An Aussie on a Wine & Dine 2019 Mission - Comments Very Welcome

Sinders99

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
HELLO FELLOW ROAD WARRIORS!!

This whole training journal thing is completely new to me, so please be gentle if it takes me a bit to get it right. First things first, introductions!

My name is Jennie. My husband (Adam) and I have been Disney fans for most of our 40 something years. We've visited a number of the Disney parks over the years but it was a chance encounter and the discovery of RunDisney that really kicked off my running journey about 18 months ago.

18.09.16-54 by Jennie G, on Flickr

In 2010 we visited our first US based park - Disneyland. During that first trip to the US we also took a Contiki Tour and our tour guide was an ex-Disney employee who actually worked in the RunDisney office and helped to arrange logistics. We'd never heard of RunDisney or that they held races that actually went through the parks!

For most of my life I've had an ABSOLUTELY NO RUNNING POLICY!! Silly I know, but I was never sporty, it was my younger brother that got those genes and even though I served in the Australian Navy I still hated running and exercise/sports in general. I think that really stems from a self belief when I was young that my brother was the sporty one so why bother.

To make matters worse I have a degenerative spinal condition where my discs are compressed and my spine over time will require fusion. I've got the Navy to thank for that. But then 18 months ago everything changed. I shook off my previous self defeatist attitude and met a physiotherapist who was a marathon runner. I mentioned in passing to my physio that I would have loved to run a Disney Half Marathon in the parks but that with my back condition it probably wouldn't be possible. Well, she gave me a dose of reality and together we began working towards that goal. Initially it was just to complete a 5km race, then a 10km and in August 2017 - although it wasn't a Disney Half Marathon - I completed my very first Half Marathon race!!

web-TVNA1352 by Jennie G, on Flickr

It wasn't a spectacular time - 2hr 50min 03sec - but it was a massive milestone and something I honestly never thought I'd complete. AND then came 2018 :(

2018 was a huge year of change for us. We literally moved from one end of the country to the other. My training really fell by the wayside and as much as I tried to get back into a rhythm I just couldn't. I found my groove again around June and completed the City2Surf 14km race in Sydney. I was scheduled to run another half marathon in October but injury struck and on top of my back condition I also found out that I have a condition with my feet called 'curley or hammer toes'. Essentially my small toes curl underneath the toe beside it and means that I'm effectively running on top of my small toes. Not ideal, but like my back, where there's a will there's a way.

I should note that while I consider myself an enthusiastic beginner runner, my husband is not. He joins me on the occasional 5km or 10km race but has issues with his knees and supports from the sidelines and encourages me to keep pushing. He drives me to races, meets me at the finish lines and massages the sore muscles and I love him for it AWWWWWWWWW
:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

So onto 2019!!

In the first couple of weeks of 2019 I suggested that this was the year to finally complete an onsite Disney Half Marathon. We first visited Disneyworld in 2016 and have been itching to go back so I've just been looking for an excuse - ANY EXCUSE WILL DO!! And he agreed!!!

I cannot tell you all how excited and how motivated I am to run this year's Wine & Dine series of races and I'm hoping that this training journal will not only help me record the journey but keep me focused and motivated. I always find I push harder if I'm accountable and sharing my journey with other like minded enthusiasts so I'm super excited to read all your journals and share your journeys along the way :)
 
IT'S ALL OR NOTHING IN 2019!!

I'm not sure if it's a personality positive or a personality negative but I'm definitely an all or nothing kind of personality and my running schedule this year is no different. I've really set myself some massive mountains to climb but if there's something I've learnt in life it's that you are your biggest obstacle in life. So what craziness have I set myself up for this year??

JANUARY

  • 26 Jan = Rosebud Australia Day Fun Run 10km - COMPLETED!! 1Hr 19Mins
  • 1 Jan - 31 Jan = Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon 21.1km - COMPLETED!! 2Hrs 43Mins (a New PB by 7mins)!!
FEBRUARY

  • 4 Feb - 10 = Feb Lucky Dip Any Distance Virtual Run with Virtual Runners UK - but am going to shoot for as much distance as possible during that period - COMPLETED!! Total Distance 23.05km (14.32Miles) 2:51:45 - NEW 10km PB set also at 1:11:02 that's 8mins better than my 10km in JAN!!
  • 11 Feb - 17 Feb = Virtual Any Distance Fun Run with Virtual Runners UK - again am going to shoot for as much distance as possible during the period - COMPLETED!!! Total Distance 18.67Km (11.601 Miles) 2:48:33 - New 5km PB Set!!
  • 1 Feb - 28 Feb = Virtual 66km Monthly Challenge with Virtual Runners UK - must complete 66km across the month of February and submit proof of distance to obtain medal - COMPLETED!!! Total Distance 72.1km with an average pace of 7:52 per km and 12 activities in the month!
MARCH

  • 1 Mar - 31 Mar = Virtual 10km Chameleon Race with Virtual Runners UK - COMPLETED!! 1:10:21 NEW PB over a 10km Distance by 8:35!!
  • 1 Mar - 31 Mar = Virtual Wonder Runners Challenge with Virtual Runners UK - min 10km but I'm going to set myself a challenge to complete at least 21.1km - COMPLETED!! Total Distance 76.7km with an average pace of 7:38 per km and 18 activities in the month
  • 18-24 Mar = Virtual Sloth Challenge - Walk or Run as far as possible in 60min - COMPLETED!! Total distance covered in 60min = 8.21km
  • 31 Mar = 10km Sri Chinmoy Williamstown Foreshore Run - designed to assist me in securing a better proof of time for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon - COMPLETED!! 1:10:21 NEW PB over a 10km Distance by 8:35!!
APRIL

Giving myself a break from challenges and events but will still be training of course!

MAY

  • 1 May - 12 May = Virtual 10km International Space Challenge with Virtual Runners UK - COMPLETED and actually ran 36.6KM during this period.
  • 4 May = Star Wars 5km Neon Run - Hubby will be joining me for this one - COMPLETED 5KM in 43:11 and a complete blast!!
  • 12 May = Mothers Day Classic 8km Run - COMPLETED 8KM in 56:17 and a new PB!!
  • 19 May = Great Ocean Road Half Marathon 23km (it's actually slightly longer than a half) COMPLETED 23KM in 3:08:46
  • 1 - 31 May = Virtual Winter Is Running Challenge to complete as many KM's as possible over the month with Virtual Runners UK - COMPLETED and ran a total of 68Km's over the whole month :)
JUNE

  • Disney Virtual Running Shorts 5km - COMPLETED 14 June in 36:45
JULY

  • Disney Virtual Running Shorts 5km - COMPLETED 23 July 36:20
AUGUST

  • Disney Virtual Running Shorts 5km - COMPLETED 14 August 34:38
  • Medal Chasers Virtual Gauntlet Challenge - 6 x 5km Runs - 1x 2 Jul, 1x 4 Jul, 1 x 11 Jul, 1 x 4 Aug, 1 x 17 Aug - COMPLETED
SEPTEMBER

  • Gave myself a much needed break with just general training
OCTOBER

  • 13 Oct = Melbourne Half Marathon - COMPLETED NEW 10KM PB 1:06:08!!

NOVEMBER

  • 1 Nov = Wine & Dine 5km - COMPLETED!!
  • 2 Nov = Wine & Dine 10km - COMPLETED!!
  • 3 Nov = Wine & Dine Half Marathon - COMPLETED!!
DECEMBER

  • 2 Dec = Carmens Women Great Cancer 10km Fun Run - Unfortunately bad weather kept me away from this race so my entry fee was a great donation to a very worthy cause!
YEAR LONG CHALLENGE

Virtual 2019 500km Challenge with Virtual Runners UK - COMPLETED!! 500KM REACHED LATE SEPTEMBER


Ok so I totally know how insane that list looks, BUT, a lot of those virtual type races will be achieved simply by completing my regular training runs between major races and I've included them for the following reasons:​

  • 1. because I'm addicted to race bling AKA medals (who isn't??)​
  • 2. to keep me motivated and accountable​
  • 3. I figured I would be doing all those km's training between major races, so I may as well earn something for them :)
 
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A LITTLE LATE TO THE PARTY BUT ALREADY GETTING RESULTS!

So I know I'm a little late to the training journal party but I've already had some great results in January.

My training started in the second week and my goal was the Rosebud Australia Day 10km Fun Run on 28 Jan.

I live in a beautiful part of Australia and Melbourne at this time of year is blessed with great weather and stunning vistas, however, we do get some extreme temperatures and in the week leading up to the Australia Day race we had three consecutive days of 44 - 46 Degrees (111 - 115 Fahrenheit) but luckily we had a cool change come through the night before that made things much more comfortable.

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

One thing I really wasn't prepared for though was a sand/dirt track AAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I've not run this race before and the narrow sandy/dirt track along the foreshore was super frustrating. I train on paved roads or footpaths, so this was not what I had trained for. There were a lot of people (1,700) running the course who walked 3 or even 5 abreast and completely blocked the track for anyone coming through behind. HOW MUCH DO RUNNERS HATE THAT!!!! I'm certainly not the fastest horse in the race but it was incredibly frustrating and really slowed me up in sections.

Anyways, I made it in one piece, without injury and in a time of 1Hr 19Mins. I would have loved to have broken 1Hr 10Min but I'll use that as motivation for my next 10km race :)

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

So my first piece of bling for 2019 is in the cabinet and I actually really really like this medal!! It makes me feel very patriotic :dancer:
 
Welcome to the training journals! Looking forward to seeing your progress! You have some impressive goals and I hope you reach them all!!
 


Welcome to the training journals! Looking forward to seeing your progress! You have some impressive goals and I hope you reach them all!!

Thanks so much but I'm so in awe of your amazing story! You have such a big mountain to climb but it's not impossible and I know you'll get there!!

Following! I'm very jealous of your weather right now.
::yes::::yes::::yes::

Melbourne is know for it's really unpredictable weather! We've had a week or two now of really really hot temperatures and right now it's pouring rain outside and we've been under hail warnings all afternoon!! It's a crazy place to live but as frustrating as the weather is at times it's an amazing city to live in :)
 
WEEKLY RESULTS 27 JAN - 3 FEB

29 JAN = 4.14KM (2.572 Miles) 31:51
31 JAN = 5.00KM (3.107 Miles) 38:00
3 FEB = 8.67KM (5.387 Miles) 1:04:15

Total Weekly Distance = 17.81Km (11.066 Miles)
Total Annual Distance = 55.3km (34.362 Miles)

It's been a difficult week this week. After my slower than expected 10km race on the 26th Jan I kind of lost my mojo a little and my run on the 29th felt horrible! It was a struggle the whole 4.14km's. Because of that I also really didn't feel enthused to get out of bed for early morning training before work. BUT it had to be done.

On the 31st Jan I introduced an interval session to my weekly training. Again it was hard to drag myself out of bed but I got it done and I did see an improvement in my spit time and pace.

Today (Sunday) are my long run days and I was up early and hitting the road not really sure what to expect. Right away something felt different. I felt strong. My breathing came easy and before I knew it I'd run a 35min 5km! That's my fastest yet and a great start towards my 30min 5km goal. My previous best 5km time was 37:36.

I'm not sure if it was the new interval session on Thursday that pushed me to improve but I'll definitely be keeping it in my weekly routine moving forward to see if produces similar improvement. I'm also going to start introducing some strengthening exercises to my routine on non run days. I'm thinking resistance bands, fitness ball and jump rope.

Overall I started on a bit of a low but definitely ended on a solid high. I'm injury free and working slowly towards my goals :)

 


WEEKLY UPATE
4 FEB - 10 FEB

This has been one of the most challenging and difficult weeks of my life. I'm not going to lie, I seriously considered not running at all and just curling up in a ball to cry. Where do I begin? How do I even explain what's being happening?

My husband and I both grew up in the small regional town of TOWNSVILLE in North Queensland. The city has a population of around 200,000 people and although my husband and I moved to Melbourne in Victoria 12 months ago it's still really what we consider home. We both have a majority of all our friends and family living there. Well, this week they've had almost 2m of water in only 9 days. The dam threatened to break its banks and over 1,000 homes have been completely lost in the flooding. We each have friends that have lost homes, cars and pets in the disaster. The weather bureau is calling it a 1 in 1,000 year event. Thankfully our family members have come through safe and relatively unscathed but our friends haven't been so lucky :( I've spent the entire week on the verge of tears thinking of how the whole city is struggling to recover or even comprehend a disaster of this size. To date over 1,000 homes have been declared uninhabitable and will be demolished, over 10,000 cars have been written off and tens of thousand of homes have varying degrees of damage. There's a housing shortage now as well and people can't afford to pay their rent or mortgages because businesses have had to close and can't reopen until significant damages are repaired. It absolutely breaks my heart.
:guilty::guilty::guilty::guilty::sad::sad::sad::sad::(:(:(:(

On top of that my work has been extremely hectic with not 1 but 2 employees out due to illness. It's not anyone's fault and everyone gets sick but it's put a lot of additional stress and pressure on a small team of people with a very high workload.
:scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared:

And just to top it all off yesterday I had my safety threatened at a rental inspection. As an agent I've seen a lot of things over my 6 years in Real Estate but nothing like what unfolded yesterday when a completely irrational and irate woman in her 60's screamed abuse at me and threatened me with a shovel in her hands. To say it has shaken me is an understatement and it even made me quite nervous today (Sunday) running by myself. It's really made me question my personal safety when alone. I'm in the process of researching self defence and martial arts classes as well as personal safety devices.
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

So after all of that, I still kept on track with my training. It was hard but all the more rewarding considering the challenges i've had this week.

On my long run this morning (Sunday) I used all my anger and frustration to push out a new PB for my 10km. In January I ran a 10km race in 1:19:02, however, today I ran that same distance in just 1:11:02. So a new PB by 8mins!! In fact today I ran 11.3km's in the same time it took me to run 10km last month!

I'm very lucky to have a lot of running trails around my home and today I took a new trail which bordered some farmland. Not only did I see cows and sheep but I also even saw a little bunny :)

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

So how did I finish up the week??

Tue 5 Feb = Road Run 5.02km (3.119 Miles) 36:10
Thu 7 Feb = Interval Session on Treadmill 5.3km (3.29 Miles) 40:00
Sun 10 Feb = 13.03km (8.096 Miles) 1:35:35

TOTAL DISTANCE THIS WEEK = 23.35Km (14.509 Miles)
TOTAL ANNUAL DISTANCE = 78.6Km (48.84 Miles)
 
Nice work getting your runs in despite having a rough & stressful week. I hope next week is better all around!
 
Nice work getting your runs in despite having a rough & stressful week. I hope next week is better all around!
Thanks so much. Am not feeling great today and feeling like I'm coming down with a cold :( Just dosed myself up on vitamins to try fight whatever it is off.
 
Oh you had me at Australia! Looking forward to reading more about your running journey. I think you have a great plan in place and great job reaching those new PRs!

I am saddened to hear about the flooding in your hometown and the crazy lady you dealt with at work. Keep moving as running is an excellent stress relief!
 
WEEKLY UPDATE
11 FEB - 18 FEB


I started off the week really strong but I have to admit to having had a niggling right hip pain since Christmas. It doesn't hurt when I run or walk and for most part it doesn't worry me at all, which is why I haven't sought treatment until now. BUT when I try to stand up from a sitting position and try to walk on my right leg it's like someone has stabbed me in the hip :( I've also found that getting out of the car is painful. Remember, our cars in Australia are right hand drive, so when you're getting out of a car here you're stepping onto your right leg.

So off I went on Friday to the Dr to finally get this thing looked at as it's progressively become worse. It's not good news :(

On Thursday I'll be going to have an MRI scan on my hip to investigate possible Bursitis, Tendonosis or a Labral tendon/muscle tear. I'm hoping that it's something simple like overuse, strain or a conditioning issue where I just have to build up certain muscles. The good news is the pain didn't come on at a time when I was training - in fact I was on a 6 week Christmas training break - so it's unlikely to be overuse. I know there's a whole heap of things it could be so I'm not panicking yet but I know with something like a hip it's always better to nip it in the bud early before it becomes more severe or permanent.

So the Dr has put me onto anti inflammatory medication and strictly no running until we find out what's happening. She did say that I could walk though, so I'll be hitting the treadmill and the street :)

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

One highlight for the week was that my February Lucky Dip medal from Virtual Runner UK arrived AND I LOVE IT!! The little Prosecco bottle and the wine glass spin around and I submitted a 5km time for approval so I love that they sent me a 5km race medal :) This is my first medal from these guys and I was a little worried that I'd be disappointed in the quality but this medal is fantastic quality and I'm looking forward to many more :)

I did manage to get some good running sessions in before I saw the Dr though so I finished my Valentines Virtual Medal YAY!!

12 Feb = 3.0km run (1.86 Miles) = 22:20
13 Feb = 4.25km walk (2.64 Miles) = 50:08
15 Feb = 5.09 run (3.163 Miles) = 36:05 NEW PB
17 Feb = 6.33km walk (3.933 Miles) = 60:00

WEEKLY TOTAL = 18.67Km (11.601 Miles)
MONTHLY TOTAL = 50.7Km (31.504 Miles)
ANNUAL TOTAL = (60.459 Miles)
 
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Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

One highlight for the week was that my February Lucky Dip medal from Virtual Runner UK arrived AND I LOVE IT!! The little Prosecco bottle and the wine glass spin around and I submitted a 5km time for approval so I love that they sent me a 5km race medal :) This is my first medal from these guys and I was a little worried that I'd be disappointed in the quality but this medal is fantastic quality and I'm looking forward to many more :)

That's a gorgeous medal!

Best of luck finding the hip problem and getting it resolved.
 
Wow what a week last week. Kudos on getting through everything and well wishes to those effected. Hoping the best on the recovery too!
 
Oops I may have just signed up for an additional 3 race with Virtual Runner UK!! I'M ADDICTED TO BLING!!!
 
That's a gorgeous medal!

Best of luck finding the hip problem and getting it resolved.

I have to agree!! The medal is amazing. Am looking forward to getting my Valentines race one and posting a pic.

Wishing you a speedy recovery with the hip - hopefully it's nothing too serious.

I'm crossing all my fingers and toes for a good outcome but I have to admit that the anti inflammatory medication is making a noticeable improvement.

Wow what a week last week. Kudos on getting through everything and well wishes to those effected. Hoping the best on the recovery too!

Thanks so much. It's been tough but we all get through the best we can and the Townsville community are amazing at helping one another.
 
LATE FEB/EARLY MARCH UPDATE

WHOOPS!! Sorry I dropped off the face of the earth there for a couple of weeks. I'm not sure that anyone really missed me but I'm here none the less giving cyber space an update.

I don't know if I previously mentioned it but I recently took a 9 night cruise through the South Pacific to celebrate turning 40!! My girlfriends and I booked this celebration almost 2 years ago, so it's been a long time in the planning and it was absolutely worth it. With a high stress, demanding job though I kind of fell off the wagon with my updates leading up to the trip so I've got lots of updates to do here.

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

But first things first. I finally got my results back from my MRI and that pesky hip problem. The Doctor gave me the all clear to return to running on the 26th Feb, right before my trip and I did manage to squeeze in quite an iconic run around some Australian icons in Sydney before we departed :)

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

I did use the gym onboard the ship to cross train and cycle and I also went hiking on one of the islands :) The views over Lifou (Loyalty Islands) were completely worth it.

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

So my last run in Sydney also helped me to break the 66km February challenge with Virtual Runner UK!!

18 Feb = 3.0km walk (1.86 Miles) = 30:13
19 Feb = 4.20km walk (2.61 Miles) = 41:00
24 Feb = 8.14 run/walk (5.05 Miles) = 47:14

WEEKLY TOTAL = 15.34Km (9.532 Miles)
MONTHLY TOTAL = 66.04Km (41.035 Miles)
ANNUAL TOTAL = 163.339Km (101.494 Miles)


Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr
Mystery Island, Vanuatu

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr
Signal Island, Noumea

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr
My very favourite port - Isle Of Pines, Noumea

28 Feb = 6.03km run (3.256Miles) = 44:28

WEEKLY TOTAL = 6.03Km (3.256 Miles)
MONTHLY TOTAL = 72.07Km (44.291 Miles)
ANNUAL TOTAL = 169.369Km (104.75 Miles)


2 Mar = 5.05km Cycle + 1.05Km Crosstrain (3.705 Miles) = 35:40
4 Mar = 5.4km Hike + 2.00Km Swim (4.598 Miles) = 1:10:05
5 Mar = 5.6Km Walk (3.024 Miles) = 42:00
7 Mar = 5.0Km Walk (2.7 Miles) = 44:00

WEEKLY TOTAL = 24.10Km (14.027 Miles)
MONTHLY TOTAL = 24.10Km (14.027 Miles)
ANNUAL TOTAL = 193.469Km (118.777 Miles)


And finally - because I'm feeling nostalgic as I enter my 40th year, I wanted to share some words I strive to live by :) I hope all your own running journeys are going well?
And I'm only 10 weeks away from running my second half marathon for the year - The Great Ocean Road Half Marathon!!

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr​
 
What a great way to celebrate your 40th! I ran my first marathon at Disney for my 40th, which was fun, but your trip looks way more relaxing. Happy Birthday!!
 

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