A GIVEAWAY!!

Is this a SillyHille first? A giveaway?? It might just be...!

But I am inspired and excited, and I hope you'll participate.

What are the goods? It's the third CD from Mr. Leebot- Madigan's favorite musician! She's been a fan since she first viewed his music video for "Twirl" (click on the link to see it). If you don't find yourself singing it for the rest of the day you're a stronger person than I am!

Leebot's music is hip, funky and fun! It's perfect to rock out in your living room to, or crank up the volume and jam in the minivan... um, not that I've done either. *cough* Ok, maybe a few times.

So besides the fact that the tunes are addictive, what else might motivate a mama to become Leebot Groupie? Just the fact that proceeds from the sales of the CD's will help Mr. & Mrs. Leebot bring their baby-bots home from Ethiopia, as well as provide much needed goods for the orphans waiting for their forever homes.

It's fun music for a fantastic cause. Life does not get more perfect than that!

So if you have kids, know kids, or are a kid at heart, this CD is perfect for you!

Each of the following will enter you once:

1- leave a comment on this post. Any old comment.

2- mention this giveaway in your facebook status, and link to Leebot's page. Come back and leave a comment letting me know you did it!!

3-Become a fan of Mr. Leebot on facebook. Stop back and let me know you "liked" him.

I'm leaving the contest open until I feel like closing it. Because I'm totally random and non-deadline driven like that.

Enter to win!!!

Edit: First- the proceeds of the sales will go to provide goods for the orphans in Ethiopia. The artist and his wife are funding the adoption personally/privately.

Second- This CD was purchased by me and will be given to YOU! I was not (a) given the CD or (b) asked to promote it in any way. Yes- yours truly is over the moon for Leebot purely on her own! I believe in the totality of what "Leebot Enterprises" (<--I might have just made that up?) is doing personally and professionally, and want to support it 110%.

Thanks!

Full Race Report

Ok, so as seems typical for runners who blog, I felt the need to write a race report from today's half marathon.

I got there with enough time to warm up and stretch, and meet up with my sister-in-law's sister-in-law Jess (follow that?). She has run some big races, including a full marathon, so it was good to chat with her and keep my nerves in check.

We lined up at the back of the pack and had a cow-bell start (yes- for real!). It didn't take long for the pack to thin out a bit and everyone seemed to fall into their pace very easily. There was a slight head wind running out of town. I hung with Jess for about a half-mile but her pace is a bit quicker and I didn't want to hold her back. I had done all my training alone, so another long run by myself didn't bother me at all.

The course went south of town on a highway, about 2 miles before turning east and winding up a hill and into park and camp area. The park was beautiful and it gave me something to look around at as the sun rose. We ran over a couple of wooden bridges, and one of the water stops was a group of boy scouts who had camped out the night before and stood on the road handing out water and powerade. As we ran out of the park we ran further down the highway and took a couple miles back west and south before hitting the turn around point. The man with the "unofficial" split told me I was at 1:08 at the split, which was well ahead of my goal pace. About a mile back towards town, I passed a guy with a broken clavicle and his arm in an immobilizer! I thought, "if he can do this, so can I!" and we exchanged encouragement as I passed. I turned back into the park and had to do a "system check" as I was starting to feel the fatigue. Head, chest, belly and legs are all FINE, so I kept on running. I attempted a bite of banana but quickly ditched it. Just inside the entrance of the park I hit the 10K turn around point- and someone next to me pointed out "all we have left is a 5k! We can run a 5k!" and that did help a bit. There is a small hill-climb out of the park, then it was back down the hill and onto the main highway for the 2 mile straight stretch into town.

This was the point that the mental hurdles came popping up for me. I realized that every step I took was effectively the farthest I've ever run. I could see down the 2 mile highway stretch and knew that it was a long road back to the finish. I thought about the following things while I ran that first mile back to town: I repeated a few bible verses in my head that help lift my spirits. I thought about TWO friends I have adopting internationally, both of whom are matched with their children, and waiting to travel to bring them HOME forever. I also thought about my sister in law, who is due any day with my nephew. (Why was I thinking about babies? I have no idea! Anything to distract me I guess!) I hit the one mile mark, and I have to be honest: that was the longest mile of my life! I was hoping to have caught a "second wind" by that point, but no luck! I could see that the finish was down the stretch, but it felt really far away. I wanted to stop and walk and immediately talked myself out of it- who runs a half marathon and walks in the last mile?! :) As I hit the city limits, my arms and legs went numb. (I'm not convinced it was a 'good numb' either?!) but it definitely made the last half mile bearable. I kept my eyes on the finish, and as I got to the chute, I saw two of my high school classmates cheering for me (they had run the 10K that day). I also saw Jess rooting me on. I crossed the finish, had my timing chip removed, took a bottle of water and my finisher's medal from the volunteers, and then went straight to the porta-potties! Ha!!

As I came out, I chatted w/ a friend then went looking for Brett- he and my aunt brought Madigan over, and they were walking into the finish area when I spotted them: They had missed the whole thing!!!

My official race time was 2:16.35! Well below my goal of 2:30! I was super excited about that! We stood around and cheered the half-marathoners back in, and saw the winner of the full marathon come through about 2:40 or so! SHEESH! We ate at the pancake feed, then headed home! I will be sure to post pics later! Thanks for all the support!!

It's Time...

(photo credit)

Race day is upon me.

What were nerves and anxiety early in the week have given way to anticipation and excitement now. I'm ready to run. In the spirit of full disclosure, I did not do my entire training- after my bout with tendonitis (which still seems to flare up after runs) I did not do my other two long runs as called for. To date, my longest run completed is 10 miles. Saturday, I'll have a total of 13.1 miles ahead of me. But I have trained- and my training will help me to cross the finish line.

Running isn't a competition for me, at not least in the traditional "me against them" mentality. It's more me against the voice in my head telling me I am too weak to continue.

My GOAL is to finish.

My ideal goal is to run the entire distance, without walking.

My dream would be to finish in 2:30.

I'll have a full race report- good or bad- after the weekend.

Right now, I'm going to bed, I'm packing my bags and I'm preparing for one of the biggest events I've ever participated in.

~Sarah

IHF: Slice of Life...

"Slice of Life" is the theme this week at i heart faces.

To check out more beautiful entries, click on over to their website.

Sun Flare

Another week at i heart faces and I just can't help myself!

The theme is "sun flare" and it's one of my favorite fun photography elements to work with.

I have done several sessions with sun flare, but one of my favorite pictures to date is a candid shot of my husband with my daughter. We were out for an evening walk on a fall day, and she got tired of walking. I was playing with my camera and looked back to see that he had scooped her up and they were cuddling. Sometimes the pictures we love the most are not always photographically perfect, but they hold a piece of emotion that we won't soon part with.

Check out all the awesome entries this week at i heart faces!

About that Half....

So it seemed that I no sooner than pushed the "publish" button on that post about the half marathon panic and running the 5K when I developed my first running injury.

In the 19 degree weather of the run, I did notice my left ankle felt tight. Quite the over-achiever, I then went on to a one hour Zumba event that afternoon, and jumped around like a maniac on it. Resting Sunday didn't help much, and by Monday morning I could hardly get up the three flights of stairs into my office. One trip to the orthopedic doctor's office later, I learned I had a bad case of tendonitis. Prescription strength anti-inflamatories in hand, I pondered his advice on the drive home.

The orthopedic doctor told me it's mainly from repetitive use, like running. The best way to get rid of it is to rest a couple weeks then ease back into the activity. I have four weeks of training left, the longest of the long runs still ahead of me. Taking two weeks off running, then "easing back" into it most certainly meant no half marathon. When I specifically expressed that concern to the doctor, he just eyed me suspiciously. He said, "Can you run on it? Yes. If your concern was a tear or a stress fracture, you're cleared. But tendonitis will still be uncomfortable, especially for 13 plus miles." I sure would hate to have trained these last eight weeks and quit with four left to go, and I told him as much. Half chuckling, he said "Yeah... Runners. Give it as much time as you are willing, then try it out. If you can live with it, then run. I will leave the half marathon decision up to you."

I realized his advice was my perfect opportunity to quit.

But I couldn't quit, because even with the panic about the half-marathon, wondering if I was adequately prepared, and feeling like I had jumped in over my head.... I still want to do it. I took three days off. I ran three miles the first day, and by weeks end, did my scheduled long run of 10 miles. Can I promise that I'm gonna cross the finish line? No. But I can guarantee that I was handed the chance to duck out and I didn't take it. That feels like a little bit of a win right there.

Besides, I think he knew I was going to run anyway. He told me I needed two weeks worth of the prescription, but then eyeballing me as he wrote it out, he gave me a full 4 week supply. Just enough to get me to race day.

Let's Celebrate!

Happy Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month!

What's that you say? You weren't aware? Chew on these facts:

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for men & women.

This year, 131 THOUSAND Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer. 56 thousand will DIE.

Because symptoms are sometimes hidden or non-existent, early detection is crucial. Get screened.

Wondering if you're at risk? Click here and read up.

"Why do you care?" you dear readers ask... (or maybe not? but I'm pretending you do!)

Because although those over 50, African-Americans and those considered "sedentary" are in the highest risk group, I have a friend who is none of the above, and he's in the fight of his life... For his life. He was so lucky that he caught it early and received immediate treatment. His story will have a great ending, I just know it. But others won't be so lucky.

So, I asked myself, what could I possibly do to honor my friend? Well, RUN for him, of course!!

So my husband and I suited up with our self-made shirts (funny, right?) and turned up in 19 degree weather to run a 5K. It was cold but it was fun, and we finished in 26:26.

So pay attention to the signs. Don't be afraid to get a scope. It could just save your life.