A Giveaway from Laura Elaine Designs

I am so excited to introduce you to Laura Elaine Designs.  Laura Elaine creates beautiful running pages and scrapbooks.  I'm pleased to tell share with you that Laura Elaine is offering a Giveaway! First, Let's get to know Laura Elaine Designs.
1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a 30 year-old wife, mom, runner, scrapbooker, and part-time physical therapist. I love to be creative, I love to be outside, and I love to be active.

2. How did your Etsy shop get started

I heard about Etsy from my cousin last winter. I had been making my scrapbooks for a while and just selling them at craft fairs and giving them as gifts. I was so excited to find Etsy - it is the perfect way for me to be creative and sell my scrapbooks!

3. What are you currently training for
Currently, I am not training for any race, but have still been running about 3 times per week. I am taking the fall off from a big race, mostly because my husband is training for the NYC Marathon. With our crazy schedules, and a 2-year-old, it makes it difficult for us both to have a big race to train for. I have an upcoming 5k next weekend, and will more than likely do a Turkey trot on Thanksgiving. My next big race will be next spring - possibly Boston's Run to Remember again. It's a half marathon that I did last year and it's an awesome course through the city.

4. Advice for running moms or those wanting to get started running

My best advice for those wanting to get started is: ANYONE CAN DO IT!!!! I was not a runner in high school or college; I was a gymnast. Being a gymnast meant that the longest that I had to be active for was 90 seconds. I can remember having to run a mile and a half for conditioning in college and we complained the ENTIRE TIME and felt like puking at the end.

Fast forward to 2006: My husband and his best friend (both previously non-runners) made a bet that they were going to be bandits at that year's Boston Marathon. Long story short, we all caught the running bug! Hubby has completed 4 marathons (two of them Boston, running for Children's Hospital) and I have completed 4 half marathons (Boston 1/2 and Philly 1/2 before I had my son, and NYC 1/2 and Boston's Run to Remember post-partum).

There are a ton of training plans out there (the Couch to 5K is an awesome beginner one!) that help beginners lace up their sneakers and get out there.

5. What inspires you

My son is my inspiration. Our family lives an active life - hiking, biking, traveling, skiing, swimming, and of course running! It is important to me to set a good example for my son on how to be healthy, active, and take care of himself. When I put on my running shoes and put them in the stroller to go out for a run, he is learning the importance of exercise and taking care of his body.

Now for the GIVEAWAY! Laura Elaine is offering a $10 Gift Certificate to her Etsy Shop!

Here's How to Enter!
Leave a comment for each separate entry! Please leave an email address or Etsy shop name in each comment you make! Otherwise we won't know how to find you if you win!

1. Mandatory Entry: Visit Laura Elaine Designs and browse around her shop -leave a heart if you are so inclined(not mandatory)! Then return here and tell us what you like!

2. Follow Laura Elaine's Running-Scrapbooking-Being a Mom Blog at http://www.lauraelainedesigns.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment that you did so.

3. Follow this blog,  Prairie Wind Notions and leave a comment that you did.
4. Become a Twitter follower of PrairieWind Designs or Like me on Facebook.  (1 Entry for each - leave a comment!)
5. Tweet the following:
 #Giveaway from LauraElaineDesigns http://prairiewindnotions.blogspot.com ends 10-3 #running #scrapbooking
and leave a comment with the link to your tweet. You may tweet once a day for an extra entry.
6.Post about this giveaway on your facebook page. Leave a comment with a link to your facebook page.
Giveaway starts Wednesday, September 22 and ends at midnight on October 3rd. Winner will be determined by Random.org.
Good Luck!

My Seven-Year-Old Finished a Marathon Today

I'm so proud of him I just had to share this with you.  Now before you say a 7-year-old is too young to run that far, let me give you the details.  It was a kids marathon - ran in conjunction with larger marathon, half-marathon and 5k races in our community.  The rules of the kids marathon allowed for the youth to begin April 1st and begin logging twenty five miles.  There were no rules as to how this was done and many of the schools got involved and started walking groups at recess.  Sometimes my son would log 1/4 mile at a time and others up to 2 miles.  Watching my son progress with his training was such a joy.  He would join my speed workout group on the track. He would put his ipod on and run his own pace. The adults would give him high fives and encouragement as he completed each lap. As the summer has progressed, he began to complete a mile at a time with ease.  Today was race day. We went to the registration booth and he proudly turned in his training log.  He recieved his race packet, complete with t-shirt and race number.  #477 - he was so excited.   The course was lined with supporters.  One half hour before the race started all the kids warmed up together and the crowd was pumped.  As he took his place among the sea of participants he waved to me in the crowd.  And then the gun.  They were off.  Many sprinted away while others picked up a nice steady pace.  Many walked and some were tired after 200 yards.  All were doing it. They were each trying their best to complete their goal. 

Before long, I watched as my son rounded the corner on the last stretch home.  He was weary, but still going.  Just then he seen me and our friends that came to cheer him on.  He got a spring in his step and finished strong.  How powerful.  Have you ever had this feeling? To simply look up and make eye contact with someone supporting you?  It truly does give you a boost.  We all need to be there for each other. Sometimes just being present is enough. May you each be blessed with someone who is present in your life.  How does a child run a marathon you ask?  A little bit at a time.  Every day putting one foot in front of the other until finally each mile is marked off and the marathon is complete.  Couldn't we all learn a little bit from these kids and apply it to our everyday lives?

Does the art in this post inspire you?  If so, please take a moment to visit these Etsy shops.  For "Mile19" please visit Vetek Artist Maine. For the silver urban marathon pendant, please visit Saved By Love

It's About the Journey

I'm feeling sorry for myself today. I have been training for a half marathon.  Back in my high school and college days, running was my life.  I lived to run.  Is there any simpler sport?  All you need is a pair of running shoes and you are off.   While it is amazing the amount of gear and gadgets companies sell runners these days,  I still believe that at the end of the day the run is between you and the road.  (Don't get me wrong, I have been known to indulge in the gear that makes the run a little more enjoyable and me a little more technically savvy.)

For the past few years, life has gotten in the way of  those hours of training I used to put in.  I found my running shoes getting buried deeper in the closet with each season that passed.  Oh I tried to get back into running, but after a 5 year sabbatical it was discouraging to struggle through a two mile run.  I just kept thinking back on the shape I used to be in and the miles I used to log and would get discouraged that it took so much effort to complete a two mile run. 

This past fall, I decided to try again.  I enrolled myself in several fun runs and hit the road.  The journey has been very enjoyable.  Not only have I explored the roads and trails close to my house, but I have reconnected with old friends and met new ones along the way.  My runs no longer look like that ones I took back in the day.  Today my runs are equipped with jogging strollers and diaper bags.   But that's okay, I still get satisfaction from reaching goals I have set for myself. 

That's what brings me to today.  I was to run a half marathon.  It was the goal that got me training again this spring.  And now I'm laid up with a training injury.  I  began thinking about all the training that was wasted now that I'm not able to run.  After a while I began to realize, nothing had been wasted.  Every moment I spent training I was doing something good for myself - not just for my health, but for my emotional well being as well. It was about the journey, not just about the final goal. So while I was not able to run today, I will not let it get me down.  There are other half marathons and this particular one will be ran again next year.  I will look forward to standing on that starting line, pulse racing and my nerves getting the best of me as I wonder, did I train enough? Should I have done one more long run? 

If you have never done a local fun run, I suggest you really look into it.  Even if you are not a runner, there are several people who walk the course.  Don't be afraid to take your kids - it can be a great way to meet other moms and it's an activity the whole family can enjoy.  The people you meet and the encouragement and positive atmosphere at a road race is very  uplifting.  As a bonus, many fun runs are fundraisers for good causes.  So not only are you getting out and meeting people in your neighborhood, you are doing something good for your community.  Did I mention that most runs offer a cool t-shirt to those who participate?  So get out there, hit the track, run the trails, or settle for the open road, there is nothing stopping you from reaching your goals.

If the photography in this post has inspired you, please be sure to take a moment and visit these etsy shops.  For Running Away print, please visit ArtunderCJ. Into Parts Unknown can be found at SaraTeresa in addition to other fine prints and postcards. Once you've completed your run, be sure to stop by LauraElaineDesigns to scrapbook your memories.  Visit LauraElaine's Blog for more running inspiration and motivation.