Home » Archive by category 'Running' (Page 21)

Archive of ‘Running’ category

My 2nd Place 5K Race Medal, Spotify Gripes, VSL3/Doctor Rant, Andy Took My Class

Happy Tuesday, friends. Here are a few random things going on in my life right now.

Andy In My Class

Andy took the spin class I taught last night! He hasn’t taken my class before because I usually teach at absurdly early times in the morning. Last night was my first evening class.

I was so happy he came because I wanted some real feedback from someone who doesn’t feel like they have to be nice to me. I also wanted to kick his ass. I succeeded at that and I loved going over the specifics of the class with him after and hearing how my class seems to someone who (1) has taken FlyWheel before and (2) does not usually spin.

He got to hear a variation of the playlist I’ve been using (I haven’t had any of the same students twice yet, so I’ve been playing off mostly the same canvas). I loved hearing how each song in particular was for him in terms of intensity, placement, emotional response and enjoyment. Tomorrow night I will debut an entirely new playlist that I will also dip into for my Saturday and Monday morning classes.

I do find it interesting how the three gyms I know in Jersey City don’t provide mics for instructors. I lost my voice during the class because I had to yell so loud.

VSL3

I’ve been sick since August, 2007. Almost six years, which is crazy to me because it still feels so new. It seems like yesterday I was eating delicious salads with eight free toppings for lunch – NYC living at its finest. I miss it. Anyway, if you’ve been reading for awhile you know that I’ve gone to many doctors, including the best GI specialists in New York City. After nothing helped me feel better, I continued going from doctor to doctor, hoping someone would have some idea that might help me – other than surgery. No one did.

And then last week, a friend of mine told me a friend of hers raved about this crazy strong probiotic called VSL3. It’s recommended for people with Crohn’s, Colitis, IBS and other digestive illnesses. It’s very expensive and lives in the refrigerator at certain pharmacies. It must keep it cold at all times because IT’S ALIVE.  After doing some research and reading tons of reviews, I learned that many people in similar situations to me have found a lot of relief from VSL3.

Learning about this made me really angry. I’ve seen so many doctors, top experts in their field. They say they’ve tried everything there is to try with me and the only option left is surgery to remove my colon. They’ve recommended other brands of probiotics – far lesser brands according to my research. So why did NO DOCTOR ever once mention VSL3 to me? How dare they recommend I remove my entire colon and potentially destroy my life without trying something so basic, something that worked for others, something that any decent GI doctor should know about??

End rant.

Do any of you take VSL3? How do you like it?

Medal

I finally got my medal from placing 2nd in my age group in the Read, Write, Run 5K last June! I didn’t get it on race day because it didn’t even cross my mind I would place, so I just ran home as soon as the race ended. I can’t recommend small, local races enough. Placing in a race is something I can brag about for the rest of my life, and even though I know many of you can run 5K much faster that my 24:27, this is a tremendous confidence booster and running validator  for me.

I wish I could run the 5K again this year but it conflicts with my honeymoon.

Dori's Read Write Run 5K Medal

Spotify Gripes

I signed up for a Spotify  Premium membership now that I need to make so many playlists and listen to so much more music to teach indoor cycling classes.  I figured I’d save a lot of money on iTunes and once my indoor cycling tab is set up here I could link you to all my playlists, but I’m having some issues with Spotify that make me question the value of the $10/month service.

  • Inability to tell me playlist length – Apparently this used to be a feature and Spotify removed it. To know how long a playlist is, I need enter all my songs into this time calculator. It’s tedious and leaves room for error. It also makes it extremely annoying to remove songs and add new ones. iTunes shows you the duration of your playlist, making it a much simpler choice and making me wonder if I should continue buying music and setting up playlists there.
  • Inability to change song order in a playlist on the iPhone app – Another thing that drives me crazy. I usually put a bunch of songs on my playlist, add and remove as I listen to decide what will make the best possible spin class. Once I figure out what will be a hill, I usually need to rearrange some songs. If I add a new song, it needs to be before the cool down. But in the Spotify iPhone app, you can’t change the order of the list. Your songs appear in the order you added them. I’m rarely at my home computer and I can’t use Spotify at work, so this makes it difficult for me to get my playlists organized. Another reason I am tempted to cancel my Premium membership and just use iTunes.

I don’t get why Spotify would offer a paid service without some very basic functionality. Do these things irritate you, too?

Tell me something random in your life right now.

 

I think these are resolutions?

In 2010 and 2011 I worked on elaborate “Year In Review” posts. In 2010 I had so much fun doing it; it was the best year I’ve had up until that point. I did so much more than ever before and I adored reminiscing about it this way. I had to push myself a little more last year to get the post done but it still turned out great. This year — despite getting engaged and running two sub-2:00 half marathons — no interest.

Instead, I’d like to discuss . . . I think they are resolutions? Goals? Things I’d like to do in 2013.

DSB 2013 Resolutions-ish

  • Be less of a jerk. Back in February 2010, I made a resolution to not be an asshole. I failed. I accepted my failure because at least my heart was in the right place, right? This is the variation of that resolution. In other words, be friendlier. I am not a friendly person and it never really affected me until a few months ago. Andy and I were at an Amy Schumer show and we were seated at a table with another couple. Because I automatically assume that everyone is from NYC and hates me, I just ignored them. Then they started talking to us and I still wasn’t that nice in making conversation. When Andy started engaging them in conversation, I realized they were not from New York and therefore likely did not automatically hate me, and were actually nice people. And they were, they were very nice! And then I felt like a jerk for ignoring them at first and not being super friendly until later on, thus proving the New Yorkers stereoptype I was trying to protect myself against in the first place. So, try to be nice, don’t assume everyone hates me, don’t ignore people. I still plan to be a jerk to those who deserve it.
  • Get hot for wedding. This means finding a way to get to Refine midweek while they currently lack a Union Square/downtown location. Even if I have to waste absurd amounts of time between work and class and then get home at 10pm, or if I have to wake up at some ungodly hour in the morning despite the PATH train still not being fixed after Sandy, I need to find a way to make the midweek class work – even if it’s just once a week. Alternatively, I could suck it up and stop being such a pussy about CrossFit and buy a class pack and just go there since it’s right down the block from my apartment. Speaking of CrossFit, I owe you a review of the 6-class fundamentals program + 2 regular classes Andy and I did together. I’ve got bruises on my legs, lashes on my arms and missing skin on my butt to show for it.
Dori and Andy graduating CrossFit Jersey City Fundamentals

Dori and Andy graduating the CrossFit Jersey City Fundamentals program – towards the left.

Also speaking of CrossFit, I resolve to post reviews in January for the three new studios I’ve tried recently: Work It Out, Revolve Fitness and, obviously, CrossFit Jersey City.

Did I mention “not being a jerk” extends to getting up timely reviews of places nice enough to extend a free class? I’m looking at you Work It Out and Revolve.

  • Train for a marathon like a real runner person. I trained according to the mileage on my plan last time, but this year I want to train more seriously with jargon such as “speed work” “tempo run” and “hill repeats.” Ideally I’d like a coach or some type of coaching program and I might already have something in the works. TWT kids. TWT.
  • Run a 4:15 marathon. This goes with the above but it deserves its own bullet because even if my training ends up sucking, this time is still my goal.
  • Run in the cold maybe once a week. Let’s not get crazy here, I’m thinking maybe once every other week, or once every week and a half if I can’t do every week. I bought warm weather running clothes from my favorite store Lucy that were heavily on sale, cozy and comfy. Actually, they were full price when I bought them but then they were heavily on sale less than a week later so I did a little re-buying and returning. Either way, I have cozy warm fleece lined pants, a matching jacket and matching hat. I wore them once and I’d like to see a repeat performance in 2013.
  • Suck it up and run on the treadmill. For when the cold is just too cold.
  • Wear sweats to work and shower less often. Self explanatory.
  • Do girlfriend things. Not to be confused with fiancee or wife things, both of which I will do in 2013. For some reason sometimes a girl likes me and wants to be my friend. I never understand why as I do nothing to encourage such behaviors. But I figure I might as well give in. So, hi Ashley Runningbun. You’ll probably see a little more of me in 2013. Maybe we’ll run. And drink Bloody Marys.
  • Get drunk at my wedding without getting painful hiccups. I don’t know how exactly I plan to accomplish this but it’s a goal.
  • Get a dog. So something will love me.

That’s all I’ve got this year. Do you think I will accomplish them all? I don’t.

What do you want to do in 2013?

1 … 19 20 21 22 23 … 48