Two thumbs up

Tuesday's tune featuring Chiddy Bang: opposite of adults

Love the bobble heads. love the beat. love the MGMT Kids inclusion (better than mgmt)

"Cuz the real world kinda like real world"

Other chiddy biddy's to get into: truth, all things go

your thoughts?

Market square day 10k musings

And it's Monday.

How was your weekend??

First and foremost the Lollapalooza schedule is out! At first glance Saturday (day) seems like a bust so I am diving head first into the unknown, hopefully coming up for air with some sweet new music. TBA is playing at 2:45, now do we think this is a creative name for a band or they really have not filled this spot yet? Just kidding. Kind of.

Second, as I am writing this my landlord is working on the sewer pipe...I guess it broke over the weekend. ew. My bedroom, which is in the "basement" smells like sewer. I pray he fixes this soon. In the mean time any water usage is permitted.

Market Square Day 2010 10k reflection time.

It.was.awesome! Well as awesome as six point two miles can be. It is true what "they" say, the first three miles are the hardest. So in the case of a 5k, doom and gloom. Anything over, good times. In all seriousness, running through the familiar streets of Portsmouth, NH alongside 2,000 other people, with Queen, "We are the Champions," the Rocky theme and other inspirational songs blasting from neighborhoods was, well, inspiring. Motivating. Uplifting. Absolutely and positively energizing!

This past race marked the 33rd anniversary of running, eating, singing, playing, and downtown Portsmouth purchasing power in Market Square. Little background: taken from here.

Created to celebrate the renovation and beautification of Downtown Portsmouth - and, in particular, Market Square - the Festival has grown in size along with the growth and popularity of Portsmouth. It is estimated that between 60,000 - 80,000 people walk through Downtown Portsmouth on that one day enjoying the entertainment, products and food offered by artists, cratfters and merchants - many from the Seacoast area.

On average, 100+ vendor applications are approved/accepted for inclusion in the festival. Three performance stages feature local and regional musicians. The day 'kicks off' with the Market Square Day 10K Road Race. Most of Downtown Portsmouth is vehicle-free and pedestrian-friendly from 9am 'til 4pm on the second Saturday in June each year.

Since it was raining, I did not stick around to roam the streets, eat the grub or purchase handmade jewels, art and crafts after the race. But I have taken part in these miraculous festivities before. Before the race, The Meat House was grilling up steak, the vendors were setting up their unique jewels and the fresh lemonade was being squeezed. I was so close to taking off my race bib and slipping underneath The Meat House's grill to hide and bask in the smoky glory. But I didn't.

I guesssssss I am glad I didn't though. Because the hospitality during and immediately following the 10k was truly appreciated and very much needed. Probably better than what I would have received sneaking around the Meat House tent circa 9am. MSD volunteers set up water booths along the course and many residents set up hoses and water stations too! Thank you to all who volunteered and those that put aside their water and electric bill concerns for us to run through the sprinklers and sprint to Rocky for seconds of pure cool glory. Boxes and boxes of watermelon, oranges, bananas, powerade, water and samples of wheaties fuel were situated under a tent right at the finish line for all the hungry, dehydrated and sugar starved runners. I could not move my tired legs and sore bum fast enough to electrolyte haven.

All in all I can see why Market Square Day's 10k is the most popular road race of the Seacoast. The community's support, cheers, hospitality and enthusiasm carried so many through six miles. Congrats to all the runners and race walkers who finished the 2010 10k and thank you, thank you, again and again to all who helped out on Saturday! Your presence was appreciated!

Party in my mouth

Ahhh Wednesday, hump day, two more alarm clocks, mid-week, however you reference the day, it's not Monday and it might just be my favorite day of the work week! Usually Wednesday's include wine and cooking, sweatpants and the couch. But not today. Instead, I rocked the burpees and kettlebells apres work. Gotta implement, uhhhmm practice, the new skills gained this past weekend. Instead of a breather day I boogied.

Then came the pampering...

Revlon Plum Seduction. Purple pink playful and sassy. Please don't stare too long, not a professional pedicurist.

Is reading while cheffing normal? Well it has to be when reading a page turner. I seriously cannot put down Dennis Lehane's spooky tale of Shutter Island. This novel lives in my purse, when it isn't in my hands of course. True statement: I have not left home without it since the library lent it to me. Dull moment at work, it's okay, book to the rescue! No, no, I am just joshing you...I would never...

Now, dinner. I get excited about the little things in life. Hence, this blog was born. So you can only imagine my enthusiasm when I walked in the front door, felt the avocado resting up for its performance and realized, it was ripe. Time to shine!

Not too long ago I introduced miss avocado, miss mango and mr. balsamic chicken. The three played nicely, complimenting one another, the ladies adorably flirting with mr. chicken. I was nervous for jealous emotions to surface or worse, the creation of a tyrant, but to my pure satisfaction these three balanced each other out. The wine to the cheese to the mac. Tonight, I decided to test the waters again, inviting miss strawberry to dinner. Oh.my.gosh. Party in my mouth! The sweetness of the strawberries and mangoes lit up the creamy avocado. The versatile balsamic chicken adjusted perfectly to its candy like toppings, not giving up an ounce of personality. This is a beautiful relationship, one I will cherish.

There were other invitees this evening. You cannot throw a party and forget to call your favorites! Classy roasted sweet potato, fresh roasted green beans and roasted's friend of a friend, roasted chickpeas. I will definitely hang with the roasted chickpeas again, but I will be honest, they were kind of wall flowers tonight. Maybe better suited for a one on one session. I bet they were intimidated by miss strawberry, miss mango and miss avocado. Aw poor roasted chickpeas.

Oh gosh, I have to interrupt this regular scheduled programing to bring you this: Nigel Lythgoe was just issued a speeding ticket traveling through Iowa trying to make up lost time to tell Kent Boyd whether he makes So You Think You Can Dance Season 7. Hilarity defined. PS. Kent Boyd BETTER make the top 10.

And that is what I am doing for the rest of the night...so you think you can dance, dance, dance...

What is your favorite summer tv show? I know it is slim pickings but there must be some guilty pleasure...

Fitness, fitness, fitness!

This past weekend was epic. One of those pivotal moments where life comes to a screeching halt but the fast forward button is also on lock.

When: Friday, June 4- Sunday, June 6. Who: the top fitness experts in the business and many coaches, trainers, entrepreneurs, and physical therapists with a hunger for more. Where: Providence RI. What: Perform Better Why? Insert our weekend mantra: fitness! fitness! fitness! (When you wake up at 5am on the weekend you need a chant.)

As a media analyst, I do not fit the typical three day training summit attendee but everyone has to start somewhere. Right? Right. Plus I do not know a single person living a healthy lifestyle that wouldn't take something away from the Perform Better summit. What individual doesn't enjoy an inspirational talk? Show me a runner who isn't interested in increasing their speed! Who would turn down an opportunity to revamp their work out? Especially if the revamping was brought to you live by, say, Fraser Quelch, the creator of the TRX?!

Apologies in advance, no camera was present. I felt a little out of place in the beginning and when I warmed up the camera seemed disrespectful and unnecessary. Not many sweaty athletes want a photo taken of them during a cardio strength training with well-known, respected coach Dos. I personally think being active is beautiful, but I wasn't about to assume someone else felt the same way. Also, the presenters were there to present in a comfortable setting, not paparazzi-ville.

Ok, soooo that's all great but what did I do this weekend? Every hour I could either listen to a presenter (two lectures every hr) or engage in hands on training (two hands on sessions every hr). With so many topics and speakers, the decisions on who to see were tougher than overcooked steak.

Highlights from Friday included but were not limited to Brian Grasso and Fraser Quelch. 9:15am, when I would usually be settling into my cubicle at work, I was with Brian Grasso, founder and CEO of the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA). Here we did spider man crawls, hops, skips, jumps, crab walks, bear crawls, push ups and played like a kid for an hour. This.was.fun. Young athletes should not train like adults and frankly, Brian taught me that I shouldn't either. Natural movement and playful exploration lead to stability, flexibility and strength and engages more muscles than a bicep curl. Fraser Quelch's lecture and hands on session, "Key Concepts in High Performance Body Weight Training" handicapped me the rest of the weekend. After an hour in the TRX and resistance training, I was beat street but rejuvenated. I will never view body weight the same.

Saturday was inspiration defined. Bill Parisi founder and CEO of Parisi Speed School and Todd Durkin of Todd Durkin Enterprises, Fitness Quest, Under Armour and trainer extraordinaire (think: Chargers, Drew Brees, the Marines) spoke on defining your mission and vision. Passion should be Bill and Todd's middle name. It actually might be. Attitude, positivity, action, desire, focus, success, flexibility, strength, happiness (to name a few) are all related. "You can always do more" -Todd Durkin. "Act the way you want to become, become the way you act." -Bill Parisi.

Oh and Saturday was coach Dos and explosive plyo push ups, burpees, squat jumps, medicine balls throws, kettlebell swings, and rope swings. No big deal. GAH!

We'll just say I was tired when Sunday came into focus but I woke up, ahem I got jacked up when I heard Dave Jack, a performance coach who has worked with top professional athletes, speak about the transformation from good to great. His presentation was geared towards coaching, but it was applicable to everyone, everyday, everywhere. I wrote down a single note during Dave's talk, because I was 110% percent entranced. Dave Jack presented one of, scratch that, the most memorable talk I have ever heard. Dave reflected on his early twenties, on the fire that burned inside telling him there was more to life, on those quintessential moments in your life that alter your path, on the importance of trust and developing your vision.

To sum it all up: "Be the who to do the what, and let the rest take care of itself, and when you do greatness will come, and, when it does, don't believe it, just keep doing what got you there in the first place."

Thank you to everyone at Perform Better. Thank you professional coaches, athletes, fitness gurus, personal trainers and motivational speakers.

Epic. Elite. Extraordinary.

I'm still sore.

Tuesday's tune

Wavin' Flag - K'naan

get into it!

Mind games.

Whew, just completed a three mile run. In new sneaks. In approx 28 minutes. I needed to do this tonight. Why? To know I could run 3 under 30. You see this little activity called running, yeah it's physical but it's also a mental sport. This past Sunday I ran in the Red Hook Memorial 5k. I was eager to run and even more ready to see a spectacular time at the finish line. My legs are strong, endurance is up and it's only three miles. AH! Famous last words. Those three miles were worse than all 13.1 of the Seacoast half marathon this past November.

The external factors impacting this hellish run cannot be denied. The hot temperature, humid pollinated air and oh, those fires in Canada produced some serious second hand smoke. Never thought that would be an excuse! Coffee in the am...just a few sips since the race wasn't until 11am, was a baddd choice. The baby sips were enough to dehydrate and turn my stomach around mile 2. Amateur.

Training for a half marathon for thirteen weeks instilled valuable lessons in strength and perseverance, however all was forgotten this past Sunday. I have always struggled with my undermining psyche. While others might fall victim to injury, I succumb to that little voice. Even though I know I'm stronger, I become vulnerable. Despite knowing that it will all be over soon (miles or minutes), I agree with the ego when it says my legs won't make it. I am so grateful for the ability to run, to physically put one foot in front of the other, however, the idea of walking never seems that bad at the time. I know how to concentrate on my breathing, focus on right now, and quiet the mind but what do you do when the voice inside your head is a full octave louder than usual? The short of it, the mind and body work together and my mind checked out. I'd like to state with confidence that it won't happen again, but I think it's best to declare the need for fresh and clean techniques to push through the miles.


Here are a few quotes and articles to motivate us to nike (just do it!):

Use as much stimuli as possible, recruiting all five senses. Pull in all the negatives and positives, the possible triumphs and defeats. Fully develop the picture (for the neuro-pathways). Finish with your final step. Then do it again. Mind and Body Work Together Runner's World

#62 of 101 Greatest Running Tips from Women's Health: Get over it "If you have a bad workout or run a bad race, allow yourself exactly 1 hour to stew about it--then move on." --Steve Scott, coach and U.S. record holder in the mile

"One thing about racing is that it hurts. You better accept that from the beginning or you're not going anywhere." -Bob Kennedy, US 5000m record holder and first non-African under 13 minutes.


"Success does not come to the most righteous and rigorously disciplined but to those who continue running." -Amby Burfoot

"Believe that you can go farther or faster. Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself." -John Bingham, "Tools and Rules," Runner's World

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." -Winnie the Pooh

"Not meeting a race goal doesn't mean that the race is a failure," says Mark Wallis, a running coach and marathoner from Tucson. "If you can learn something from it, a bad race could be a stepping stone to a breakthrough performance. Also, when you work through a challenging experience, you develop mental strength and perseverance that will help you on your next tough run." How to let it go Runner's World


Head Start Runner's World


How to beat the excuses and run About.com



Remember to have fun!! I was way too caught up in Sunday's race and forgot why I was there in the first place. "Fitness has to be fun. If it isn't, there will be no fitness. Play is the process. Fitness is merely the product." -Dr. George Sheehan


And if all that isn't enough, I leave you with firefighter Matt Long's inspirational story:

Now, who's ready to hit the pavement??

Love that dirty water...

Down by the banks of the river Charles river, aw that's what's happening baby...

The Charles river water, known as "that dirty water" by Bostonians, dropkick murphy and standalls fans alike, is home to charles river canoe and kayak

One hour. One boat. 19$. Sold to the couple looking for a sunburn.

Before our adventure began we were handed the mandatory paperwork and a multiple choice quiz. Good thing I brought my kayak condenseur of a bf, because we passed the test with flying colors. Safety is our middle name. Water sports, our game.

There was a fleeting moment during our paddle upstream that I thought I was Rachael and Matt, Ross. Ya know, the show Friends. Matt yelled for me to row "left, left, left" to steer us away from danger, errr the riverbank. I tried with all my might to avoid a crash (thankfully we did) and not laugh thinking of Ross's iconic commands to, "pivot, pivot, pivot!"

I digress...

We saw many (even a bachelorette party, vail and all) floating and sun-tanning, while others were in tune with their Ipods and speed (going fast, not the drug). Kayaking was everything I thought it would be and much more. Whether kayaking for a great upper body workout or a leisure activity, it is something to get into this summer.

Simulation kayaking....





Well that worked up quite an appetite. Enter Atlantic Beer Garden. 146 Seaport Blvd.

We were seated outside, not on the deck or near the water, but outside just the same. So, ever since I saw a mirage of iced tea and lemonade last week after a hot steamy run I have been not so secretly craving this cooling summer beverage and ever since Matt turned 27 he has been awaiting his second round of mussels. Lemonadeicetea and beer mussels were both on the menu. Score.


I ordered heaven on bread aka the chicken and pear panini with the herb mayo on the side, When Harry Met Sally style. Matt decided on the grilled veggie panini with eggplant, zucchini and summer squash grilled with fresh herbs topped with light marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese (no picture though folks). I chose regular fries and Matt spiced up his Saturday with curly spicy fries.

Grilled chicken breast topped with slices of grilled pear, swiss cheese and herb mayo

The pear was warm and full of flavor, the bread perfectly seasoned and the chicken tender and savory. After a few hours in the sun, shoulders burning shoulders burning on the patio, it was time to head back to Portsmouth for more Memorial Day weekend shenenigans.

Glory days in a young girls heart.