Safety comes in a nice little tin box...

Remember that giveaway I mentioned?  Pay attention, here it is.  I'm giving away a $35 gift card for RoadID.

I just got my RoadID in the mail this week.  And the timing is perfect because I'm getting ready to do my first century ride.  To be honest, I had my doubts.  I make my purchases based on what's best for my family, and spend quite a bit of time weighing purchases for their value.  So when faced with dropping money on something that has no sure need, it's a lot harder to make the purchase.  And as I'm one of the budget limited athletes in the sport, many things either get pushed back, bought used off craigslist, or not purchased at all.

I guess this is where I should mention that I not only bought one, I bought three of them.

When I came across RoadID about a year ago, I thought "GREAT IDEA!"  Being a firefighter, I see some of the worst things that can happen.  After looking into it, though, it was one of those things that got pushed back.  Fortunately, nothing really bad has happened to me in the time it took for me to get off my lazy butt and order something that really isn't that expensive (well, there was that car at the intersection).  But then, something else happened.

My five year old told me she wanted to start running like mommy does.  Did you hear my heart stop for a second?

The area I live in has a race every year for kids, and she wants to run in it.  So, I'll let her run it without mommy.  I'll be there at the finish line cheering her on and acting goofy like any other sports mom.  But, a few days after I ordered my RoadID, I ordered hers.  And her brother's.  And since ordering their RoadID's, I've realized all the situations that it would have been good to have emergency phone numbers on my kids.  Both kids travel with their grandmother a couple of times a year.  Granted, nothing takes the place of having kids know their own address and phone number, but we also teach our kids "stranger danger."  And if my kid gets lost, I JUST WANT THAT KID BACK NOW.  Every parent knows there's a million "what if's..."  Wouldn't that be a nice peace of mind to have next time you go on vacation, all the kids wearing their RoadID's?  I know I'll have it.

As far as using it for being an athlete, it's just a damn good idea.  A military friend of mine helped me deck it out with my name, driver's license number, blood type, and an emergency contact.  It left enough room for a motivational phrase that I plan to use to help me get through my races.  My husband and kids aren't always on hand at the races, so if something did happen, RoadID has an interactive ID that give emergency responders a phone number to call for medical history and emergency contacts.  You can update as often as you need to.

Don't want that fancy medic alert bracelet?  Here's another option for you.  Another bunch of options for you.  RoadID has so many options that it was easy to get different ID's for me and the kids.  Mine is black, my daughter's is purple, and my son's is blue.  And bands and ID's are individually replaceable if you need or want to change something.

Did you make it this far?

So leave a comment telling me if you are an athlete or a parent or both, and what you plan to buy if you win, then go over to my facebook page here and "like" it. The more comments you leave on this post, the more entries you have, up to one entry a day. I'll do a random drawing next week.  If my facebook page hits 100 "likes" I'll do a second giveaway, so tell your friends!

Don't feel like waiting until next week to get your RoadID?  You can order one here.  It isn't expensive and is totally worth it!