Pete, the Marathon, and WISH

[3DisneyKids]

After listening to the e-mail show, I had to comment. Dave (Mouse Skywalker) really struck a cord with me (and we are teammates on Walt's Warriors, so it was great to hear his voice!).

The motto over at the WISH boards is that WISH gave me the Courage to Start!

And how true that is for Dave, me, and a whole host of others.

I had been on the DisBoards for a couple of years and had never been to the WISH section. I knew what it was, but thought "that is not for me. I know I need to lose weight, but it isn't going to happen because of a Disney website!" WRONG!

Once I found my way over there, the rest seemed to take care of itself! Like Pete, I used to laugh at the thought of running! Me? Run? Now that is...

But slowly, with the help of very patient and giving and wonderful WISH/DISers, I got there. I went from being a couch potato, to running a 5k, to training for the half marathon in January. My long runs are now up to 8 miles! Again! Me?!?! This is crazy. I never would have thought it possible.

Pete, I understand your reticence to jump into committing to the half marathon. Take the baby steps that you need. One great place to start is the program called Couch to 5 k (abbreviated as C25k here on the DIS). It takes you from couch potato to running a 5k in 9 weeks. And yes, it is based on baby steps. Here is a link for anyone who is interested:

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

WISH is what I use for my lifestyle change. No personal trainer (though I do have a gym membership). Anyone who wants to, can do it with the help of the WISH boards! There is so much knowledge and support there! Come on over--Pete and everyone who wants to make healthier lifestyle changes.

Here are my before and "after" pictures. This is after 5 months on the WISH boards and 3.5 months on the racing team. It is not my final "after" picture as I still have about 12 pounds to go. But I am thrilled with my progress so far. And again, WISH gave me the courage to start!

So I hope to be running laps around the ship with you on the Podcast Cruise!

~Erika

 

[msteddom]

Wow! You look amazing! I have tried and failed numerous times to take my extra weight off. I did have success the WISH boards, so I know I can do it, and I may be ready to start again. When that time comes I'll be sure to check back in over there! Thanks for the encouraging words (even if they weren't meant for me )

Melissa

 

[3DisneyKids]

Thanks so much! But the words are meant for everyone, not just Pete!

 

[lttlmc3]

Wow! Great job!!

 

[robinc71]

After listening to the e-mail show, I had to comment. Dave (Mouse Skywalker) really struck a cord with me (and we are teammates on Walt's Warriors, so it was great to hear his voice!).

The motto over at the WISH boards is that WISH gave me the Courage to Start!

And how true that is for Dave, me, and a whole host of others.

I had been on the DisBoards for a couple of years and had never been to the WISH section. I knew what it was, but thought "that is not for me. I know I need to lose weight, but it isn't going to happen because of a Disney website!" WRONG!

Once I found my way over there, the rest seemed to take care of itself! Like Pete, I used to laugh at the thought of running! Me? Run? Now that is...

But slowly, with the help of very patient and giving and wonderful WISH/DISers, I got there. I went from being a couch potato, to running a 5k, to training for the half marathon in January. My long runs are now up to 8 miles! Again! Me?!?! This is crazy. I never would have thought it possible.

Pete, I understand your reticence to jump into committing to the half marathon. Take the baby steps that you need. One great place to start is the program called Couch to 5 k (abbreviated as C25k here on the DIS). It takes you from couch potato to running a 5k in 9 weeks. And yes, it is based on baby steps. Here is a link for anyone who is interested:

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

WISH is what I use for my lifestyle change. No personal trainer (though I do have a gym membership). Anyone who wants to, can do it with the help of the WISH boards! There is so much knowledge and support there! Come on over--Pete and everyone who wants to make healthier lifestyle changes.

Here are my before and "after" pictures. This is after 5 months on the WISH boards and 3.5 months on the racing team. It is not my final "after" picture as I still have about 12 pounds to go. But I am thrilled with my progress so far. And again, WISH gave me the courage to start!

So I hope to be running laps around the ship with you on the Podcast Cruise!

~Erika

Wow you look great! I think that I will look into this and see how I can accomplish this. I really need to lose weight and thought that I could never run but at the same time would love to be able to say "I've run a 5K". We have started walking at work and one of my frineds might be interested in doing this with me. Thanks for the info!

 

[sailors_wfe]

Wow! WTG I'm donig my first 5k this weekend and i'm getting nervous I started posting on the WISH boards but haven't been back over there in a long time, need to get back into posting.
You're an inspiration.. thanks for posting all of the info and your before/after pics

 

[HunnyBunny]

Wow. What amazing results. Thanks for the link to the C25K. I will be using that to get prepared to run my first 5K. Good luck everyone.

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Erika- I think your post says it all. Congratulations on your weight loss, and your continued committment to good health. I wanted to say a couple other things about WISH, that are meant for everyone.

One of the things that really resonated with me (in addition to the motto WISH gave me the courage to start) was the acronym. For those that don't know, W.I.S.H. stands for "We're Inspired to Stay Healthy". That meant a lot to me. It's not a group of utracompetitive people that are trying to "one up" each other. It's a group of people that have made a committment to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I had become very sedentary when I started a job in 1999, and it was very hard to get moving again. W.I.S.H. got me moving again with their support and encouragement.

Yes, I've run a couple of marathons, but it's the committment to staying healthy that I feel best about.

 

[SamSam]

I'm a member of Donalds Defiant Dashers (the Triple D's) over on the WISH boards. I want to add that you can also walk a half-marathon. I'm a walker and am never made to feel like I don't belong because I walk instead of run. The support on the WISH team is great and it helps keep me motivated to get out and walk. I've always exercised, but entering events is a whole new, fun thing to do and be a part of.
Pete, there's plenty of time to get in shape for the new Princess 1/2 next March.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I definitely sound more like Triple D material! I can walk forever...but jogging just kills my joints. I do our local Race For The Cure every year but have been thinking of trying some others...thanks for the inspiration Erika & SamSam!

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Walkers are very much welcome in WISH. We have a number of people who have walked numerous 5k's up to full marathons. WISH is inclusive of all. In fact, when I was challenging Pete, I wanted to emphasize that he didn't have to run the half marathon. He could commit to a walking program. I think I didn't make that clear. When I say run, I mean walk, run, run/walk, whatever gets you moving.

 

[3DisneyKids]

Dave and Sam make great points...WISH really is for everyone. We have walkers, we have slow runners, we have fast runners, we have cyclists, we have those who are really trim and fit, and those who have 100+ pounds to lose....everyone and everything!

And that is the best part of WISH...the diversity of the levels and goals of others. There is always someone who used to be where you are and can get you through it. There is always someone who is where you want to be and you can use as inspiration. And there is no nastiness or ugly competitiveness. We have our friendly competitions, but they are really just for us to have fun with. Whether you log one mile or 100 miles in a month...your work will be celebrated by all.

Everyone is welcome to join us on WISH!

 

[Stroller Boy]

Have to catch up on the shows (computer with iTunes was "spamed"), but sounds like a great idea for Pete! Walk, run, or whatever committing to one of these races can really be a great motivator in itself. I had never run more than a mile prior to Feb of this year. Then I signed up for the 2009 half marathon.... Putting the 100 entry fee down motivated me to start, but once I got going I learned that running isn't boring as I thought it would be. Amazing! Yeah it's hard work when your doing it, but you just feel awesome after every run.

Completed a half-marathon this past Sunday (furthest distance I've run to date) 1:56:44.....I'm still in disbelief that I was able to accomplish this in 5 short months with no real plan other than having the Disney race in sight. Well, that and advice from others and a commitment to taking small steps/small short term goals.

While I'm not a member of the W.I.S.H team (joined Team Voice gang from All About the Mouse) there is some great content/people over there and I try to contribute when I can.

Good luck to everyone with their health and Disney race goals

 

[jbucci]

I just wanted to put in my 2 cents in praise of WISH. I tend to lurk on this board and over at WISH but felt this was worth a post. I got inspired to try running by listening to a variety of podcasts talking about Disney races. I've never been a runner (and still am more of a slow jogger), but figured I'd try. I ran the Minnie Marathon this year and met a group of WISHers in the beginning of the race. They were the nicest, most encouraging group!!!!
They helped me get through both the 5K and 15K and have a wonderful time. Thanks to WISH I'm now going to try to run the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon. They are a great group of people!

 

[grizbuzz]

Erika--THANKS for your inspiring story! I have been lurking on the WISH boards and have started training for a race/marathon. It's been more than a month and I'm up to about 45 minutes of running (which means jogging and walking) a day and working with a personal trainer to get ready for a 10k the end of August. I REALLY want to do a half marathon, but am still trying to find the right one. Disneyland is tempting, but it's too soon and in all honesty, I'm afraid of the heat.

Which brings me to my question for MouseSkywalker...

Mouse Skywalker--You said on the podcast that there are ways into the WDW half marathon even though it is sold out. Could you elaborate? Or was that just for Pete that there are still ways to get in?

Pete--I think that I heard you say that you didn't rule out the possibility of considering that a marathon might not be an altogether impossible idea. Glad you kept the door open and I hope you surprise yourself in what you're capable of achieving with this lifestyle change!

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Which brings me to my question for MouseSkywalker...

Mouse Skywalker--You said on the podcast that there are ways into the WDW half marathon even though it is sold out. Could you elaborate? Or was that just for Pete that there are still ways to get in?

Hi Grizbuzz: First of all, congratulations on your running. It is such a big achievement to be running for 45 minutes. Way to go!!

Sure, I can elaborate on ways you can get into the marathon. One is you can book a package through a tour company. I'm not sure if it's OK to post these, but there are two tour companies that you can buy packages through and they have guaranteed runner registrations.

The official Disney Sports Travel Agency is Anthony Travel
http://www.anthonytravel.com/event_detail.cfm?EventID=140

The other tour agency is Marathon Tours and Travel
http://www.marathontours.com/disney/index.shtml

I'm not sure if Dreams Unlimited can get tour packages for the marathon, but it might be something to look into.

The second way you can get registration into the half marathon is by signing up through an official charity. There are a number of groups and charities listed on the Disney Marathon site. You can check with them to see if they are still accepting people into their group.
http://disneyworldsports.disney.go.com/dwws/en_US/marathon/events/detail?name=MarathonWeekendGroupsCharitiesDetailPage

Good luck, and it would be great to see you on the WISH threads.

 

[grizbuzz]

Hi Grizbuzz: First of all, congratulations on your running. It is such a big achievement to be running for 45 minutes. Way to go!!

The second way you can get registration into the half marathon is by signing up through an official charity. There are a number of groups and charities listed on the Disney Marathon site. You can check with them to see if they are still accepting people into their group.
http://disneyworldsports.disney.go.com/dwws/en_US/marathon/events/detail?name=MarathonWeekendGroupsCharitiesDetailPage

Good luck, and it would be great to see you on the WISH threads.

Well, 45 minutes is the most I've run so far in my training...not what I'm doing everyday (yet!). But one jog at a time.

Thanks so much for sending the information about the WDW marathon. I'm especially intrigued with this idea of running for a charity. Even if I can't make the Disneyworld event this next year, it would be really cool and all the more motivational to run for a charity for my first half marathon. You've inspired me and got me thinking!

 

[SamSam]

There is also the new Princess 1/2 Marathon (March 8) in WDW. So if January doesn't work, maybe March will.