He stopped us on our way out and said we should get a megaburger next time. I am jealous of myself, if that is even possible.

I also don’t sleep in underwear, I take off my pants and jewelry the second I get home from anywhere, I never wear tights or stockings, I never wear socks at home and I always wear a big sweatshirt to travel so I don’t have to wear a bra. But those are stories for another time.

My point is, I am very particular about what I wear to exercise. So when ellasport reached out to me to review some clothes, I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. Excitement because someone wants to send me free things! Free things for exercise! My dream in life! Apprehension because I knew there was a chance the clothes would cause one or more of the problems outlined above.

But when I read through their website I was impressed. Especially when I saw the company’s mission:

ellasport’s mission is to provide women with technical athletic apparel that is designed for a woman’s body and makes her feel good about herself.

ellasport’s goal is to give you the confidence and motivation to push yourself further than you thought possible, to help you release your motivated inner self and unstoppable confidence that knows no limits.

I love what ellasport is aiming for with their brand. This is exactly the type of product I’d like to promote. I browsed through the website and there are really great elements included with the products, such as that awesome, useful and cute back zipper in the New Power Capris.

I received two products to try — the Gramercy Racerbank Tank and the Workout Skirt.

The Review

Gramercy Racerback Tank in blue.

The Gramercy Racerback tans provides ample support with an attached bra that gives full coverage across the chest. The bra is made of the same fabric as the tank. The hip is wider than the waist and top so it stays in place and does not ride up. The Gramercy Racerback tank has a feminine, sexy look with its square neckline.

   
[Photos from ellasport.com]

When I first tried this top on I wasn’t sure if I liked it. It fit very well across the top, but the bottom was a bit baggier than I usually wear. But it was comfortable and the built-in bra felt relatively supportive.

I wore this tank top twice to spinning and once to do the 30 Day Shred DVD. When I did the DVD — which includes lots of jumping jacks — the shirt was comfortable and surprisingly supportive during the jumps. I wouldn’t run without another bra underneath, but it was more than sufficient for this particular workout. I tweeted:  “Just wore my new @ellasport tank for my workout. Comfy and surprisingly more supportive than it looks.” The top was extremely lightweight and almost felt like I wasn’t wearing anything at all — exactly my type of clothing!

The first time I went to spin with this on, I couldn’t stop looking at myself in the class mirrors. This shirt is even more flattering that I originally thought, and it has a really great fit. I actually liked the slight bagginess that I was unsure about at first because it hid some areas I’ve been self conscious about since Cookie-Overload Oh-Eleven, and it didn’t feel uncomfortable in any way.

After class, I tweeted again:  “Another note of praise for my @ellasport top – it is so moisture wicking, I thought I just didn’t sweat much in spin. Until I took it off.”

True story — the inside was soaked! The sweat-wicking abilities in the Gramercy Racerback Tank far surpassed what I expected based on other workout clothing I’ve worn.

Workout Skirt

The Workout Skirt™ falls just below the waist and has compression shorts attached – made of the same fabric as the skirt – that provide light compression to your leg muscles to help fight fatigue. The compression shorts hit at the mid- to high-thigh and have a mid-rise. The skirt portion is an inch longer than the shorts for just the right coverage.

I also tried the Workout Skirt for running. The skirt was long on me, longer than it looks in this photo. I have to admit that I like really short shorts and skirts when I run. A big part of exercising for me is feeling comfortable and sexy. So while this skirt certainly felt comfortable and looked flattering, I knew it wasn’t something I would choose for myself as I would the top.

While the material is not particularly lightweight, the built-in compression shorts under the skirt really make this a standout item. They are long enough that you’d wear them as shorts on their own (if they came that way), eliminating any fears of flashing strangers as you speed by. They’re comfortable and do not ride up at all. And like the top, the Workout Skirt is incredibly moisture-wicking.

I went for a quick treadmill run with this skirt. As I suspected, the longer material made me a little crazy as it touched my legs during the run. But that is my own quirk and I think for women who prefer longer shorts and skirts, this would be a great piece to try.

The Giveaway

To enter to win the Gramercy Racerback Tank worth $68, leave me a comment in the comments section below telling me which color Gramercy Racerback Tank you’d most like to own. Visit ellasport.com to see the colors available.

Get up to three additional entries by doing each of the following:

• Follow ellasport on Twitter (let me know you did so in your comment)
• Like ellasport on Facebook (let me know you did so in your comment)
• Tweet the following: I want to win @ellasport workout gear #giveaway from @dysterious: http://dorishinyblog.com/?p=7752

I must receive all entries by 11:59 pm on Monday, January 23 and the odds of winning are determined by the number of entries received. No purchase necessary to enter. Open to US residents only.

I received these products from ellasport at no charge. I was not paid to write this review, nor was I obligated to write one. All opinions are entirely my own.

2. Refine Method – You all probably hate me because I talk about this all the time and it is only in NYC and you don’t care. I just love it more each class (except during the first two circuits where I wonder why I am there and if it is even worth it), and I’m very excited for the new location opening in Union Square because I think it might prove to be more convenient for me in a few months.

3. Being at work – I mean, I’d still much rather not be there. And I still feel dread on Sunday nights and depression upon waking on Monday mornings, but once I am at work, I actually like being there.

4. Oatmeal Creme Pies – Remember those??

5. Scentsy – A wickless alternative to scented candles, I was skeptical at first because I hate candles and also I’m cheap when it comes to random things that people at work sell and then try to convince me I need. But I made a resolution in February 2010 to be less of an asshole and then I failed, but sometimes I try to make good on that. And now, like everyone else who has one, I love mine very much and ended up buying multiple scents. My favorite is Oats & Honey.

6. Andy – After I finally figured out how to get my really gross runner’s toenail off — using dog nail clippers, thanks to my friend Cassie who had both the idea and the clippers — I told my boyfriend and he said: “Gonna miss that sexy thing.”

7. Kindle – I held off on this for a long time because I used to work at a book company and still have an apartment full of books, even after walking my old lady shopping cart back and forth to the library multiple times (a mile each way) to donate hundreds of books. But then I bought myself one. Is it strange that I think about how grateful I feel for this every single day? Like, even more than I think that about my family?

8. Dylan McKay – I did not remember him having a heroin addiction when he came back to the show after being gone for a few years. What the hell! And why is his sponsor meeting him at the After Dark, a BAR? Whatever. Dylan can do no wrong.

9. Watching places on TV and then going to them – Andy and I watched an episode of Bar Rescue and thought it was so cool that we went up to Framingham, MA and visited The Chicken Bone, where we giggled about being famous, practically asked the manager for his autograph when we spotted him behind the bar and drank The Real Blue – just like on the tee-vee!

10. Billy on the Street – This show is hysterical. Billy Eichner is hilarious. I love the way he thinks, his expressions, his reactions and his inflection. Someone loves envelopes!

Next week: ellasport review and giveaway. If I write it here, it means I actually have to put the running skirt on and get myself on a treadmill to try it out so I can actually review it.

I never could have known when I wrote last year’s recap that by the same time next year, I would have run one and two-thirds marathons, filmed an online webisode for a huge search engine, fall in love for the first time, find a great job and get quoted in the biggest newspaper in the world, to name just a few. And as always, this blog was instrumental in most of my year.

And if you are one of the 37,000 people who found my blog this past weekend from Texgate lol, I want to say welcome and also that I was advised once to work on not getting frustrated with people who are dumb, but instead to feel fortunate that I (and all of you non-idiots) have a gift that they don’t. It is a very lovely way to think about the world. That said, please send me comments or emails about stupid people you might like to see ridiculed here.

I don’t see the world in such a lovely way.

Anyway, here we go with my 2011 DSB Year in Review . . .

January

On January 1, I rang in the 2011 new year with blogger friends old and new and proclaimed that my goal for 2011 was to find a career where I am writing and doing social media related to health & fitness. I actually achieved that goal (See July ) and even though my job isn’t 100% health & fitness, I am thrilled with what I am doing and there is some fitness-related stuff going on there.

On January 26, I felt legitimized as a blogger who happens to love fitness when I was quoted on page 2 in the New York Times article “Full-Service Gyms Feel A Bit Flabby about getting the most out of my workouts with dedicated, boutique fitness classes.

February

On February 1, I shared my response to that NY Times article — namely that the reason people pay so much for boutique fitness classes and even join on top of already-expensive gym memberships is because these classes produce results.

After alluding to my hip injury that was preventing me from running and taking some of my favorite exercise classes, I finally explained it to everyone in a two part series: My Hip Injury – Part 1 and My Hip Injury – Part 2

Also in February, the amazing exhale spa (home of Core Fusion classes) offered me the chance to try acupuncture to help with my hip. Naturally, I accepted.

March

In early March, a doctor told me I was too pale to run a marathon. This “sports doctor” orthopedist seemed very sure of himself as he chuckled at me for even wanting to do such a thing while my hue was so fair.

And he had some bad timing, since I also started writing a weekly column called Dori’s Quest for NBC New York’s GO Healthy NY website, in which my first post was called How I Got Into The Greatest Marathon in the World.

The best part of March — of every March — is my favorite time of year, my birthday, at which everyone pays attention to Dori. Everyone has to be nice to me and buy me drinks and I get to be a self-absorbed asshole on this blog and post tons of pictures of myself.

Case in point:

The other best part of March? Meeting the boy who likes sitting on the couch and doing nothing as much as I do. And he actually owns a couch so really that’s why I love him.

I promise I own more than one dress.

April

I fulfilled my dream of attending a Wendy Williams show taping, and appeared on the show on April 12 with my blogging friend Heather (formerly of Hangry Pants fame). Here we are beside Rudy Huxtable’s real life mom:

I also published two freelance articles for the incredible Blisstree.com:

• When You Don’t Have IBS: How My Chronic Digestive Problems Took 3 Years to Diagnose
• Core Wha? Top 10 Workouts from A to Physique

And on April 26, it was time to write a blog post but I didn’t have anything to write about. Then my friend forwarded me an email and I just had to make fun of it. Publicly. It epitomized my friend’s and my saying: What is wrong with EVERYONE?! And so the most popular post in my entire blogging career — by far — was created:

Texting and Dating, or Texgate lol 2011 

Have I mentioned how much I love the internet?

May

I finally made it as a blogger after a commenter called me a self entitled c*nt.

In non-texgate news, I started running again after taking six months off from my hip injury and felt like my November NYC Marathon dream might actually be possible after all.

June

On June 11, Missy and I hosted a free IntenSati class as part of the Be Fit NYC initiative on how to make NYC your gym, and even though we had to change the location (it was too rainy for Central Park), lots of people came and it was a huge success as evidenced by this photo of my ass:

And even though I guaranteed had entry to the ING NYC Marathon, I decided to also run the race as part of the Girls on the Run charity program called Solemates because, why not? For the second time (first here), my blog readers helped me raise money for an amazing cause!

July

I explained why July is my favorite month of the year (it is REAL SUMMER!) and in unrelated news my roommate moved out of our 320 square goot apartment. I still do not have a place to put things. I also fulfilled my dream of being recognized for taking the best race photographs of all time and appeared on the NYRR.org homepage!

On July 11, I started training for the ING NYC Marathon — a goal I had in the works for over a year, and the biggest thing I wanted to achieve in 2011.

I also accepted a job offer, accomplishing the goal I mentioned earlier of finding a career that involved writing and social media in the wellness world. Really, I am the social media manager for a number of beauty brands (such as Hydroxatone and Sarah McNamara Beauty) but I love it and I’ve got some wellness-related items in the works there too.

I finished the month with a surprise PR in the Queens Half Marathon — my first half marathon post-injury and one I did not train or plan to run my fastest half marathon at 2:06:27 in. Because I learned I can run a sub-10 minute mile half marathon without great training, this race inspired me to do train correctly and do even better in the half marathon distance next year. I have an ambitious goal for 2012.

August

I revealed the secret video shoot I had been alluding to on my blog for almost two months with my Bing: Friends Matter webisode filmed at Refine Method (founder Brynn Jinnett appears in the video), The Gym at Chelsea Piers and Central Park. This was all about how our friends influence our decision, and exists because of Bing’s partnership with Facebook.

While I was in the best shape of my life during that shoot (which happened in June), in August I started feeling run down and — for the first time since I fell in love with exercise in January 2010 — burnt out.  Goes to show that everyone, no matter who they are or how strong — goes through periods where motivating to work out is hard.

Luckily before that happened, I ran a strong 14 miles — the longest run of my life to date, and the first time I ran farther than the half marathon distance. And it was just a week after my half marathon PR!

And in response to a reader’s question about how I stay in shape, I also explained why I don’t tell you what I eat.

Also in August I was the subject of an interview with my friend Ben Waldman of Motivate Your Ass for NBC New York for his column called Extraordinary Motivation.

September

I ran 15 miles for the first time in my life, and I ran it by myself, which is highly unusual for me with crazy long distances.  I also decided to stop writing for NBC New York’s GO Healthy NY blog because I had less time with my new job.

I ran the 18 Mile Marathon Tune-Up – a race I ran past the year before and knew it would one day be me — where it would appear I outran death:

October

Surprise! I ran 20 miles for the first time — and felt great — on a day I had 19 on my schedule.

And then I ran my planned 20 miler!  With no route planned, Z and I ended up at LaGuardia Airport and Riker’s Island. Those two 20-mile runs both went so great, and I felt so strong both during and after, that I knew I could run 26.2. All doubt about the distance vanished and I felt confident.

November

After a year of qualifying through the NYRR 9+1 program, four months of training, lots of anticipation, excitement and anxiety, and thinking/talking about nothing else for months, it was finally time for the ING NYC Marathon on November 6. Like many things we plan, the race didn’t go as I expected. After suffering indescribable, freak upper-GI pain for a good nine miles, I made the extremely heartbreaking, difficult decision to leave the race at mile 18.

A week later, I surprised most people when I announced that I finished the SunTrust Richmond Marathon in 4:33:29! I completed my first marathon on November 11, 2011 – a good 20 minutes faster than I thought I’d finish. I was so happy and thankful that everything worked out the way it did.

Running that race was the greatest four hours of my life and I still wish I was back inside of it.

On November 22, I announced I was axing Tuesday Blags and instead going to blog when I felt like it. So far, I’ve failed miserably. Happy Tuesday!

December

On December 6, I reflected on what my two years of loving exercise has taught me about myself, which may all have canceled  each other out by points such as “I am lazy” and “I am an underachiever” juxtaposed with “I like pushing myself” and “I am tough on myself.”

I went to my new(ish) job’s holiday party on December 8 which validated my decision to accept said job when I saw they brought in both a caricature artist and a photo booth.

My last post of 2011 was a long-winded explanation of my workout goals for 2012. The short-winded version? I’m only going to take classes I know are excellent or actually want to take, and I am not going to try new classes (either out of curiosity or for review) unless I really, really want to.

And lastly, in December, I received the most thoughtful, meaningful, best present of my life when my brother and sister-in-law sent me this word cloud from my own blog to commemorate my marathon finish. It looks like a sneaker and is fascinating:

So, yeah. I’d say 2011 was pretty great. I ran 585 miles, took more Refine Method and Core Fusion Cardio classes than I can count, ran a marathon, fell in love with a sweet boy with a couch and got an amazing job. I’m in worse shape physically than I was at this time last year, but now that I’m back into taking classes I think things will turn around. And throughout this past year — especially after I was a wreck from my DNF in the NYC Marathon and after I was elated from completing the Richmond Marathon — the support from your comments and emails helped me get through everything. When you’re happy for me, I feel happier for myself. When you commiserate with me, I feel better knowing I’m not alone.

I could not have achieved many of my 2011 accomplishments without this blog and without your support.

I still don’t know what will happen with DSB and my posting frequency, but I can’t imagine not having this record of every month of my life so I’m sure I’ll figure something out. I’ve got great things coming up in 2012 and as always, I’m excited to share it as it happens here.

I may have spent another unproductive weekend on the couch. Although in my defense I did get up to take Core Fusion Cardio on Saturday and Refine Method on Monday, and to continue my Jewish family tradition of going to the movies and eating Chinese food on Christmas Day this past Sunday.

Something that bothered me during and after marathon training was that my jeans stopped fitting. I cut back on my strength workouts and ate less healthy meals, and once the race was over I of course wanted to get back to my normal. I got pretty close, even being able to wear the jeans once (though they were admittedly not as comfortable as last year). But then I got a cold and spent more time lazing, less time working out, and now I am back to not being able to get them on. It really is quite the vicious cycle, and even though I have a relatively small frame, I am not immune.

So now I get serious again. Right now, that means a mix of Refine Method, Core Fusion Cardio and Core Fusion Yoga. Also, Core Fusion Boot Camp (which I like to call Core Fusion Fusion), although it’s not on the schedule often. I also have a month of Figure 4 at Pure Yoga to use at some point. Because of my hip injury, I still can’t take regular Core Fusion. And honestly, I don’t know that I will ever be able to again. And I’m OK with that.

But I love the workouts I can do. And the thing about Refine is that Brynn Jinnett, the founder, constantly makes changes and tweaks the class based on what she sees working and what she learns and researches about exercise (sometimes she writes about it on the Refine blog). Because of that, the class has gone through a number of changes since I started taking it last year, and they all make the workout that much better. I took a couple months off during training and when I came back things were more different than usual. And if it is possible, I love the workout even more. The most remarkable thing about my absence was coming back and seeing all the same people I normally see at Refine — but the change in the way they look is astounding. It is amazing how well this class works and it’s also amazing how out of cardio shape I am in. I can run a marathon and feel great the entire time, but make me do an intense cardio burst at Refine and I feel like I’m going to pass out.

[Me at Refine, all smiles. That girl is next to me in almost every single class. Photo by Erica Sara]

This goes to show how much I have to improve at Refine, and I think it will help with my running too because I’ll get used to pushing myself harder. One of my goals for 2012 is to PR the half marathon distance, but I have a specific time in mind that I’m not ready to share yet. But I’m in no way ready because I never really worked very hard or did speed work.

The workout highlight of my week, however, will be Phish Yoga. I’m excited to have the day off from work and to take the class with Missy and Cameo. When I stopped writing for NBC New York, it was a huge relief not to have to take classes that I didn’t want to or that I might not love when I could be at a class that I know I love, and that I know would be a great workout. But I still like to try the classes I actually want to try, and that includes most music-themed yoga and spinning classes. I love my Beatles Yoga and I have a feeling this class will really be something special. I haven’t been so excited about a new class in a very long time. And the fact that it’s a special workshop and not a regular class makes it that much more exciting.

The long-winded point I am trying to make:  I want to devote 2012 to workouts I truly love and want to do. No more wasting efforts on workouts I don’t care about — even if I might be missing something great.

I hope everyone had a really great holiday weekend and has a wonderful New Years!

It was just trying way too hard to be clever or funny or cute or for-the-adults-too or something. I felt bad for making Andy go see it because I promised him it would be as awesome as everyone said, and as soon as we got home I rented Muppets Take Manhattan on iTunes and made him watch it with me on the iPad just to show him what an actual clever Muppets movie with jokes for adults can be like. After, he said, “The new one was pretty much the same story as that, but not nearly as good.” Exactly.

Anyway, the point of my long winded story is that I basically did not leave the couch all weekend. I didn’t do any work and I didn’t blog. Sundays, in my new Dori life, are for football. I’m still not quite sure how I not only got roped into that, but accepted it and eventually welcomed and looked forward to it. I guess cute boys will do that to you.

Then my Monday and Tuesday work days were so busy and the week went by without a blog post. And by busy I mean I actually did work at work and then after work on Monday I went to Refine and Tuesday morning before work I went to Refine and then randomly ran into my aunt and uncle from new Jersey on the street on my walk back. Because things like that somehow happen and I can never understand how. It felt like a relief in a way. I’m still trying to figure out how to balance my blog with everything else and I want to do shorter posts on non-preset days, but I haven’t had any success at all yet. But here I am today.

Other things in my life recently? Well, remember when I started that new job in August? I had my first company holiday party with them. I’ve been to quite a few company holiday parties in my day. My first one in 2006 was awesome.

   
[Me with Ranman - read his daddy blog! Seeing these makes me miss having normal eyebrows that weren't made stupidly thin by overly ambitious threaders. Also, I look so young. And I wore the same winter coat to that party and this year's.]

The Merrill Lynch years were nice, the Bank of America year was non-existent and the real estate company year was miserable. I hated that party and felt uncomfortable and lonely. Another sign that the job wasn’t right for me, really. I remember being so glad I left that job before the summer company picnic day somewhere in Westchester or something. I was dreading it so much. But here at this job, I actually look forward to the events and spending time with the people. The party was a really great time. We were allowed to bring guests, so it was really nice meeting everyone’s husbands and wives and boyfriends and girlfriends, and introducing Andy to the people I talk to him about. They brought in a caricature artist and a photo booth and I was totally in my element: having photos taken of me. Really, that is all I ever want. A sign that this job is right for me.

[Looks more like me than any I've had before, including my Bat Mitzvah signing board]

And also. . .

   
[That is always how Andy reacts when I try to kiss him. I wish I was joking.]

Also this month, I went to the wedding of a friend I met through this blog. I know I’ve told this story a hundred times, but one day in winter 2010 I got a nice comment from a girl who was also training for the NYC Half Marathon and enjoys Core Fusion. I sent her a pretty long email back, and after a few back and forths she came to my apartment (as all people I meet on the internet do) and we went out for a cold weather training run together. We ended up becoming running friends and real-life friends, and trained for and ran half of the ING NYC Marathon together.

And since this is a very narcissistic post, I might as well include my new favorite foto. Awwwwwwwwww.

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas and happy anything else you celebrate. Also, happy birthday to anyone who has birthdays this week because I know you get forgotten in the holiday excitement. I hope you don’t get one combined present “for both.”

Over these last two years, I’ve learned a few things about myself that I’m not sure I would have known otherwise.

I am stubborn
I think I sorta knew this before, but the extent did not show until I got into exercise. When I started doing half marathons, I slacked on my training because I didn’t want to give up any classes. I loved the workouts and I loved the results and I loved being so comfortable there and knowing exactly what I was doing. And then when I injured my hip last year (read about it here and here), I kept taking Core Fusion even though a few exercises in that class made my hip hurt more. I had worked so hard to get where I was that I just couldn’t imagine stopping and losing all that. It was incredibly stupid.

I am lazy
OK I already knew this. But what I didn’t know is that I could simultaneously be both an exercise addict — and by this I mean I spend an inordinate amount of time on the Refine, Core Fusion and now FlyWheel schedulers planning and figuring out which classes I can take and at what time, I take class almost every day, I push myself hard in these classes, I train for a marathon — yet I am also so lazy that when I am in bed and want to read, I don’t. Because my Kindle is in my bag. On the floor.

That is the same reason I never wear my glasses.

I am an underachiever
Contradictory to what I said above, but it’s true. I mean, look at my marathon. I had it in me to run a 4:33 marathon but I didn’t ever train very fast. I didn’t think I could. I thought I was a relatively slow runner, and I nurtured that. I do the same thing in my classes too. I think something will be too hard for me so I half-ass it or take some easy way out. Then after, I realize I could have done it or I should have tried.

[Finish line at Richmond Marathon]

I like pushing myself
Despite being an underachiever, it turns out I do also like pushing myself. Contradictory but true. I never thought I was someone who wanted to test her limits. Until I started Core Fusion (and eventually Refine) I truly believed I was happiest in comfort. The comfort of the couch, the comfort of the bed, the comfort of coming home after work and doing nothing. Turns out I was wrong. There is absolutely nothing like the adrenaline rush of pushing myself in a class, and the rewarding feeling that comes when I see progress and improvement. The day I could hold a plank for the entire time in Core Fusion was nothing short of amazing. Same goes for the day I officially switched from modified knee pushups to real, straight-leg pushups.  Or the day I stopped using two-pound weights for good in Core Fusion. (And now I no longer pick up threes). And I wasn’t even happy to call it a day there –these achievements made me want to push harder. The more I improved, the more I wanted to improve even more.

[At Core Fusion]

I am tough on myself
Ridiculously so. Let’s say I am in a class doing a set of exercises. If when we finish I realize I could have pushed myself harder, I  get mad at myself. I mentally beat myself up. I go home and continue to lament on dailymile. Then I forget about it and the next day the cycle resumes.

[Photo - At Refine Method]

I like routine
I actually never realized this until working out became part of it. Part of the reason I thrived so much (seriously, I became like a different person) once these classes became part of my life is because of the routine and structure they gave me. Exercise was a constant, something I automatically included in my day. I loved it.

Have you learned anything about yourself through exercise?