Worst.Flight.Ever.

If you just finished reading the "Abu Dhabi Recap" post, you know that as I left for the airport for my 15 and 1/2 hour (yes, you read that right...15 and 1/2 hour - thank you, evil headwinds) non-stop flight back to Chicago, I kind of thought the worst was behind me, or had fled out my behind. I could not have been more wrong.

I was feeling good enough when I got to the airport that I thought I could eat something. In the First/Business Lounge, I remembered the BRAT diet, and had a couple of pieces of toast, nothing fancy. It went down easy and seemed to settle nicely. Goody. Maybe things were going to be OK and my legendary cast-iron stomach was going to keep its streak going.

This was not to be. About 90 minutes after take-off and two visits to the toilet, I started to doubt the integrity of said cast-iron. That being said, the tomato soup starter and the beef tenderloin main looked appealing. I could only get through three spoonfuls of soup before warning signals started going off. But did I stop? No. The beef tenderloin came out and it looked great. Three bites later and I was done, having barely gone through a third of the cut. The warning signals had now turned to DefCon 5 warnings. A few minutes after the flight attendant took my plates away, it was back to the bathroom and this time it was ugly. I came to appreciate the simple engineering marvel that is the air sickness bag:

This little wax-lined marvel is a miracle worker. I was in pretty bad shape being assaulted from the inside out when I needed to grab the bag and give it a full work out. And by full, I mean, full. If I have to paint you a picture, you can contact me directly. I will just tell you that it was rough. It was also the first time in my years and years and millions of miles of flying that I've ever had to use said bag for its real purpose. I've used them previously as a notepad, to store stuff in, etc., but never to fulfill its intended use. Here's what I can tell you...they work as designed and they are tough, resiliently so. Never thought I'd be grateful for a barf bag, but boy, was I ever on my flight yesterday.

So once that drama was over and I'll leave out the gory details, I went back to my seat, knowing that there were probably eleven hours still to go, if not more. I did not want to fall asleep for fear of what the alien I feared was still lurking inside of me might do, so I just shivered for awhile and sipped water, hoping I could keep it down. I did but I still think I was in the lav more than I was my seat.

I never want to do that again. Ever. This goes down as the Worst.Flight.Ever. I do not recommend getting sick on the plane. Don't do it. Ever. Oh, and to the poor, poor soul or souls who had to clean the lav at 2R on that Etihad A340 that brought me back to ORD, I am really, really sorry.

Abu Dhabi Recap

So last Tuesday I posted about the stunningly patient SML and her ability to put up with me. It was timely since I was posting from another First Class lounge at O'Hare as I was about to board a flight to Abu Dhabi, UAE. I was off to the UAE for a little holiday. By myself. Not having much of a plan (read "no plan").

So I boarded the Etihad Airways flight, settled into my lie-flat bed/seat and enjoyed the service for the next 12 and 1/2 hours. Actually slept for nearly seven hours. Color me happy. Landed in Abu Dhabi the following night, thanks to the 10 hour time change. Shuffled off to my hotel and slept.

I hired a guide for a half-day tour of Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Abu Dhabi is a pretty amazing place. It's a series of islands, covered in sand, with amazing wealth sprouting from it. The tour started at the Fruit and Vegetable Markets. Essentially everything is imported - mostly from Iraq and Iran.
Saudi Dates
Then it was off to the Fish Market:
Metal Fishing Nets...who knew!?
Pristine Fish Market
Fish on sale - this DID NOT make me sick

Then we headed to the incredible Sheik Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque. It is stunningly beautiful. And certainly worthy of reverence, regardless of whether you are a follower of Islam or not. It was amazing to be able to see it and go inside.

Outside the Mosque
Inside the Mosque - carpet handmade in Iran

It really was spectacular. I only made one cultural faux pas while in the Mosque and that was to open one of the copies of the Qu'ran that were all over the place. The security guard could not have been nicer about it - allaying any fears I had that I was going to lose a hand. I should have known better...I felt really bad about it.

So the city tour wrapped up seeing several palaces and the downtown and after that I headed out for a late lunch. Abu Dhabi is quite cosmopolitan with cuisine from all over the world. I thought I'd go Indian and this would prove to be a heinous mistake. I have no more pictures and not much else to say because not long after my heaping plate of chicken tikka biryani, I was assaulted by one angry...oh I don't know, but suffice to say, by early Friday morning, I knew my plan to go to Dubai was not going to happen. I couldn't get more than three feet from my hotel room toilet without having to immediately return. I spent the whole of Friday either on the toilet or in my bed. I did take a break to count up some cash to leave a tip for the maid - it was going to be, unfortunately, well-deserved.

I was flying back Saturday morning so it meant an early check-out and after a pretty unpleasant night, I was feeling OK as I showered and packed. I really thought the worst was over. I was wrong. More on that in the next post.

An understanding wife

This will be a brief post. Here's the thing...I am a very lucky man. I've been blessed with an amazing woman who chose to marry me a long time ago and has been an incredible partner and my closest friend. She's earned her title of the stunningly patient SML, believe me. My latest escapade is proof of that. More on that later in the week. Just felt like I needed to recognize how lucky I am and how blessed I am that my wife is who she is. I am beyond blessed.

Best run of the year...so far

This past week was a bit chaotic with a two-day turn in the middle of the week to New York City for some work-related stuff. As always, it was great to be in the City. I stayed at a hotel that I totally did not like. Proof positive that a high room rate does not a great hotel make. I should have stuck with my first reservation and stayed at the little boutique place I like...oh well. I forgot to bring my running tights so that pretty much relegated me to the hotel gym and the treadmill on Thursday morning. As much as I hate the stupid treadmill, I'm glad I did it. Kept me relaxed for the day which I needed - it was one of those days. The trip home was crazy...I'm already trying to do mileage runs wherever I can so I flew to DC on the USAirways (still the worst airline in the USA bar none) Shuttle to catch my flight on Mother United back to ORD. That flight, the last one back to ORD, was delayed three, count 'em, three hours. YIKES! The agent in the Red Carpet Club was awesome. He offered to put me on American flight that was leaving in 40 minutes. As much as I don't like flying the Evil Empire, at least I was going to get home close to original time. Of course, AA managed to foul that up, with a forty minute wait for a gate when we landed at ORD. Thank you for that operational act of genius, AA.

So once I was back at home, I started planning for my weekend long run. It's warming up here in Chicagoland, with temps in the high thirties and some dalliances with the forties, so it looked like it would be nice today. So after a two-hour Church training meeting that started at the unpleasant hour of 7AM (side note - one of the best meetings I've attended in a long, long time), I was ready to run.

I planned a five-mile run and wound up doing just over seven miles. Maintained a pace of about 10:15 per mile the entire run. Now I know that's not a particularly impressive pace for the more skilled runners, but for me it was a milestone. I also have never felt better on a run. Perhaps it was some kind of endorphin rush or that "runner's high" but it was terrific. The more I ran, the better I felt. As I was running the trails in Herrick, with the cross-country skiers and the dopes on horseback (side note-apparently the colder temps make horses, um, dump a lot - it was like running a fresh poop mine field), I caught a vision of my first half-marathon coming up in May. It became very clear that I will be able to finish it. Without embarrassing myself, I might add. It was a peaceful feeling too. I just got very comfortable with the goal of running 13.1 miles. It was the best run of the year...so far.
13.1 here I come...