Hanging up my running shoes-Update on ZellyB

Hey, hey, y'all.

So back to the real world today after concluding our wonderful runDisney family vacation. Even with some disappointments it was a fantastic time with the family.

I really want to continue a training journal and debated about starting a new thread, but this one feels all lived-in and homey, so I decided to just switch up the title for a new year and keep it rolling. I love me some Edna from the Incredibles and her quote seemed perfect for kicking off my new fresh approach to training this year.
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Brace yourselves for my brain dump headed your way.


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It's 2017 and 2016 was not my friend in terms of training and staying healthy, but with a new year comes fresh hope for a better running year this time around. So, what's up for this year you ask? Well, let me share. :D


First up? Absolutely nothing. I struggled so much in the latter stages of training with my Plantar Fasciitis, and while it is infinitely better than it was, it's not fully resolved (as evidenced with the latter part of my rD marathon run). I'm going to take at least a couple more weeks off before doing ANYTHING and hope that it will finally and fully heal me up. That means I have a couple of weeks to figure out exactly what I DO and what my training and goals look like for this year right? But here, roughly, are my thoughts:

GOAL 1: Improve my overall fitness and core strength.
I hate core work. Like really hate it. It's one of those vicious cycle things where my core is weak because I don't do core workouts and I don't do core workouts because my core is weak and it hurts to do them. So, yeah, only one way to fix that and it's sadly by doing core work. I'm going to spend some time looking into some solid core workouts and general strength training and commit to going with my husband on his regular strength training workouts. And because I always say I'm going to do it, I feel obligated to say that I want and need to figure out a way to do yoga as well. My flexibility is total garbage. sigh.

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GOAL 2: Get my intervals and pace back to where they were prior to last year's injuries.
I had been running :90/:30 run/walk intervals with 2:00/:30 intervals on shorter days. This interval and pace led me to my PR of 2:19:07 back in the 2015 Bass Pro Half-Marathon. I'd love to try and get myself to a 2:15 half marathon result sometime this year, especially since I won't be able to use that PoT anymore for subsequent runDisney races. I also feel like I need to up the number of miles I'm doing throughout the week. I usually stick to the Galloway recommended mileage, and that's certainly adequate to finish the races, but probably not adequate to really do my best and feel strong doing it. Ultimately I want to do a half marathon this year that will get me that PR and work as a good PoT for future races.

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GOAL 3: Run the Tinkerbell Pixie Dust Challenge.
Nothing much to say about this other than to have fun and hopefully meet some fellow Disers in the process.


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GOAL 4: Get out on my road bike with an eventual goal to do a local tri-sprint late this summer.
Chris and I bought really nice road bikes 4 years ago and while Chris has done a fair amount of riding, my bike has mostly sat in the garage gathering dust. I know that adding cycling to my running would be a good complement and it would make Chris very happy. We originally bought the bikes with the idea of getting into some tri races, so maybe this year is the time to do it. There's a very easy beginner tri-sprint here locally in August I think and I would like to participate in that.


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GOAL 5: Be well-prepared to run Dopey in 2018. Honestly toward the end of this year's marathon, I told Chris I just thought that I needed to hang up my marathon shoes (now I've said this before, but this time I really meant it :P), but after a few days, I started to reconsider. One because I've been talking about Dopey 2018 for like 3 years now and two because I really don't want my last marathon experience to be a difficult one. While we aren't 100% set on this yet, I think it's likely and given how early registration is (February 14 - really rD?) we don't have a lot of time to decide. Now technically that goal is for 2018, but all the real work for it happens in 2017 so I figure it's okay to include it.

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That's where I stand for now and everybody knows that sometimes best-laid plans and all that don't work out, but I really want to have a better year with training and see some improvements and STAY HEALTHY, so hopefully these things get me there.



 
Awesome goals. Add me in for hating core work, therefore not doing it. Also I love you gifs. I'm technically challenged and don't know you guys find and post such cool ones.

Hope you get your PF figured out and have a healthy 2017. :)
 

Totally with you on needing some core work and the vicious cycle of never doing it! We can bug each other about it! ::yes::

Love the new title. :)

It's a deal!

Awesome goals. Add me in for hating core work, therefore not doing it. Also I love you gifs. I'm technically challenged and don't know you guys find and post such cool ones.

Hope you get your PF figured out and have a healthy 2017. :)

Google and copy and paste makes me look like I'm technically gifted. Psst - I'm not. :sad2:

My coach is constantly after me about this too. It's so beneficial but so not fun to do.

Why can't laying on the couch and eating nachos and drinking beer be beneficial? That's what I want to know.
 
Quick update for Tinkerbell/PDC planning
We finally pulled the trigger and booked our flights for our Tinkerbell trip. YAY!!:tinker:

I'd been debating about what was best to do. I had mentioned awhile back that we had gotten approved for a Chase Visa that came with a 100K miles offer. WOO!! :banana: I'd already used some of those miles to book a hotel near DLR but was watching my options on flights. I could book airfare out of our hometown, but the costs were high and all had a connecting flight. My other alternative was to fly out of Kansas City (about a 3 hour drive for us) for a really cheap fare and non-stop flights both ways. Chris and I spent some time discussing it on Sunday and both decided we liked saving some points for something else and getting that non-stop flight. It really ends up getting us almost another whole day at DLR because the flight gets into LAX so early. I checked into flying into Santa Ana instead since I know it's much closer, but the costs were just too much higher.

So, airfare? Check Hotel? Check.

I also spent a lot of time reading my Disneyland travel book too.
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I feel like a total novice again since we've only been to Disneyland once and frankly just wandered around aimlessly (this was before I knew about the Dis of course :) ) - so really excited to learn more about this park and how best to navigate and spend our time while there. Of course, reading it got me re-thinking about maybe staying on-site again. So, I went online to do some checking, but like before availability is really limited and the costs just seem crazy. Plus, no way to use our miles to pay for it through the Chase portal (which lets your miles go further), so I pretty quickly gave up on that option again.

So, what's left? Well tickets for one thing. We should still be able to get one more of the special military tickets before we exhaust the annual limit on those. For DLR, the offer is for either 3 or 4 day Parkhopper tickets. Our trip is planned to arrive on Thursday and leave on Monday and originally I was planning on just the 3 day ticket, but now that our flight is set to arrive so early on Thursday, I think we'll go with 4 day instead, even though we probably will not spend full days in the parks, but the incremental cost for the extra day is so small it seems silly not to do it.

Then probably just spending some time learning more about the parks and what attractions/shows we want to see. Dining of course we have to figure out as well and it's so strange to me to be less than 180 days out and not have ADRs. We should be getting that Disney gift card soon for the canceled half race, so figure I'll bring that along on the trip to help cover dining and other costs while we are there. Overall, this trip is not going to cost us too much out of pocket which is fantastic.

For those of you more experienced with DLR, any recommendations on dining options?
 
I'd also recommend Steakhouse 55 for breakfast/brunch. Carnation Cafe has good pancakes, too. Otherwise... :confused3

Napa Rose was just okay, in my opinion, for the price. I think I am greatly in the minority with that opinion!
Blue Bayou is cool to do once because it's right by/inside Pirates...
Wine Country Tratorria is your basic pasta place, nothing special in my opinion.
I didn't like Naples pretty much at all.

The one I think I want to try again is Carthay Circle. My entree was good there but small for the price, I thought. I really liked the atmosphere of that restaurant though - I'm thinking I want to try dinner there and Steakhouse 55 for sure.

People say that going to Disneyland doesn't require ADRs, but I personally like to have them - especially since we will be there on Mother's Day weekend! And definitely research the counter service places available in Disneyland - they are better than the counter service options at WDW!
 
Yay for flights!

All of you guys planning Disneyland trips makes me really want to do a Disneyland trip as well. Dopey 2018 is a priority right now but if I can pull it off I'm for sure doing coast to coast in 2018.
 
Yay for flights! My last trip to DL was in 2013 for Dumbo. I don't think we did a ton of sitdown restaurants. I know we did Wine County Trattoria for the World of Color package. I remember the food being good but not amazing. We had lunch at Storytellers Cafe in the Grand Californian one day mostly because we were desperate for some A/C (it was really hot that weekend). I think we had lunch or dinner at Flo's in Carsland which we liked well enough. I think one of the highlight meals may have been getting soup in a sourdough bread bowl at the quick service wharf place in DCA. That was delicious! We had our post-half marathon brunch celebration at Club 33 (the friend I ran with had a connection), so nothing was going to be able to compare to that!
 
Did Steakhouse 55 for dinner and it was good but don't remember it being great. It was nice to eat at the Disneyland Hotel though. Ditto ehat @Ariel484 said about the counter service at DL. I liked Rancho Del Zocalo and Boardwalk Pizza. And holy cow Ghirardelli's - so good.

Also Carnation Cafe if you can get a seat outside is pretty cool.
 
Did Steakhouse 55 for dinner and it was good but don't remember it being great. It was nice to eat at the Disneyland Hotel though. Ditto ehat @Ariel484 said about the counter service at DL. I liked Rancho Del Zocalo and Boardwalk Pizza. And holy cow Ghirardelli's - so good.

Also Carnation Cafe if you can get a seat outside is pretty cool.
+1 to Rancho Del Zocalo!! But my #1 favorite is Cove Bar in California Adventure! :cloud9:
 
+1 to Rancho Del Zocalo!! But my #1 favorite is Cove Bar in California Adventure! :cloud9:

Always wanted to try the Cove Bar but it's always looked so crowded when I've gone by. Definitely need to get there though. Also there are a lot of @ Ariels here. Which makes sense. :)
 
We had breakfast at Steakhouse 55 at the DLH and it was excellent. I loved it as a post race celebration and I felt like I got same experience as dinner but for less $$.

I've been reading about Steakhouse 55 and sounds like a definite contender. Good thinking to do a meal other than dinner to save some money!

I'd also recommend Steakhouse 55 for breakfast/brunch. Carnation Cafe has good pancakes, too. Otherwise... :confused3

Napa Rose was just okay, in my opinion, for the price. I think I am greatly in the minority with that opinion!
Blue Bayou is cool to do once because it's right by/inside Pirates...
Wine Country Tratorria is your basic pasta place, nothing special in my opinion.
I didn't like Naples pretty much at all.

The one I think I want to try again is Carthay Circle. My entree was good there but small for the price, I thought. I really liked the atmosphere of that restaurant though - I'm thinking I want to try dinner there and Steakhouse 55 for sure.

People say that going to Disneyland doesn't require ADRs, but I personally like to have them - especially since we will be there on Mother's Day weekend! And definitely research the counter service places available in Disneyland - they are better than the counter service options at WDW!

All good intel! Interesting about Napa Rose. I was considering that one for a special meal. So, not that special in your opinion, huh? I also think we want to try Blue Bayou for the atmosphere. I was reading about Carthay Circle and that that sounded interesting too.

Yay for flights!

All of you guys planning Disneyland trips makes me really want to do a Disneyland trip as well. Dopey 2018 is a priority right now but if I can pull it off I'm for sure doing coast to coast in 2018.

Well, I haven't done a race there yet, so I'll let you know how it goes!

Yay for flights! My last trip to DL was in 2013 for Dumbo. I don't think we did a ton of sitdown restaurants. I know we did Wine County Trattoria for the World of Color package. I remember the food being good but not amazing. We had lunch at Storytellers Cafe in the Grand Californian one day mostly because we were desperate for some A/C (it was really hot that weekend). I think we had lunch or dinner at Flo's in Carsland which we liked well enough. I think one of the highlight meals may have been getting soup in a sourdough bread bowl at the quick service wharf place in DCA. That was delicious! We had our post-half marathon brunch celebration at Club 33 (the friend I ran with had a connection), so nothing was going to be able to compare to that!

I also read good things about Flo's and some really good reviews on the wharf place too. I may have to stay longer to try all these restaurants. LOL

I love pancakes!!

Sounds like we'll be going to Carnation Cafe then.

Did Steakhouse 55 for dinner and it was good but don't remember it being great. It was nice to eat at the Disneyland Hotel though. Ditto ehat @Ariel484 said about the counter service at DL. I liked Rancho Del Zocalo and Boardwalk Pizza. And holy cow Ghirardelli's - so good.

Also Carnation Cafe if you can get a seat outside is pretty cool.

Rancho Del Zocalo huh? I'll have to read up on that one.

Joining in on your 2017 journey!!

Great! Welcome!!:goodvibes
 
I'M SUCH A SUCKER!
In case you've been living under a rock the last few days and haven't been reading the runDisney threads here, an email came out from runDisney offering early registration for past participants for Marathon Weekend 2018. So, yeah, this happened.

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I guess Chris and I are in for Dopey 2018. After the struggles I had this past year and with the marathon a couple of weeks ago, I'm not sure how smart this was, but I've been dreaming about doing Dopey in 2018 for so long, I just couldn't resist - Chris was all for it too, so that certainly made it an easier call.

I spent some time this afternoon mapping out my training plan for the year and also found a pretty decent looking general core and strength workout that I'll start with tomorrow and then back to running on Tuesday. Here's hoping for a solid, strong, healthy year of training.

Now to start planning the next trip!! :D
 
How am I already planning another trip to WDW?
Didn't I just get back? :crazy:
So, yeah, with the new early registration in place for Dopey, I'm already starting to think about details of the trip that is less than a year away. WHAT? So, normally I might not be thinking about it too much, but since this last trip and staying in "the bubble", Chris and I are once again seriously considering staying on-site again. Well, truthfully, we sort of just decided we ARE staying on site. Bubble here we come.

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By the way, I'm now in love with searching for Disney gifs, so you may get sick of these. :P

I honestly thought we might be one and done with that, but with 4 early AM wake-ups and races and no kids this go round, we think that a more laid-back resort focused trip may be in order. And, if that's the case, then we really want to be on-site. Given the cost of staying deluxe at Disney (and much as I may hate to admit it - I'm kinda a hotel snob) we want to go with renting DVC points again. Well, with demand the way it is, I figure that means we need to be ready to pull the trigger at the 11 month mark. Honestly, Disney, just take ALL my money.

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P.S. We don't actually have enough money to go swimming in - otherwise we'd be booking one of those Poly Bungalows!

Right now we are thinking to arrive on Jan 2 and stay through the 9th. I went through and looked up costs for all the various properties (complete with color-coded spreadsheet), but after reviewing it, Chris and I really think we want to stay in a monorail resort and so right now thinking for a first choice to stay in a Poly studio standard view.

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and second choice in Grand Floridian studio standard.

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Chris is really leaning more toward Grand Floridian, but I sort of like the Poly vibe more I think. Plus, I swear this year I'm making it to Trader Sam's. I'm really hoping as well that it isn't as cold this next time and maybe we could enjoy the pool some and I think the Poly pool wins on that front.

So, yeah, I guess I've got about a week or so before the official request would be available, but probably going to send in the email inquiry soon. What about you guys, anybody got any preferences on which resort you would choose?
 












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