Cold War Kids - SXSW 2013 - Miracle Mile Acoustic

Love this acoustic version and tailor made song for running down your favorite trails this Spring. I started training for the Hershey Half Marathon this week and am looking forward to competing again this October. I ran my best time at Hershey last year but post race I let my training go a bit to hell. I also gained a whopping 10 pounds and let’s just say when it comes to running, curves are much better suited for your route and not your person. But there is nothing like a chronic illness and the thought of running 13.1 miles again to scare, I mean motivate, you into getting back in shape. Four miles was like a death sentence yesterday but like the lyrics say “Put your head down and breath one breath at a time.” Every day you have a chance to get back out there and 13.1 miles is really just one miracle mile at a time. Go get ‘em! xoxo

“Get outside, get all over the world
You learn to love what you get in return
It may be a problem and it may be peace of mind
Put your head down down and breathe one breath at a time.”

(Source: youtube.com)

Maps & Atlases - Fever (Live on KEXP)

Running Song of the Week :) Smitten.

(Source: youtube.com)

THE COLOR RUN™ - Philadelphia EXPLODES with 26,000 Color Runners™! (by thecolorrun)

The New Running Experience- Light Shows, Zombies, and Paint, Oh My!

It seems like every sport or hobby these days is going extreme or made over into a full-fledged event. I don’t think you can even say “event” anymore but rather an “experience.” The activities we love to do that used to be calming and therapeutic are on steroids. Cooking shows are my fave to watch and even our sweet little ol cupcakes have gone to war (Full disclosure- I love the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and it was even the theme of my daughter’s last bday ;). And you can even go to a concert venue now to see a cooking show with live music and bigger than life appliances to literally mix things up.

Running has jumped on the band wagon and I can’t say that I’m disappointed. I still love the traditional half marathons and the Tough Mudder is on my bucket list. But there’s a new kind of race in town. And you don’t have to be a bad ass to compete and it’s ok if you like to giggle more than grimace. How can you not feel a little bit giddy at the thought of light sticks, live music, a paint fest, and zombies thrown in the mix? Not necessarily all together or in that order.

There are a variety of local tricked out races to get your run on and put you right into the center of the action:  

Philly Zombie Run  April 7 with a course that is transformed into an apocalypse and zombies chase you to the finish.

Electric Run July 20 where both you and an electrified course light up the night sky in the city of brotherly love.

The Color Run July 14 requires you to sport a white tee and be doused with a rainbow of powder paint throughout the course.

I love how running races aren’t just for the hard core anymore but accessible to everyone. There is nothing intimidating about rainbow paint and peace, love and understanding. Life isn’t predictable and there are days when we feel like a Tough Mudder and others when we’re feeling stuck in the mud. It’s when those blues hit that a little orange, yellow, green, and red just might help change our outlook. My perspective has been a bit dark these days but between the Electric Run and looking forward to doing the Color Run with my daughter (our first race together!) I can’t imagine a better way to lighten my mood or color my spirit. See you there!

Depeche Mode - Heaven (by DepecheModeVEVO)

Depeche Mode is one of those bands that transport me back to another time. I’m 20 years old standing in the Spectrum waiting to see one of my fave bands for the first time. All thanks to a good friend who surprised me the night before with a ticket. Same guy who convinced me to try rock climbing and when I made it to the top, the only one who could talk me into letting go of the ledge to repel back down. And great company for those long runs on the Schuylkill River trail although he needed roller blades to keep up ;). I met my DM bestie when he was literally climbing the walls of our dorm building. Two decades later he climbs mountains when he isn’t racing cars or solving the world’s technological problems. As for me, half marathon number 3 is on the radar. Heaven will join my run playlist right along with Enjoy the Silence. It’s nice to see that some things never change.

This Is 40 Official Trailer #2 (2012) Judd Apatow, Paul Rudd, Megan Fox Movie HD (by movieclipsTRAILERS)

This Is 40- really?

Let me start by saying I had a blast watching the movie This Is 40 directed by Judd Apatow. I laughed so hard that being 40 meant I really could have pee’d myself. I could go all warm and fuzzy on you about everything that made the movie one of my new faves but I think it’s my duty as a real 40ish year old to point out a few things.

Several of my friends commented about the movie with quips like “OMG, that movie is so my life.” Or “That movie was spot on!” Here’s where I get a tiny bit confused, and I am 40, so bear with me for being a little slow. Even if you haven’t seen the movie you can check out the trailer and pay attention, because 40 means you live in a big a*s tricked out home. And we’re not talking McMansions either. I took copious notes as I already had one strike against me and then the camera took us inside. Apparently it is quite standard to have gorgeous built ins and french doors popping up all through your home. (Strike 2!)  Something told me I should rethink those Raymour and Flanigan selections too since gallery style furniture is not only en vogue but apparently very affordable even on two failing careers. I also learned that my other shopping destinations are on the no-no list. I had no idea I was so tragically unhip browsing at Ann Taylor and that my only chance at youthful redemption means shopping at vintage clothing stores, or owning one, because that’s very obtainable in this economy too. As for your husband, he should have a full head of hair at age 40 and a hip job as well with an office that looks like something right out of a.. wait for it……movie set. Giggle. Oh, and I saw no station wagons (I’m so screwed) but pretty sure I saw a Lexus. If that’s 40 sign me up damn it!

In all seriousness the movie did a great job spoofing many of the challenges most of us 40-somethings face on a regular basis. One of the lines that hit home for me was Albert Brooks as the fil telling his dil that his son loves her because she is the fighter. “One person in the relationship’s gotta punch.” And here my friend is where I’d like to share some thoughts. 40’s are a unique time of life. For most of us, our kids are getting older and most likely we have at least one teen in our household. Even if that child is a great kid there are moments when you would swear you just saw her head completely turn all the way around her body and settle back in front again. If you aren’t carting that child and others around in the mom mobile for at least four hours of your day, you are helping them navigate through a world where classmates are already experimenting with sex, drugs and alcohol.  I’m expecting the gray hairs to sprout at any moment. 40, at least in my world, also means that without hesitation you gave up that hip job to find something that ensures you have flexibility to be home with your kids. It sometimes even means that you are working in a position you are overqualified for and more suited to probably run the entire department. Many of you 40-somethings see your husband only on the weekends because he travels all week. Your man works his butt off and probably his hair too as you begin to notice there is a little less of both every year. As for your home, all your stylish finds were more likely found in Marshalls Home Goods but I’ll never tell. (Meet ya there!)  

This isn’t my own rendition of Scared Straight. And ok, sometimes your kid may use you for target practice, your metabolism suddenly sucks, you make the same salary you made when you graduated college, and you might even be blessed with a chronic illness. Been there, done that. Being 40 may not look exactly like the big screen (where’s my personal trainer?) but the message rings true that it takes a whole lot of fight with equal amounts of understanding and love to endure. Believe me, I related a little too much to the parts of the movie where 1, 2 or 4 cupcakes and an intense workout were needed to survive the daily madness. No one said it was going to be easy but lucky for you, your 40’s are here to kick your a*s and remind you why you did all of this in the first place.  More importantly, who you are doing it for.  And on those days, especially the 4 cupcake days, you’ll still intuitively know how incredibly lucky you truly are. And guess what that means? Poof- You are 40. Lucky b*stard.   

For A&J

METRIC - Breathing Underwater [Official Video]

Running Song of the Week

Hope this finds you all in good health! The flu bug and I have had a week-long rendezous. Not the way I had intended on losing a few pounds.  Parts are running but not my feet. 

Stay healthy friends and hit that trail. xoxo 

(Source: youtube.com)

‘Dancing around the Bride: Cage, Cunningham, Johns, Rauschenberg, and Duchamp’ (by PhilaArtMuseum)

I’ve lived in or outside Philly most of my adult life. I married a man who has lived in Philly for nearly as long, but his NYC roots mean that “the city” or his sports teams still look more like a big apple. Yes friends, sometimes our fair city may have a complex or even a chip on its shoulder having to share the spotlight with nearby sister cities, but there are times when we shine the brightest. Writing about the arts is a bit of a digression for me as this blog is centered on wellness, but being healthy is not just about body, but what’s good for the mind and soul too. I encourage you to take a trip into the city of brotherly love and visit our beautiful Philadelphia Art Museum to partake in what  New York City art critics are hailing as “a top candidate for favorite museum show of the year.” How about dem apples NYC? ;) Woot!

By the way, the show is called Dancing Around the Bride: Cage, Cunningham, Johns, Rauschenberg and Duchamp, and ends January 21^st so hurry!  Read more about the exhibit here.

Enjoy! xoxo

Eric Clapton/Tears in Heaven

Dedicated to the families in Newtown, CT and their unfathomable loss. God bless.

“Beyond the door
 There’s peace, I’m sure
 And I know there’ll be no more
 Tears in heaven.”

(Source: youtube.com)