A Day of Updates: DVD Giveaway and Other

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.