A proposal {the story}

Happy Saturday!

I’m sharing my story from last Saturday on the blog this morning. If you are stopping back by from yesterday’s link-up – thank you!

Last weekend AR and I went to Chicago for the Chicago Marathon. While on the trip, we planned to visit my alma mater. Though we have been dating for years, I have never taken AR to my college – in fact, I haven’t been back myself since graduation day in 2011.

We missed our train to head over to campus, so I wanted to just skip the visit, by AR insisted we still go. I couldn’t really figure out why he cared so much, but I said okay and we grabbed a cab over to my campus.

To give you some background, I went to school at a very small, very old college on an arboretum. As you might imagine, the campus is absolutely gorgeous in the fall – the sidewalks are all lined with trees in bright shades of gold, yellow and red. I think AR was surprised when we got out of the taxi by the size of my school. I told him it was small and he thought I meant that it only had one building, haha!

We walked around some of the buildings and I took him to the old chapel in the back of the campus. The chapel is stunning and people book it 2 years in advance for weddings. As we walked through it, we started talking about getting married. This is not an unusual conversation topic for us, so I didn’t think a thing.

But when we walked out on the steps, he got down on one knee and the rest is history.

I may or may not have been crying... ;) 

I know you are wondering so…

How long have we been dating? We celebrated 3 years in June!

How did AR and I meet? At a coffee shop in Houston, TX. I was there for Teach for America and had just moved two weeks prior. I randomly pulled into a coffee shop and set my stuff next to a cute guy in a baseball cap. We chatted all afternoon while we both worked on things and he asked for my number when I left. We went to dinner the next weekend. And here we are, almost three and a half years later!

Did I have a feeling AR was going to propose? Honestly, NO! I mean, I knew he would eventually, but I did not think it would happen any time soon.

Outside of our hotel after our eventful evening!

Did I pick out my ring? Nope, it was all him and he did a perfect job. He had asked me several times about what I liked and he knows my taste well J

When is the wedding? No idea! I am going to start working on that at some point, though balancing it with law school may be a challenge. 

What did we do after he proposed? I was in total shock. We walked around some more and talked about everything. We road the train back to our hotel and grabbed dinner. We told our families the next evening, but it was special to have it just be us for a while. 

x0x0x, 

Hannah 

Chicago Marathon - Race Recap

I am back from the Chicago Marathon!

A huge grin spread across  my face as I sat down to write this post. My weekend in Chicago was fabulous for so many reasons and I feel like I have a ton to share! Let's start, shall we?

I left for Chicago on Friday morning and spent the day with my family. I had not been home in over a year, so it was really special to be back home :)

Aaron and I left for downtown Chicago on Saturday afternoon and enjoyed the train ride into the city (have I ever mentioned how much I love the train?). We were staying at the Hilton downtown, which is an absolutely stunning hotel.

our elevators were decorated

The whole building was decorated for the marathon and the place was crawling with athletes. The excitement and energy was incredible.

Even my room key was ready for the marathon. You can bet I saved this. 

We dropped our stuff off and headed to the expo. The Hilton had shuttles running to the expo venue, which was so convenient. The setup was really easy and I freaked out a bit when I got my number. Chicago Marathon staff? You put on an incredibly organized expo.

We walked around and took some pictures before heading back to the hotel.

At the hotel, we changed clothes and went to visit my alma mater for the afternoon. I'll tell you more about that later, but it was amazing ;)

For dinner, we participated in the classic Hilton Pasta Dinner. I actually don't like to eat a lot of carbs the night before a race, so I filled up on grilled chicken, green beans, salad, and wheat rolls. We went to bed early with full bellies and lots of excitement.

I woke up at 6am on race day (7am Atlanta time - Whoo Hoo for sleeping in on race mornings). I ate peanut butter on wheat bread - both of which I brought to the hotel from home, haha. We sipped coffee to help, ahem, get ready for the race and headed out a little after 7am.

We walked a few blocks in the park and found our corral. We were just in time and moved up to the middle of the group. The weather was incredible and AR shed his sweatshirt before we even started. I kept my gloves on and tossed my sweatshirt right as the gun went off.

The first few miles were packed and we ran pretty slow -- about a 10 minute mile. I think we were trying to adjust to the crowds. The cheering people on the side of the roads were amazing. I have never seen a race with than many fans!

We picked up pace around mile 4, moving closer to a 9 minute pace. At mile 13 I looked at AR and could tell something was wrong. I asked him is he was okay and he said yes, so I just ignored it. a mile later the look on his face made me worried and I said "lets slow down." We jogged for a bit and AR walked through a water station.

He kept saying his legs weren't under him and he couldn't catch his breath. I was just finding my groove and feeling strong. We kept slowing down and AR kept telling me to go on without him. I got really upset and said "no, this is our thing! I am staying." I lost him a few times because he would slowdown and I wouldn't notice until I had passed him.

Finally, at mile 16, I lost him for good. I stood on a corner and yelled his name, ran backwards for a bit to look, and started to cry. I was worried he wasn't okay and I got scared! But with 45,000 runners, I was never going to find him, so I turned around and started running again.

My legs felt strong and I was distracted by the situation with AR. My pace picked up considerably and I felt good. At mile 18, the wall was nowhere in sight and I picked up pace a little more.

At mile 20, I was still feeling good, which shocked me. I had given up on a PR when AR started struggling, but I realized at mile 20 that I was well within a PR range. I drank a bunch of water from my bottle and kept going. Other runners were slowing down to walk. Over and over, I watched runners pat them on the back as they passed- What a sign of support and encouragement.

By mile 24, I was exhausted and ready to be done, but I was still plugging away. I had been pushing for several miles (my watch said sub 9), so I slowed up a bit. I only had 2 miles yet, but it was a struggle!! Luckily, the crowds picked up just in time! Before I knew it, I was at mile 25.5 and the end was in sight.

As I passed mile 26, I had to fight tears. I was so relieved. I've never crossed a marathon finish line by myself. It was always been me and AR. It felt like such an accomplishment.

After crossing, I looked at my watch and saw 4:17. A PR for me!!!!!!!!

My mom snapped this picture... don't I look excited?

I averaged about a 9:35/mile, which was great considering we walk/ran for those 2.5 miles. I am more excited about my maintained pace than my time - this was the first marathon that I didn't really hit the wall... I felt strong the whole time. 

I met up with my parents (after walking 8 blocks from the finish line, thank you very much) and sat down for a minute. My dad agreed to wait for AR while I went back to shower before we had to check out of the hotel. I hated to miss AR coming in, but after waiting for a while, I realized I needed to go pack up our room.

I showered and was able to walk out of the bathtub without falling (always an accomplishment) and felt pretty good. AR knocked on the door and I was so relieved to see him!!! He finished strong, despite having a rough run.

Stopping for Chicago-style deep dish on the way home :)

Chicago, I loved every minute of my visit. After the Atlanta marathon, I was really worried that marathons just were not my thing. If I learned anything this weekend, it is that marathons are my favorite thing. The crowds, the runners, the volunteers, everyone was wonderful. Thank you for an absolutely incredible weekend. 

x0x0, 

Hannah 

Marathon training - 1 week out!

Race week is hereeeee!

It is Tuesday and I am happily rocking the taper this week.

Unfortunately, I am also rocking a serious cold. It started on Friday and has continued to get worse. The Chicago Marathon is still 5 days away, so hopefully I can heal up before then. I chugging gallons of fresh juices and getting lots of rest until then!

Last week was a pretty easy in terms of training:

M - rest
T - 4 miles
W - 5 miles
Th - 4 miles
F - rest.... and sick
S - 3 miles at the park with a trip to the farmers market, for a total of 5!

On Saturday, I began to develop a serious concern about the weather in Chicago... so we headed to the mall for some extra gear. Macy's had an amazing sale on Nike and I grabbed some leggings, a long-sleeved top, a jacket, a skirt, and a sports bra (for $5!). Clearly I don't plan on wearing these all for the race... but it was a good sale ;)

S - 8 miles. We didn't run until late afternoon and I insisted on wearing my new shirt and some leggings to test it out for race day. It was clearly too hot for me to be dressed like that, but oh well! This was an awesome run and my legs felt strong, despite the fact that my cold is getting progressively worse. I may not be able to breathe or swallow, but my legs can move!

This week I am continuing to taper and enjoyed a 3 mile run before the sun rose this morning. I woke up feeling the worst and seriously groggy because I took medicine before bed, but the run cleared my senses :)

I have a stack of clothes on the sofa in my room that I plan to pack. We are staying across the street from the start/finish, so I am relieved to be able to shower right after the race - and stay warm and inside before it starts!

On a positive note, the weather for the marathon seems to have cleared up! It should be between 49-55 while I am running and *maybe* clear skies. I could not ask for any better. Now if only my cold would do the same!

Does anyone else start planning their race outfits well in advance? 

x0x0, 

Hannah