Here goes...
The Wedding
- Servers at work went down the day before, not allowing me to get out early. Had to do many wedding errands after leaving work mid-day until the servers came back up.
- Lugged two 160+ lb kegs in ice buckets myself into the hall with zero help due to work scheduling conflict, while some guy, not offering to help, talked my ear off asking questions about the building. I was really short with him given the situation. He went to the office there to tell on me for being rude. I don't work there.
- Got a haircut and picked up my tux within a single hour just before my wedding rehearsal.
- My best man's parents (who are like my 2nd parents) took me to a Tiger's game that night before, which I barely got home in time to ride with them to.
- Never did a bachelor party. I just decided to hang with a few close friends the rest of the night and was totally ready to just enjoy watching the time tick off getting to the wedding.
- You and your friends should not all look at one specific person while watching "Hot Tub Time Machine" when a character says "It's like that friend who's an a-hole, but he's our a-hole."
- A morning run for shaving supplies sent my groomsmen into a tailspin for a few minutes thinking I pulled a "runaway groom" (as if...).
- That same run had a small tearful collapse of joy involved at Rite Aid due to the song they were playing there.
- Because of that, I think I avoided crying at my own wedding.
- It rained EVERYWHERE around us, except our outdoor wedding location. There it was 95 degrees and sunny.
- Our ringbearer decided to tell our string quartet "I don't like that music" quite audibly during the ceremony. Everyone's a critic.
- She was stunningly beautiful. I looked like I had mopped a floor with the back of my head.
- It rained as soon as we left the park, and stopped the second we got out to take pictures of just us downtown.
- The reception hall was gorgeous. The caterer did show up and did a really good job. I didn't have to break into my "emergency money" pocket fund and send anyone anywhere for anything.
- Our wedding was really "dancey," myself included, and it sounds like everyone had a lot of fun.
- Every drink I got was either abandoned, lost, or left behind somewhere. In the end I had maybe a beer and a half.
- The photo booth was a crazy big hit. Glad it was cleared and we got it kind of last minute. Some of the photos are priceless.
- It was all over before I knew it, and despite what everyone says about being way too exhausted after their wedding, I was still wired and ready for more.
- You shouldn't forget your car keys at your friend's house so you have to walk back there from your house after the wedding before you can actually drive to your hotel.
- Don't leave your pants behind when returning your tux. Apparently the store thinks they're important.
The Cleveland Leg
- Trying to drink the beer keg left-overs (still on ice) the next day with my friends was a bad idea.
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is pretty cool. The best two things came on wheels (Elvis's Lincoln and Johnny Cash's bus). You can cover it all in like 2 hours
- Tigers routed Cleveland at "The Jake" (corp. names be damned) 18-2 while we were there in Tiger gear. "Ketchup" the hotdog mascot refused us service for ice cream helmets.
- The hotel room in Cleveland may have been the nicest I've ever stayed in.
- Boston is a long ride on a train from Cleveland, but I sleep really easy on a train.
- I also can read a lot when I don't have to drive.
- When travelling that close to 9/11, expect delays.
- If you get into Boston late, it's hard to find food because everything seemingly shuts down at 11pm.
- Boston looks more daunting on the map than it is. The main city is actually quite small.
- The public transportation there is the best I've had to deal with.
- However it's easy to get lost with most things not running east and west (even the trains run diagonally).
- If you love history, this is definitely a place to visit. You can't walk without tripping over some.
- Boston is probably one of the cleanest cities I've seen.
- I think I started every day there with a bagel
- Fenway is nice, but way overrated. Still cool to go to a game where Wakefield gets his 200th win, and Boston routs Toronto. It was a pretty good atmosphere
- Yankee fans go to Fenway just to root against Boston? Is this normal?
- The Museum of Fine Arts near Northeastern's campus is pretty amazing.
- Science museums are never very good no matter what city you're in, even if you love science.
- A fancy hotel in an expensive city isn't much bigger or better than a normal one. Just more decorations and bellhops.
- Boston has some of the toughest running terrain I've seen: intersections every 40 feet, too much cobblestone, uneven and narrow sidewalks, and plenty of things with legs and wheels to run you over.
- Did nearly everything we wanted, including a trip up to Salem.
- Didn't get seafood, but honestly how much better can it be there?
- Honeymoon = Great Success
Homecoming
- Why is the trip back always seemingly longer?
- Driving immediately back from Cleveland right after the long ride at 5am was no picnic
- Thought I may go to work Thursday and not use vacation, but we slept the whole day away instead
- Had Friday off too, but went in for a half day
- Skipped Oktoberfest in Frankenmuth on Friday to go to last minute Electric Six show in Lansing.
- That was such a blast, we decided to go see them again at DIY fest the next day.
- We grabbed Nick, the Warren Wizard, and he introduced us to the Bronx Bar in Midtown.
- Good to be back in Detroit, but Ken arrived and off to Ferndale we went.
- Parking was crazy. The beer tents were so incredibly small and undermanned it was impossible to get a beer. So I only managed to get 3 for the 2 hours we were there
- Ken made one of the organizers mad by asking where the big beer tent was while under it. When told that he was there by an obviously annoyed woman, he still followed with "THIS is the BIG tent?!?!?"
- They were charging if you wanted an extra cup when you bought tickets, but the red-headed girl working the tent gave me one for Jessi free. I still think there's some sort of secret ginger code.
- Electric Six was awesome again, but that was the most low-key I've ever seen a Detroit area crowd be for them.
- We stayed down at Nick's, watched some "Wilfred," and slept on the futon
- I was incredibly sick in the morning for only having 4 beers (counting the one at the Bronx Bar). Probably was my body still rejecting beer after trying to knock off that keg.
- I overslept the race and now the 5K wasn't even an option.
- It was 10K run or the walk. My wife didn't want to walk or didn't want to let me off the hook from running (not sure which), so it was the run.
- I felt as bad as Belle Isle, and wasn't totally sure I wouldn't hurl until about mile 4. Then I cut loose because I held back so much early just trying to survive.
- I still got my 2nd best 10K time ever. I have no idea how.
- The Detroit Zoo is pretty awesome. Spent about 4 hours there after the race. Glad we did it.
Post Crim Collapse Part 2
- The Royal Rooters Run that I wanted to do to tour Boston's baseball heritage was cancelled. They do it every Saturday when the Red Sox are away, except the Saturday I just happened to be in town.
- Because of that, I gave up on running there in general, and only went out for one run just over 5 miles.
- My out-of-state running goal, to do one race out of Michigan, is in Jeopardy.
- I didn't gain but 2lbs on my honeymoon, and I expected more.
- So since I've been home I tempted fate and ate like crap for a week.
- Recently my food pyramid's base would probably be Pizza Rolls.
- I'm now up 10lbs.
- I completely forgot I had another Half Marathon coming up until I ran with Jason last week.
- I haven't run 13.1 miles TOTAL in any week since the Crim, let alone all at once.
- My September mile total is less than 1/3 and barely more than 1/4 of the June/July/August totals.
The basic gist of where this is going is...I'm in trouble. The Brooksie Way Half-Marathon, from what I hear, is really difficult as far as the road halfs around here go. It also looks like it's the back half that's the hilly part. I'm concerned about making it at all if I have a bad day, let alone beating the DxA2 time that I pre-set as the goal time to hit for this one. Let's not forget that this weekend is swamped. I have a Wings/Leafs game to go to in Detroit on Friday, a wedding on Saturday, and after the Brooksie is my friend Joe's going away party. I will have to pace myself for all of it.
Anyway, while I'm at it. Anyone have any good less than a week training programs for the half-marathon? Please?
