Thursday, May 20, 2010

Big News and a Giveaway

First—the big news. Since you know I graduated from college this past weekend, I had been planning on speaking to my current employer about my position within the company and my salary; I am fairly more marketable now, with 7 years of hands on accounting experience and my BS. Turns out, me talking to them was unnecessary. I was pulled into our VP’s office and given a pretty big promotion (or title change—my job function has been that of a corporate accountant for a couple of years now) of Corporate Accountant and a raise to boot. I didn’t even have to ask! That just made my day, week, and perhaps entire month! It’s nice to know they recognize my busting my hump at work and outside of it.


 The Maryland Half is in just three days!! My husband is constantly shaking his head at me, but I am getting soooo excited. I am thrilled to have Katye as my pacer/photographer and all around cheerleader for the race and I know that with her by my side, I will hit my 2:40 goal. Heck, I hope I surprise her and get under 2:40 (even if its 2:39:59). Cute outfit is planned already, so keep a look out for my recap!

 The Husband and I are heading to the Laurel Mountains in PA tonight for a quick get away. Husband is playing in a big Pro-Am Tournament (he is 3.2 handicap right now—looking to get to scratch at the end of this season) and I am planning on running the hills around our place to get ready for Sunday. Apparently it’s a hilly course, so I am just going to go up and down part of the mountain a few times to get myself ready. Hopefully I do not die tomorrow trying!!


 As promised earlier this week, I am having a giveaway! One lucky winner will get two pairs of super cute knee high socks, two packs of Luna Moons (my favorite prerace and race fuel—honestly, it taste better than anything else) and a $10 iTunes gift card.




How do you enter, you ask?




  • Add me to your blogroll and comment here.
  • List my giveaway on your blog and comment here.
  • Enter Chelsea’s Run, a virtual run hosted by Katye (and I am already signed up for). Tell her you want to enter her race from reading about it on my blog and then comment here. You will get THREE entries for entering the virtual run, once I confirm it with Katye.
  • Offer me your best piece of half marathon (or just running) advice. Each piece of advice will get you one entry, so the more advice you give, the better your chances

The giveaway will end on Sunday the 31st at midnight and the winner will be announced on Monday, June 1st (Crap!!! How is June already here?)

Have a great day all!






86 comments:

dawn @ running the dawn said...

You are on my blogroll.

dawn @ running the dawn said...

My favorite two things I did in my last half was:

1) Carry a handheld water bottle. LOVED breezing through the first few water stations.
2) Have a pace-band. My confidence grew with each mile marker I passed. It was awesome!

Anonymous said...

besta dvice for today: start off slow! Don't get caught up in the hype of going to fast, 13 miles is a long way, and you can always pick up the pace later!

Anonymous said...

congrats! that's very very awesome! been a great two weeks huh? and of course you're on my blogroll

Anonymous said...

my adivce...stick with me and when you feel like hitting me...put the anger on the pavement =) enjoy every second of it!

Anonymous said...

of course I'm already registered for Chelsea's run =)

Anonymous said...

will post your giveaway on Sunday FunDay!

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

You are on my blogroll!

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

You are linked on my sidebar!

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

Best half marathon advice: Start slowly. And be conservative. You'll feel good at the beginning and if you push it too hard you'll crash at the end ... at least that's what happens to me!

Alanna said...

You're on my blogroll (and I became a follower, too).

Alanna said...

Enjoy the race, but don't get caught up in the hype - you're competing against yourself, not everyone else (I presume). :)

Alanna said...

Take water if you can. I have a hydration pack to carry my water and all my other junk and it was nice to not have to stop. That and the last station actually ran out of water by the time I was there.

Alanna said...

DO NOT TRY ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY!!! Not to yell (much) and I'm sure you've already heard it, but it's sound advice. I don't know if this is your first 1/2, but if it is you want all the memories to be good.

Best of Luck!

Kim said...

You are definitely on my blogroll.

Congrats on the promotion! I am so excited for you! And excited about the half.

Now, a few words of advice...

Kim said...

Advice #1 - don't race every RUN. Don't even race every race! Racing wears your body out and breaks down your muscles. You will be able to run longer and more often if you take an easy pace.

Kim said...

Advice #2 - when training for a half, practice what you will eat, when you will get up, how much sleep you will get, and what you will wear. Even drive the course if you can, and visualize yourself on race day, it will help!

Kim said...

Advice #3 - don't start out too fast on race day! It's easy to get excited and start out too fast and burn out. Save that energy for an end of the race sprint!

RunToTheFinish said...

You are now linked in my sidebar

RunToTheFinish said...

let's see my best advice is seriously to just focus on enjoying yourself. Really take in teh experience and enjoy what you have accomplished!

Teresa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Teresa said...

Your giveaway is on my blog!

Teresa said...

You are on my blogroll

OrangeBlossom said...

You are on my blogroll. So cute socks!

OrangeBlossom said...

Running advice ... mmm, I'm still a beginner as my first half marathon isn't until the end of June. But, I've been practicing on eating/drinking while running. Figure out how much fuel is enough or too much before the big day. And start off slow.

EricaH said...

added ya to my bloggyroll

bobbie said...

Added you to my blogroll!!

bobbie said...

linked it on my blog

bobbie said...

I did my first half this year, my best advice is to relax and have FUN!!

akjenniekt said...

I am now a follower :)

akjenniekt said...

I have added your giveaway to the sidebar of my blog

Unknown said...

I am a new follower and you are on my blogroll!

Unknown said...

I posted a link to this giveaway on my blogs sidebar!

Unknown said...

I am signed up for Kaytes virtual Finish Chelseas Run.

Unknown said...

My best advice. Keep going even when you think you can't. You always have a little bit more to give.
I say "you've got more" to myself all the time!

Unknown said...

Relax and smile when you run. Think of something funny or say Hi and smile to someone. It will lift your spirits and make you forget that you might be hurting or bored or whatever.

*~*~* Tracy said...

Added you tomy blogroll

*~*~* Tracy said...

Linked your giveaway on my blog

*~*~* Tracy said...

I don't know that I'm qualified to give advice for a half since the farthest I've run is 12 miles but since you asked

Keep running. Set mini goals if you have to... make to the next tree, the next mail box, etc, but keep running. You can do it!

*~*~* Tracy said...

more advice

be sure to wear only things you've worn in long training runs already. No new stuff on race day

Laurie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Laurie said...

You are on my blogroll & I'm a new follower! Way to go on finishing up school and with the promotion, that's great!

Laurie said...

I linked your giveaway on my sidebar

Laurie said...

My first half isn't until September, so I don't really have any tried racing advice. I'll just go with generic running advice, which is to not forget why you run. You're doing it because you want to and it makes you happy... when it gets hard, just relax and smile.

EricaH said...

just linked back

@I Run Because...I Can

Unknown said...

You are now on my blogroll.

Unknown said...

This is now posted on my blog.

healthyhappyness.blogspot.com

Paige (The Last Doughnut) said...

I added you to my blogroll.

Paige (The Last Doughnut) said...

I linked in my blog's giveaway section! I *love* those socks!!! So cute!

Paige (The Last Doughnut) said...

My running tip is that it is okay to stop and walk or catch your breath. For the first 3 years or so that I started running, I considered it failure if I had to stop and walk. I was putting too much pressure on myself. I had to learn that being kind to myself is just as important as pushing myself sometimes!

dawn @ running the dawn said...

So, this is not an "entry" just wanted to say congrats on rocking your half marathon yesterday!!!

Berryfine said...

I am a new follower!

Berryfine said...

The best piece of advice I ahave been given is to listen to your body. The trick is knowing when it's your body talking and not your mind trying to trick you!

run4may said...

You have been added to my blogroll

run4may said...

Posted the giveaway on my blog.

run4may said...

Advice for a half marathon- start slow and you will prosper later in the race when many begin to lose momentum because they started too quickly.

Meg said...

Added to blog roll :)

Meg said...

Linked back about the giveaway

Meg said...

Best half marathon advice: Plant a cheering friend at 16k. In my first half I rocked the first 16k, but then it got mentally tough. I was in a small race so there weren't big crowds cheering, and I really could have used a boost.

And carry your own water. Water stations never come when you really want them to. It's good to have "just in case" water.

Paul and Whitney Rohrbaugh said...

The best advice that I can give (and I'm no runner) is to pace yourself!

Paul and Whitney Rohrbaugh said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Paul and Whitney Rohrbaugh said...

Added you to my blogroll.

Kimberly said...

Half-marathon advice: Drink water periodically throughout the race. I had about 2 sips my entire first half and felt like doody the next week.

Kimberly said...

More advice ... Pick a post-race meeting spot beforehand. I was left stranded with no cell, no cash and no ride. I ended up borrowing a phone and calling my uncle to pick me up.

Trish said...

You are on my blogroll!

Trish said...

I've linked your giveaway on my sidebar :)

Trish said...

I am entered in Katye's virtual run for Chelsea, but I had already entered...

:)

Trish said...

Ahem. I do believe that you can give ME some half marathon advice Miss 13.1 ;)

Just keep doing what your're doing Erin, because it is obviously working for you!!

Congrats again!!

financecupcake said...

Running advice: Warm up! I have tendinitis, and I find it very helpful to do some squats, stretches, and walking before I start running.

Darlene said...

I h ave entered Chelsea's giveaway

Darlene said...

I added your blog to my blogrol.

Darlene said...

I posted the giveaway on my blog

Darlene said...

Best advice - pace yourself - start slow.

Darlene said...

Have fun - don't be too hard on yourself if you don't do as well as you want.

Running Diva Mom said...

Just started following you! An itunes gift card is on my bday list next month!!

Running Diva Mom said...

The half marathon is my absolute favorite distance! I love it by far. I would suggest taking the first 3-4 miles easy until you find a groove and a breathing pattern. I would also bring more nutrition than you think you need. You may not want to consume the calories at first, but during the run you may feel famished and it may give you just the little bit you need to get through it and push yourself a little farther. Also, use the water/gatorade stations, even if you think you don't NEED it. GOOD LUCK!

Tricia said...

on my blogroll

Tricia said...

advice:start slow

and then slow down more :)

Tricia said...

dont try ANYTHING new (no new clothes/foods/anything)

Tricia said...

and have fun!

Hunnybee said...

You're on my blogroll.

Hunnybee said...

I've linked to your contest on my blog.

Unknown said...

I'm a new blogroll follower!

thank you!
onenightoff(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I have yet to run my first 1/2 but my advice is to believe that you can do it, every time it gets hard remember your training and believe in yourself.

good luck!
onenightoff(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Oh! another piece of advice, just concentrate on making it half-way, then all you have to do is make it back. I know it sounds weird but I do a lot of out and backs and this helps me when I get to the half-way mark, I just think, "OK now I just need to get home"

onenightoff(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I can't remember if I'm entered or not! but if not this is my entry! =) angie and trish are both registered for Chelsea's run!