Posted by & filed under 2019, Contender.

I’m a newbie – a nervous, excited, grateful newbie.

Jeanette Thompson is a local runner and RW member who has gained a lot of racing experience over the past few years and took the encouragement from fellow runners to take the Ultimate plunge in 2019!

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I have several marathons under my belt, but definitely nervous about the unknown test of mental and physical grit that will be required to run 117.8km – BEFORE – the marathon. As the weeks to the start of Stage 1 diminish, my excitement to get out there and race alongside some pretty incredible local athletes is building. We are lucky to have such a strong racing community in our region. As I grind out my training plan, I’m grateful for each day that my body and mind continue to let me beat it up in this, my most intense training yet!! Let’s do this!

What exposure did you have to ENDURrun 2018? Following online/volunteering

As a Rookie, what advice have you been collecting? Sources: Gained some insights from previous event participants either through direct messages or meeting up for a run. Facebook group. Event page/website. Pretty sure I’ve read through the training tips 6 times. Advice: Having a specific training plan would have been greatly appreciated, but there doesn’t appear to be one. The most common answer I received when checking in with people I know that have run this event was to just build on a marathon plan and ensure to do some back-to-back training.

What are you still hoping to learn by August? Take advantage of running the courses. Continue to increase mileage/hill training and stay injury-free leading up to the race.

What are your ENDURrun 2019 stories? “Everyday, do one thing that scares you!” – Baz Luhrman – This quote plays on repeat inside my head. It has always inspired me to push past my fears and test my limits. That, and being inspired by ultra runner Rhonda-Marie Parke, motivated me to sign up for this race – my big scary goal. I’m excited to tackle this huge goal race and look forward to finishing! Hanging out with some great runners I know all week is a pretty sweet bonus.

What are you most looking forward to about ENDURrun 2019? Testing my limits, but mostly a nice cold beer at the end!

What are you nervous about, if anything? The unknown. Fortunate to be able to train on the courses.

Can you share any details of your training? With no official training plan to follow, I asked some veteran runners of this event a ton of questions about training. With their advice and following them through their training for the event, I created a two-year training plan which essentially built on my existing marathon base and training plan. Beginning in 2018, as part of my marathon training, I began incorporating an extra 13-16KM back-to-back run on Sat at a moderate pace and signed up to run multi-stage races (Mississauga/Road to Hope). I also aimed to strength train 1X per week. This year I added on to that base/build with the Hanson’s training plan, speed training, strength training 2X per week, running the courses ect. Now to stay injury-free, listen to my body and not peak before the race. Fingers crossed!!

What is your runner profile? I started running about 6 years ago by training for a 5km mud run. I quickly got hooked and built up to a half marathon. With a half marathon in the books, I joined the Running Room Kitchener to extend my training to run ATB. And well, once you’ve done 30KM, you might as well train for a marathon, right? I’ve been lucky to help some first-time marathoners crush their goal races as an instructor at RR and most recently helping my work team complete a 10-week, 0-to-5KM program and they all completed their goal race!! Better than completing my own goals is sharing that passion with other runners. There’s nothing better than being a part of a new runners’ journey as they push their limits and, with encouragement, hard work and some luck, ultimately succeed!