About

Hi, I'm Lauren. Friends also call me Sassy, Lu or Lolo. I'm a 28 year old marketing professional who enjoys running, writing, food (making and eating), photography, fashion, social media and the great outdoors. I was born and raised in Oregon and haven't moved more than 45 min away from home. If you ever visit the northwest, you'll understand why.

The Younger Years
My story about healthy eating and love for exercise began early on. I had been fairly active growing up, playing on soccer, basketball and volleyball teams as well as doing track and field. My parents wouldn't allow us to pick out sugar cereal or junk food that most of my friends packed in their lunches. My treats would be fruit roll ups and plain tortilla chips. I remember packing my own lunch from first grade on.

Growing Up
Around middle school, I began eating too much, feeling depressed and not moving enough. After a few brutal comments were made to my face, I decided it was time to change. Originally, it might have been to prove those people wrong, but ultimately, it was for my own health and happiness.

After a little coercing, my dad purchased a family gym membership and I began running and going to the gym to lift weights, play racquetball, take kickboxing classes, you name it. The school pictures from my freshman and sophomore year look like two different people. I dropped a lot of weight.

Soon enough, I was a fit volleyball player, long distance track runner, downhill skier and soccer player. After high school, I moved to Eugene to go to the University of Oregon where I majored in journalism with a focus in public relations and a minor in business administration.

College Life
I joined the club lacrosse team within the first few weeks of my freshman year because the girls were so nice and it sounded fun to try a new sport. While I was running a lot and working out at the gym, we were also traveling a lot on the weekends, which meant eating out or snacking in the van. There were also the typical late night college parties that didn't help.

Lacrosse was hands down one of the best parts of my college experience. It connected me with other positive influences, offered me the opportunity to have a leadership role and travel with a bunch of awesome girls. From freshman to junior year, our team's ability grew so much that we were no longer losing most games, but in fact winning them all and headed off to National Championships in St. Louis, MO.

Renewing my Spirit and Getting in Shape
After graduating college in 2005, I was finally able to focus on myself, the kinds and quantity of foods I ate and really strengthen my body. One day that summer at my local gym, I was flipping through Runner's World on the treadmill and came across an ad for the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon. I came up with the notion that while I could never run 26.2 miles, I could probably train to race 13.1. And my love for running and racing was truly reignited! P.S. Never say never.

April 2006, I ran my first 1/2 Marathon in Nashville, TN. October 2006, I ran my first full marathon, which is still my PR marathon time of 3:49. I know, right? The same year I said I could never do a full marathon, I ran my fastest marathon to date (I've finished 5 full marathons as of Oct. 2010).

From 2006 on, I have continued to run and race regularly. Check out my racing page for more on that.

The Manfriend (like boyfriend, but manlier)
I met "the manfriend" in late 2008 and we started dating January 2009 just a few days after my birthday. He keeps me laughing constantly and happily devours the meals I put in front of him. The manfriend also came with a black lab, Jonah Bell. She is adorable and puppylike even at 8 years old.

A few months after we started dating the manfriend, a friend and I ventured off for three weeks on the classic twenty-something European vacation. When I returned, the manfriend convinced me to buy my first road bike. It's no secret that I bought her in part simply because she's baby blue.

Since then, the manfriend and I have happily been doing our running/biking thing. Mostly, I stick to running with lots of yoga, cycling, weight lifting and boot camp mixed in. He sticks to riding his bike and occasionally gets dragged out for a few miles on the pavement with me.

My Foodie Thoughts
Over the years, one of the things that I've become most passionate about is cooking and baking foods that are often healthy and tasty! I love fruits, veggies, cheese and carbs. But I'm not afraid to pull out the butter or sugar when it's needed (looking at you gingerbread cookies).

While I'm not a registered dietician or nutritionist, I believe that healthy eating is all about balance and variety (much like exercise). I enjoy a fat free latte or fresh salad, but I won't shy away from a full fat pastry now and then. I truly believe that listening to your body's needs and understanding what's in the foods you eat will make you a healthier and happier consumer. I'm also a big supporter of eating close to home, organically grown foods when you can.

Why I Started Blogging
I started this blog in May 2007 because my good friend T had one and I liked the idea of having an online public space where I could share my thoughts and stories. Over the past few years, I've been amazed at how supportive and awesome this blog community is. I truly feel blessed to be a part of such an open, knowledgeable group of communicators.

Product Reviews
I'm always up for trying a new product that fits my lifestyle or is something I would purchase on my own. I know I have purchased items other bloggers have recommended and appreciate hearing honest opinions from others on new things they try. Feel free to email me with details - laurenjpeters at gmail dot com.

Have questions or comments? Please leave a comment or email me at laurenjpeters @ gmail dot com. Thanks for stopping by!