Half way there and WHOOP for Aggies joining the SEC!

So today I ran around 13 miles and I feel pretty great!  This weekend I will be participating in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure with the Castillo family.
I am so excited and can't wait to be in a sea of pink and to honor Laura's fight against breast cancer.  :)

I have less than 1 month until the Houston 1/2 Marathon and Relay on Sunday, October 23rd.  Let's hope it is a nice and cooler weather run!

What I love most after long runs right now, is being able to indulge...a little.  Today it's in an iced coffee and mozzarella sandwich at Antidote Coffee. If you haven't had either, you should definitely check it out.  Hopefully tonight a few good beers with the girls to celebrate Aggies joining SEC starting in 2012 and watching the Cowboys kill the Redskins! :) 

Adios amigos!
-Lauren

Being present

Running in 70 degree weather today made my 12 miler so much more enjoyable.  It was definitely nice to run and see puddles of water and mud....not dust!  I have about 4 months or so till the big day, so I feel good on my mileage right now.
So to treat myself for my hard work, I am enjoying an nice iced coffee at Catalina right now.  Hmmmm good stuff.

If anyone is interested in joining in Team CanCare for the Run for a Reason program, please let me know.  They have spots available for 5K, half marathon, and full marathon.  It is such an exceptional organization and I would love to get more people involved in support those diagnosed with cancer.

I recently came across this quote and I feel that it speaks volumes.  My runs, especially the long ones, give me time to think about my life.  Mostly what's about to happen or what recently occurred, but I am challenging myself to just be in the present.

"What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment.  And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new.  Right now."

So here's to being present and making everything new.  Thank you everyone for your support!

Indoor stadium race?

So the other night I was trying to find more running races around Texas and I discovered that there is an indoor half-marthon race at Reliant Stadium.  It sounds a little crazy, but I think it's right up my alley.  
I am trying to see if I get a position in the Sunday, November 20th race at 12 PM,  and hopefully celebrating another Fightin' Texas Aggie football game victory .:)

 Indoor Half-Marathon -- Reliant Stadium


Any takers?

Happy Labor Day

Today has been an interesting Labor Day, much more productive than I expected.  Started off with an amazing trail run around Memorial Park area with temps in the 80's!!!  Finally!!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that cooler runs are in the near future.  I definitely think all the yoga classes I have been attending are helping my running, especially my endurance.  If anyone is looking for a yoga studio or wants to join me, CuraYoga is an awesome place. Right now I am enjoying a nice iced coffee and people watching at Agora.  Ahhh iced cofee....

So back to running updates and my progress on funds for CanCare.  Thanks to some very special people in my life, I have raised over 50% of my initial goal.  This definitely has helped to increase my motivation to crush the marathon in January 2012. :) 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!

-Lauren

WHOOP!

 WHOOP!  It's a phrase second nature for Aggies to say when they are want to share how excited and joyful they are in a moment in time (often during sporting events or NG adventures).  So I thought saying "WHOOP" is the best way to describe my excitement for what's to come in my running future.   Since it's finally starting to cool down at a cool 99 degrees this means longer runs and pre-marathon races.

So far October holds two races in my running future.  First is a 5K run (little over 3 miles) --
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on October 1st, 2011 in Downtown Sam Houston Park.
Second is a half-marathon (13.1 miles) -- Houston 1/2 Marathon & Relay on October 23rd, 2011 again in Downtown Sam Houston Park.  Come out and run with me...because I just want to run with you! :)

Below is the links to donate towards raising funds for CanCare and to support my running my first marathon! 
Link to Lauren's marathon fundraising site
If that link isn't working, you can search for my page on the Run for a Reason page:
Run for a Reason Search


Thanks again for your support and cheers!
Lauren

Here we go...

2011.  This has been a year full of highs and lows to say the least.  With help of family and friends, I have become stronger in my faith and make a conscious effort to live each day the max capacity.  My love of running has also helped me get through good and bad times.  One of my life long goals is to run a marathons, but I have never have made it a priority.

A few months ago I was given the opportunity to obtain a spot in either the 2012 Houston Armaco Half Marathon or Chevron Marathon through CanCare,  involved in the Run for a Reason program.  At first I signed up for the half marathon and was content.  But I felt like I needed more of a challenge.  After debating pros and cons with family and friends, I decided to take the plunge and meet my life long goal.  This blog is dedicated to my first marathon on Sunday, January 15, 2012 and to help raise donations for CanCare through the Run for a Reason program. 

CanCare is a national organization provides one-on-one emotional support to cancer patients and their family members from trained volunteers who know first-hand the physical, emotional, and spiritual turmoil that someone newly diagnosed with cancer is experiencing. Clients are matched by cancer type, treatment method, age, gender, and family situation. CanCare's services are free. CanCare was founded as a non-profit cancer support network in 1990, and has brought its message of hope to thousands of survivors.

I am asking for any donation in order to meet my goal of raising at least $500 dollars to benefit families dealing with the fight to beat cancer. 

I am dedicating my run to two wonderful people -- a survivor, and a fighter.  Jimmy Disler, my uncle, is a cancer survivor.  Laura Castillo, my roommate's mother, currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.  Both have made a great positive impact on my life and I want to honor them with this race.

I will post links for the Run for a Reason website where you can donate funds in the near future.  And of course stories of my progress in the next months to come...:)