We're Engaged!

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The Engagement Edition

So Surf City didn't entirely go as I had hoped. Flu, and therefore a lack of really eating and hydrating, and those kinds of things all lead up to a not so stellar race day. Little did I know that despite how my race day went, Doug was planning something pretty amazing that would make the day great regardless of the time on the clock.

We'll start back at the OC Half last May, when I earned my Beach Cities Challenge medal and he decided he was up for the challenge too. He'd then be set to earn the 2016 BCC medal at Surf City and be one of the first to get the new golden sand dollar medal (it's a beauty). He's spent the last four months rubbing it in my face that he'd be getting the sand dollar before me, because I don't get mine again until May.

He'd also spent the last four months persistent on me being in the finishers' chute after Surf City because he wanted to re-create this photo, one of our faves:

As persisent as he was, you'd think I'd have known something was up, but I really wasn't catching on.

So come Sunday, while we were getting all set to go at the IERC tent and getting ourselves straightened out - bibs on, shoe chip strips laced into our shoelaces, I didn't give it a second thought when he was so persistent on not putting his chip strip in until he was in his corral for fear of losing it. After we split ways so Jacky and I could head up to our corral, he immediately put it on.

If you recall in my race recap, I stopped for a hug around mile 10 or so. For whatever reason, Jacky kept snapping photos. Do you see what I see?

When Jacky and I finished the race, we stopped and sat on the curb. Because the finishers' chute is incredibly congested, security told us to keep moving, and I kept playing the flu card - "Sir, I'm getting over the flu, I just need to feel my legs again... " Next guy, "I just need a little sugar in me, please just let me finish the banana and then I'll keep moving." Finally, we found refuge in the small medical tent that still happend to be inside the chute.

I texted Doug - knowing full well that he runs with his phone in his armband and doesn't take it out because he listens to music - to let him know where we were. To my surprise, he texted back and said he was just before the hill at mile 11. I immediately thought something was wrong, because why else would he text back? I freaked out a little.

Nearly half an hour later he finally called saying he had crossed the finish. When he finally caught up with us, I was super worried on why the last two miles would have taken him nearly 30 minutes. He insisted he was fine, it had just gotten hot (true story) and all was well.

As we worked our way through the shoot, we finally stumbled upon the race backdrops and photographers and hopped in the shortest line we could see. A photographer popped out from behind the one we were in and said she didn't have a line at all - score! We ran right over. I ran up to take my picture, then Doug with his, and then us together. Before I even realized what was happening, he was down on one knee in front of me...

Jacky knew the plan because obviously, she was running with me the whole time and that'd been the plan for weeks. By default, a few of our other runner girls knew and were just waiting for the text.

We're engaged!

So tired, so hot, so happy.

There are so many details that are starting to add up that didn't make sense until Sunday morning - and even some Sunday night as I still pieced it all together. That shoe chip strip? Was covering his bib that was customized to say WYMM? 30 minutes for the last two miles? So he could find his co-worker who was holding on to the ring somewhere around mile 12 (no, he didn't run the full 13.1 miles with it!). Scheduling lunch with grandma for Sunday rathern than Saturday, even though I knew that was the last thing we wanted to do after a race with no shower yet? Duh, to tell her the good knews. All those nerves? All made sense.

So here it is, nearly five days later and I'm just giddy. So happy, so excited, and just giddy.

Cell phone quality video, but hopefully you get the jist. Video highlights:

- The MarathonFoto photographer insisting that we can't take personal photos. What you don't see is Jacky giving her a looking and pointing back at Doug so she'd catch on to what was happening.
- Later, you also hear the photographer say something to the effect of: "I really shouldn't be taking all these..." LOL. Thanks photographer!
- An "OMG... we just saw an engagement!"
- And, my personal fave... "Great job, Superman!"

We're engaged! I can't say that enough. :)