The price of living in heaven

OK, so an admittedly odd title.

When we were considering the move up here a colleague of Chris' mentioned that air travel can be a bit unpredictable up here. Apparently, he told us, air departures/arrivals are on time and without delays and problems about 30% of the time. He went on to say that this could be a bit frustrating (much travel occurs in order to locate and maintain relationships with sponsors), but that's the price we all pay for living in heaven. Well, Chris paid up for quite awhile last night.

Yesterday Chris flew to Minneapolis for the day - taking the 6am flight out and coming back on the late flight at 11:45pm. At least that was what should have happened. Morning went off without a hitch - step 1 complete. He arrived back at the Minneapolis airport yesterday afternoon around 4pm their time, hoping to get back here on an earlier flight if possible. Well, that earlier flight was canceled for some reason (maybe not enough people to "make" the flight). No big deal, he thought, he'd just come back on his scheduled later flight on the "big" plane - read that as an actual jet, 4 seats across. Our other plane selection is a nice little, 3-seat-wide, prop plane. These can be quite exciting to ride as they like to bounce up and down a bit on the wind. So, then the late flight on the big plane was canceled. A bit later, the late flight was rescheduled, but on the small plane. Again, no big deal, at least he'd get home .... he thought.

The time came for plane boarding. They all got on the little plane - the little plane that never seems to have much in the way of forced air circulation until it is completely up in the air. After they sat on the tarmac for over an hour, they finally took off. There was a line of storms that had moved through Minneapolis earlier that caused a bit of a backup for flights taking off. Up in the air, Chris got to enjoy a simulated roller coaster ride - he does not normally enjoy riding roller coasters. The line of storms won the race to the Houghton County Airport. The plane circled for quite awhile. The pilot finally came on to inform them that they were running low in fuel and needed to land somewhere in relatively short order.

So, it was on to Iron Mountain! I bet Chris would have never guessed he would be so lucky as to get to visit Iron Mountain at 2am this morning. What an exciting adventure! After landing, they were informed that they needn't worry - a bus was on the way from Calumet to retrieve them. It would be there in just 2 short hours!

After all was said and done, Chris arrived home this morning a bit after 8am.

Ah, the price we pay for living in heaven. Chris' account must have a positive balance at this point!

Race Report

Well, ................ I finished! I must admit, I'm not all that pleased with my time (2:58), but I did finish. I ran until mile 8+, but then began a run/walk approach. See, I had pretty new running shoes (had only run about 9 miles in them previously) and I didn't tie them tightly enough before the race. I had a lot of rubbing going on that really hurt. A bit into mile eight I stopped, retied my shoes, and then began the run/walk regimen. It was also pretty darn humid - especially in comparison to where I've been training in the UP. I'd only run in shorts (in the UP) once this year prior to the 1/2 marathon on Saturday. Let's not forget the ankle issues I've been dealing with for the past month and a half either!

OK, so it sounds like I'm making excuses. Maybe. However, I am happy to report that I did finish my first 1/2 marathon and lived to tell the tale. I hurt a bit for a couple days - mainly my quads, but all is just fine now.

Here's a photo taken a few minutes after I crossed the finish line. It includes Chris' dad Mike and his wife, Wanda, Chris' sister Corina and her husband, Gary, Chris' brother Larry, and Chris and me. Chris and I ran the 1/2 marathon and everyone else did the 5K fitness walk. A good time was had by all!