As you all know, I am running my first half marathon, the NYC Half Marathon, on my birthday — March 21. I am so excited and happy to announce that my long runs have been going so well! No knee pain, no foot tendinitis pain. After (a surprisingly easy) 10 on the treadmill last weekend, I did get a case of the black toenails. It hurt. Turns out Jack Rabbit in NYC fitted me incorrectly and my shoes were too small, so I brought the shoes in and they gave me the larger size. Then I went to the podiatrist (why do I have 2 podistrists that I love and 0 gastroenterologists??) and he drained my toenails. He also confirmed that I am now, in fact, a true hardcore runner. Welcome to the club, Dori!

I was concerned about my upcoming 11 miler but my toes felt much better the day before. And yesterday I ran 11 miles outside in the gorgeous weather and my toes did not hurt! I felt great.

I am so excited for the NYC Half! I know it will be amazing. I am especially excited to run down 7th avenue through Times Square amongst cheering spectators! I think I should make a shirt that says it’s my birthday? Tacky? Thoughts?

My friend Melissa wrote a post the other day where she mentioned a half marathon taking place in Queens on April 3, two weeks after the NYC Half. I was intrigued. The race takes place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, in my hometown! Just a 5 minute drive from my mom’s house. And the race sounds fun — it is the inaugural 13.1 Marathon — New York. This race is part of the 13.1 Marathon series, which is popping up all over the country. The tagline is “Where the party meets the pavement” and I found out they have live bands throughout the race and a fun after party that might or might not include beer.

I registered.

Am I crazy??! Maybe. But here’s what I’m thinking: I can run another half marathon and won’t have to train!! I will ALREADY be trained. Really, what’s the difference between running 12 miles next week and 13.1 the week after? And then 13.1 again two weeks after? Not such a huge deal. And it will be FUN. And in my hood. My mom can come (read: drive me) and cheer me on. My friends can come. The course is AWESOME. And running two half marathons is kind of like running one full one, just with a 2 week walking break. No?  :)

The race begins at Arthur Asche stadium, where I was fortunate to watch Roger Federer (swoon) play in the US Open this past summer. The race ends here:

[Source]

And there you have it. If you think I am crazy or if you just want to praise me, feel free to comment or email and let me know. I am open to all opinions. Not that it matters, because it’s ON!

Anyone else want to run it too?

If I can run 11, I can run 13.1. Twice.  Let half marathon season begin!

I love my running music, as evidenced by my Running Songs section on the blog and my detailed race recaps by song. As much as I love my music, I have one little problem – finding NEW music for when I need a change. I don’t listen to the radio and I don’t usually know all the songs everyone discusses on the Twitters. I also don’t go out to bars as much as a single (yes) lady probably should to hear new music. But when you have to wake up early to run 7 miles, the idea of getting drunk and making poor decisions loses its appeal.

So I was excited when Adam from Turn Up My Workout contacted me and asked if I’d like to try out his service. Um, YES.

Turn Up My Workout is simple. You subscribe to the service and then you can select what type of music you like: Hip Hop, Country, Pop or a mix. Then you select your intensity level from Low, Medium or High. And then you get a list of workout songs that will motivate you and that you’ll enjoy! Easy as that.

Adam started this service after losing a lot of weight (over 100 pounds!). What was his most constant motivator to exercise? Amazing workout music. The music pushed and inspired Adam and he hopes a great playlist will do the same for you. As a former DJ and music director, and self proclaimed “freak when it comes to discovering new music,” it makes sense to trust Adam with your workout songs!

For my playlist from Turn Up My Workout, I selected pop music at a high intensity.

I got an email with a list of music. I had a few of the songs already, and some of them I already knew I didn’t like, and I downloaded the rest from iTunes. The list had so many songs that it’s OK if you don’t want to get them all. There is enough on there to pick and choose. The songs are divided into categories; Warm Up, Workout and Turn it Up (for an extra boost.)

I used the playlist thrice. I didn’t finish it during the first run, so the second run was like a whole new playlist. And the third time was just fun. My verdict? I loved it. First of all, it was so refreshing to hear a different set of songs. Second, the songs were fun and fast, just like I wanted! I felt like dancing during my run, and it was great to get to know new music. I’ll be able to listen over and over until I know all the words and can have even more fun with it (the way I am with my current playlists). And then, if I get bored it, I can just get my next month’s playlist from Turn Up My Workout.

Even better, I can pick my favorite songs and incorporate them into new playlists with my old favorites that I’ve been using forever, to make the ULTIMATE PLAYLIST. Turn Up My Workout is really a fantastic way to find new workout music that you might not otherwise find on your own. Some of the songs I’d heard before and really liked, but could never download them because I didn’t know their names. This is a great service for situations like those, too.

I’m not going to show you my playlist because, well, that would defeat the purpose of you trying it out for yourself! But I will say this: thanks to Turn Up My Workout, I found my new favorite running song. Favorite to the point that during my long run on Sunday, I had it on my playlist three different times!

What song, you wonder?

“Whatever You Like” by T.I.

OMG I LOVE THIS SONG. Okay, so something you all need to know about me. I like to listen to really explicit, vulgar songs when I am running. I like to learn all the words to said dirty songs and sing them in my head (or even out loud if no one is around). Vulgar lyrics make me happy.

So when I was looking through Adam’s list on iTunes, I was really happy to see that “EXPLICIT” box next to some of the songs. I had never heard Whatever You Like before (I told you I don’t know new music!) and I can’t get over how in love I am. It really pumps me up to go on a run – especially now knowing I’ve got it 3 times on my playlist. I am even more excited for my half marathon now that I have this song because I plan to include it at least 3 or 4 times throughout the race. What a GREAT song.

That said – does anyone have any suggestions for me for really vulgar, dirty, explicit running music?

It *DOES* need to have a good beat, it can’t just be shouting gross words. This is part of the reason I love Girl Talk by the way – download Girl Talk if you haven’t yet. So please tell me your vulgar workout music — I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Anyway, back to the review. So a subscription costs $7.97 a month and the first month is free. Very worth it for those of you like me who are stupid when it comes to new music. Some questions you might have for me:

Would you subscribe to Turn Up My Workout?

Yes.

Are you going to subscribe to Turn Up My Workout?

No.

Why not? You just said you would, so why aren’t you?

My health insurance premium was  just raised to $700 a month. I have placed myself on a $447 billion spending freeze.

But if you have  the extra $7.97 a month (as I did prior to my massive premium hike) then I’d say it is definitely a great deal. Also. You might be like me and take your favorite song on the playlist and type it in to iTunes or Grooveshark and find out there are OTHER VERSIONS of it.

Um ok so first of all, please listen to the Weird Al version of Whatever You Like. I don’t usually like him much but this version is HILARIOUS. Really, really hilarious. Every line makes me smile or laugh out loud. And then listen to the “Raw session” by Rome. AWESOME for those of you like me who listen to music such as the Counting Crows. A really cool version. Love them both. Still laughing at Weird Al. And still LOVING the original. You can listen to them all for free on Grooveshark or buy them on iTunes.

Adam and I had a lot of fun this afternoon on the Twitters with our new discoveries.

*Baby I can give you everything you please, even share my government cheese and you can have as much as you like.*

OK so get to it, kids. Check out Turn Up My Workout and comment with your suggestions for vulgar, explicit workout music!

HALO!!! (“Hello” in Yiddish)

On Thursday morning, I woke up at 4:45 am from a nightmare that I didn’t get into the NYC Half Marathon only to check the computer and find out that my dream was true. I did not get in. I wrote a really depressing post at 5 am and then went back to sleep for an hour.

I was inordinately bummed. I don’t know why, but this really affected me. I commuted to work in a state of sadness; there may have been a few tears. I know this is irrational but I just really, really wanted to get in. Something about it being on my birthday just made me want it more.

I found myself navigating back to the New York Road Runners website, to the NYC Half Marathon page, and to the guaranteed spot with charities. I looked at some of the charities, and one stuck out to me above the rest.

I considered it.

Then I decided against it. I’d have to raise $1,000. That is a lot of money. How would I get people to donate? It seemed impossible. I checked the comments from the post I wrote at 5 am that morning. A few people mentioned an auction, and while it would require a lot of coordination on my part, I began to consider it.

I discussed with my friend at ColorHungry and tried to determine if raising $1,000 is something I could do on this blog. I don’t have the largest readership, especially after I basically stopped posting in December. But I do have some readers, and I have lots of blogger friends who might be able to help. And I know people with extraordinary talent who would be willing to donate their goods or services.

I decided to reach out to some of these people. Within a couple hours, I had 15 amazing donations from people and companies for the auction. And I knew it would be possible to meet my $1,000 goal.

I called the charity I wanted  to run for – Think Pink Rocks – and inquired about whether there were still half marathon spots left. Stephanie, the founder of the charity, said yes! I gave her my information and just like that I got a guaranteed spot in the NYC Half Marathon. I was suddenly in the greatest mood.

Think Pink Rocks is a non-profit organization whose mission is to raise awareness about early detection of and genetic testing for breast cancer and to provide funding for screening, treatment and research.

Stephanie, the founder, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 36. My mom was actually diagnosed at age 37, which is why I knew I wanted to work with this charity over the others.

I will be officially running the NYC Half Marathon for Think Pink Rocks and here is where you all come in!

I am going to hold an auction on my blog on Thursday, January 21 (exactly 2 months until the half marathon!). Please let me know if you have anything you’d like to donate – it could be crafty, like if you make jewelery. It could be baked goods. It could be a service you provide, like if you are a nutritionist or trainer.  It can be workout DVDs. Anything at all!

I’ve already got some really great donations which I am excited about (and can’t WAIT to share with you all!), but I would love to have MORE. The more donations, the closer I can get to reaching my $1,000 goal for Think Pink Rocks.

The auction will begin at 10 am on January 21.

I will post more specific details about the auction soon. It hasn’t hit me yet that I will actually have to run 13.1 miles. More to come on my training plan soon!

Do you have anything to donate? Please comment or email and let me know! Please include a short description of the product or service as well. And if you just want to donate straight to my donation page, I would be forever grateful! Click on the link below:

http://www.active.com/donate/thinkpinkrocks/dysterious

I would appreciate any donation at all — even if you think it seems small. It isn’t. EVERY little bit will help and will go towards a really amazing cause. And feel free to send the link around.

All donations to THINK PINK ROCKS will benefit 501 (c) (3) charitable organizations. Beneficiaries are: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York; BRCH Women’s Center for Breast Care; The American Cancer Society / Making Strides Against Breast Cancer; Reach Global / Jacob International; The Florida Breast Cancer Foundation; The H.O.P.E. Project; University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.