Running for Fetal Hope Raffle/Giveaway

On Nov. 5th, 2011, I will be running the Rock 'n Roll Marathon in Savannah, GA., with a goal of running a race that will not only qualify me for Boston but will more importantly help raise funds and awareness for Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome(TTTS) and Twin Reverse Arterial Perfusion(TRAP) through the Fetal Hope Foundation. This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart. In 2003 my twin pregnancy was diagnosed with TTTS and later with an even more rare condition TRAP. You can read the full story HERE. I will be running this race in memory of my son Eugene and in honor of my son Sebastian, who because of an early diagnosis and treatment is a healthy 7 years old!

My fundraising goal is $1000.00 by November 5th.
I have currently raised $350.00.
$650.00 to meet my goal!!

So here is where it could get fun for you!  I am having a running raffle to benefit the Fetal Hope Foundation. Through the generous donations of several companies I have put together two amazing prize packages that you could possibly win!!

Here is the First place prize package:

 Road ID

If you are a runner, cyclist, triathlete or just an active person, Road ID is for you. In the event of an accident, if you can't speak for yourself, your Road ID will. It's not just a piece of gear - it's peace of mind.

 The winner will have their choice of either

the Wrist ID Sport:

OR

the Wrist ID Slim:

Balancing Act Clothing has offered one of their "Tink" inspired wings shirts.
Balancing Act clothing is unique clothing geared toward runners.  Each shirt is screen printed by hand in Alissa's home, and made with LOVE!!

Whether you're running a race or just running around town, you should feel comfortable. And there's no reason you shouldn't look good, too! We're Running Chics… just like you. And we know that fashion and performance can go hand-in-hand.

 

Running Chics-Bella Long Sleeve Burnout(S)

Running Chics- Messenger Bag

Running Chics- StretchFlex ALO Headband

Running Chics- Cotton Tote

Allied Medal Displays generously offered up two medal displays towards my fundraising efforts.  So both winners will be able to choose their own personal Medal Display!!! 

Any Medal Display you want!

  Allied Medal Displays are the ORIGINAL and BEST medal hangers on the market.  Their quality and customer service are absolutely top notch.  From custom displays to one of the prefabricated designs, you can not go wrong.  All displays come with a mounting kit, installation instructions, a packing slip, and instructions for returning or exchanging products. The mounting kit includes #4x1” stainless steel screws, #4x1/4” plastic nylon wall spacers, and #4x15/16” drywall anchors.

And last but certainly not least in this prize package is one pair of Iron Girl Sunglasses.

The winner of this package will have their choice of one of these two pair:

 IRON GIRL- Fitted B Sunglasses

OR

 

 IRON GIRL- Fitted D Sunglasses

Second Place Prize Package: 

Allied Medal Displays generously offered up two medal displays towards my fundraising efforts.  So both winners will be able to choose their own personal Medal Display!!! 

Any Medal Display you want!

  Allied Medal Displays are the ORIGINAL and BEST medal hangers on the market.  Their quality and customer service are absolutely top notch.  From custom displays to one of the prefabricated designs, you can not go wrong.  All displays come with a mounting kit, installation instructions, a packing slip, and instructions for returning or exchanging products. The mounting kit includes #4x1” stainless steel screws, #4x1/4” plastic nylon wall spacers, and #4x15/16” drywall anchors.

Nuun New Flavor Mixed Fruit 4-Pack: The kid in us has been begging for these flavors for years. Uncomplicated, classic, delicious flavors without the sugars that always made us crash a few minutes later. These retro favorites will keep you hydrated on the road for hours, but make sure you stay close enough to hear mom yell for dinner!  

1 tube each of Grape, Fruit Punch, Strawberry Lemonade, and Tropical.

So, do you want to win? First thing you have to do is go buy a virtual raffle ticket.. sound hard? It's not....

*note* you do not have to be a blogger to enter, just email me at mommysfitfortheking@yahoo.com letting me know you donated 

1) Mandatory entry:
Make a tax deductible donation to the Fetal Hope Foundation on my donation page HERE
http://www.runningguru.com/RunWithMe.asp?mID=2075
Leave me a comment letting me know you donated.

$5 = one entry
$10= 2 entries
$15 = 3 entries
$20 = 4 entries

 and so on....so, every $5.00 = 1 entry 

*if you have already donated, leave me a comment letting me know!

2) BONUS ENTRIES! 
Share this giveaway! Twitter, facebook, your blog, dailymile, etc etc.  Every time you share, leave a new comment and you will get an extra entry.

This will end November 1st at Midnight, winners will be drawn by random.org and notified by email and on the blog.

Remember, this is for a good cause! With your donation, we can make a difference in bringing hope and changing lives.

Thank you so much for your support!!! 

**all items were graciously donated by their respective companies. If you have a product you would be interested in donating for future fundraising raffles or reviews, please contact me, mommysfitfortheking@yahoo.com

Grace and peace,

Just another manic Monday...

I had a great weekend! 

I felt great on my long run Saturday morning.  I pounded out 15 miles with a 9:30 min average pace and my legs felt fantastic the whole time. Then, since J and the two older boys were out deer hunting, me and my littlest prince went shopping.  I have been on the hunt for 6 dining room chairs for over a year now.  I had a picture of the perfect chair in my head and have not been able to find it...with in my price range anyway.    On a whim, I popped into a local antique store...and there they were....6 of the most beautiful chairs.  They were even better than the picture in my head...

 

Whats even better is that they were only $10.00 each! YAHTZEE!!  So, because I was already saving J so much money getting a bargain on these chairs, I bought a buffet too.  I don't have a picture of that yet because I had to wait for J to get home to load it up. It's beautiful though.  

I don't know if it was a high from the 15 miler or from the amazing purchases but when I got home I was in the mood for holiday baking. I'm NEVER in the mood to cook so it had to be happy endorphins.  I spent the rest of the evening making chocolate almond and chocolate cafe almond biscotti(J's favorite).

It was a great weekend.

Monday, Monday

This morning I woke up for my morning run at 4:15am.  I failed to prepare last night and have all of my running gear laid out, and I paid for it this morning.  The batteries in my running light were dead and I couldn't find any working batteries. I even tried the kids Wii remotes and they were ALL dead!  Then I couldn't find my water bottle, I'm pretty sure one of the boys took it with them when they went hunting. All of my dry wick running socks were dirty...I only have 4 pair(I never think to buy socks!) so I put on a pair of dirty socks. Don't judge.;) 

I had a 6 miler this morning and at mile 4.2 my Garmin battery died. Oops, must have forgot to charge it.  Wrong.  I hooked it up to the charger and synced it to my computer and then it died again.  Now, it won't respond at all.  Won't turn on, won't beep, nothing...sniff, sniff. It's dead.  I tried calling the Garmin help line and it was a 35 MINUTE wait!!! WHAT!? Who has time to wait that long?  So I shot them and e-mail and they said someone would be with me in the next 3 days!!! Those people must be doing some SERIOUS business!!!

So I'm going to have to run naked now.  I am already going through Garmin withdrawals and it's only been a few hours.  I have no clue what I am going to do Saturday when I have my longest training run ever! 24 miles with no Garmin.....oh Garmin...I miss you...

 Garmin come back, you can blame it all on me

I was wrong, and I just can't live without you

26 days until the marathon...dun, dun, dun....

Grace and peace,

Plyometrics...Building your Running Speed and Power

The other day I got the bright idea to call up my old personal trainer, Dave Jacob.  I had heard he has developed some sort of Plyometrics system that he's uses with some NBA and NFL athletes and I thought maybe he could give me a few free tips over the phone.  I've been reading a lot lately not just about plyometrics but about different cross training exercises to add to my marathon training.  Plyometrics just seems to keep making it to the top of the list.  Dave is a slave driver awesome trainer!  He is the one who kicked my butt got me ready for my first fitness competition here:

I trust that whatever Dave tells me to do will work.  If Dave told me to eat dirt for a week and stand on my head because it would make me a better athlete....I would do it.
By the end of the phone call I had set up weekly training sessions with him.....still not sure how that happened.
Monday was my first session and it was NOT at all what I expected.  I had been used to his past sessions....a LOT of lunges, some squats, weight training, some cardio.....but this was different.
This was a lot of hopping. That's pretty much it. Hopping.  I felt like a kangaroo. I joked with him that this was like playing hopscotch in grade school...15mins into the session I was eating humble pie and very aware that I have very little power, balance, or agility.  20 minutes into the session I was almost spent!  How is it that I can run 18 miles without stopping but I can't hop for 20 mins!!??!  Needless to say, he pushed me through the next 20 mins.
Today I'm sore from my core to my toes. Thank God I only had an easy 3 miler on the schedule today!

So, what are Plyometrics?

According to Wikipedia : Plyometrics is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports. Plyometric movements, in which a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength, elasticity and innervation of muscle and surrounding tissues to jump higher, run faster, throw farther, or hit harder, depending on the desired training goal. Plyometrics is used to increase the speed or force of muscular contractions, providing explosiveness for a variety of sport-specific activities.

Check out this article on Plyometrics and Distance Running by Iain Hunter, PhD from Brigham Young University HERE.

If you haven't added Plyometrics to your training schedule maybe you should think about it.  And while your thinking about it check out Dave Jacobs website HERE.

So, what do you do on your cross training days?

If you're new to my blog, welcome! If you're not new, thanks for stopping by!  I appreciate your comments and feedback!

Grace and peace,

Shirt slogan dilemma...Help!

In my last post I showed you the skirt that we(my running partner Angie and I) decided on for the Nashville Half coming up in a little over a week.  We already have the shirt, we went with an Under Armour, black, sleeveless tank.

  I have a friend who owns a T-shirt printing shop so she has volunteered to put what ever we want on the shirts. 
Now, for the dilemma.  We need a slogan for our shirt. There are several that we found that we like and some we found made us roll on the floor but were probably a little on the offensive side.
Here are some of our options:

Front: I want to run with the Kenyans
Back: Where'd  they go?!?

We all can't be the princess, someone has to sit on the curb and clap as I go by.

Half Marathon Mommy 13.1 miles of peace and quiet

You say I run like a girl... If you ran a little faster you could too!

I'm not a slow runner....I just act like one to mess with your mind.

There are so many cute slogans! HELP!!! I have to have it by this Friday so the shirt is ready by race day.

What are your favorite running slogans? Please share!
Grace and peace,