Gearing up for a mini Dopey this weekend

I might need a 12-step program to manage this 'running' addiction!  LOL

I have spent time several days a week considering my training plan for the next 7 weeks -- tweaking here, adjusting there -- always trying to make my training better mesh with the rest of the activities that make up my life (while still maintaining the right mix of runs, distances, rest periods, and intensities for an effective plan).

Am I just a bit too focused on this, or do other runners/racewalkers do the same thing?

The one thing I have been looking at are how many "back-to-back" runs I need to incorporate into my plan.  Since the Disney Goofy Challenge is a Half Marathon followed by a Full Marathon the very next day, I know I need to experience what running on 'tired legs/feet' feels like and come up with a strategy for adapting to/training for that.  Right now, I have three of them planned.

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And, since I am running the Disney 5K before the Half and Full (what people call the "Dopey"), I know I have to really pace myself across those three days so I don't run out of steam at the end.

This week, I am running a Turkey Trot 5K this Thursday, and a Turkey Trot Half Marathon on Saturday.  I was 'planning' a 10-Mile training run on Sunday (to make it my first "back-to-back" run).  So I thought, "Hey! Why not move that 10M training run to Friday instead.  Then, I not only get my first 'back-to-back' run in, but I also set things up like a "mini Dopey"!

If I run the 5K at a conversational pace, run the 10M at my Long Run pace, then the Half Marathon on Saturday should be doable (and I get to see how this Dopey thing might feel). Of course, the distances are not the same as the 'real deal' but they are long enough to gain some insight into how my body will respond to the demand.  It goes without saying that Sunday and Monday will be Rest/Recovery Days.  :)

If you have an opinion, don't be shy.  I welcome your feedback.  Heck, at least it means that someone is actually reading these posts besides me.  Haha!

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