Hi all!

Thanks so much to those who took my Dori’s Shiny Exercise Survey and entered for a chance to win either a Core Fusion DVD or a Physique 57 DVD!

Some of you took the survey but didn’t comment or email to let me know. If I don’t know who you are, you might not be eligible to win! I can’t announce you by your email address, so please either comment here or email me to let me know you took the survey so you have a chance to win.

If you haven’t taken the survey yet, I’d really love it if you did. I’m working on a project and your answers will really help me out. And really, who doesn’t want  Physique 57 or Core Fusion DVD? Those classes are the best!

A few little updates and then I will be on my way:

Tonight is the first night of my Humor Writing class. I can’t help but be very nervous. I tend to take the easy way out and don’t challenge myself often. I do feel that the blog has gotten a little stale and I hope to spice it up and get some more in depth ideas on what kind of writer I am and want to be. I need to be forced to leave my comfort zone. I expect the class sessions to be full of laughs but I am dreading having my writing critiqued by others. I’ll be sure to tweet about how it went.

Reflexology has beaten pancakes as the top search term that gets people to this blog. Congratulations, Reflexology.

I did it! I traded in my Polar F7 for the Polar RSX300 SD. My new Polar comes with a foot pod (and I can add an optional GPS) to track my distance, pace, time, heart rate and more. I chose a foot pod monitor because I heard NYC skyscrapers aren’t the best for GPS systems, although I like that I can add on on if I choose.I played with my new toy last night and worked on setting it up. This morning, I went out to calibrate it. I HATE calibrating! Hated it with my Nike +, hate it with the Polar. There is a small track along my running route, and I know it is 1/8 of a mile, but I don’t know which part. The innermost? Outermost? Middle? I decided not to calibrate there. I didn’t have time to get to another track today (thinking Central Park) but I was so excited to start using my new Polar, so I decided to calibrate on city streets using MayMyRun.com. I got it to tell me what 1.01 miles would be when I realized the Polar only calibrates in kilometers. I went through more trial and error and finally decided that I would run about 1 kilometer — I got Map My Run to tell me that 1.01 K would be from the near corned of 70th street to the far corner of 82nd street.

So I did it. But the thing is . . . I don’t know how confident I am about this. I think it is fine for now but I hope to get to a track this weekend to recalibrate and be sure of my accuracy.I am still figuring out how to work my new HRM and I need to get set up with uploading my workouts to the computer. I also don’t know how to see on the watch screen my average pace and all. I hope to figure that out over the weekend as well. Today’s run was strange because I used the first kilometer to calibrate and then I recorded the rest normally, but I plan to run again on Friday morning and I am excited to run my usual route and see what the Polar says in terms of distance and time!

Speaking of my new Polar, the chest strap it came with is not my size. I have an unusually small and close together ribcage and need the tiniest chest strap they have. The fantastic @ChrisPolarUSA, who helped me with my RSX300 SD decision, responded to my plea for help on Twitter and will be sending me my size strap! Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE Twitter? If you have any questions about heart rate monitors or just want the latest news about Polar, I recommend following him.  I know he has been very helpful to my friend Jen, a PriorfatGirl!

Because I made a wise and safe decision and ordered a Road ID, the company is letting you all receive $1 off your Road ID order. Road ID is crucial for anyone who does any type of outdoor exercise — walking, running, biking, rollerblading, hiking, etc. It contains your contact information, insurance information (if you want), whether you are allergic to medications and your location. To receive $1 off your Road ID, type this code at checkout: ThanksDori548069. The first 20 people to enter the code can receive the discount.

I took advantage of a great flight deal and booked a trip to the Seattles! I am so excited to be going to see my brother and Mallories and the pup Santana from October 29 – November 1. My first request was a breakfast at my favorite breakfast place in the entire world, Portage Bay. They are sustainable and beyond that, have the most amazing breakfast menu I have ever seen. Which includes a trip to the TOPPINGS BAR! I love knowing I would be comfortable eating everything they have their because I share their philosophy about local, organic food. I am also excited to go to my favorite bookstore in the world, Elliot Bay.

Why is my favorite everything in the world located in the Seattles?!

CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THAT PUP!

I bought an Urban Rebounder! It was my very first Craigslist purchase and it came with 2 rebounding DVDs. Not that I know how to set up the DVD player yet (it’s only been a year — HELP!!) but I am excited to be able to have a convenient workout I can do anytime at home. Read the health benefits of rebounding here.

Anyone interested in buying my Regina Spektor tickets from me that I can’t use because of my writing class? Wed, Oct 14 at Radio City in NYC. Let me know!

I thought I figured out how to make spaces between bullets because it worked, but then once I finished typing this blog it unworked. Going into the code and typing in line and paragraph breaks does not work. It worked for a second, what’s with that?! I really would have liked this entry to contain bulletpoints for your reading ease.

Yes, you heard me right! I have not one, not two, but THREE prizes up for grabs. And they are amazing prizes. As you might know, I love me some Lotte Berk-type classes. Core Fusion, Physique 57, etc. They are the only strength training workouts I’ll even do. I am highly addicted to them, I love them, I crave them, I jumped on an online sale to get myself 30 Core Fusion classes at a discounted rate — which I am excited to be using!

And I am very excited to offer three of you a DVD from these classes. Here are the prizes:

1. Classic 57 Minute Full Body Workout
2. Core Fusion Body Sculpt
3. Core Fusion Pilates Plus

I have taken classes at both studios and they are AMAZING. You will seriously strengthen and sculpt your body if you stick with these and the time tends to go quickly. I own the Core Fusion DVDs and they are tough but great. And if you have doubts, just look at Kelly Ripa. She is obsessed with Physique 57! Lots of celebrities go to both Core Fusion and Physique 57, which is pretty cool.

I get a good amount of traffic to my blog by people searching Physique 57 and Core Fusion in their search engines. So hopefully you searchers are reading this, because you might get your questions answered if you win.

About the Physique 57 classes and DVD:

Physique 57™ is a focused and proven cardiovascular program of isometric exercises and orthopedic stretches. Physique 57™ tones your seat, abdominals, thighs and arms; strengthens your legs and back; and improves posture to produce a beautiful, sexy body. Our interval training sets use your own body weight for resistance, and through dynamic exercises your muscles are targeted and overloaded to the point of fatigue, then stretched for relief. We call our process Interval Overload – overloading the muscle to create long, lean sexy muscles.

Get rapid results in a few short weeks with the Classic 57 Minute Full Body Workout.  DVD features: * Bonus Moves * About Physique 57™ * Client Testimonials

About the Core Fusion classes and DVDs:

Core Fusion® is a Pilates-infused transformational fitness experience allowing you to work from the inside out as it consistently delivers results. This highly publicized mind body class is proven to give you washboard abs, a tighter and higher backside, and a perfectly toned body. This one-hour class fuses the disciplines of Lotte Berk fundamentals, core conditioning, Pilates, and yoga to produce long, lean muscles, a flexible, youthful body and a sense of peace and relaxation.

Experience total body transformation with Core Fusion! Featuring Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito, co-founders of exhale spa’s proprietary class Core Fusion®, the first two DVDs — and Core Fusion™ Pilates Plus and Core Fusion™ Body Sculpt — are segmented into five focused workouts of just 10 minutes each providing you the opportunity to continue exhale’s transformational mind body class experience at home.

You can read more and watch clips of the Core Fusion DVDs here and the Physique 57 DVD here.

Okay, now that all that good stuff is out of the way, I hope you’re curious to find out how you can win one of these babies.

I need help from all of you. I am working on a project and I would love it if you could fill out a quick, 15 question survey for me. It shouldn’t take up more than 5 minutes of your time.

The survey is about one of my favorite topics — exercise. The survey is basically anonymous, but you will find a spot to enter your email address. This is used ONLY to confirm your entry. Otherwise, anyone can comment and tell me they did the survey when really they didn’t, which wouldn’t be fair to those who did. I promise your results will never be tracked back to you.

I will use the random integer generator to choose 3 winners. Each winner will get one DVD. If you have a DVD preference, feel free to let me know in the comments, but be aware that I can’t promise you will get your preference if you win.

You can get more than one entry. Here are the ways to enter:

How to Enter

• Complete this survey:  Dori’s Shiny Exercise Survey (comment to let me know)
• Tweet the survey! Paste the below message into your Twitter status:
  RT @dysterious: Enter for a chance to win a Core Fusion or Physique 57 DVD http://bit.ly/pLjMO
  (You can tweet it one time each day for multiple entries)
• Post a link to this entry in your own blog
• Post a link to this entry as your Facebook status or as a note, and comment or email to let me know!

You have two weeks to get your entries in. I will announce the winners on Tuesday, October 13.

I really appreciate your help with this survey. The more responses I get, the more this will help me out. Thank you!

I thought of a great title and funny first few lines of a blog entry last night in the car, but I was too tired/didn’t think to record the thoughts on my BlackBerry. I smiled to myself about how clever I am! And now I can’t remember what it was. Grrrr. Next time I will be sure to make the effort.

Maybe it had something to do with the 4 miles I ran yesterday in the rain? Or maybe it had to do with the fact that I WAS RECOGNIZED BY A READER IN STARBUCKS?!

Yes, you heard me right! The boy and I arrived at his brother’s too early for dinner last night, so we went into Starbucks to kill some time and because I was thirsty. While waiting for my iced tea to be ready, a girl came up to me and asked if my name is Dori. I said yes, looking at her face and trying to figure out how I know her. And then . . . then she said, “I thought it was you, I read your blog.”

!!!!!!!!!

And it gets better. The reader, Robin, recognized me by my hair! As you might know, I am growing out my japanese straightened hair back to its curly true self. The result is about 4 inches of curl on top and straight hair on the bottom. It makes me constantly self-conscious and it is unusual and it is weird and it is got me recognized!

I could not believe it! It is so strange how I write this blog, assume that people I know from Facebook and bloggers I know and some friends and family read it, and think little else. I rarely think about people who don’t comment actually keeping up with anything I write because in my mind – why would anyone care?

I was on cloud nine after that encounter! I just cannot believe I got recognized! Robin said she almost didn’t say anything — but I am SO happy she did. Sometimes I need a little validation to keep this going, to know people are reading, to know it is making someone’s day slightly more entertaining. And since it has been more difficult lately to get my posts in, this would a great boost of motivation.

AAhhhhhhhhh!!! 

So, back to reality. Thank you for your comments about my hellish 1 mile race. They made me feel much better, and I especially felt great once I got my chip time of 7:46! Going forward, time is not so important. But since I clearly ran this race for time, I will celebrate it and make sure everyone knows how fast I ran a mile.

Speaking of chip times, I mentioned this at the end of my last post but I wanted to say it again as part of a decision I made . . . I realized there was no starting chip time at my first 5K, there was only a mat at the finish — so the time must have actually been less than 28:46 and my pace a little less than 9:16. Additionally, my Nike + iPod has been annoying me with its inaccuracy now that I am becoming more of a “runner.” It told me my pace for the 5th Avenue Mile race – a race that is a confirmed 7:46 pace — was 8:54. That is a big difference! And now that I am running longer Sunday training runs in preparation for my 5 mile race, I am starting to get concerned that I am overtraining; running farther than I should be.

I am recovering from two knee injuries and constant hip pain, and the last thing I need is to overtrain. While my Nike + iPod was a great and inexpensive decision to give me an estimate for my runs, I decided I am ready for accuracy. I currently use a Polar F7 heart rate monitor, although I forgot to put it on for a long run a few weeks ago, didn’t miss it at all, and haven’t worn it since. If I am not going to use my current HRM, and I desperately want one that will accurately track my distance and speed, I decided to take advantage of Polar’s trade in program. This program will allow me to send in my F7 and get a discounted rate off another model. After lots of research on their site, I think I decided on the Polar RS300X sd. Anyone have experience with this one?

This HRM has many appealing functions, including:

• Measures heart rate combined with speed and distance
• An easy start option do you don’t have to scroll around
• Easy data transfer to computer
• Target pace alarms and speed/pace summaries

Polars are known to be much more user friendly than Garmins, and I have to say my Polar F7 is extremely intuitive, which is important to me. I need to call customer service to actually make the trade in happen, so I just wanted to throw this out there before calling. I am VERY excited to have a HRM that will accurately tell me my distance and speed! I don’t trust the Nike + for either of those, especially speed. I have a strong feeling I am faster than it leads me to believe.

My training plan called for 4 miles yesterday, but when I woke up it was rainy and gross. I was sore in my calves and hamstrings from my 1 mile race. I also had a slight hip pain. And I have a major aversion to rain. To the point where I will forego all plans in order to stay home and avoid the rain. So I ate breakfast, and then I ate second breakfast, and I decided to just hop on the elliptical later on. When later on arrived, it looked like the rain had calmed down a little. The thought of being inside the gym made me ill, and I decided to attempt my very first rainy run. Despite the rain, the calf and hamstring and hip pain, despite the fact that I ate 2 breakfasts and would likely suffer a very bad cramp.

I got dressed and put on my visor to keep the rain from my eyes. I told the boy I was going to attempt 4, but might come back sooner because of aches/pains/rains. When I got to the lobby I saw the rain looked worse than I realized. I considered turning back but decided to give it a shot.

As soon as I started running, I felt pretty great! The rain was light and felt refreshing and cool. I did get a left ribcage cramp right away, but I practiced breathing out, lips pursed, on my left foot and it did the trick! At a mile in, my neck started hurting — forgot to do my neck stretches! That pain disappeared as well after about half a mile. At mile 2, my right ribcage cramp started. Forgot to keep up with my breathing after I killed the first cramp! Did my breathing again. Pain went away. Could NOT believe I didn’t get the lower left side food cramp — wow! Maybe I CAN eat and run if I wait a few hours?

Running in the rain was also great because there were hardly any people out on the trail! I felt very free. I ran at a very comfortable pace for me (until I get my new HRM, I don’t know exactly what that pace is!) I forgot to wear my knee sleeves but I didn’t even notice until mile 2! When the Nike said 4 miles, I stopped, although based on my time I believe it was more. This was my second time running this distance and I have to say I loved it again! I finally feel like a runner, being able to run 4 miles and say it was easy! And once again I felt so awesome during this “long” run that I really, truly understood why people love running — because now I am one of them!

And I just ordered a Road ID. It will go around my shoelace and has my name, age, city/state, emergency contact numbers for my mom and the boy, my health insurance number, and information saying I am not allergic to medications. I want to be safe now that I run outside more.

My awesome run made me come home and look into some longer race options for next year. I have a big one in mind but I won’t discuss it just yet.

I’m going to have a GREAT giveaway this week that I am very excited about!