My first half marathon

Run a half marathon - done.

As many of you know, for the past 6 months I've had this crazy idea to run a half marathon! For the past several weeks I've been anxious, worried, excited, and a little nauseous about the race! Well I'm pleased to announce that on November 14, 2010 on a chili day in San Antonio, TX that goal become a success! Although it felt brutal at times I can honestly say that the run went amazing! From the music, to the weather, to the company I have nothing to complain about!

Coming into this race, I had so many fears:

• The Weather - the forecast called for 40% Chance of Rain-yikes!
  
• What to wear - short sleeve/long sleeve? Pants/shorts? Hat/no hat?
  
• Potty stops - I wanted to be able to run the whole time without stopping - enough said
  
• Wake up time - we were not sure how far the start was from our hotel-nerve racking!
  

Needless to say I was a nervous wreck, a worry wart - call it what you want. The truth is though, I had prepared. I had been running since the summer. We'd run in 100 degree weather and in 40 degree weather. We'd given up numerous Saturday mornings and week nights away from our families. I know the thing I feared the most was the fear of the unknown. But boy, what a race we had.

I can honestly say that race was one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done and I give God all of the glory. The race went close to perfect and I don't mean how I ran - I just mean the experience itself.

Our hotel ended up being extremely cute and quaint. What a blessing it was - more importantly though was the fact that we could walk out of the hotel and strait to our starting corral. It could not have been more perfect. There was no standing in line for a port-o-potty; no waiting in the cold for an hour before our race; and no fighting our way through the crowds. We literally walked out of our hotel and started the race - how awesome!


One of the biggest blessings was NO rain! That's right - the weather, although chilly at first, was perfect running weather. I cannot tell you how blessed we were for that! The weather stayed perfect all 13 miles!

We were also blessed by finding the perfect running attire - Philippians 4:13 running shirts.

In fact, we had people come up to us during the race and tell us that our shirts were keeping them going! How amazing! We were able to be a witness in our wardrobe!

I cannot tell you how many little things went right for us, from the restaurant we ate at the night before, to the awesome music mix we listening to during the race (thanks Pastor Cole), to our friends showing up to cheer us over the finish line (thanks Carson family), to Vanessa being able to facebook updates and photos during the race (gotta love technology). Oh - and no potty stops needed!

The biggest blessing of the weekend was my awesome running buddy Vanessa. Not only did she allow me to train with her, but she provided me with constant encouragement, advice, friendship and support! I was blessed to be able to cross the finish line with her!

Yesterday was one of those days that I feel like I really could feel the prayers that were being lifted up on our behalf. Thank you to those who prayed and supported us along the way.

Our next race might not go as smoothly, but it was wonderful to see all of our hard work pay off! I've already been asked if my next stop is a full Marathon - we shall see! After yesterday - I feel like anything is possible!

I'm back!

I'm sure my dozens of readers have anxiously been awaiting my return to the world of blogging - I'm back!

For the past month or two I have been embarking on my next journey - the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll half marathon...yikes! After having such a great time at the Cap 10k I somehow got talked into running a half marathon on November 14. I've continued to run on a regular basis, but have not "upped" my mileage in a while. I've been stuck at about 4 miles 5 days a week.

But this weekend that will all change - I'm planning on running 9 miles with my running buddy Vanessa. This will be a stretch for me, as I've never run more than 6, but I think I'm ready to attempt this challenge.

Many of you have asked my what it is about running that has made me stick to it for the past year. The quick answer is that I've made some great friends and relationships doing it. Also, I thrive on setting a goal for myself and then finally seeing that goal accomplished. I've been so blessed to have friends, church family members, and neighbors who have been willing to wake up early and stay up late to run.

God has also given me the opportunity to spend some alone time with him in prayer in worship. He has reminded me that communicating with him does not have to be sitting in church or while I'm reading my Bible - but it can be a conversation. Sometimes I feel like I just need to unload my problems on someone and I'm so thankful I can "unload" all my burdens on the Lord and he will carry them for me - (Psalm 55:22) Give your burdens to the Lord and he will take care of you (NLT). I've never been much of a "nature" person, but I'm so thankful that I'm finally starting to realize how amazing and increadible this world we live in is. God's creation is so creative and yet so personal. I'm amazed that in how big this universe is that he cares about me...wow!

In summary, this whole running thing has been a blessing. I still struggle with wanting to sleep in or stop (and I do have my bad days), but I'm determined to work at this thing with my whole heart and complete this 1/2 marathon! (Col 3:23).

My running advice - Keep going. You can always go further than you think you can. If you want to quit - try running 5 more minutes. I've learned that if I'm getting tired or sore and want to quit, I try to push myself 5 more minutes and I'm usually good for at least that long. Also - take a running buddy...it makes the run fly by!

Your advice - I need your advice on some good running music to add to my ipod. I need some new music to keep me going on my long runs by myself.

Happy Running!

Lauren

Run a 10k - check!

After my highschool basketball coaches forcing me to run unimaginable amounts I never thought I'd ever have the desire to run without anyone forcing me! Well, all that changed in the past year and I've realized it's a fun and free way to stay in shape and loose a little weight. Last October Jamie Zeller and I ran a 5k together and had a great time. We'd taken a little break for Christmas and I knew I really needed to get back into running. My friend Vanessa Petrea had the great idea to run the Cap 10k in downtown Austin and I just decided to go for it. Vanessa and I ran anywhere from 3-5 miles every weekend and we ran on our own during the week. I never though I'd ever be able to run 6 miles without stopping, but I was determined to finish the race!

Race day was last Sunday in downtown Austin. I was extremely nervous. I was nervous about what to eat before, what to wear, and I think I went to the restroom every 5 minutes just to be safe. It was a cloudy and drizzly day and I was surrounded by 20,000 people running the same race. Once the race started routine set in and I had a blast. Vanessa has been an awesome running buddy and we chatted for most of the time and we met our goal of running the entire way! I had a great time and I'm proud that I actually ran that long!

I know now that I need a goal in order to keep running so we have decided to run a 1/2 marathon in November. Not sure what I was thinking, saying yes to that, but I'm excited about meeting this new goal! Who would have thought I'd become a "runner". A really slow one, but a "runner" nontheless!

What was I thinking?

Hello Friends,

It's been way to long since I've updated you on my never ending journey of living life to the fullest. As many of you know, I am very goal oriented. After completed the ridiculous, wonderful cleanse in January, I realized I need a new goal and determined that would be running a 10k. What was I thinking?

For those of you who watched me play basketball and volleyball growing up, you might be asking yourself that same question. What is she thinking? To clue the rest of you in, running was not my favorite thing, nor was I ever the fastest girl on the court - far from it. The truth is - I want to push myself to do something I never thought I could do (and never really wanted to). Running was never fun for me, but it is starting to become a stress reliever and something I enjoy. Still didn't say it was fun...but it's becoming enjoyable. I also get to spend time catching up with my running buddies - you know who you are.

Last night, I had the lonely task of running by myself. I hate doing that. I'm a little ADD so I get really bored. I found this really awesome song on my ipod and played it 10 times in a row. It really got me in the zone. It's Francesca Battistelli's Unpredictable. So as I'm running I hear the line "So, help me rest in the mystery of what I can't understand" - and I get a revelation of sorts. I'm no very good at "resting". I always seemed to be worried about the future or I try to have the future planned out. This song was such a great reminder that I can "rest" easy knowing that the Creator of the Universe has a great plan for me and I need to stop worrying.

The 10k (6.2 miles) is on April 11...24 days from now. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm a little nervous about running that far on race day! For those avid runners out there - Do you have any tips for me for the next 24 days? I have a training schedule but any advice you could offer would be appreciated!

So, I guess running has done me some good and I'm looking forward to the 10k and to what my future holds!

Send advice and prayers my way!

Lauren

Back to Real Life

Thanks for everyone for keeping me in your prayers during my cleanse! I am so happy that I lasted 21 days. I felt great and learned that I really can eat healthy if I have a plan. I also want to mentioned that 2 of my co-workers are now doing the cleanse and loving it! I think I really learned that eating healthy foods are great fuel for your body! I am going to my best to continue some the habits that I learned throughout this whole process!

I let this past weekend be my splurge weekend and boy, did my body not enjoy that! I had 2 slices of pizza first thing and that was mistake! Needless to say, I slowed down after that. Since I want to continue to have a plan Aaron and I will be starting Weight Watchers soon.

WW is the program I used to lose 30 lbs before my wedding. I also worked out a lot, so both of those things combined turned out to be a success. I am more interested now in maintaining my body weight and really just staying on a good eating plan! The best part of it is that Aaron is doing it with me - what a blessing! I'll have to now keep you up to date on this journey! I'll try to post some recipes that are WW friendly that I enjoy!

Happy Eating!

Day 20 - I can't believe it

I cannot believe I'm already to day 20 of 21. I know everyone probably says this - but now that I'm here, the past few weeks do not seem like cleanse. I have rarely craved desserts and have had no desire for breads or pastas! This week I've been living off of ground turkey made into taco salad...yum! And chicken and rice! I've also had salmon and lots of eggs. I still eat lots of fresh veggies with hummus for snacks and I always have fruit between meals and for dessert. I now take green tea with me in the mornings and it helps to curb my hunger. Oh, and I can't forget the yummy Progressive soups I've had!

Thinking back to day 2/3 I wanted to literally jump through the TV and eat the Wendy's chicken nuggets that I saw advertised! I also almost strangled Aaron in order to get to his chips and queso. Those days were tough, but I have prevailed! I can honestly say that I do want to try to keep this up! I have a new appreciation for eating healthy. It takes a little more work and time, but the rewards are great. I feel better, I feel proud of myself, and I have a little less of a spare tire...yay! Although I can't wait to maybe have some cheese, or maybe even a bite of pizza, I think I can say that I am going to continue to try to give my body the kind of foods that it needs to live strong and healthy.

Oh, and I hope I'm not trying to make this sound easy and care-free. It's not. There were days that I wanted to quit or I just felt tired and run down. But after about Day 7 I had a lot more energy and saw the results happen. Also, I was blessed that Aaron ate a lot of things I did, or he would make sure he ate in another room or before I got home from work if possible. I also forgot to mention that on Day 17 I woke up feeling dizzy and faint and almost passed out. I went to work late and ended up leaving early because the feelings came back. Not sure if that had anything to do with the cleanse or not, but I wanted to tell you the not-so-fun parts as well as the fun parts.

If you are interested in taking part of the 21 day cleanse, I encourage you to check out Dr. Cindy's blog, where I go the idea to do it. She's done it twice the past year and has great recipes.

Anyway, thanks for your prayers! I'll try to post some final thoughts when tomorrow ends! Oh, and starting Feb 1, Aaron and I be attempting start Weight Watchers. It worked for me when I wanted to lose weight for my wedding and we are ready to start eating more in moderation, and Weight Watchers is great for that! I'll keep you posted!

Happy Eating (or Cleansing)

Lauren

Day 17

I cannot believe I am saying this - but I am now on Day 17! Now that I'm here, the cleanse has seemed to fly by. My mom came to visit me this weekend, and it was nice to be able to go out to eat and actually get to order something off the menu. At lunch I had a grilled chicken taco salad. Of course I had no cheese or dressing or tortilla chips, but the salsa made a great dressing. For dinner, we had Mexican food. She is eating healthy too, so we said NO CHIPS! We both had chicken tortilla soup (again no cheese and no tortilla strips) and then we had a platter of fajita chicken with onions and peppers! It was yummy!

This weekend I also discovered that I've lost about 7 pounds. It's exciting, but I'm almost sure I'll gain it back before long, so I'm just going to enjoy while I can and maybe use it as a goal to maintain this weight! I am eating more now that I can have the eggs and lean meat, but I am no longer craving sugar and carbs! The protein has also given me much more energy, so I've been getting back into my running routine and I'm loving it. I'm very sore, but happy to be exercising again!

Yesterday for lunch we had veggie and chicken stir-fry and then eggs and turkey bacon for dinner - love it! They were both very tasty meals! I also went to a baby shower and won a game where the prizes were candy! Haha! That's ironic. But you know what? I wasn't even really tempted! It was kind of nice!

Thanks for all of your prayers - this hasn't been easy, but I'm proud that I've kept it up and this coming Friday will be last day! God bless and Happy Eating!