runDisney Dreaming & Treadmill Woes

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I have developed the most dysfunctional relationship with my treadmill!  Part of the problem is that I’m running on “the replacement” treadmill.  My beloved (yes, you’re allowed to love and become ridiculously attached to exercise machinery) original treadmill survived many years of reliable service.  It helped me train for dozens of races including marathon and half-marathon distances, then it died.

runDisney Dreaming & Treadmill Woes

Sadly, the frame split.  Raymond welded it back together (yes, my sweet husband has mad repair skills), and it finally split again – prompting Raymond to ask me, “Don’t you think it’s done enough and can be put out of its misery?” – and he was right.  That bad boy was awesome, but the time had come to let it go and buy a new one.  I’ve had the replacement since last December, but it’s still not as comfortable to me as the old one.  I’m much slower on this one.  It doesn’t have the same electronic display.  Yes, I’m whiney, but I’m old and we “mature” people tend to be set in our ways.runDisney training selfie

So here’s where I’m at and where I need your help.  I’m trying to lay down a base mileage of 25 miles per week so I can be ready for fall racing.  I can run 1-2 days on the road, but the rest of my running has to be indoors.  I’m looking for all your motivational tips, tricks and playlist suggestions – stuff I can implement to keep me on that stupid treadmill for 4-5 miles per day.  I’m desperate because….RM-Sunrise-runDisney-Princess-Half

Next year’s runDisney races are calling my name!  Princess Half Marathon registration was this week and I saw my friend and fellow blogger, Karen (check her blog out here), post on social media that she was in!  This got me even more excited about my own plans for next year.  Having run the Princess/Glass Slipper Challenge both this year and last, I’ve been wanting to try something new runDisney-wise.  You may recall that my son, Joseph, helped me train for this year’s Glass Slipper Challenge and then stayed home to take care of Junior while I raced. Lisa and Joe training run

 

I owe him a runDisney experience after all of that love and support and I aim to make good in 2017 by registering us both for the Star Wars Dark Side Challenge!

So, with registration looming (I believe in early August) and proof-of-time races in the not too distant future, I’m psyched, yet challenged by my treadmill woes.  Help!  Any and all suggestions to get me through my indoor training are welcome.

Are you doing a runDisney event in 2017?  Which one?  How are you planning to do your training?

 

Disney Vacation Libation – Flights Around the World

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Walt Disney World offers plenty of choices to grown-up guests looking for vacation libations.  For those of us who like trying new foods and drinks, flights have become a popular way to enjoy adult beverages while sampling new flavors.  From beer and wine to whisky, rum, and tequila, there are options all over the place! (As a mom, I feel compelled to add:  Please drink responsibly.)

Disney Vacation Libation – Flights Around the World

This list is in no way all-inclusive.  Rather like the flights featured, this selection of options is but a small sample of the many choices available in Disney’s many pubs and lounges.RM-Rose&Crown-Scotch-Flight2

Rose and Crown – I’ve described in detail the single malt scotch flight in a previous post.  I highly recommend it if you’re a scotch fan and currently priced at $20 for samples of Glenkinchie, Oban, and Lagavulin, it’s a pretty good value.   The next time we stopped by this lively bar in Epcot’s UK Pavilion, we were pleasantly surprised by the rare availability of a table.  Hot, thirsty and with plenty of time to spare, we ordered up a couple of Imperial Sampler beer flights ($12) and sat down to enjoy the atmosphere and tasty flavors of Bass, Harp, Strongbow (cider), Boddingtons, and Guinness – that’s five beers to try (5-ounce pours of each).Rose and Crown Imperial Sampler

Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto – Even if you’re not into the specialty cocktails this pub is famous for, Trader Sam’s has something for you.  The Kona Beer Flight is an excellent choice (5-ounce pours each of Longboard Island Lager, Fire Bock Pale Ale, and Castaway IPA).  Trader Sam’s also offers a Rum Flight which includes 3/4-ounce pours each of Bacardi 8-year, Pyrat XO Reserve, and Ron Zacapa Centenario 23-year.Trader-Sam's-Menu-Cover

On Our To-Do List…

La Cava Del Tequila – This very popular (but tiny) spot in Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion offers a highly touted Tequila flight that’s on my must-try list.  Described on the Menu as “La Cava Tequila Flight  22 Casa Noble Blanco, Partida Reposado, and Ambhar Añejo”.  I know next to nothing about tequila (except for a few ill-advised shots in college) and I’m interested to learn more.  Per several sources, the best time to visit this establishment is in early afternoon – could be dicey imbibing in tequila that early in the day, but I’m game.

Possibly Extinct…Morimoto-Asia-Sake-Flight

Morimoto Asia – The Sake Flight may be gone now.  We loved this option during lunch last December and now it appears to have disappeared from the menu.  We thought it was a fantastic way to try different sake styles and had planned on a repeat during our Christmas week visit this year.  Maybe they’ll bring it back or perhaps if we ask the amazing wait staff will work something out for us.  At about $35 per flight, it was pricey, but we thought it was worth a special treat.

What about you?  Have you tried a flight (or more) at Walt Disney World?  What would you recommend?

 

 

 

 

Disney World Memories: The Adventurers Club!

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Today I’m sharing Nick’s post on the Adventurers Club.  I don’t recall having ever visited this once super-popular Disney World lounge.  This article was written before the opening of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at the Polynesian and The Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom.  I have a question for those of you who were lucky enough to visit the Adventurers Club – are these two new places anything like the Club used to be?

Disney World Memories: The Adventurers Club!

Last Saturday, I discussed Pleasure Island. My favorite club at PI was the Adventurers Club, which was styled after a private club for world travelers and explorers and was set in 1937.
The walls of the club were covered with artifacts and photographs from various explorations.
It had animatronics, puppets, and a cast of “adventurers” who performed in shows and improvisational comedy while mingling with the club-goers.
There was also an actual club to join, with a newsletter, (which I have somewhere, and will surely share if I rediscover it) and a button.

There was so much to see and do at this club, including drinking specialty beverages, such as the official drink of the club, the Kungaloosh, which may or may not have come in this canteen, (I can’t remember, too many Kungalooshes).

Sadly, the Adventurers Club closed in 2009, with the rest of the clubs on Pleasure Island, but fans, including me, still hope that it will return once more to Walt Disney World in some form or another.

 

To read more about Nick’s amazing Disney collectibles and his many Disney adventures, visit the Disney Musings Blog (where this article first appeared).  You can follow Nick on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Pinterest.  You can also listen to Nick, our friend Dave, and me on The Disney Exchange Podcast where we talk about our love for all things Disney – new episodes every Sunday morning.

Stitch! Walt Disney Classics Collection

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While I may not be a fan of his great escape attraction in Magic Kingdom, I do love Stitch!  Today’s featured item, a little figurine from Nick’s collection, is absolutely adorable and reminds me that I haven’t watched Lilo and Stitch in quite a while…what a perfect thing to do on a hot summer Saturday afternoon!  Have a great weekend, Everybody!

Stitch! Walt Disney Classics Collection

Summer arrived in the Northern Hemisphere this week.
This Walt Disney Classics Collection Stitch was the 2006 Spring Premiere Event limited edition sculpture. But to me, it says “Summer” rather than Spring.

“Greetings From Paradise” measures 4 1/2 inches high.

What do you think Stitch has in his coconut?

That is one awesome shirt he’s sporting!

Limited to 4000.

The production mark for 1996 is the Trowel, in honor of Practical Pig in the Academy Award winning 1933 cartoon, ‘The Three Little Pigs’.
For another WDCC Stitch figurine, check out this post by Barbie.

Here’s hoping everyone has a wonderful Summer here in the north, and we hope folks in the Southern Hemisphere have a wonderful Winter!

Do you collect any of the Walt Disney Classics Collection figures?  Which ones do you have?

To read more about Nick’s amazing Disney collectibles and his many Disney adventures, visit the Disney Musings Blog (where this article first appeared).  You can follow Nick on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Pinterest.  You can also listen to Nick, our friend Dave, and me on The Disney Exchange Podcast where we talk about our love for all things Disney – new episodes every Sunday morning.