The Proposal

February 6, 2010 was supposed to be a regular Saturday morning where I would come home from my night shift, have breakfast with Christina and then head to bed for the better part of day. She would probably do some work in the morning, maybe run a few errands, and then make lunch, at which time I would probably start waking up. We were training for a race then so we had planned to run in the afternoon. After the run, I would get ready for work, pack my lunch, and leave for another night shift.

Wolfe Island, Ontario (Photo: Lucas Tingle)

Instead, that Saturday went something like this. I came home from work, had breakfast, and went to bed, as expected. However, there would be no sleeping. I was so excited and nervous about what I had secretly planned for the day that I couldn't sleep. Christina was even getting annoyed as I kept talking to her from the bedroom. "Go to sleep!" she kept saying. Eventually, I gave up. I got up and said I couldn't sleep so let's go for our run. We got ready and as we were about to head out for a 15 km run, I sat Christina down on the couch and asked her to marry me!

June 25, 2011 (Photo: Lucas Tingle)

I wanted the proposal to have a connection with running. I told her I contemplated proposing at the end of the race we were training for but opted for a regular training run, because it was much more meaningful. What makes our relationship special is how we support and push each other through good and bad times in everything we do in our lives. Training for races together is one example of this. The next hour and a half was the most productive run we've ever had, as we planned the whole wedding, and was probably the easiest 15 kms we've ever run!

On February 6, 2014, last Thursday at 6:30 in the morning, I was running at the local high school track as Christina was doing her weekly speed workout. I had done mine the previous day but went with her because I know how hard those workouts can be by yourself. Four years later, the effort we put into our running still translates into our relationship. 

This is why I run.

One of our favorite places to be together: On the road (Photo: Lucas Tingle)