I only had to make sure to keep up

I LOVE this story!!!!

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/chicago-marathon-proposal-64016052.html?yhp=1

Salvador Lopez-Barr fell in love with his running coach, Hollis Bathen, while training for his first marathon.

So it seemed only fitting to propose to her during another 26.2-mile race, this one in Chicago. It was his fifth and her eighth, though the Chicago Marathon also held a special place in Hollis' heart -- it was the first marathon course she ever ran, back in 2004.

"So I decided to propose to her at the end of the race," Salvador, 36, said. "I only had to make sure to keep up."

Salvador -- a black-haired, cheerful attorney from San Francisco -- had a simple plan. Buy the engagement ring. Carry it for 26 miles. And then -- in front of the finish line grandstand, the TV cameras, photographers, and the cheering crowd -- get down on one knee and simply say "will you marry me?"

The proposal was to be a surprise. Everything had to be perfect, so Salvador prepared diligently.
He bought Nike runner's shorts with an interior pocket flap to hold the ring's box. The pocket was so tiny, Salvador had to find a smaller box. The pocket also didn't have a zipper. Salvador safety pinned it closed.

Everything in place, the couple began their run. In an attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon, both Salvador and Hollis were running eight minute miles.

Hollis, at 30 a lithe and beautiful woman with blonde shoulder-length hair, was the more experienced runner. She would set the pace.

After three and a half hours, the couple neared the finish line, matching each other stride for stride. Right before they reached the grandstand in Grant Park, Salvador untucked his pocket flap, de-safety pinned the enclosure, pulled out the box ... and tripped.

"I did some kind of somersault," Salvador said. The grandstand gasped. The crowd let out a collective "oh."

After the race, Salvador would explain that he had planned to trip, but not to go sprawling like he did. He scraped up his knee and elbow. Other runners, concerned, tried to help him up. Salvador shooed them away.

"I'm thinking to myself 'get away man, this is all staged, it's cool, it's cool!"

Meanwhile Hollis, intent on making her qualifying time, was exasperated.

"I was so bummed! Because the first marathon we ran together he cramped up at mile 12 and we had to walk eight miles," she said. "And I was like 'oh my god, you can't fall here! Get up!"

That's when Salvador held up the box.

"And I was like, 'you tripped on a tiny box?!'"

Salvador popped the question.

Hollis, dumbfounded, and still frantic to make their qualifying time, realized she was being proposed to. She said yes. But there was one hitch.

"I had mittens on so he couldn't really put the ring on," Hollis said. "So he just sort of tried to hand it to me and I was like 'no no, you have to put it on me!'"

So Salvador, exhausted, slightly bruised, and in love, did what any man in that situation would have done. He tried to place the ring over her finger.

On her right hand.

While her mitten was still on.

"All I remember thinking was 'I think it's supposed to be my left hand,'" Hollis said. She de-mittened, he placed the ring on her finger, and they crossed the finish line engaged. All according to Salvador's plan.

"I looked down at my hand and I saw this ring and I was like, is this really happening?"

Salvador assured her it was. His family and best friend, and her mother and their friends -- who had all flown in from San Francisco, the couple's home -- congratulated them at the finish line.

Finishing at 3:36, Hollis qualified for the Boston Marathon. Salvador did not. But no matter how unlucky he is running, he's very lucky in love.

Or as Salvador says, "it was about as romantic as you can be at mile 26."

Today's Inspiration

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. - Will Rogers

Today's Inspiration

Pain is Temporary. Pride is Forever.

What made me say 'That's IT!'

Bye Bye Love Handles did a post about what made you say 'That's IT!'.... http://jessissinging.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-made-you-say-thats-it.html.

For me....

Although I had been slowly packing on the pounds for the last year and wasn't all that happy with that....I wasn't entirely too motivated to do anything about it either.

My 'That's IT' moment was in late May. I just got back from a very fun trip to Memphis. I was reviewing the pics and I was SOOOOOO UNHAPPY with what I was seeing. Friends & family were asking me to share the pics & I was relunctant to show them!

Dear Diary...

I started tracking what I was eating when I started working with my dietitian. She gave me a 2 week tracker every other appointment. I tracked everything for about the first month then I stopped writing down everything. However, I still counted and tracked calories, carbs, veggies, and fruits. Sometimes, I just kept tracked mentally, sometimes I would scratch down what I was eating on scraps of paper, other times in the tracker. Meanwhile, I had another journal I was using for tracking exercise.

I really want to keep notes of my progress for 'round 2'. So, I went out shopping for a journal that would track both my eating & exercise. It seems that journals are either really great for noting workouts or eating but not both. Either the food sections would be too small and not detailed enough for those workout focused. The exercise sections would perhaps be a line or two for those food focused.

Here's the New Journal I bought.....

It's leather bound (that orange cover comes right off) and appears to be a 'regular' journal.

You can keep track of food, beverages, exercise, vitamins and supplements, and mood daily. Weekly, you can record weight, bmi, measurements, other goals & notes.

I really love it! I just need to use it - EVERY DAY :) I know that those who track do better than those who don't.....http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080708/keeping-food-diary-helps-lose-weight

It's only $15. You can purchase it at your local Border's or online at www.peterpauper.com.