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.

Fashionable D23 Jewelry

Of course every princess needs her jewels, but I need my Disney inspired bling. Since becoming a member of D23, I have found the desire to let the whole world know that I love Disney and am a proud member of D23. Fortunately, the Disneystore.com has this princess in mind. Exclusive to D23 members, D23 jewelry is interesting, unique and stylish.

I have such a story to tell about this charm bracelet. My very gracious sister loaned this piece to me before heading out to Anaheim last week for the Disneyland Half Marathon and D23 Expo. By the way, it's nice having a sister that is like minded when it comes to Disney. Back to the story, on the first day I headed into Disneyland I had the bracelet on. I was so excited to see Disneyland and the very first stop was definitely Space Mountain. After about an hour of checking out the park on my own, I made my way over to Disney's California Adventure to meet some of my running friends. The first thing one of them said to me was how much they loved my necklace. Immediately, I looked at my wrist to show them the bracelet and to my despair it was not there. In order not to bore you too much, let's just say after several hours of making lost and found reports at the park and the hotel, I still had no idea where the bracelet was. Later in the evening, my mother suggested that I check with Space Mountain. The first cast member that I approached called down to the loading platform and she was told that they might have it. You can't imagine how relieved I was to hear that they had found it. She sent me down the exit ramp and the cast member at the loading platform asked me to describe it. He shortly handed it to me and I was so happy til I realized that two of the charms were missing. The other part of the puzzle was that it wasn't broken. Since these cast members were on a different shift than when I lost it, they had no idea where it was found or anything. It was still a relief to at least to get part of it back.

The sterling silver charm bracelet (originally) features a D23 tag, "Mickey" tag, Swarovski incrusted Mickey glove charm, Mickey head and square charm with a cutout Mickey. As you can tell, the later two are the ones that were missing.

The necklace that I refered to earlier is composed of a silver chain, D23 luggage tag and Swarovski Mickey head.

And finally, the last item is a D23 Key chain. It too has a D23 luggage tag and Swarovski Mickey head as well.

Walt Disney World around 1979

When I was about 9 years old, my parents took my sister, brother and me to Walt Disney World for the very first time. I wish I could recall more from this trip. We spent only one day there. The other days on our vacation were at Cape Canaveral and Sea World. I just love looking at what everyone was wearing.