Reader's Pick & Life is good Running Team Offer

Today’s picks are from Roland J. and Emily S., both members of the Life is good Playmakers team.  To give you a little background, the Life is good Playmakers is the non-profit, action-arm of The Life is good Company.  Their mission is to help children overcome poverty, violence and illness by partnering frontline professionals who dedicate their lives to caring for them.  

Life is good Running Team: Special Offer
In October, the Life is good Running Team will be running the Greenstride Half Marathon in an effort to raise funds and awareness for Playmakers' campaign.  Join their team and not only will you be helping them help kids but you will also receive some incredible perks from Life is good.  And to sweeten the deal even more, if you join NOW you will also get this Life is good cap and water bottle (see pic), both ideal for running in the summer heat.  For more information about Life is good Playmakers and the Running Team email kirsten@ligplaymakers.org or call 781-838-1615.  Come run with us! (yep, I've already joined the team)

So, back to their RWM music picks...I’m just gonna give it to you in their own words because I simply can’t describe it any better than they did.  Thanks for sharing! 

Roland’s pick: The Fighter – Gym Class Heroes  
When it comes on at the gym or during a run, it's ON.  It's about living life, persevering, and bouncing back when life or circumstances hands you something that knocks you down.  We've all had those times in our lives and struggled through them, but many popular/quotable movie lines (including Batman!) tell you it's not about those times, it's about how you respond. I don't like to quit. I like to fight.  Well, love really, but fight to go on, move on, persevere, etc. when I have to.
Emily’s pick: We Are Young – Fun.    (note: she likes the Glee version, too)
I love the song...I love the spirit of feeling young, no matter your age, and running helps me feel that way.  I had a particularly amazing experience recently when running the Goofy Challenge in Disney World (Jan 2012).  I had "We are Young" on my playlist and I was working my way through the half-marathon.  I had been standing on the dark highway just next to Epcot Center with about 27,000 other people since 4:30 and was SO EXCITED to start the race.   At 5:30 we started and then we ran for about 4.5 miles on the highway to Magic Kingdom.  I ran in the dark on the highway for what felt like forever...until the Magic Kingdom started to appear.  I got closer and closer and then it felt like all of a sudden I ran through a "back door" gate and I'm on "main Street USA" in the Magic Kingdom.  And at EXACTLY that moment that I entered Magic Kingdom and could see the beautiful castle with the first glimmer of sunrise appearing in the sky, "We are Young" comes on my iPhone--and I was moved.  I was literally pumping my fist in the air to the beat of the song, singing OUT LOUD, "Tonight...We are young...so let's set the world on fire, we can burn brighter, than the sun!!"  I felt like I had all the potential in the world and could do ANYTHING.  I was motivated and inspired.  The line in the song that says, "Carry me home tonight..." made me feel like I was singing to my very trained and capable feet...just carry me home.  I just might have run that half-marathon a little faster than I was planning to...you know, since I had a marathon to run the next day :)  But it was an amazing and incredibly joyful experience.