By Amanda Huffman
Contributing Writer
Many people set a goal at the start of a new year. This past year, mine was to run a marathon — not just any marathon but the Dopey Challenge held at Walt Disney World®. Running four races in four days feels a little “dopey,” especially when the final race is a marathon, yet thousands of people attempt this crazy Dopey Challenge each year. Most succeed and even thrive throughout it.
It goes to show that what can feel impossible is possible, but it will take a lot of hard work, planning, and time. I’m sharing a little of my experience and some of the things I learned while working to accomplish the Dopey Challenge and hopefully my learnings can help you in whatever goals you set for yourself this year.
As of this writing, I’m in the middle of my two longest running-training runs. My biggest challenge last week was running four miles, then nine miles the next day and 19 miles the third day. This week is a recovery week and my long run is only 13 miles. Next week I will run four days in a row (2.5, 5, 10, and 20 miles). I run even more than just these days, so basically I’m running all the time. Why am I sharing my intense running training schedule? Because it took months to get to this point.
Back in April, I was in the early stages of my training, working to run three or four miles consistently to build my base. Then, over the summer, I started to build up miles so I could prepare for the official training that began with running a half marathon. Now, several months later, I am almost to the end of training and headed toward the last legs before the actual race and I wanted to share a few things I learned.
Things I’ve Learned from My New Year’s Goals
1. This is way harder than it looks.
I have seen people train for marathons and I was impressed with the feat. I had run a few half-marathons and I thought training was hard for those, but in comparison to a marathon, training for a half is easy. Until I actually did the long training runs (more than 13 miles) that take hours to complete, I didn’t understand how much work went into training for a marathon.
My friend recently qualified for the Boston Marathon and I was in tears watching her ring the bell, not only because I was proud of her but also I knew how much work she had put into reaching this goal.
2. There are days I want to quit.
On the one hand, I can run a half marathon and, although it isn’t my favorite activity, still function for the rest of the day and avoid soreness the next day. I’m physically ready to start the next training run on schedule, but often I don’t feel like doing another run. Instead, I want to ignore my running shoes and my training schedule. What keeps me going is that I know the race is coming and I have to keep pushing forward so I can be ready to complete the challenge.
Another thing that keeps me going is seeing how far I’ve already come. I still can’t believe how much each training run builds momentum to keep moving me forward. It never is easy, but I can do it and I will keep going.
3. Doing it with others helped.
I did not sign up for this crazy adventure alone. I am running the Dopey Challenge with two friends with whom I was deployed in Afghanistan. The thing I am most excited about for the race is that I will get to spend time with my friends the week of the challenge. We will be tired, but I know we will build great memories together.
We hold each other accountable by sharing our long runs in a text message thread. It helps to see other people putting in the long runs. There is also a Facebook group for the race and seeing other people logging miles even though I don’t know them is encouraging.
4. Always be ready to pivot.
Lastly, some days are harder than others. At the end of my nine-mile run last week, I tweaked my knee. I only had 0.15 miles to go but I felt pain, so I stopped, rubbed and stretched my leg, and then resumed running. However, the pain was still there. I decided to stop completely instead of pushing to get that last 0.15 mile in. I iced my knee, did extra stretches, and worried what the next day would bring. Luckily, the next day, the pain was gone. I was able to complete 19 miles with no pain or injury.
The lesson is that no matter how much I want to keep going, I have to listen to my body and do what is best for me and not focus on what is written on a pre-determined training plan. Goals are meant to stretch you, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be adjusted when life throws you a curve ball or two.
All these lessons learned can be extended to whatever goal you want to accomplish. I will be taking mine with me so I can grow as a mom, military spouse and entrepreneur. Whatever your own goal is, know that it will take hard work and time. You will have to create a plan, pivot as needed, and make sure you find people who can come alongside you to reach it. This applies even if you are trying to figure out how you will survive a deployment, a PCS, or any other challenge military life can throw at you. You have to know that you can do it. Set a goal, then create a plan and adjust as needed when life throws you twists and turns.
Amanda is a military Veteran who served in the Air Force for six years as a Civil Engineer who served on a combat deployment with the Army in Afghanistan. She traded in her combat boots for a diaper bag to stay home with her two boys and follow her husband’s military career in the Space Force. Amanda is the host of the Women of the Military podcast. There she shares the stories of women who have served or are serving in the military. The podcast has over 200 episodes and over 100K downloads. Amanda is also an author and has published two books. Her first book, Women of the Military tells the stories of 28 military women who served in the military. Her second book, A Girl’s Guide to Military Service, is the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Winner for Teen Non Fiction. It is a guide for high school girls considering military service to help them build a strong foundation for their future career. She also works as a freelance writer and has been featured in a number of military publications including The War Horse, Military.com, Military Families Magazine, Clearance Jobs, Military Spouse Magazine, and more.
