Day 1,264: A day to remember

The first time I ran with my girlfriend, about a year ago, she took me on a hilly 6.5-mile course with a hill that eclipses Cardiac Hill in the Peachtree 10K.

They say in races these are the hills in which races are won or lost. And so for a few months I've thought that when the big day came, I would propose at the top of the biggest hill in town.

Last night I already had prepared a fanny pack with the ring box inside it. I put the box in a Ziploc bag in case the pack got sweaty.

Then I made sure we would do our usual run.

This morning it was really nice out -- 72 degrees that dropped to 71 degrees by the end of the run.

My legs were a little tired but I told myself I would take it easy over the four hills that precede the giant one.

On the big hill, I steadily climbed up it. At the top, I signaled I needed to stop and started to retie both of my shoes. I held her hand with my left hand and fumbled around in the pack for the ring box.

And then proposed. The ring, from Tiffany & Co., looked wonderful on her hand. After a big of celebrating at the top of a big hill on a commuter road, we set out to finish the course.

It's the smallest thanks I can give for having a running and life buddy who has helped me revitalize my running, with two PRs in the last year and a full marathon, something I thought I'd never do again.

So thank you sweetie, and here's to more good runs ahead.

Time: 6:10 a.m.
Temp: 71 degrees
Gear: CFSST (Charles Harris '09), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 26/B.