Long weekend Recap

Where to start.... it is so hard to start the work week after having such a great long weekend. It started with packing up the family Wednesday night and heading to my parent's cottage for a mini-vacation. On Thursday, my other half was up for a 5k run so we drove to an old railway line in the area and although we only did 5k it actually was a challenging little run for the particular part of the trail we were on was made up of stones and despite it being flat terrain it required a lot more focus and pull on all your muscles. I turned over on my ankle a few times going over little rocks but thank goodness my ankles proved to be resilient. There are quite a few people from my running group that have taken quite a liking to trails and although the idea of running more scenic routes is very attractive I don't think I am a fan of all the foot obstacles and flies that buz in your ear. After getting back to the car, Mike drove back to the cottage and I ran back to add another 5k to my run for the day.

When I got back to the cottage we got ready to drive into a nearby town for the Canada Day festivities. This little town probably has no more than 200 people year-round and if you have never participated in a small-town Canada Day event then I encourage you to do so one day, especially if you are a city person for it is quite an entertaining experience. For instance, we heard there was a parade that was going to happen so we lined the main street patiently waiting for it to start and see what would it comprise of, given how small the town was. In the parade there were two fire trucks, a couple of other vehicles, a clown, a 4 person Veteran marching group, and a few kids handing out candy, Canada Day pins, and flags. Despite how small the parade actually was the main street ended up being lined with hundreds of people, I think everyone in the town came out for it and the surrounding cottage community. All in all, as to be expected but having said that it fun given the red and white spirit of everyone in attendance. We then headed back to the beach park to participate in the BBQ, be entertained by a local Karate/Tae Kwon Do group, an Indian women drum group, a heavy metal rock group (could do without), and a couple of locals trying their hand at Karaoke What a day!

On Friday, Mike and I headed to the St. Lawrence Seaway bike trail with Reilly for the day. We biked 50km total with a few breaks to refuel and ended up having lunch in Rockport, which is a very small hamlet, if that, that is known as a popular tourist destination to board one of the touring boats that take you up and down the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is actually quite a beautiful area and we wish we had brought our camera. I haven't biked this long in years and to my surprise my legs and ass held up quite well but boy did I suffer in the evening. My legs were so sore that I decided to abandon my plans to do a 25k run on Saturday and opt for a much needed day of recovery. The next day my legs actually were doing quite well considering how I was feeling the evening before but I still felt it to be a smart move to postpone my run. Instead Mike decided to go out for another 50k bike ride on his own. This time he didn't have me weighing him down and managed to do the same distance in a fraction of the time.

On Sunday I gathered up all my gear to run 25k and had Mike drive me out the distance. The running options in the area are not that great and I knew that if I was to do an out and back I wouldn't do the full distance so I figured this was the surest way to make my distance goal. I started running at 7.45 am and at first it was quite pleasant outside, warm but not unbearable. This feeling only lasted 3k as I started sucking back my water. Mike agreed to come meet me with only 8-10k to go to replenish my fluids so I thought I would be well hydrated throughout the run. At the 11k mark I had finished 2 of 3 water bottles but at this point I was extremely warm and felt that I would go through my last water bottle in the next couple of kilometres so when I passed at a rural ambulance office, I went in and asked if I could refill my water. Thank goodness it was open and they were more than agreeable to allow me to do so. Off I went thinking that I was in good shape again, since I didn't have to worry about rationing my water. I met up with Mike with only 11k to go and although I was hot and preferred not to run this distance alone I thought I could still do it. So with all bottles filled off I headed as Mike headed back to the cottage in a nice air conditioned car. Within a couple of kilometres after this little social visit, I wanted to stop for I quickly became very hot and uncomfortable and didn't know how I could muster up running the last 9k. Needless to say the last few kilometres were terrible, I was tempted at some many points to stop in at someone's house and ask them if I could use their phone to get a ride but figured no one would be in the cottage to hear the phone. I also toyed with the idea of hitch hiking but figured that wasn't a good idea either. So I continued to put one foot in front of me trying to muster up all the will I had to get through this run. In the last 5k I did a lot of frequent run/walks and felt like I was at death's door from being in the sun. At one point I saw a biker coming towards me and I was hoping that it would be Mike just checking on me but then that biker slowly morphed into a husband and wife pair and I was not to be rescued. I also prayed and willed that the next navy blue mini-van would be ours but that never happened either. I would have to say it was the loneliest and most dreadful run of mine to date and if I had to do it over I would pass. It is amazing what you think and even don't think about during these types of harrowing runs. Well the good thing is that my legs came out of that experience a shade darker; which is a small miracle in itself for it takes a lot for them to tan. Unfortunately this lovely shade darker stops at a ring around my ankles where my socks were. I guess you can't get everting right.

Onto the next journey... trying to get a couple of runs in this week in the midst of an unbearable heat wave.