View Workout (Joe Uhan)

Return to Log

Grand/Summit Ave to Miss River Blvd - Saint Paul, MN

December 28, 2013 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 20ish F, dark, QUIET

Comments:
Had to be up before 5AM (3AM PST!) to bring Erin to the airport. Dropped her off at 0545, then drove back to her house and ran from there. Wasn't thrilled with the AM run but I had no choice: mom was coming at 815.

Ran from her house, "low" in the south side of downtown, west and uphill all the way to the Mississippi River. Despite being all roads/sidewalks - with variable snow pack - this is a solid loop through one of the oldest neighborhoods in the history of the state: nice houses, christmas lights...good stuff. Once I hit the river, I went north - backwards on the TCM course - to Lake St, nearly into Minneapolis - before turning back.

Felt pretty sluggish, but kept things slow. Mechanics weren't great - turns out I'm not quite "sitting down" as well on the left side. When that happens, my left glut doesn't work and my left hammy gets torched. A bit of that happened on this run. Oh well. The snow sucked - it must've snowed Wed or Thu and they didn't plow it, so it was either clear, icy, or snowy. REALLY glad I brought the Speedcross, because they rock in the snow!>

Got back to Hoff's in time to make some eggZ and clean up before mom and the bros arrived. From there, drove straight up to Eveleth for the wedding. I got dropped off at the church - my old church from when I was super little - and got dressed and helped out.

Pretty good time: mingling with the wedding party and seeing a bunch of family.

I like to think there's not a lot of drama in my family - there really isn't - but then I remember my aunt and uncle. They were like the rock to MY family - my sis and I, especially after my dad died - because his brother Joe was/is like the only father figure I've got in my family. It was a huge blow to the family when my aunt left my uncle in January of '06. This is like, seven years ago, yet it's still contentious: my uncle is still super-bitter (fierce loyalty runs deep in our family) and the three kids - my cousins - all have to navigate the relationship with their mom differently.

So this wedding was a BIG deal because it would force them to be in the same room for multiple occasions, which has NOT happened since then.

Even for me, it was big, because I hadn't seen my aunt in 5 years before she walked into the church for pics before the wedding. It was good to talk to her, if only briefly. But even *I* am torn between wishing to have a relationship with her and loyalty to my uncle.

Anyway: soon it's 1:30 and it's time to go to work, "Ushing"! ("Take that and rewind it back, URRRSHER knows how to make the booty go *SMACK*!)

Me and a friend of John's sat all the guests for the wedding, which was the fastest of any Catholic wedding, ever! It was still mildly emotional, especially since there was a "In Memory" of my dad on the back side of the program. It was tough to see my aunt and uncle sitting apart, as well.

When the ceremony ended, I helped clean up, then piled in the car and drove my bros up to Duluth - and hour to the southeast. We listened to a couple of Chels' R&B mixes, which were bomb, and I had a decent convo with Steve. It was about 30 for a high on the Range, but it was dropping quickly: 1-2 degrees/hour beginning at sundown.

After checking into the Radisson downtown, we got a shuttle to the Clyde Iron Works - an old manufacturing building converted into a bar/restaurant and meeting room. The wedding was in the big room out back, where we convened. We enjoyed some open bar beers and hung out before dinner was served.

I was TIRED. Ugh, such a long day! So after the meal and toasts, and before tunes got going, I snuck away with Steve for a good beer up at the bar, and we wound up there together, just chatting about stuff, for over an hour. By then, it was like 930 so we decided to bail: we called the shuttle and got back to the hotel, never even seeing any of the dance.

Once back at the hotel, we met up with my mom and her BFF, Chris, atop the revolving restaurant on top of the hotel. It was weird: it "turns" (the inner portion) super-slow, so you can see the town and Lake Superior, but it was creepy - I felt like I was DRUNK!

We chatted a bit, then, just as I was about to call Chelsea, I got a text from my sis: my uncle and aunt DANCED together...and he KISSED HER.

HOLY. FUCK.

#SERZ?

Wow. WTF?

This...can't be good. She's RE-married, WTF??

Before I told my mom, I called Chels and talked with her, and by the time I returned to the table, my mom knew. Big drama travels fast! It was an on/off convo piece for the rest of the night, especially when my oldest cousin Trina and her husband came up for a drink.

We stayed up, drinking and hanging out, 'til midnight. LONG DAY. Cray-cray day!