Hanging up my running shoes-Update on ZellyB

[ZellyB]

Hello fellow Disboarders,

I’ve been having fun reading various other WISH journals and training plans for upcoming Disney races. For the first time in 3 years, I missed out on Marathon weekend and suffered tremendous envy reading and seeing pictures of everyone who participated. I and my running partner and husband, Chris, had both intended to wait until Dopey 2018 to head back for another race (I know. I know. EVERYONE is planning to go for Dopey 2018 – I’m already having minor panic attacks thinking about registration day ), but after missing the race weekend so much this year, we decided to head back for the Goofy challenge in 2017 .

The other goal that Chris and I have is to become Half Fanatics and Marathon Maniacs at some point as well, so we decided, “Hey, let’s try to manage doing both this year and cap it all off with a trip back to Disney for Goofy!” Seems fitting, right? Or possibly insane…

I’ve already developed a plan and training schedule (because who doesn’t LOVE a schedule?) to get all this done this year. And, planning and scheduling is believing in my book, so why not top it all off with a training journal to blab about it all?

Let me kick things off with a brief background…

My name is Gisele and I’ve been running since 2012. I started out training for our local half marathon (Bass Pro Marathon Weekend) by joining a local Galloway Run/Walk/Run group. I always swore I hated running and really only started because Chris really wanted me to run with him, so imagine my surprise that I’ve now completed 4 Marathons and 7 Half Marathons and 1 “quarter marathon” – looking at you Wine & Dine 2015. Sprinkle in a bunch of 5Ks and a few 10Ks and I guess you could officially call me a runner. Not an especially fast one, but a runner. Chris and me during the marathon in 2015.

So, welcome aboard if you care to join my fanatical and maniacal journey to Goofy.

 

[Ariel484]

Woohoo!! You should also mention your knack for creating adorable matching running shirts for you and Chris.

 

[ZellyB]

Woohoo!! You should also mention your knack for creating adorable matching running shirts for you and Chris.

Well, of course, I'll need to plan new shirts for Goofy 2.0, so you'll get sick of hearing about that eventually, I'm sure.

 

[ZellyB]

TENTATIVE RACE SCHEDULE
Since I've decided that we wanted to be Fanatics and Maniacs, that was going to require some planning out for potential races to help us reach that goal. Half Fanatic status has various levels named after planets. Marathon Maniacs has various levels named after various metals. Each level has different and increasingly difficult criteria in order to achieve them. Chris and I are obviously trying just for the entry level for each designation. For Fanatic status that is Neptune which can be achieved by doing 2 half marathons in 16 days or 3 half marathons in 90 days. The entry level for Maniac status is Bronze and has the same criteria as Neptune except obviously replacing half marathons with full marathons.

I actually had planned to get fanatic status last year by doing our local half followed by Wine & Dine half one week later. For anyone that followed the information about W&D this year, though, you know that didn't happen. Great sadness for not only having W&D cut short (I really, really wanted to run through AK in the dark ) and for it blowing my shot at Fanatic status. Ah well, bitterness never did anybody any good, so time to move on.

We are going to try to get fanatic status this spring and then tackle maniac status in the fall.

Race schedule for fanatic status
Bentonville Half Marathon - Bentonville, AR 4/2/2016
Frisco Railroad Run - Willard, MO 4/30/2016
Joplin Memorial Run - Joplin, MO 5/21/2016

I've run the Bentonville Half once before, but the other two races would be new for me. Bentonville is the only one we are currently signed up to run. We would have another option which is to run the Rock the Parkway run in Kansas City on 4/9/2016 and qualify by doing 2 half runs within the 16 day time frame. But, I'm leaning more toward these 3 because the Frisco Run is on an old railroad route so it's very flat with paved surface and a little finely, crushed gravel. It's an out and back and a pretty fast course. So, thinking it might be a possibility for a PR. Oh, did I mention I'm hoping for a PR for both half and full this year as well. Well, I am. Anyway, time to decide for sure which route to go, but Bentonville is a sure thing. No PR attempt on this run. The last 3 miles of this thing are uphill with the final mile being a hellaciously steep hill.

Race schedule for maniac status
Heart of America Marathon - Columbia, MO 9/5/2016
Mo Cowbell Marathon - St. Charles, MO 10/2/2016
Bass Pro Marathon - Springfield, MO 11/6/2016

I've run the Bass Pro Marathon once before. I've run their half marathon 3 times, but the marathon only once. I've also run the Mo Cowbell Half before, but never done the Heart of America races which are on Labor Day. The Mo Cowbell course is the one I'm hoping to get a PR for my marathon. My previous PR is a pretty pokey 5:55:14. I fought a pretty severe groin injury for most of that training season, so I was just happy to finish it honestly. My goal this year is to try for a sub-5 hour marathon. That's a pretty big goal for me, but I'm hoping to stay healthy and strong this year and manage to pull it off. The Cowbell course is another one that is pretty flat and known to be fast.

So, anyway, there's the tentative plan for now. I'll try to include more pictures in future posts!!

 

[girliea]

Following along....I so love your training journals and trip reports!

So will you and Chris be Double Agents?!? There were pacers from HF and MM at the half me and hubs just did in January. Very nice people, so uplifting and supportive!
An example, hubs and I were doing the half but there was a marathon going on at the same time; the two routes started together then separated and came back together at the end.
So we got to see marathoners that were fishing 26.2 miles faster than we finished 13.1, humbling to say the least but one of the pacers who was doing the marathon was passing us and said "great job guys, keep it up, you're doing great!" At that point I got something in my eye.

Sorry for the long tangent. Anyway, can't wait to read all of your training stuff!

 

[ZellyB]

Scheduling and Tracking Workouts​

​

As I mentioned above, I love me a good schedule. I like to map out my running schedule and to be sure and include maintenance runs and long runs such that I keep my training up to a certain level. I've been guilty before of slacking off the running after a race and then trying to pick back up a couple of months later. It's astounding how quickly you lose conditioning. The good news is that with a solid base of training, it comes back pretty quickly, but I still always berate myself when I let myself do that. So, last year, I created a spreadsheet with training and events for the whole year and it really helped me to stay on track.

I wanted to be sure and do the same this year with our lofty goals, so had created another spreadsheet. But, on The Running Thread that's on this forum, @FFigawi mentioned a site called TrainingPeaks which you can use as a training scheduler. So, I checked it out and really like it. I loaded in all my info about training schedules and events for the year. It sends you emails the day before reminding you what your training plan calls for the next day and when you log in to update your completion it changes colors. If you complete as planned it turns green, if you complete but with some variations it's yellow and if you don't do it at all, it's red. Here's a screen shot from the app on my phone.

This will work great for me because I’m so uptight that anything other than green really bothers me. Like that yellow one where I only ran 3 miles instead of 4. And, man, if I don’t do it at all that means RED!! ACK!! So yeah, yesterday Chris and I didn’t run in the morning because it was raining and insanely windy, but I was all worried about that little block being red, so I went and ran on my sister’s treadmill last night to be sure I got my 4 miles in. That’s turning OCD to your advantage, folks!

Over time, I may get more relaxed about it because, seriously, stuff happens and odds are I’ll miss out on some workouts here and there, but for now, those little colored boxes are working for me. Green - Red =

Since I don’t have many pictures to share for now, I'll resort to what I did on my last PTR and insert various random Disney pictures. So, here’s your RDP (Random Disney Pic – see what I did there? )

‘Cause who doesn’t love some Disney dogs…

As you can probably tell, this was a character set up on the Marathon in 2014. We ran past it and when we ran in 2015, I thought we'd stop this time and get this picture. Sadly, they weren't on the course. Lesson learned...Never pass up a character shot you really want. Words to live by, people. Words to live by.

 

[ZellyB]

Following along....I so love your training journals and trip reports!

So will you and Chris be Double Agents?!? There were pacers from HF and MM at the half me and hubs just did in January. Very nice people, so uplifting and supportive!
An example, hubs and I were doing the half but there was a marathon going on at the same time; the two routes started together then separated and came back together at the end.
So we got to see marathoners that were fishing 26.2 miles faster than we finished 13.1, humbling to say the least but one of the pacers who was doing the marathon was passing us and said "great job guys, keep it up, you're doing great!" At that point I got something in my eye.

Sorry for the long tangent. Anyway, can't wait to read all of your training stuff!

So glad you are here and thanks for reading my reports.

One of the many reasons I love running is the supportive nature of other runners. Yeah, there are those few that aren't so nice, but most are just great! We also have a similar course lay out for our local half/marathon race. Of the 3 years I've run the half, this last year was the first time the marathon winner didn't pass me. I kept waiting to get passed, but this year managed to finish shortly before the marathon winner. I was almost as happy about that as I was my PR. HA! I'm always astonished at how fast some people are!!!

 

[Ariel484]

Ooooh, TrainingPeaks seems very cool. I'm with you, I love having my schedule...definitely need to check that out!

 

[girliea]

So glad you are here and thanks for reading my reports.

One of the many reasons I love running is the supportive nature of other runners. Yeah, there are those few that aren't so nice, but most are just great! We also have a similar course lay out for our local half/marathon race. Of the 3 years I've run the half, this last year was the first time the marathon winner didn't pass me. I kept waiting to get passed, but this year managed to finish shortly before the marathon winner. I was almost as happy about that as I was my PR. HA! I'm always astonished at how fast some people are!!!

I have a new goal! Thanks Giselle! I can understand your happiness having experienced that...and yes they are fast, crazy fast.

 

[FFigawi]

Ooooh, TrainingPeaks seems very cool. I'm with you, I love having my schedule...definitely need to check that out!

It's a great service and app. You (or your coach) can load all your workouts into the system, track your results, and see how your efforts are affecting your fitness & fatigue scores. Very useful in seeing how you're progressing to your goals.

 

[ZellyB]

Training Week 1/31 - 2/6 (2/7)​

Using the new Training Peak application, I was all set to have a great week of training, but I'm finding some difficulties still in getting into the groove and incorporating my cross training/weight stuff. Sigh. But, I shall persevere!!
Sunday 1/31 - Rest day
Monday 2/1 - This was my first day doing my cross training/weight stuff. Several years ago I purchased a set of DVDs from The Firm.

These are really old DVDs that use a graduated step system and weights to do a general aerobic workout with some easy weight training. It's not that challenging, but I am comfortable with it and it's a good overall strengthening program that works some other muscles that don't get hit with running. They are fairly long videos, so it takes about 45-60 minutes to complete. It went pretty well and I felt good getting it done. But, man, are my abs WEAK! Yikes.

Tuesday 2/2 - Maintenance run day planned for 4 miles. It was a pretty good run on our normal route. Around 11 minute/mile pace. We've been playing with intervals again. Last two years we've primarily run :90/:30 intervals and done well at it. We started playing with shortening that to :75/:30 and trying to run faster, but it's not working out so well. I love playing with my intervals, but have decided that I think for many runners that do intervals there may be a "sweet spot" that works well and I think for me that may be :90/:30. Some day I'll do a post devoted just to my obsession and deep thoughts about intervals. HA!

Wednesday 2/3 - Planned to do Firm again. Didn't do it. Chris usually does weights with his buddies on Monday and Wednesday, but they didn't do it this Wednesday. Since I do the workout in my bedroom and he was in bed, I opted to skip out rather than subject him to watching me fumble my way through it.

Thursday 2/4 - Planned for our 4 mile maintenance run but awoke to rain and VERY windy conditions so we opted to sleep instead. Chris was leaving on his trip Thursday, so he was happy to get a bit more sleep.

Friday 2/5 - Planned rest day. Went with my mom and sister to go see Wicked at our local theater that gets in Broadway touring groups. SO GOOD!!! Didn't get home and in bed until midnight though. That's late for me. Cause I'm old.

Saturday 2/6 - Planned 8 mile run. I was still really tired from the night before and so moved this to Sunday instead.
Sunday 2/7 - 8 mile run. Went back to my old standby of :90/:30. Went a bit slower than I wanted because I slowed down some on the last couple of miles. Really wanted to be around 10:45 pace but ended at 11:07. Still not too bad. This was actually the longest distance I'd run since our local half way back in November, so I felt good to just get the miles done. Now, here is where I tell you that I NEVER run alone for long runs. Like NEVER. I always have Chris or our running group, so this was my first time running this kind of distance alone. I know that probably sounds crazy to many of you, but I'm a very social runner. Still it was actually a really good run. Temps were upper 30s to low 40s and beautiful clear skies. I queued up my running play list and actually had a nice time alone and just in my own head. I run a portion of the run on a local trail that I just love. It winds through some woods and is really lovely.

This was also my first run with my new Garmin. YAY!! I've had a 210 for a few years and it's been a good workhorse for me, but I was wanting the option to wirelessly upload my runs and also for a quicker satellite connection. Verdict? Thumbs up on both counts. Plus it's prettier than my old one.

So, yeah, a bit of an up and down week for me, but I'll be working toward some better consistency in the coming weeks.

 

[rteetz]

I am joining in to follow along! I may or may not be running goofy if not dopey in 2017. I've loved reading your experiences in the past.

 

[Ariel484]

Look at you and that shiny new Garmin!! So fancy. Such a huge difference between the 210 and the 220, right?

It's totally tough to get into a schedule, but I'm sure you will figure it out and it'll become habit! I love your interval experimentation. I tried 90/30 and couldn't make it work for me...I imagine I would collapse at 75/30!! I totally agree that there's a sweet spot for everyone, just haven't found mine yet...but I don't think I can get the 30-second walk breaks to work for me, so that's awesome that they work for you and Chris.

I am the exact opposite of you - I run alone almost all the time, so I totally know what you mean about having that time in your own head. Your trail looks so pretty!!

 

[ZellyB]

I am joining in to follow along! I may or may not be running goofy if not dopey in 2017. I've loved reading your experiences in the past.

Hi! Glad to have you here and thanks for reading this and my previous reports. I hope you make things work out for 2017. I'm pretty excited to run Goofy again. That was a great race weekend for us.

Look at you and that shiny new Garmin!! So fancy. Such a huge difference between the 210 and the 220, right?

Totally. I love it! Still fumbling a bit with the menus and things, but getting it figured out. It's so much easier to read than my old one and it found the satellites SOOOOOO much faster. Awesome!

It's totally tough to get into a schedule, but I'm sure you will figure it out and it'll become habit! I love your interval experimentation. I tried 90/30 and couldn't make it work for me...I imagine I would collapse at 75/30!! I totally agree that there's a sweet spot for everyone, just haven't found mine yet...but I don't think I can get the 30-second walk breaks to work for me, so that's awesome that they work for you and Chris.

Yeah, still not off to a great start his week either. Oops. This time of the winter gets really hard for me to stay motivated. It's just so crazy dark and cold at 5 AM it's easy to convince myself not to get out. I might have done that today. But at least I've got the treadmill to hit tonight.

I am the exact opposite of you - I run alone almost all the time, so I totally know what you mean about having that time in your own head. Your trail looks so pretty!!

I know that's true for most runners, so I think I'm lucky to have a consistent running buddy in Chris. But, I have to say that solo run was actually pretty nice. Not sure I'd want to do it all the time, but every once it awhile would be good I think.

 

[ZellyB]

Running Gear - A hopeless addiction
​

Hey, all you runners, remember when you first started running and you bought your first pair of shoes and hit the road and how you congratulated yourself on choosing such an inexpensive sport? Good times. Good times. And, then you discovered GPS watches, and fuel belts, and specialized fuel and running apparel and... Hello, running - goodbye money.

I'm not sure how much I've spent over the past few years on various running items (and I know I don't want to add it up), but I do know it's no longer a cheap sport. But, I do love me some running gear. I find new shopping addictions all the time, some thanks to reading too many of Shannon's (@Ariel484 ) reports, and never seem to fail to spend money on them. Which leads me to my latest spending spree.

It started with my Garmin that I posted above. That is awesome and so pretty and I'm sure it will serve me well. I'm handing down my 210 to my daughter Paige who started running cross country this year. She was so excited.

Another of my other running gear obsessions are sparkle skirts. I love them for their fun designs and great function. Compression shorts that stay in place and amazing cargo capacity with huge pockets. They’ve allowed me to eliminate the use of a fuel belt when I run. I used a handheld bottle and stuff my pockets full of fuel and anything else I need. So, I had signed up for a group custom skirt several months ago and it finally was finished up and arrived yesterday. Introducing Irish Lass.

So pretty. Well, I ordered it thinking I could wear it for a St. Patty’s day race. Which, of course, now that I have it means I need to sign up for one right? We have a local Shamrox 15K on St. Patty’s, so Chris and I will be signing up for that one soon. I don’t intend to do the beer run that is also part of the festivities though.

My other latest apparel that has my attention are from INKnBURN. They have some great items and I’ve just started getting some of those. I bought the Steampunk and Healing Mandala tights and love them. So cool looking and comfortable and good quality. I also run in capris in warmer weather and my existing capris are all several years old and getting pretty worn out, so after my skirt purchase I decided maybe I should buy some capris from INKnBurn as well. So, on their way to me now are these beauties.

Really excited to get those as well.

Last but not least, also on its way to me is a used tank I bought from a Facebook group and one I saw on Shannon’s current training journal. The Fisk Tank. Can’t wait to get it!

So, yeah, a bit of a buying binge for me, and I really need to back off for a bit and let my blow money build back up again.

So, that’s it for the current installment of “what can Gisele spend her money on”. I leave you with this RDP - Mickey and Minnie in their finest greenery. Ah, I wish I was there now.

 

[Ariel484]

Ahhh, Irish Lass is so pretty!! You're making me regret giving up my spot in that group...

I hope you like the Rose Capris!! I LOVE them! They go with everything!

 

[roxymama]

Oh no...I need those capris that look like jeans....googling commences!

Thanks for the fashion talk...it's my second favorite thing about running after the actual running part.

 

[ZellyB]

Ahhh, Irish Lass is so pretty!! You're making me regret giving up my spot in that group...

I hope you like the Rose Capris!! I LOVE them! They go with everything!

It was really the fact that they would be so versatile that made me go ahead and get them. I've been debating for awhile, but figured if I was going to do it I needed to hurry up before they are gone in my size. I love Irish Lass. The weight of it is a bit lighter than the schoolgirl plaid I have, so I'm loving that.

Oh no...I need those capris that look like jeans....googling commences!

Thanks for the fashion talk...it's my second favorite thing about running after the actual running part.

Mine too! I'm a total sucker for running apparel. Watch out on googling that INKnBurn stuff. You'll be hooked before you know it. Consider yourself warned!!

 

[ZellyB]

Training Week 2/7 - 2/13​

Sunday 2/7 - I listed this one in the week before. 8 miles on my own that was originally planned for Saturday. I ended up with some hamstring pain after this run. I went through something like this two years ago, it's just a mild strain. But, I kept running through it the last time and ended up with a major groin pull that sidelined me for 6 weeks. I'm hoping this will resolve pretty quickly.

Monday 2/8 - Planned for a Firm workout. Didn't do it. Seriously have to start holding myself accountable on these.

Tuesday 2/9 - Planned 4 mile run. Bitter cold out and once again fighting with my motivation. Chris wasn't up for it either and when both of us are like this the results are not good. ZZZZZZZZ.

Wednesday 2/10 - Again skipped on the Firm workout. I know this workout can be beneficial for me, but I find myself struggling so much with that early wake-up. Chris did go to lift weights, so I can't blame him this time.

Thursday 2/11 - Planned for a 4 mile run but only managed 3. Crazy cold again and my hamstring was still bothering me, so we decided to cut it short at 3. It's not great to cut it short, but I was at least happy that we managed to get out there.

Friday 2/12 - Planned rest day.

Saturday 2/13 - 6 mile run planned. We ended up running 6.2 because we went over a little bit on one of the run intervals and just decided to finish it out for a 10K.

Still struggling with pace a bit. We did do this run back at our 90/30 intervals, but I was just sluggish overall. It was super cold again so maybe that was it. I'm clearly in a bit of a winter funk about exercise.

On Friday this week, I stepped on the scale which is something I hadn't done in several weeks and, oh my. I've really gone off the rails on eating ever since the holidays. I'm sure the extra 15-20 lbs I'm carrying isn't helping me with my running paces, so Chris and I are going to start to get back on track with some clean eating and cutting back on sugar. That's a big culprit for me when I gain weight.

Lastly, I got us officially signed up this week for our local marathon in November. I guess I'm committed now. I also signed us up for a 6 miler called Run the Rock. It's a ridiculously hilly course out near the lake in Branson, but it has stunning views and you get to run over various surfaces and even briefly through a cave. It's supposed to be beautiful. We aren't planning to try for any great pace on this one. Just finish and enjoy it.

So, that's if for this past week. Hopefully a better week is ahead. The temps are at least supposed to improve significantly. Yay!!
And now, your RDP...

Crystal palace breakfast last year with the girls after completing our first Goofy!!!

 

[Ariel484]

Oh no!! I hope that your hamstring issue gets better soon.

I'm so with you on winter just destroying any motivation...so ready for spring!!

I totally admire you guys for signing up for local marathons. That is so awesome! You are going to do great!