I just saw a story that John Mellencamp promised to stop smoking if he gets a million facebook friends. And Drew Carey will donate $1 million to Livestrong if he gets 1 million Twitter followers. Am I the only one thinking, why do you need all that affirmation? The fact that your 14 year old son wants you to stop smoking should be enough for you Mr. Mellencamp. And if you have a $1 million to spare, why not just donate it already Mr. Carey? Do you want to tell someone with cancer that the reason you didn’t was because you weren’t popular enough? Apparently these guys weren’t raised by a mother who reminded them that “virtue is its own reward.”

Exercise is one of those virtues. You shouldn’t start running or an exercise routine because you want to look skinny or sexy for someone else. You should do it for yourself. Do it because it makes you feel good. Do it because you want to be healthy. December is the hardest month to stay on track though. My friend Joanna had a good idea, adding just one small thing to your workout to help you stay motivated. I’m going to try and think up a small running challenge for myself each day. I was going to try and run every day in December but I just don’t think that’s going to be feasible with traveling and holiday chaos.

Today’s challenge: mix up your route. I run pretty much the same route every day. From my house I run a mile to the park and then run on the trail until I hit the halfway point of the distance I’m running. On my next run I’m going to run a different way home to mix things up. If you run a loop, try running it the opposite way. Run down a different street in your neighborhood. Or run a completely different trail. Just a little something different to make you think!

Today’s mix is a Hanukkah song from Sacha Baron Cohen’s brother. Seriously, the dude is a musician!

My step-brother is in the Army and he’s been in Afghanistan for nearly a year. He told my mother something that I think about often.  He is working on a base and he said when soldier who has died is being loaded onto the plane to be sent home, everyone stops what they are doing and goes out to send off the plane.  They had to recently stop doing this however because they were being targeted by insurgents. On Veterans’ Day, HBO showed a movie called “Taking Chance” about a fallen Marine’s final journey home. It’s a heartbreaking true story written by Lt. Col Mike Strobl who was assigned to escort the Marine home. It’s a fascinating look at the efforts that the Armed Forces take to ensure that every fallen service person is treated with respect and dignity on their final journey.

Chance Phelps is the fallen Marine. He was killed in Iraq in April 2004. I wanted to learn more about him after I watched the show and I discovered that his family started a foundation called Run 4 Chance. The foundation supports various causes for current and military service people and their families. It started with a group that ran the 2004 Marine Corps marathon in honor of Chance and now has fundraising related to several running and walking events, including as I discovered, the marathon I’m running on Sunday.  So in the interest of better late than never, please read about Chance Phelps, watch Taking Chance if you can, and if you find it in your heart and pocket, make a donation to honor him.

A friend posted on her facebook page on Veterans Day that she could hear the bells of the Chicago Temple playing America the Beautiful.  So that’s my running mix pick today, for Chance Phelps, my step-brothers, and every veteran.

Several years ago I did my first race that was just for women, it was an Avon 5K and I think it was to benefit a breast cancer cause.  My mom did it with me and it was so much fun.  Especially the pancake breakfast we were served afterwards!  I’ve done a few more women’s races since then including the Danskin Triathlon and just this past April, a Zooma half marathon.  I think the holy grail of women’s races is the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco because at the finish line you get a blue box from Tiffany with a necklace and charm. My friend Marilyn has done that race every single year because the lure of that blue box is just too irresistible for her.

I really like doing women’s races, the atmosphere is just different. It’s more….fun. Everyone seems friendlier and chattier at the starting line and even better I’ve never once been pushed or shoved nearing the finish line by a woman who is trying to make sure she beats me by 1 second (yeah, men have done this to me more than once). And the women’s races seem to have better swag. For the Zooma race we got a cool pink running shirt and a necklace and charm at the finish (not Tiffany, but still cool).

If you’ve never done a women’s race, try one, or better yet plan to do it with some friends.  I love sharing the experience of a race with a friend.  When I did my first marathon, I ran it with my friend Jane.  We ran together the whole way and at the finish line, not only did she not try to knock me down and beat my time, she grabbed my hand and we finished together.

How about something for your running mix to remind you of your good friends, runners or not!