Sep 28, 2015

Too Excited to Sleep | #MagicalMickey

Welcome to another #MagicalMickey linkup. Today is a quick post. We're readying for our upcoming Disney vacation (I took a break from packing to write this post). With that, only one thing comes to mind, one of my wife and I's all time favorite Disney commercial

Too Excited to Sleep


Sorry for the less than perfect quality. Hard to find good quality versions of really old commercials, haha.

This really is the sentiment we both share leading up to a Disney trip. This one in particular is extra special, as we'll be surprising our daughter with it. She knows we're going on vacation, no idea to Florida or the place she has been asking to go for like two years. Don't worry, there will be video of her reveal and lots and lots of pictures from our trips. Be sure to check out my Twitter and Instagram as the two most likely sources, but I also may try and Periscope some things.

Do you get excited for vacation? Too excited to sleep?


Guest Bloggers Needed

Since I'll be away, I wanted to open up my blog for guest bloggers. I really should have thought of this and opened it up sooner, but it I didn't do it last minute, I wouldn't be a developer. So if you'd like to write and posts around Disney or running or any other topic you think would fit, send me a message and we can try and set something up.

Onto the Linkup

Here are the guidelines:

The post just needs to be about anything Disney related. There have been posts on runDisney, on the parks and even on the Moms Panel, so just give it some Disney and count it.

New posts are fantastic, but for now, if you have a great old post you want to share, drop it on in.

Try to visit as many of the posts that you can as time allows. The point of this is to share and support each other.

If you're going to be a regular, please link back to the host posts. It's just good etiquette and frankly, that's how others will get to your fellow Disney lovers content. Without that link back, they can't find the linkup and therefore the other blogs. Help me help you.


You also have the option to add the linkup code to your post if you'd like. It is not required, just another option. If not, please follow the above link back guideline. Get the InLinkz code


Sep 21, 2015

Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar | #MagicalMickey

Welcome to another #MagicalMickey linkup. A lot of work has been going on at Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World in Florida for a while now. On today's post, I wanted to share with you a new addition to Downtown Disney. It has a theme I am personally very excited about.


Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar

The newest addition to Downtown Disney, set to open on September 22nd, is Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar. It's an Indiana Jones-themed bar and restaurant named for Indy's frequent pilot, as you may remember in Raiders of the Lost Ark. It includes pilot and aviation based theming, a 150 seat bar, and an outdoor steamboat in dry dock.


Like any good imagineering, it has a great backstory:
Jock made a home at this waterfront property in the 1940s after discovering this charming little town while flying Indiana Jones over the Sunshine State in search of the elusive Fountain of Youth in 1938. As a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, Jock often welcomed his globetrotting friends to his hangar for a drink and fun times.
There are some delicious sounding foods on the menu, with great names, such as the Rolling Boulder Sliders, Brody Brats, Lao Che’s Revenge Asian wings and the Squid! Why’d It Have to Be Squid fried calamari flatbread.

I know I absolutely must stop by here on our upcoming trip. I only wish it hadn't slipped through my radar so that we could have a reservation already in the plans.

What's your favorite restaurant at Downtown Disney? Let me know in the comments.


Onto the Linkup

Here are the guidelines:

The post just needs to be about anything Disney related. There have been posts on runDisney, on the parks and even on the Moms Panel, so just give it some Disney and count it.

New posts are fantastic, but for now, if you have a great old post you want to share, drop it on in.

Try to visit as many of the posts that you can as time allows. The point of this is to share and support each other.

If you're going to be a regular, please link back to the host posts. It's just good etiquette and frankly, that's how others will get to your fellow Disney lovers content. Without that link back, they can't find the linkup and therefore the other blogs. Help me help you.


An InLinkz Link-up


Image Credits: Disney Parks Blog

Sep 20, 2015

More Buff For You: Full Buff Review | BibRavePro

Disclaimer: I received the UV Full Buff to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador, tell them I sent you), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I first got the chance to review the UV Half Buff through the BibRavePro program. You can read the full review (and please do) but it remains to be one of my favorite pieces of gear for running. As you may have seen on my social media, I now have a follow up piece of gear, the Full Buff. I've given it a work over with many work outs, and am here to share my thoughts (which are my own).


More Buff For You: Full Buff Review

Let's start again with what a Buff is. A Buff is a tubular piece of sweat wicking, multifunctional fabric. The particular version we're looking at is the UV Buff or the Original Buff. The "UV" is for the sun protection provided by the fabric, blocking 95% of UV radiation. It's made with COOLMAX® Extreme fabric to wick the sweat and keep you cool as well as Polygiene® Active Odor Control to neutralize that odor it's wicking away.

So, how do you wear it?

Like the Half Buff, there are many ways to wear the Full Buff. In fact, there are even more ways, which frankly, given it's twice as much fabric, you should have seen coming. I tested out a couple of the different ways on my run. There are a lot to demonstrate, so I'll throw out a couple here, then jump to the end for more pictures. I of course enlisted the help of my models, because they just look so darn good.





How well does it work?

I received my Buff with plenty of time to test it out. I jumped between some different ways to wear it. I'm not sure if I have a favorite way yet. The headband / hairband style was nice but a little warm for me personally in the end of summer heat. I think all the additional fabric in the same amount of space was the reason. I really enjoyed the Sahariane. It wasn't as warm as I expected it to be covering my whole head (I'll assume the COOLMAX® has something to do with that). It was also nice at keeping the sun mostly on my neck. They only down point was in covering my neck, it also blocked the occasional breeze from my neck, but that was worth the sun trade off.

There are a lot of ways to wear that aren't as practical for the warm weather (I'm looking at you hood, balaclava, cap, and face mask). I am looking really forward to trying them in the winter. The neck gaitor worked for keeping the sun off and the "soaking in cool water" trick, but will be great in the winter as well (minus the cold water).

While the Buff worked well for me in the sun, I have a feeling the UV Half Buff will be my more likely goto in hot time. I will still use it when I want to use a style like the Sahariane to cover my head and neck, but I feel more runs will see my half. I do however feel this will become my goto once the weather cools off, so look for more use this winter.

The Takeaway

So what's the final takeaway? The Buff worked great. It's a very versatile produce with many uses. It kept a fantastic amount of sweat off my face without making my head too hot. It was great at wicking the sweat away. The UV protection is also perfect for a redhead like me, great for my head and my neck. I feel I'll really get a lot of use out of it in the coming cooler days. The UV Buff gives you more Buff for you, and more Buff for your run!

Discount

Do you want a Buff of your own? Perhaps you want more Buffs of your own like me. Use the code BIBRAVE10 to save 10% off your purchase at Buff

#bibchat

Like what you've read? Want one of your own? They happen to be the sponsor on this week's #bibchat. Come by on Tuesday September 22nd at 9pm EST to join in the chat to interact with the Buff team, the pros, and your fellow runners. You'll have a chance to win a Buff. Plus, you can interact with me, talk running, food, or whatever tangent we go off on.

#BibRavePro

Do you love #bibchat? Do you review races on BibRave.com? Want great perks like this? Then check out the application for becoming a BibRavePro. And when you're filling it out, tell them I sent you.

As promised, MORE PICTURES!










Sep 18, 2015

Songs to Get You Pumped | #FridayFive


I love running to music. That may be evident with some posts, like this post on Running to the Beat or my review of the Plantronics BackBeat Fit. This week's Friday Five linkup is about music that pumps up a workout. I love when the Friday Five goes music, such as my two posts about my McFly Day list and more from McFly Day. This week, I'll be sharing more of my tunes with you and going Hanz and Franz on you.


Songs to Get You Pumped

1. World Championship Finale 1 - Das Sound Machine

This first track is from Pitch Perfect 2, by the german acapella group. It is a great mash up of two separate songs I was thinking of listing on here, so I can get a two for one deal. Those songs are Fall Out Boy's My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark and DJ Khaleed

2. B.O.B. - Outkast

I'll go ahead and date myself a little and say that for the next one I'm jumping back to high school. In the Barney Stinson world of mixes, they should start high and go higher. This song will just start full blast, so you can't help but do some speed work with it.

3. Dancing with Myself - Billy Idol

I have a wide variety of musical that really spans the decades. This song is one of those songs that is just so much fun and just sticks around. I can't help but move and dance to it (including when I'm at work, just a little bit) so it's a great pick me up and pump me up song on a run.

4. Something's Gotta Give

If you ignore the first 15 seconds or so of 90s rock guitar "intro" to get to the song, this tune gets a great beat going. I have a lot of Aerosmith songs I love, but this one works well for having a great pace

5. I'll Make a Man Out of You - Donny Osmon and Chorus in Mulan

I have to give you at least one Disney song on my list. I'm pretty sure some people would call me out if I left them completely off. I'm actually surprised this one didn't make any of the past posts. I've been double checking them to make sure to give you new songs. This one comes with it's own training montage, so how does that not pump you up?

Linking Up

Check here for some links out to others sharing, staring with our three lovely hosts: CourtneyCynthia and Mar. Check their posts (Eat Pray Run DC, You Signed Up for What?! and Mar on the Run to see the full set of links). I will add some others, usually randomly, as I read them to share the love. Go visit and keep reading!


Our hosts:

You Signed Up for What?!

Mar on the Run

Sep 14, 2015

Sad News for Christmas Lights Fans | #MagicalMickey

Welcome to another #MagicalMickey linkup. On today's post, I have some sad news to share with you that I heard on Friday.


Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights Ending This Year

This year, the 20th year, will be the final year of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. The display migrated from the family home in Arkansas to the backlot of Disney's Hollywood Studio in 1995. Since then, it's grown to 5 millions spectacular lights. This past Christmas season in my Xmas@WDW series of posts, I wrote about the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. They are simply amazing. Check out that post for my full thoughts and lots of pictures. The lights cost nothing to see, outside of your park admission. There is only so much I can write about them, and pictures don't even do them justice. The most I can say is this...

If you have a chance to go see the lights this year, do so before they're gone (especially if you've never seen them).

Have you see the Osborne Family lights? Will you see them before their gone? Let me know in the comments.


Onto the Linkup

Here are the guidelines:

The post just needs to be about anything Disney related. There have been posts on runDisney, on the parks and even on the Moms Panel, so just give it some Disney and count it.

New posts are fantastic, but for now, if you have a great old post you want to share, drop it on in.

Try to visit as many of the posts that you can as time allows. The point of this is to share and support each other.

If you're going to be a regular, please link back to the host posts. It's just good etiquette and frankly, that's how others will get to your fellow Disney lovers content. Without that link back, they can't find the linkup and therefore the other blogs. Help me help you.


Sep 7, 2015

Moms Panel Opens Tuesday | #MagicalMickey

Welcome to another #MagicalMickey linkup. On this holiday linkup post, I want to share with you a reminder announcement.

Moms Panel Opens Tuesday

Around this time last year, I wrote one of the early linkup post on the Disney Parks Moms Panel. Read that post for more of the details about the Moms Panel. Caught up? Ok. Every year, they have applications to join the panel, to find real people to provide insightful answers to questions of guests to the parks. This year's search begins tomorrow, Tuesday September 8 at 10 am EST and will remain open for one week. If you're interested, stop by Disney Parks Moms Panel Search Page.

Image credit: disneyparksmomspanel.disney.go.com
It's a multi round process, so bring your A game. Last year I made it to round 2, which was a lot of fun. So if you have a love and knowledge of Disney, it doesn't matter if you're a mom, a dad, a grandparent, aunt, or uncle, you can apply. The point of the site is real people giving you answers you can relate to, and not everyone who has questions is a mom.

Have you applied to the Moms Panel before? Will you this year?


Onto the Linkup

Here are the guidelines:

The post just needs to be about anything Disney related. There have been posts on runDisney, on the parks and even on the Moms Panel, so just give it some Disney and count it.

New posts are fantastic, but for now, if you have a great old post you want to share, drop it on in.

Try to visit as many of the posts that you can as time allows. The point of this is to share and support each other.

If you're going to be a regular, please link back to the host posts. It's just good etiquette and frankly, that's how others will get to your fellow Disney lovers content. Without that link back, they can't find the linkup and therefore the other blogs. Help me help you.

You also have the option to add the linkup code to your post if you'd like. It is not required, just another option. If not, please follow the above link back guideline. Get the InLinkz code


Sep 4, 2015

Five Fall Races | #FridayFive

It's recently warmed back up to more summer-like weather here in NoVA. But school is coming back in session, the leaves are turning colors, football is starting... all of which means fall is coming. This means the fall racing season is beginning, and the topic for this week's Friday Five linkup is quite appropriate. This week's topic is


Five Fall Races

1. Runner's World Half Marathon (Bethlehem, PA)

October 18, 2015
Reason to run: It's Runner's World! Also, Bart Yasso

My first choice for my fall races list is one I am running, the Runner's World Half Marathon and Festival. They offer a weekend of activities, including kids races, 5K, 10K, the half marathon and even a 1 mile dog run. You can even do a Hat Trick (5K, 10K, Half) or a Five and Dime (5K, 10K). It looks like a great weekend of activities. I'm excited to be running the Hat Trick for BibRave this year. I recently posted about making a training plan for the challenge, so go read if you're considering a challenge. Being PA born and raised, I really wanted to run this race, so I'm glad I'm getting the opportunity. It's Runner's World own event, so I'm sure they'll put a lot of attention into it and be a great event for runners. Interestingly enough, this race was on my races to run in 2015 list, and then I received the opportunity to run it for BibRave. Funny how those things work out.

2. Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach (Virginia Beach, VA)

September 6, 2015
Reason to run: Flat, fast, rocking race

This race is high on my list of half marathons to run. Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach is one of the most consistently good Rock 'n' Roll races. I've heard nothing but good things about this race, from the course, the organization and the entertainment. Sometimes the RnR races seem to be hit or miss on location, except this one seems to be always a hit. Couple that with an excuse to go to the beach, and you have a perfect racecation.

3. Beat the Blerch (WA, CA, NJ, Virtual)

September and November, 2015
Reason to run: Run with Mathew Inman, and from the Blerch.

You very likely have seen the Oatmeal's comic about running. It even has been made into a book. Last year the inaugural race was held in Washington, so that you too could run from the Blerch. This year, due to it's great popularity it was expanded to the east coast. Unfortunately, the NJ race is just before my vacation, so I am instead running the virtual race again. Even the virtual race comes with a great swag packet. It includes a shirt, medal, squeezable blerch, magnets, stickers and other awesome little surprises. I heard great things about the actual race last year, so hope they keep the east coast race so I can run it in the future.

4. Your Local Turkey Trot (Wherever, You Are)

November 27, 2015
Reason to run: Run off the turkey in advance

Last year I ran my first turkey day race, the Chris Yung Memorial Turkey Trot. It was a great small race in Manassas. The benefit of running a turkey trot? You can pre-run off that Thanksgiving meal you're going to eat later in the day. I really enjoyed starting my day off with the race, then going home and enjoying a delicious meal. Thanksgiving is the perfect cure for runger. So find your local turkey trot and sign up. Evey where has one.

5. Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend (Orlando, Florida)

November 6 - 7, 2015
Reason to run: Running through Disney and awesome after party

I couldn't have this list without including a runDisney event, now could I? It was hard to choose which one, but I had to give Wine & Dine the edge over Avengers. The weekend includes two races, the first being Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5K. A Christmas themed Disney race?! Reason number 1 for this weekend getting the edge. The second race is the Wine & Dine Half Marathon, an evening race through the parks. The course traditionally includes 3 parks, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios and EPCOT, when other halves at Disney only include 2 parks (Reason number 2 for this weekend). Finally, the main reason for it getting the edge over the Avengers, this race also includes and after party, the finish line party that includes the After-hours Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival. Yes, until 4 am you can enjoy the rides, characters, music and most importantly over 25 Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival kiosks.

Linking Up


Check here for some links out to others sharing, staring with our three lovely hosts: CourtneyCynthia and Mar. Check their posts (Eat Pray Run DC, You Signed Up for What?! and Mar on the Run to see the full set of links). I will add some others, usually randomly, as I read them to share the love. Go visit and keep reading!


Our hosts:

Mar on the Run

Eat, Pray, Run DC

You Signed Up for What?!