorite after the 25th anniversary medal.

Do you know something the rest of us don't?

 

[Anisum]

It's very fitting that Pluto was there to see you finish! Also, that kid is wrong, you were looking awesome. Perhaps he just couldn't handle how awesome you looked?

 

[Pudge_The_Fish]

Congrats! Those medals are awesome!

 

[Ariel484]

Yay!!!!! Congratulations a HUGE accomplishment! It's amazing having "met" you on the boards when we are getting ready for PHM 2016, and then to see how you have come back from that injury is such a huge inspiration. THANK YOU so much for sharing your journey!

Thank you Jenny!! I appreciate all of your support along the way!

Do you know something the rest of us don't?

...that I don't keep track of the anniversaries very well? Yep, that's it.

It's very fitting that Pluto was there to see you finish! Also, that kid is wrong, you were looking awesome. Perhaps he just couldn't handle how awesome you looked?

Of course Pluto was there. Disney Magic!

Maybe you're right - that kid had never encountered so much awesome before. That must explain it.

Congrats! Those medals are awesome!

Thanks!! I agree, I love them!

 

[FFigawi]

...that I don't keep track of the anniversaries very well? Yep, that's it.

And here I thought rD had put you in charge of the mile 25 spectacular for 2018

 

[Ariel484]

And here I thought rD had put you in charge of the mile 25 spectacular for 2018

No way! If that happened it would actually be DECENT. Can't have that!

 

[Ariel484]

I finally ride a ride!

After the race I headed to the buses and got off at the Swan again Navigating the bus steps was tough but not terrible. HELLO QUADS!

Once I got back to the room, I discovered that I had a lovely sunglasses burn on my face! And my lips were blistered and a little bloody...nice! Sigh. I took a shower and ate the chips and cheese dip (“cheese flavored pasteurized cheese snack”) from the snack box, but not much else - I had no appetite. I thought maybe i could get away with no nap...HAHAHA. Out cold almost immediately!

Getting out of bed after that nap was TOUGH! I felt stiff and a little sore, but not terrible. Around 4PM I headed to Epcot.

This is where it's not good to travel solo...apparently I was so out of it in my post-marathon/post-nap state that I had my ears on backwards and no one told me! Seriously did not even realize this until just now as I am posting this. Oh, life.

Celebratory Cronut! I’d been thinking about this since the end of the race...it was good but not as amazing as I remembered.

I had made some Epcot fastpasses, including one for Frozen. Earlier I had gotten a message that Frozen was down and I could have an anytime Fastpass for any attraction in the park. With that in mind, I FINALLY went on a ride, the one and only ride of the weekend, and one of my top-5 at WDW…

“Nice work, pal.”

While in the pre-show area, I got a reminder to check in for my flight home the next day! How appropriate! The internet is spotty in the Soarin’ queue, but it got done with some assistance from Mr. Ariel484. What a guy!

I was seated next to a very nervous first-timer - her little sister was taunting her, trying to make the ride seem super scary and it was SO funny. I chatted with the first-timer a bit and described the ride to her as “pleasant.” She misheard me and thought I said it was “NOT pleasant.” Then a CM accidentally hit the E-stop and we sat there for a few minutes longer and I was pretty sure the first-timer was going to lose her mind. Once it started, she fell in love almost immediately, clapping and going “I LOVE THIS!” over and over. It was so fun!

Man I love this ride.

After Soarin’, I headed to the Character Spot to cash in my FPs. There were people in front of me wearing their marathon medals and talking about how it “wasn’t right” to take the other challenge medals...uh, sorry people!

None of my Mickey pictures were very good, but I do like this one. And it looks like my ears are turned the right away so that's something! Though I remember they were bugging me so I ended up taking them off after Mickey.

Goofy was HILARIOUS! He was so excited to see himself on a medal! He went through each individual medal and waved his hand in a “so-so” gesture, until he got to the Mickey one. Mickey is the boss, so we all need to bow down!

Discovering the Goofy medal...he’s in love!

“It’s ME!!!”

Oh my gosh, this was so funny.

The Goofy Challenge medal, ladies and gentlemen. The only one that really matters!

Last up was my girl Minnie, who was very excited to see herself on the 10K medal!

Sunburn doesn’t look too bad...hooray!

 

[Ariel484]

Almost Goofy

After meeting my buddies, I walked back through Epcot. On the way I saw a guy wearing his Dopey medal...we made eye contact and gave one another a thumbs-up. I love that instant comradery with other runners!

I hadn’t really eaten much at all today...my appetite had been pretty much gone, so until that point I’d just eaten a bagel before the race, Honey Stinger Waffles and 2 bananas during the race, the Cronut and a small bag of chips with cheese snack/food/stuff/whatever after the marathon. But now, my appetite was coming back. Great timing!!

I headed to Yacht Club and checked in at Yachtsman for a celebratory dinner!!

I was so happy. Having Mr. Ariel484 there with me to celebrate would have made it perfect, but we were still texting!

I ordered the 6-ounce filet, which came with mashed potatoes. And I added a side of mac and cheese.

I sat there thinking, “this is a lot of food for one person.” And I ate almost all of it. It was amazing. Per the Fitbit app on my phone I had covered 34.43 miles and 68,108 steps that day (dang that’s almost the Goofy Challenge right there!), so I guess that would explain that!!

I ordered dessert to go and headed back to the room. I packed up a bit (wahhh) and was in bed by 8:30! What a day!!

Up next - the last day!

 

[Sailormoon2]

That is the exact meal I think I want to have after Dopey 2018!! Looks/Sounds amazing!!!
I can't believe you only rode 1 ride the whole weekend, that is so foreign to me, I just don't think I could be there and not ride, regardless of how tired I felt. Of course, I haven't done Dopey, yet, so I may eat those words!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

I'm a little behind.... but CONGRATULATIONS!!! Minnie is my fav (obviously...), so I love your pictures with her!

 

[TeeterTots]

Drool! Yum!

 

[ZellyB]

Excellent post-race celebrations!! The same thing happened with us and our FP for FEA, so we switched for Soarin as well. That was a good trade as far as I was concerned!!

I love all your pictures with the characters, but especially Goofy! Fantastic!! That dinner shot is making me hungry.