Royal Wedding Disney Channel Style

With the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton upon us, a new generation of royal watchers have been born. The Disney Channel is making sure that the little chaps will be abreast of royal style and entertainment by supplementing their Wedding Day line-up and loading the website up with Royal fun! So, let's check out what they've got planned.

Disney Channel

In recognition of the increased interest in all things royal, Disney Channel will present "A Modern Fairytale: The Royal Wedding Week," a short-form series for kids, tweens and families, Monday-Friday, April 25-29. Hosted by ABC News' Juju Chang, the series will tell the story of the royal couple. Disney Channel will present a week-long primetime programming event that includes telecasts of prince and princess-themed movies, including "Enchanted" and "Cinderella," every night (check local listings).

Disney Website

Check it out: Have Royal Fun

Learn everything you need to know about Disney's own princesses.

Vote for Queen.

Disney's movie Prom will hit the theatres April 29th. Teens have a chance to choose who they think should be Queen of the Prom.

Meet the Queen...Disney/Pixar Cars 2 Spotlight.

Featured biographies from Cars 2 are the Queen and Prince Wheeliam.

With the final stage of the World Grand Prix racing throught the historic streets of London, England, the Queen is quietly elated she was invited to preside over the finish line by Sir Miles Axlerod.

Painted in shades of the most royal blues and never without her jeweled crown, the Queen is the definition of decorum and regality, but that doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy a bit of first-rate competition!

Prince Wheeliam of England is an avid racing fan. He can't believe his luck that the final race of the one-of-a-kind World Grand Prix is happening on the streets of London.

Though he must remain impartial when by his grandmother the Queen's side, he is privately rooting for his fellow Brits Lewis Hamilton and Nigel Gearsley to cross the finish line first.

With a little Disney style, being a royal princess or just a royal fan is glamorous and fun. Enjoy the big day.

WDW Radio Running Team

Having to sit at home during the 2011 Walt Disney Marathon weekend was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. To know that my friends were down at the "World" having fun, running and socializing was depressing. Fortunately, I did find an outlet from home. In 2010, Lou Mongello and a team of captains formally created the WDW Radio Running Team benefiting the Dream Team Project. I was one of the captains, but the only one not attending Marathon Weekend. After much discussion, it was decided that I would give support, advice, and communications thru our Facebook Page, emails, Twitter and text messaging before and during the weekend. While being in Tennessee, I could follow our team members running thru the ESPN Wide World of Sports updates and focus on relaying messages to our team and support group. It worked great. I called myself the "Online Captain" and Lou decided to call my post "Command Central." On this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show, we discussed the weekend and the fabulous benficiary of the Dream Team Project, Make a Wish Foundation of America.

We will continuously be looking for new members to our team. Anyone interested should contact Val at valerie@wdwradio.com. Our team will hopefully be represented at all Walt Disney World running races.

Picture: Members of the WDW Radio Running Team during the Inaugural Wine and Dine Half Marathon, October 2, 2010

After many months of training, on January 9 and 10, 2010, I successfully completed the Walt Disney World Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge. I invite you follow my journey in an article that I wrote for the WDW Radio website.

http://www.wdwradio.com/Lou-Mongello-s-Disney-Blog/Looking-Back-Goofy-s-Race-and-a-Half-Challenge-2010.html

First let me apologize for the delay in blogging. I know you have been so patiently waiting to hear about how I have incorporated more Disney into my crazy life since my last post. For most of October and November, I worked on my first printed Disney themed publication. After much research and editing of my piece, I am proud to announce that it was accepted and will be in print in late January to early February. This fantastic publication is called Celebrations magazine and is produced by Tim Foster and Lou Mongello. My article is on Space Mountain. With the recent refurbishment, interest in its history and evolution has been peaked (no pun intended). I have always been mesmerized by its gleaming white peak since the first time I went to the Magic Kingdom and wasn't tall enough to ride it. I have made up for it exponentially as an adult. I have been known to ride it multiple times in one day. It is such a classic attraction and it is one of the few things I remember from that first trip. After my dad exited the ride (without my brother, sister and I), he bought all of us a chocolate covered frozen banana right outside of the show building. I will always remember that moment. So, I will always have that sentimental feeling about it.
Hopefully, my Space Mountain article will be well received. I worked on it long enough.

Amenities at Disney races

Listed are some of the amenities that you will usually find at a Disney race. Some of these are not unusual for a typical race outside of a Disney park, but let me just say Disney always does it right and it is always fun when you do a race with them.

*Beverage Stations that provide water and Power Ade

*Medical Stations that provide help with running issues such as Vaseline for blisters and chaffing, analgesics, and sports cream for muscle pain. Consultation and assistance is available to those with other conditions that have arisen during the race.

*Food stations throughout the course that provide fruit, energy gels, and even candy.

*Music and entertainment are spread throughout the course.

*CHARACTERS!!! There are lots of characters in unusual outfits or characters in groups that aren’t usually found in the parks.

*For an additional charge, there is a special VIP lounge at the end of the race that has a special post-race meal and special Meet and Greets with characters.

*For an additional charge, fans can join a special cheering group that allows them special seating in the grand stand at the finish line.

*Post race food and drinks are available, as well as Meet and Greet opportunities with marathon-clad characters.

Training
First let me get something straight, I am not an expert runner. I have never claimed to be. However, I have run a lot of races over the years. I have found there are as many opinions on training as there are pins in the parks. Everyone has a different approach and a lot of them work. You have to find what works for you. For the scope of the discussion here, I am not going to get into every nuance of running and the training needed to complete a race, but I will give a few pointers.
-There are numerous websites that can help you get a program designed for your lifestyle and goals. Some of them that I have found helpful are http://www.runnersworld.com/, http://www.halhigdon.com/ and http://www.jeffgalloway.com/. They each have programs that are designed with different levels of expertise and training programs for different distances.
-The best advice that I can give someone is never miss your “long run”. The goal for this weekly run is to train and acclimate your body to a longer distance than the week before.
-Stick with your program. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that don’t take the training serious and they don’t finish.
-During my training for the marathon, I always had my ipod loaded with motivating music and interesting podcasts (such as the WDW Radio Show). The long runs can be, well, long and entertainment helps keep you moving.
-The most important piece of equipment for running is your shoes. Get the best pair of running shoes that your budget will allow. Specialty running stores often will analyze your gait to help you determine what shoes would work best for you. Of course, select shoes that feel good as well.

Going for Disney Bling

In the next few blog entries, I will highlight aspects of running races at the Disney parks. Enjoy.

Imagine a day of fun, magic, characters, and visiting the theme parks of Walt Disney World. You may think this is just the average day in Orlando, but for some this day includes lifelong achievement. Crossing the finish line at the Walt Disney World Marathon can be the highlight of your year. In some cases, it may be the highlight of your life. On January 11, 2009, I lived such a dream. It was something that I never dreamed possible. Not only had I finished a marathon, but the Walt Disney World Marathon. Excitement was an understatement.
The Walt Disney World Marathon is one of several events that are held during the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. Usually held the second weekend in January, Marathon Weekend includes a Family Fun Run 5K, Kids Races, the Walt Disney World Half Marathon (13.1 miles) and the Walt Disney World Marathon (26.2 miles). For some very brave individuals, they may attempt to finish both the Half Marathon and the Full Marathon which is called the Goofy’s Challenge. Upon completion of these races, there is some serious bling involved. Donald Duck is the sponsor of the Half Marathon and his image is emblazoned on the medal. Mickey Mouse heralds the Full Marathon as his race with the Mickey medal as the prize. For those “crazy” enough to attempt the Goofy Challenge, they receive not only the Donald and Mickey medals for their races, but also the coveted Goofy medal for completing both within the time guidelines.