Try Something New

Recipe of the Week:


Try something new. You just might like it.

  


Run Disney Training Day Tuesday:

Don't forget today is your Run Disney 45 minutes. Get up, get out that door. We only have 91 days to go.
Rae

Just a Hello...

Hi everyone it's Rae. I wanted to let everyone know that we had raised another $50.00 from our Mid Summer 5k. Thank you everyone who donated.

Tomorrow one of our Members is headed out to do their first triathlon. Please go over and visit and send Pixie Dust!! Blog'n Right Along

Have a great weekend!!!
Rae

Team Voice Member Of The Month..

HI All!! Here is our last Team Voice Member of the Month for 2010. I am having trouble posting the photo. So when I can It will be added. Enjoy reading I sure did!! Richard Tramm take it away!!


In the last few days of being 40 back in late 2006, I felt I was at a “now or never” point where I was running out of time to try to regain my health and maybe even to be able to pursue a long dormant dream of running a marathon (specifically the Marine Corps Marathon). My weight was around 254/255 lb, and had been in the 230 – 270 lb range for most of the years since I left the Marine Corps (15 years earlier). The tolls of raising a family, finishing college and pursuing a career were rewarding in their own ways, but somehow not paying attention to myself allowed me to balloon upward in weight and stay there. I tried to stay active in many ways—and even lost 66 lbs at one point (making it ever so briefly to 199.5 lbs!!); though only to put it back on in the year or two following. I wasn’t suffering any specific symptoms of ill health due to my weight, but I could tell that my doctor thought that was only a matter of time.

I first latched onto John Bingham’s book, Marathoning for Mortals, and began to plan. I set out on a plan that would lead me to run my first half marathon in a few months. I started by utilizing a walk-run plan where I walked 4 minutes to each minute run (i.e. 4w:1r as I logged in my notes), in a few weeks that became 3w:1r, then in a few more weeks that became 3w:2r, then in a few weeks 2w:2r, until that day where I set out on a successful 1w:3r run. This was where I really thought that I could do this! As all this was going on, I was slowly building my distances, and even ran a few local races. In the span of a few months I completed my first 5K (38:45), 10K (1:16:45) and half marathon 2:57:59. Half marathon race day came with several unique challenges. First there was a major wreck that shut down the highway heading to the race site when a gas tanker truck rolled over. You could see runners in all the cars, some of whom got out and ran the 2 or so miles to the race site. Eventually the traffic cleared and I got to the race site about 25 minutes late. Although they had shut off the timing mats, I (and a few others) asked people which way they went, and we headed out. The first water station was actually almost cleaned up by the time I got there, and I kept going. Several runners would pass me by as they also started late, but every once in a rare while I actually caught somebody. As the day went on I felt good and had a good run, but nothing compared to that feeling of crossing that finish line, officially 3:24:01 while 2:57:59 on my watch (the discrepancy due to the late start)! I was elated at having completed my goal, and I set my sites on the future as the summer period came along where I maintained my new training program.

After that first running year, I was undoubtedly healthier although I had made the classic mistake of thinking I could eat whatever I wanted and gained about 10 lbs. Weighing in at 263lb now, I reevaluated my program and made changes. To this day I can only lose weight if I exercise and eat perfectly, so I have settled for slower weight loss as my diet intermittently poses setbacks. However, as I now weigh in around 205 lbs. now I see myself as a success and a work in progress, as I still want to “live a little” from time to time.

In 2008, I began to look at triathlons and started to train for one. Unfortunately, a few weeks before it I was rear-ended in an auto wreck and was sidelined for a few months of recovery and physical therapy, but I was able to run my fall goal races later that year. It was at a 30K race later in the year that I happened upon another runner that I was near all day who wore the shirt from a triathlon that was a long-term goal race for me. We talked and got to know each other a bit over the last 6-8 miles or so of the race and today Heather is one of my best friends and is also a valuable advisor (and as I write this she is on the back half on the run portion of her first Ironman race in Cozumel!). In fact, running and triathlons opened the door to many friendships as I got to know people through many groups Woodlands Fit and The Woodlands Running Clubs are local groups through which I know many, the WISH Racing Team and Team Voice have each been valuable online contact points, and my newest membership is through my coached triathlon group OutRival Racing.

In 2009 I decided it was time to go for the lofty goals of pursuing triathlons and eventually the marathon. I registered early for the Goofy Challenge—knowing that I could pair my longtime love of Disney with my love of running and I would train for this by continuing my half iron tri training through the week leading up to the Disney races. In October 2009, I took on the Longhorn Half Ironman, after completing several shorter triathlon races earlier in the year, it was a long day with a number of issues, but in the end I persevered and finished in 7:58:38, just making the 8 hour cutoff. A few weeks later I ran the San Antonio Rock n Roll half race and completed a rough day in which I discovered that A) my body really was not recovered and B) that I could finish 26.2 miles as I was now a marathoner in a time of 6:11:36, even if I did walk most of the last 6-7 miles.

Finally January 2010 rolls around and I make it out to Disney. I get to meet some of my online friends and find out that they are real people. Most of all I have a complete blast doing the half and full marathons in conditions that I can only laugh about now. Extreme cold, sleet, wind, ice….all came on these days, but I still made the most of them. My favorite memory comes from getting the opportunity to ride Expedition Everest in the midst of the marathon—when will I ever be able to top that! It might cost me a new marathon PR as I finished in 6:17:45, though I have no complaints from this day.

2010 really became my personal triathlon year as I worked more on those races, completing 6 during the year. I took on my second half iron race in April and was determined to do well. It was a tough day, and I was disappointed in several ways. I did set a new PR of 7:52:07, and Heather (who had also raced today) reminded me that it was not a PR type of day, but I was left feeling more disappointed than satisfied. My problem, as I would only much later figure out, was that I was training to finish race, not to accomplish specific goals within the race. So, in a way, I was only doing what I had trained for. I sought professional help (coaching not therapy!) and I learned new training techniques as I improved. I saw my race time improve, but mostly I could just tell that I was getting better. A knee injury pushed me back from repeating the Longhorn Half Ironman and I instead did a local race, Iron Star that was a few weeks later. Iron Star is a local half iron distance race that has a popular following and I learned why. It is well organized and very well supported.

Race day brought a 40 degree morning and I brought a new training plan, a new nutrition plan and determination that this was the day I would not just finish--today I planned to put out my best effort by following a plan. However, the day did not quite go according to plan. The race starts with a 1.2 mile swim, I had not yet gotten below the 50 minute range on a half iron swim and today I planned to do just that. I exited the water in 39:55; stunned that I had gotten out that fast and thinking I may have inadvertently hit the lap button earlier in the swim (it was the correct swim time). I took my time in transition and set out on the bike. The first 1/3 of the bike was a good solid effort through the national forest areas northwest of the lake and I held a good speed. The bike second third of the bike was a bit slower but still within my plan. It was in the last third that I had some real issues…the steeper and taller hills, as well as the headwind slowed me down a good bit and I was losing most of the time I had gained on my PR goal. Several times I looked at my watch and considered pushing harder, but would remember that I had committed to a heart rate-based plan and then each time I would stay on plan. I finished with a bike time PR of around 3 minutes, but was thinking that was much slower than I had hoped for. However, it was during the run that the wisdom of my race plan came to shine through. Each of the previous half iron races had seen the run degrade into the type of “death-march” like walk with short spurts of running as I tried to finish. Today each of the first 2 miles rolled off at 12:02, and I kept running… I had planned a few walk breaks, mostly at aids stations and at heart rate spikes (which only came around 3 times). As the miles went by, I maintained pace (continuing running in the 12 something range with an occasional 1 minute walk). By the end I finished the 13.1 mile run in 2:48:49, nearly a half hour improvement in the run from my previous half iron race. As it turned out, it was a tough bike day for many, so staying on plan was a wise choice as my race time for the day was 7:07:43, which was a 45 minute PR!!

I’m currently just getting back into training with a new long term goal in mind. This will be the first year that I settle down and do fewer races as I focus on a narrow, single-minded goal. That goal is to take on the 140.6 mile course of the inaugural Ironman Texas race, which is actually in my neighborhood with the start line being about 2.5 miles form my house. I predict a long winter and a tough spring for me training-wise, but at 7:00 a.m.on May 21, 2011, I will be there ready to go with the support of my many friends keeping me going.

Team Voice Member Of the Month July 2010

Team Voice!! Here is your Team Voice Member of the Month. Before you getting reading, I want to apologize that blogger will not let me upload the Team Voice member photo. I will try to edit it in later.

We have a mileage challenge for the Month of July. 150 miles this month. There is a catch.... I do not want you to count your cross training miles. Continue to count them for your Run to Disney mileage but for the challenge do not count them. I do have a prize for the person who can log the most mileage. I will announce what it is at a later date.

On to your Member of the Month.....

Hi Fellow Team Voice Members! I was honored to be asked to be the Team Voice Member of the Month for July 2010, so here’s a little bit (okay, maybe a lot) more about me.

I’m 36 years old, not married and a total Disney Fan. I was born and raised in Washington State, but I’ve lived in Arizona for the last 17 years (wow, how time flies) so I’ve almost spent equal amounts of time in each state. I have three dogs – Ralph a 17 year old Shih-Tzu/Terrier mix, Belle and Jasmine sisters that are lab mixes just over 4 years old and Howdy a 24 year old Quaker Parakeet. I love to read – I’ll read just about anything that catches my eye.

I’ve been going to Disneyland since I was six months old. One of my first rides was Pirates of the Caribbean and I was told that my heart was racing during those drops! My family used to visit Disneyland as often as we could and since money was always tight we drove from Washington State quite a few times during my childhood to save money. In 1991 I had my first opportunity to visit Walt Disney world with my brother and sister-in-law. We stayed off site in Kissimmee and it was a great trip – I fell in love with Epcot during this trip. My next trip to WDW wouldn’t happen again until 1998 – just a short five weeks after my brother passed away. My sister-in-law and I took her son, and our other nephew and niece and we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. This wasn’t the easiest trip to be on as we were all still grieving, but it was good to be in a place where my brother was so happy. My parents had never been to WDW, so in 2000 I took my parents, my youngest nephew and my niece and we stayed at the Polynesian. It truly was a magical trip – to get to return the magic that my parents had always given me was an awesome feeling. I was lucky enough to get to take my parents on one more trip to WDW with my youngest nephew in 2002. Three weeks after we returned my Dad passed away. In 2003 I was sent to the UK for work and I took my Mom with me and we spent two days at Disneyland Paris – it was a whirlwind trip and we didn’t get to do everything we wanted to, but we still had some great memories. Three weeks later my Mom passed away. We were planning a trip to WDW in 2004 that trip I cancelled as I wasn’t sure the Disney parks were ever going to be the same for me again. In 2005 I decided that I just couldn’t stay away from the Disney parks – I have so many good memories of these trips that I couldn’t let the joy of the parks go. This is when I planned my first solo trip to WDW – it was rough at times. There were a lot of good memories that can overtake you at times and then there are the new experiences that you don’t have your loved ones to share with you, but at the end of the trip, I realized that I had a great time and that there is still fun to be had at Disney Parks, even by yourself!

I was planning my next trip to WDW for 2007. Sometime at the end of 2007 I decided that I really wanted to go to WDW and I didn’t want to be overweight for a change. See, I’ve struggled with weight my entire life. I had lost a lot of weight back when I was 21, but that only lasted a year or so before I gained it all back. I really wanted to lose weight, so January 2007 I started my next weight loss journey. I started off monitoring my food intake and slowly adding Pilates to my day. Then I started walking my two dogs (puppies at the time) – it was rough to start we barely went half a mile. I kept this up and before long we were walking a mile or two, the weight was finally starting to come off. By March, walking was becoming almost boring. I started adding short little running sections to our walks – the girls loved this and would want to keep running. You have to understand that I’ve never been a runner – I never took gym in school, I was on the track team (shot put and discus), but I never ran, not even the warm up laps. I was never athletic and I’ve never been coordinated, I was self conscious and failure was not something I took well. The fact that I was running even short little stretches was amazing to me. I bought a pedometer and before I knew it we were running a quarter of a mile, then half a mile, then a mile. I had no idea how fast I was running or how far I could really go, but the weight kept coming off and I was controlling my eating and I was feeling really good. I gained a new sense of self, a new confidence I’d never had before.

I took that trip to WDW in 2007 at my lowest weight and best shape I’d probably ever been in. I did a ton of new experiences and I discovered that “the world” is a different place when you’re not self conscious of your weight. It was a great trip and when I got home I knew I had to keep running – not because of my weight any more, but because I had discovered I loved it. I joined some friends at work to walk a couple of 5K cancer walks and I kept wondering if I would like running a 5K, if I could run a 5K…Finally, I signed up for and ran my very first 5K just a couple of weeks after I returned from that vacation and I was hooked! I didn’t run the full 5K, but I still finished in about 36 minutes and I felt so good to be a part of something like this. I met new people and was able to talk to them – I listened and learned and grew as a person because of this new experience.

I continued to do more and more 5K’s, and that’s when I came across Minnie’s Marathon Weekend and the 15K. I was scared to death to run 15K – that’s so far, I may not make it. I signed up anyway. I started training and I showed up for my first endurance event. I ran the entire race, I had a fabulous time and I wanted more. During this event they announced the first Princess Marathon and I signed up immediately – what have I done? When I got back home, I signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon. I started to struggle again with my weight, but I kept running…I ran that Disneyland Half Marathon and suffered pretty much the whole way, but getting that medal was worth every painful step. Yeah, it’s official – I’m nuts, a gluten for punishment and totally addicted to these races. The Princess Half Marathon was a better experience physically and I loved the entire experience again.

I found podcasts and I had been listening to AATM since the first show. I enjoyed the banter, the subjects, the guests, etc…Jonathan’s story inspired me and I knew where he was coming from as I’d been there myself. I was so proud of him when he finished that first half marathon. I’m a pretty shy person and it’s not easy for me to reach out, but I sent an email to Bryan and asked to become an AllAboutTheMouseketeer and mentioned the new blog I created. Rae left me a comment on my blog and I knew then that I wanted to become a Team Voice Member. I had never been a part of something like this before – I’ve done this on my own this whole time. I knew I could use some encouragement and hopefully, I could provide some encouragement to others. I’m happy to say that I’ve gotten a lot more out of it than that!

It’s been a very interesting experience for me to be a Team Voice Member….I’ve followed everyone’s blogs and tried to get to know them through the internet. When the 2010 WDW Marathon Weekend came around I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I wanted to meet my internet buddies and would just have to see how it went. I couldn’t have had a better time. This was a solo trip unlike any other I’ve taken. It was so great to hang out with people that got Disney and were there to participate in the same race I was. Jeff W. helped get me through the coldest, toughest half marathon I had ever participated in. We followed Rae and Eric as they finished their first full marathon – encouraging other runner’s out there doing the same thing. It was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to meet up with my teammates again!

There’s no point in denying that I’ve gained all my weight back and I struggle with it every day. I don’t like the mirror right now and I mentally beat myself up for not doing a better job on the diet, but through all this, one thing hasn’t changed – I’m still running. I still love running. I hope that never changes because it’s great to be able to travel to my favorite places on earth and be a part of a big group of people with the same loves!

Now what are you waiting for – go out and get some mileage in…You don’t have to be an uber athlete to do this, take it one step at a time!

I’ve gone full nuts and signed up for the Dopey Challenge and you can follow my progress on my blog at wdwalone.blogspot.com.

Team Voice Member Of the Month Feb. 2010

Introducing The Team Voice Member of The Month..... Stroller Boy..

How did it all start?

It was a dark and stormy night…I had taken a creative writing class.. No really, it was at least dark and I don’t recall it being stormy… Anyhoo, I was in my basement listening to some new Disney podcast I had found on iTunes and there was a group of people talking about running? I double checked the title to make sure I downloaded the right show, yep, “All About the Mouse” that’s the one (episode 41 2008 Marathon recap with Lou and Scopa)… So I listened a bit more to figure out what the heck these guys were talking about. There were a couple of guys talking about how great and life changing this experience was. Hmm, caught my attention a little more… Okay, so I figured it out, they had run the Disney ½ marathon in January of 2008 and were recapping the experience, ooooooh, now I get it. No, wait, they have a marathon through the parks? WhaHUh? How cool would THAT be! Now I’m intently listening to the details, how do I do this? What the heck IS a ½ marathon? Do I need to run? Of course, I figured out the details by the end of the show and was excited and intrigued at the same time. They also mentioned something called “Team Voice” and that anyone can join. I thought to myself, self, I’m “anyone”, I’ve got a voice, I totally can join this group! With a quick e-mail to Jonathan and Bryan, I was a AllAboutTheMouseketeer and a new member of Team Voice.

So what now? My wife and I talked about it and decided that we were going to both train for and run the ½ marathon in 2010, two years of training ought to do it. Well, as I started to train and chat with the other Team Voice folks my appetite for a Disney race grew. By March we decided that I would run in 2009 and then both of us would go back for 2010. As Rae would say..”Holy Cats”, now I’ve got to actually get training. While I did have a background in various sports I had never run more than a mile or two at once as when I did my lungs would burn and send my asthma into a tizzy. So my plan was to start running slowly and try to build up to longer mileage. Taking a look back at my first blog posts I was running around a 12 minute mile and worked up to 2-3 miles a session. I was pretty darn excited by that considering the lung thing. Fast forward to June 08 and I decided to tackle a half marathon to see how ready I was. If you have ever read a race description you’ll know they all say “Flat and Fast scenic course”. Yeah, right, this one was the definition of hilly and felt like running through a forest (which I suppose is scenic for people who live in the desert). However, I ran the whole thing even though I wanted to drop flat on my face by mile 10…. Ran the full thing in under 2 hrs, holy cats again, I couldn’t believe how far I had come from Feb to June. Fast forward again to October and the ING Hartford ½ marathon and ran the same exact time (minus a couple of seconds) as the ½ in June. Okay, but I was starting to level out a bit. Team Voice to the rescue! If it weren’t for the support on the blogs and boards I might have gave up prior to reaching my Disney goal in January. January 09 was an amazing experience, meeting up with all the folks that I had chatted and trained with over the year, getting to run through the castle and slap 5’s with what seemed like thousands of people. Not to mention spending some time with a good friend of mine who had also run the ½ just back from a tour in Iraq. I tell ya, I’ll admit I was a little nervous meeting up with all the Team Voice folks, wondering what they would really be like.

I suppose that’s normal when you join a Disney cult…. However, they didn’t bite and everyone was “normal”, well, almost…that Mike-speed guy is a little off his rocker J.

Honestly, I found a family in this group that I became more and more comfortable with over the past couple of years. If it weren’t for this group, I’m not sure I would have ever attempted running 26.2 as I did in October 2009. I thought about the group every step of that race and through the first 20 miles, it was triumph as I was moving pretty fast (8:50’s on average I think), but it was when my IT band locked up 10k out from the finish that the team meant even more. There was no option of failing in this race, no way I could face my blog and write that I just gave up knowing that y’all would be out there (ya know, cause you couldn’t get text updates for free, so you had to read the blog, LOL). Not to mention that my wife (Lorraine) was waiting there at the finish line for me, someone who had really encouraged my crazy goals for the years leading up to it (not to mention having to corral two young kids for hours waiting for me to finish!!! J). Anyhoo, I pushed the heck out of myself and dragged myself for 10k and did it! So now I’m a marathoner? Dude….I finally had to give up the “not bad for a guy with asthma” to “yeah, I’ve got asthma, so what?” LOL

If you’re still with this post, good for you! I would have dropped it like two paragraphs ago! J Hmmm, it is a tad long…so let me wrap it up with the stuff that I probably should have been writing! Did I even mention who I am? Uh, okay, sooo, I’m Chris Cullen and I’m a run-a-holic. I’ve got two kids, one crazy red-head (5) who I need to get to the track and burn off that crazy attitude, uh, err, crazy “energy”. And a 2 year old son who tells me “I go on Goofy roller coaster?!?!” like every day. Considering that after we go in July the 5 year old will have been 5 times and the 2 year old will have gone 3 times….I say it’s par for the course. My wife is also a runner and ran her first ½ marathon with me down in Disney this year (sorry honey! Picked a fine year for your first race….we now call Orlando “Connecticut South”). I think she’s addicted to this thing like I am now. We plan to get back down together in 2012 again, but it would be too much to leave the kids again next year, so I’m going Goofy alone (some would argue I’m already there..). I’m psyched about the challenge of 39.3 miles, and a little nervous quite frankly, but knowing that the team will be there just gives me the confidence to train and get this done in style. I love the fact that our team is growing and hope to help out in any way that I can. I’m also hoping to get some more folks challenging me and keeping me honest as the only way to success here is hard work.

Okay, so checklist time….Team Voice is awesome, I run, kids, Disney something or other…..what’s next? Well, Goofy obviously and hopefully another marathon or so along the way. After that, well, Rae has inspired me to try and live a dream that we share and perhaps one day compete in the Ironman Kona. Of course, she’s making this a reality for herself, but I hope start building my own case at some point this year or the next. How awesome would that be! If you haven’t already gone over to Rae’s blog to cheer her on through the training, well, what are you waiting for? J I think I could go on an on (yeah, even more than I already have…), but will stop here.

New folks, get out there, do your work, hold all of us accountable for ours, and let’s celebrate at a Disney Race soon!!! Regular folks, there is no time like the present to continue the journey. Be the best dang you that you can be, I’m here for you, send a note or call or whatever (just don’t text my old phone as I don’t have a text plan!!!).

January Team Member of the Month: Jonathan Dichter

Hey everyone. You all know me - or rather - you SHOULD. Jonathan "The Voice" here. I guess you could say I inspired "Team Voice" - and was one of the founding members.

I'm honored that Rae wants to feature me as you all go out to run in the WDW Marathon weekend in just a little bit here.

But I also want to use my space here to comment on where I've been personally, what I've accomplished, and where we're ALL going in 2010 and beyond.

You see - for me - this journey started just about THREE years ago. Right around December 2006, Lou Mongello announced on MouseTunes that he would be training for and running in the January 2008 WDW Half Marathon. I'd never heard of such a thing. But I've been a lifelong Disney fan. So I investigated. At this point, I'd re-found my Disney passion, even so far as taking my wife on our honeymoon to WDW.

Sure enough - I found out you got to run through the theme parks! It sounded amazing.

One problem.

I was just shy of 380 pounds.

I was on high blood pressure meeds.

I could barely walk a flight of stairs without being winded.

So what did I do? I decided to try it. I trained. I figured 2009 was a good goal. So I trained. Hard.

I bought a treadmill.

I went outside.

I got good shoes.

I got a trainer.

I lost weight.

I got off blood pressure meeds.

I started my blog: http://voiceofmousetunes.blogspot.com.

I met friends through Team Voice.

I raised money for charity.

And I got e-mail after e-mail telling me I'd inspired folks.

And in November 2008, I was down to around 290 - having lost about 85 pounds at one point.

In January I went to WDW and completed my first half-marathon: 3:27:51. What an amazing feeling. It's hard to believe, as I sit here, that it was only one year ago.

2009 has been an incredibly busy year for me - one with amazing personal joy - and equally personal stress and sorrow.

Let's start with the good things:

Finishing the WDW Half - January 09.
Finding out we were Pregnant - March 09.
Finding out it was a girl - June 09.
Finishing the Seattle RnR Half Marathon - July 09.
Opening my own Law Firm - August 09.
Finishing the DLR Half Marathon - September 09.
The Birth of Elizabeth Noelle - October 18, 2009.

And now the less than good things:

My father getting seriously ill in Oklahoma - started in October 08 and continued through April 09. I flew back and forth several times. It was decided that he should retire from the practice of medicine and move to Seattle into assisted living with my mother and grandmother in tow. We planned it for July. Work stress was mounting as the summer hit, and in July, the day I arrived in Oklahoma to wrap up the sale of my parents house, I received an e-mail letting me know I'd been laid off and to clear out my things upon my return. Without any money, we sought out loans, being turned down by every single bank. We were lucky enough to obtain a family loan to start the business in August.

Needless to say, through all of this, my training lacked, and my eating slacked. My drive diminished. My blogging started to falter. I'd announced that I'd be running in the 2011 WDW Full Marathon, and that dream seemed all but hopeless. I'd managed to stress eat myself back into the 340 range. No meds, but feeling like crud. And unsure how to bust out of this rut.

And then in October, Elizabeth was born.

And Rae asked me to write this and be featured.

And I got a few e-mails telling me people were inspired.

And I realized that I couldn't go back. I just couldn't.

So I started planning. And plotting. And scheming.

How to take it off - keep it off - and keep my passion and energy alive.

And now I'm ready to reveal my plans and plots. :)

First of all - I've decided that for me - the joy in these competitions isn't about the competition - nor is it about "personal bests". It's about INSPIRING others. It's about the MAGIC. The JOY. And my charity work. It's about being healthy and having fun. It's about being around for a long time for my daughter. And before you start nay-saying - which I know SOME of you are - yes - I've backslid, and yes, I've made commitments before - but I've also SUCCEEDED. And I CAN AND WILL SUCCEED AGAIN. What I need from you is BELIEF. LOVE. SUPPORT.

What that means is this. At least for now - I will compete only in HALF MARATHONS. And ONLY IN DISNEY PARKS. The most wonderfully motivating magical place to race in the world. That's what it's all about!

Why? Because this is where most of our teammates started - what sparked their interest - their passion. Where the "newcomers" will start. And yes - there WILL be newcomers. Who? YOU - you the one who's reading this. The one who says "No way can I do a half-marathon! I can barely walk a city block!" You the one who says "I need to lose weight, and can't quite get motivated to do so!"

YES.

YOU.

Are you listening?

I CHALLENGE YOU. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW.

It's a simple challenge.

Step one. DECIDE. Right now. To compete in the 2011 WDW HALF MARATHON. I will be there. With you. Supporting you. Every step. ALL OF US. If you'd prefer to try sooner - then how about the 2010 WINE AND DINE HALF MARATHON (A night race!!!) - I will LIKELY (money permitting) be there too.

Just decide to do it. MAKE THE CHOICE. You don't need a blog or a message board. Just DECIDE. And if you feel inclined, e-mail me - jonathan@allaboutthemouse.com

Step two. Take up the TEAM VOICE CLUB 8 challenge.



Wait - what?!?!? What the heck is Club 8? SO glad you asked.

You see - if I'm going to race in October (Wine and Dine) - I need to lose the weight I've put on, and THEN some more. About 2 pounds per week is healthy and reasonable. One month of that is EIGHT pounds. So commit to trying to lose EIGHT POUNDS per month. Eight pounds from January to October - is 80 pounds. From January to January - 120.

So - again - TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE. E-mail me. TELL ME YOU'RE DOING IT. And every month - tell me HOW it's going. And be prepared for me to challenge you further, as you will undoubtedly challenge me further. Let's do this TOGETHER.

Step Three. Make a wish.

And I mean it. MAKE THAT WISH for yourself. Wish upon that star. And then - think of making a wish for someone else. Help me by joining the Disney World Trivia Dream Team. http://www.firstgiving.com/dwtdreamteam - Every dollar goes to help make the life of a seriously ill child better by sending them to Walt Disney World. Make a commitment for yourself. And make sure Lou knows WHO it's coming from.

For instance.

I will donate ONE DOLLAR EVERY MONTH FOR EVERY POUND I LOSE. And every month, I'll tell Lou it's from Team Voice Club 8. If I do my job I should never donate less than $8 per month. If we ALL DO THAT. Think of how much money we can raise. How many dreams we can grant!!!!

Have you all seen Kate's poem? I'll reprint it here. FEEL IT. LET IT SINK INTO YOUR SOUL.

Kate and Rae and Jeff and Deb and Bryan and Paul and Lou and Lori and Fiona and Justin and Mike and Matt and ALL the Team Voicers are directly responsible for what I accomplished in 2009. And we're going to make them all responsible for what we will accomplish together in 2010.

I may have faltered, my friends, but I'm back!!! And this time - it's for keeps!!! I want to recruit NEW Teammates - and encourage you ALL to join the Club 8 challenge so much that I'll be dedicating some time on AATM to it on a regular basis. We will have a TEAM VOICE ARMY at the 2011 WDW Marathon weekend. And I'll bring up the rear to make sure we ALL FINISH.

Remember these three words. They've never been truer. Say them with me, my friends! LOUDLY AND PROUDLY!!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!!!!

"Will You Run For Me?" by Kate

Will you run for me tomorrow? Will you run for me?

I am six years old now.
I love to dress like a princess.
Mommy says I’m too young to go to Disneyland.
She says we will go when I’m older.
I want to be older now.

Will you run for me tomorrow? Will you run for me?

I’m in Kindergarten now and learning to read and write.
I love to run and play with my friends.
It feels as if life will go on forever.

Will you run for me tomorrow? Will you run for me?

I don’t know it now, but when I am eight years old I will be diagnosed with leukemia.

Will you run for me?

The cancer treatments are terrible. I don’t feel well.
Mommy says the drugs are killing the bad cancer cells.

Will you run for me?

I just want the pain to stop.
I want to feel good and happy again.

Will you run for me?

My daddy said that you will run for me.
He said that you will raise money so that we can go to Disneyland.
Thank you. Thank you for caring about me.
Thank you for letting me be a princess again.
I love you.

A poem by Kate (GoofTroop3@disneyworldtrivia.com),inspired by Jonathan’s courageous journey to the 2009 Walt Disney World half-marathon.

Team Voice Member of The Month

Team Voice Member of the Month time. Last one of the year. Can you all believe we are down to just weeks before the WDW Marathon Weekend??

This is you LAST CHANCE Marathon Miles. You should be smoothing out the bugs in your long runs, got your gear prepared and know what you are going to wear and what works. Start the taper no later than 12/26/09. Meaning don't run your really long runs. Run shorter ones, cross train, but do not stop all the way.

Here is your Team Voice Member of the Month:

Hi I am Rae. I am the creator of Team Voice. Team Voice was created off of Jonathan chanting The Voice. And at the Mouse Fest, the Team Voice logo was created by E. I still have the sketch.




I love Disney. I grew up on the Original Mickey Mouse Club. They were reruns in the early 70's. I do not remember alot about my first trip to Walt Disney World in 1974. Other than I cried when Mickey Mouse ran away from me. I can remember when Space Mountain open, and you had to sit in the lap of the person that was with you, and you had to put your stuff in a locker before you could enter the mountain. I also remember when they use to hand make the rock candy there om Main Street and the Penny arcade. I remember when they changed the characters shape and colors. 20,000 leagues, Mr Toad, Birthday land. We made the 3p parade late cause my group{band} rode Space mountain and got stuck on it and had to wait for them to get us down, and then escorted to back stage to get dressed for the parade. :) After high school I never made it back to the world. 2005. 16 years later I went back as a parent. That is an experience I will never forget. :)
2005: Found online about the marathon weekend. WOW!!! I would love to do that. ME? I don't think so. Then I learned about the other races, made friends on the boards. And started walking. It sure was not an easy thing to do. I could not even run 4 houses and my lungs hated me. I was sore all the time. I pressed on and made it to 4 miles and then in 2006 I slipped and fell had to have knee surgery. I thought I was done. My ortho doctor said just walk the races. Do not run them. If you can keep the pace do it. He is an ironman,marathon, ultra runner guy too. SO... I was back at it.2007 I tore a muscle.My doctor said go get fitted to shoes and you will stop all these small injuries. SO I did. Tower of Terror was my first race. Met people from the boards, and made lasting friendships. I do not remember to much of the race after mile 5. All I do remember was I wanted to sit on the bench in Hollywood studios, and the played the song Chariots of Fire!!! How corny!!! If it wasn't for E I would have sat down, and never finished. I was wheeled out in a wheel chair. I could not enjoy the after party. I felt bad enough as it was.


I was done with running and woging at this point. I was done. Then we went to a turkey trot, and I did not get sick. I felt good. 2008 I did the Minnie. Met more friends from the boards and made more lasting friendships.
Then we enrolled for the 2009 half marathon. It was on E's birthday. I had lost 40 pounds at this point. I felt good trained hard. No injuries. In great company. Stood in the bathroom line with some of my close friends, and then it was time. I was time to line up for the Half marathon. It looked like there were tons of people out there. Holy Cats!!!! Most of us stayed together and the rest went to their assigned corral. It took 20 minutes to get to the start line for us. ME, E, Jeff W., Matt and Jonathan. We all crossed together and we all went at our pace. I has so much fun that day. We were walking as fast as others were running. I did it!!!



Then I did the Princess Half made another couple friends, good friends. And jumped in a season of duathlons, placed second in points in the category I was in. Now here I am with the Full marathon coming up in 2010. And a triathlon series to start in Feb. 2010, sponsors, and a Ironman Florida 70.3 in May 2010. Where else? At Disney.


Never ever would I ever say back in 2005 I was going to do an Ironman in 2010, or a marathon, or a 5k. Or loose 50 pounds!!! And find and make friends who love Disney as much As I do. And create a support system. Team Voice. I couldn't have done any of it without anyone from Team Voice.
The experiences and friends I have made I will cherish forever. I have learned alot about myself. And I am not done. Not by far. I have the bug and my ultimate goal is Ironman Kona. And I am glad to have Team Voice with me.

And my biggest fans, My family.

Wow this is long I didn't know I had so much to say about myself!!! Holy Cats!!! 2010 is going to be a great year. I can feel it. I have new things I want to do with Team Voice and move in new directions.

Happy Holidays to everyone who reads this.

I can't Wait to see everyone in Jan.2010 And those who are not going to there you will be missed dearly.

What?? 2011 Goofy??

Team Voice Member Of The Month

Before we go on to the Team Voice Member of the Month, I want to put out there that this month is the The 100 Mile month. Get in Your mileage !!! And your choice of core work out and post your status and how you are doing. SO now on with our Team Voice Member of The Month.......





I’m Deb from Michigan, DebWDW and Mouseketeer #17. My first trip to WDW was five years after I got married. We were going to Florida (remember, we’d had five winters in Michigan) and decided to spend a few days at WDW. We had a good time, but I don’t think we fell in love with WDW on that trip. Our next trip was another five winters later. And I think the second dose of magic did the trick! After that trip, we started visiting once a year. I love the creativity, magic and escape from the real world – my husband loves the restaurants, thrill rides and the sun.

I discovered other Disney geeks when I found the All Ears newsletter, and then eventually Disney podcasts. I was an original listener of All About the Mouse and went to MouseFest 2007 to meet some fellow geeks. MouseFest itself was amazing – the camaraderie, the instant connections, the celebrities! It was there that I met Rae and Kate, Bryan and Jonathan, and a slew of other Disney fans. Meeting Rae and Kate, however, turned out to be a life-changing experience.

I’d known about the Disney marathon for some time, and had fleeting thoughts of doing the race. But I was not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, so it was just a “some day” thought. When Rae and Kate suggested I train with Team Voice for the 2008 Half Marathon, my first thought was “no way.” But they really believed I could do it, and then I started thinking maybe I could do it, so I gulped and said “okay.”

In January 2008 I started training. My first run was .25 miles on the treadmill and it just about killed me. But I was part of Team Voice and had to keep going! I added.25 miles each week, and by Labor Day had managed two 12-mile runs, and finally, a 13-mile run. It was a slow 13 miles, but it was under the maximum time allowed by Disney, so I felt like maybe, just maybe, I could really finish the race!

The half marathon experience in January 2009 was amazing! I finished the race, and so did ALL of Team Voice. During my year of training, all of Team Voice was amazingly supportive, at times nagging, and ultimately the reason I accomplished this huge goal. And here’s why it was life-changing. When I started training, I really thought there was a good chance I would quit. You see, that’s what I had done for a long, long time – get interested in something, tackle it, and then quit. I had not really finished anything in a long time.

When I finished a year of training – and that was the real accomplishment – I realized I COULD set goals and finish them. You can’t imagine what a big deal that is for me. And that’s how Rae, Kate and Team Voice changed my life. And as part of Team Voice, I’ll keep moving forward, with friends and teammates beside me!

Team Voice Member Of The Month

Good day Team Voice!!!
I am very proud to announce this month's Team Voice Member of the Month. He was suppose to be last month but things had ti be iron out so Here is Team Voice Member Of The Month.
I also want to give Brian a huge THANK YOU for all that you do for serving the USA!!

I am Brian Kling, 29yo. A Sergeant in the US ARMY with 12 years of active service. I got into Team voice after being inspired by Jonathan. I guess he has been a real inspiration to a lot of us. I am running for a few reasons. My fitness level even though I am a soldier is not the greatest. I am over weight by the ARMY standards and by my own, and I really want to fight the weight. When it comes to my own goals it is for basic health and fitness and to insure that I am around for a long time. My wife and I just found out we are going to have our first child and that made me think a lot about my health recently. On the ARMY front I can not stay in past 15 years unless I make the next rank. And I really don't want to have to be put out now. It would have been a huge waste of 15 years of my life if I am out out so close to retirement. And well, there is no chance of me making the next rank unless I get my weight under control and get my run time down.

When it comes to running, I seem to be one of the few that truly enjoy the sport. But I don't go nearly as fast and as long as I want to. My goal over the past year has been to improve my time and make it to the completion of a half marathon. I was signed up for the recent half marathon in Seattle, but I just plain forgot about it. I realized that I had missed it by listening to Jonathan talk about it on his podcast. Whoops! A HUGE congrats to Jonathan. I was also looking a the half at WDW in 2010, but never signed up since at the time I was not sure I would be around for it. And now I am glad because in October I will be deploying to IRAQ. So at least I saved the money on that one. My unit should redeploy in October 2010 and I have already talked it over with my wife, so be looking for me at the 2011 half. I just hope that I can get in some good training while I am deployed.

What is Disney to me?

Growing up in Orange, CA Disneyland has been a huge part of my life since my first visit when I was only 11 months old. Not that I remember it, but my family was there for the whole 25 hours of the 25th Anniversary. Too bad they did not do something like that for the 50th. I just plain love Disney and am proud of it. From my hidden Mickey tattoo, and stickers on my truck to my Disney filled wedding reception. I cant think of anything else that has made me smile like Disney has. Every time I come home, Disneyland is the first place I visit, and it will be where I spend my last holiday before shipping out. Really who could not love it?

So that's me. Part Soldier, Part fat body, and Part Disney freak. And loving it!

The picture included is back in Korea after a 5k run for the Year of the NCO. I did it in just under 30 min and placed 18th out of 56 people.

And then one of my wife and I at Disneyland on the first day of our honeymoon.

Brian

"NOTLWIMP"

Team Voice Member Of The Month For June

Hi everyone,

Rae has invited me to be the Team Voice member of the month for June. So here is a little about me and how I came to be involved with this fun group of people.

It all started with the Ipod I received for my birthday three years ago. If my wife would have known that such a little thing would have fueled my Disney obsession well…

It did not take long for me to discover the Wonderful World of Disney podcasting and when I came across Paul Barrie’s Window to the Magic I was hooked. Here was a way I could take (as Paul would later describe) an Imagication and visit the Disney parks any time I wanted to. Paul’s audio has always been top notch and his binaural recording where fantastic to listen to when I would go out for walks. Soon I found myself looking for other shows, and there where many of them out there. At one point I was listening to about eight shows per week and I was always trying something new.

In 2005 I had a physical and learned that I had many risk factors. Rather than going on medications. I began exercising and six months later I was giving a clean bill of health from my doctor. Some friends encouraged me to run in the annual DAM to DAM 20k here in Des Moines . A funny thing happened after running in Dam to Dam 2006. I lost all interest in exercising and reverted back into a bad case of couch potatoitis. One day while listening to WDW Radio I learned of Jonathan’s goal of losing weight and his desire to raise money for Lou’s Dream Team. The Dream Team raises and donates money to the Make A Wish Foundation.

I began following Jonathan’s blog and I soon learned that he would be a guest on a brand new Disney podcast called All About the Mouse. He was to be a guest on Bryan Rippers third episode which would feature a round table discussion about preparing for the WDW marathon weekend. In 2008 Lou Mongello and Bryan would be doing the half marathon for the first time. Also on the program was Disney running veteran Mike Scopa. Jonathan discussed his plans to be in shape for the 2009 half.

Initially through Jonathan I found the inspiration to get back out there and start jogging again. I began to regularly following of his blog. Soon I was following a few other blogs and building friendships with people I had never met.

It was Rae who first encouraged me to start blogging as a way to help keep my focus on exercise and weight loss. Many of you can attest to the fact that Rae has been a great motivator. Often she has held my feet to the fire and encouraged me.

In 2007 my wife and I made the trip down to Mousefest. She did not know what to expect, I think she feared it would be something like a Star Trek convention with people in various character costumes imitating who knows what. The truth was that everyone we met was very friendly and not at all freaky. Disney people are good people and we made some good and lasting friendships.

As 2008 rolled around I decided to run in the 2009 Disney half. Along the way I ran DAM again and finished 15 minutes faster than I had in 2006. In October I also ran the Des Moines half marathon for the first time. That was a good experience except at some point shortly after that race I injured my left arch. I cut back drastically on my jogging in hopes that it would heal in time for the Disney Half. I did a little biking at the local fitness center to keep my endurance up and as my arch improved I did some treadmill work. By January my foot felt 100%.

During marathon weekend I was reunited with my Mousefest friends and I also made a number of new friends whom had been blogging along with us over the past year.

Some of us even dined together off property at FRIDAY’S one night.

Running the Disney Half was everything I imagined it would be. Most of us gathered together in the early morning and walked to the starting line together. The first two miles went by quickly and around that second mile I saw my first monorail. Coming off that first curve you could see the parking toll gate in the distance. It looked much closer than it actually was. Cast Members where at the booth to alert runners to be cautious of the speed bump there. I kept looking for the Contemporary and before long there it was. Soon we were in the Magic Kingdom . It was fun to hear all the park sounds and to see the rides operating. Trumpeters’ herald us through the Castle. Coming through the castle you hit the six mile mark. Running into the back lot of Frontierland there was Captain Jack Sparrow, very cool. Beyond this area the course narrowed into more of a bike trail until it connected to a road leading to the Grand Floridian and the Raceway. Somewhere near mile eight you can see the Dolphin and Swan way off in the distance. I found the most uncomfortable part of the course to be jogging up the ramp that would take us back east toward Epcot. Something about the pitch of the road bothered my hips. Reaching Epcot was nearly as amazing as entering the Magic Kingdom . I finished quite a bit slower than I did in the Des Moines half but I expected that given my slow down in training.

What I did not expect was how far I would let that slow down in training continue. After returning home I rarely went to the fitness center and jogging so far this year has been minimal. The result is I have fallen back into old habits and gained a considerable amount of weight. I changed the goal I set in 2008 for finishing this year’s DAM in less than two hours to simply finishing it. I met that goal but finished nearly an entire hour longer than in 2008.

Currently I am working through some discomfort in my right heel, but I am going to be getting back on track in preparation for Disney 2010. While my foot is healing I have discovered that biking does not bother it and I will begin working jogging back into a regular routine as my foot improves.

Team Voice means a great deal to me. There is always support to be found here. One of my favorite things is that we are not out to prove ourselves to be super athletes. Rather we have been able to support each other as we work toward our own individual goals.

I wish you all great training and good health in the months ahead. I look forward to once more seeing my Team Voice/Disney Friends this coming January and meeting yet even more of you.

Jeff W.

Team Voice Member of The Month #1

Hello Team Voice!!!! This is Rae. Today I am presenting to everyone our first Team Voice Member of the Month. This is a chance for you to get to know the members of the group. As for now towards the end of each month, I will be sending someone, anyone in Team Voice,specially those who are In Training, a e-mail asking if you would like to be the next TV of the month. And keep a look out, and Keep Moving Forward.

Here is our first Member of the month..........

OK well where do I begin.
Well I am Mike Fess. I do intros with Jeff W. for AATM. I was always into sports, but never liked running great distances. Well all that faded and real life sunk in. You mean I have to get a full time job to pay my bills? What's up with that? I started to really put on weight. I was 245lbs. at my heaviest. Well things started to change when my daughter was born. I knew I needed to drop my weight and get my blood pressure in order so I could watch my daughter grow up. Well I was turned on to podcasting by an AllEars news letter. On one show I had heard this guy named Jonathan talking about how he was trying to lose weight. He started running and for motivation he was taking donations to help the dream team foundation. After I heard how much weight he had lost I knew it was time to put aside my loathing for distance running and get off my big at the time backside and start running.

Well I knew I needed to be held accountable and I needed a team to get behind me and support me when I needed it. Well when I heard about Team Voice I knew I just had to be apart of the team. Team Voice gave me the support and accountability I needed to start accomplishing my goals. I was so excited one day when I got on the scale and it didn't go past 200lbs. I nearly went through the roof. Team Voice to me is more than a Team. It is an extended family. I always know if I am struggling I can turn to them. I recently had surgery on my knee and have been laid up for a couple of weeks. Well I am proud to say because of the support from everyone I am back on the road and mark my words Mike-Speed will be back. As for why I love Disney so much(remember it is part of the rules to be on the team) is because I got the opportunity of a life time to work there on the college program. Spring '99 OOH RAH! Ever since then I have been hooked. WDW gives me a place to forget about reality for a week and just act like the kid in me I have to always hold back. So I would like to thank the committee for the nomination and I will end with this.



Team Voice "Many Goals, One Voice".
www.Mikesdisneythoughts.blogspot.com.