Made it back alive!

Okay...here I go! After walking from the hotel to the canal area in Old Montreal, I pointed myself west (?!) on the advice of another runner and took off for the unknown. It was a beautiful day, nice and warm - OMG, I ran wearing a T-SHIRT! And pants...I was wearing pants! Sure signs of spring greeted me along the way. Crocus Mr. Robin Redbreast And people fishing...lots of people fishing, actually. Canal de Lachine went through the industrial area, much of it very old, and now transformed into gorgeous lofts (wonder if I won the Lotto Max on Friday...for one of those lofts, I'd live here) and the like. I decided to head to the end, which I believe is Saint-Louie Lake. Considering the last three days of not the most runner friendly meals (smoked meat poutine, anyone??) and lack of sleep and water, I did pretty well, maintaining a decent Sunday slow pace. However, as I ran along the canal, I kept thinking I needed a potty break. Hey, good news...there's one about every 2km along the way...bad news is none of them are open!!! Made for a very uncomfortable run...however, I am stubborn (read stupid) and kept going.

And going...

And going!

Funny how the whole canal was thawed and open and this was still frozen. It is still April in Canada, after all. After searching for a loo for a while, I decided my only choice was to turn around and head for the hotel. Twelve.point.seven-five.kilometers.away. Go to my happy place and think of anything except the obvious. The break, however, was not appreciated by my tricky hamstring, and it decided we weren't running anymore. Oh, good...now I get to walk back and think about bathrooms the whole way!

Focus on other things...like how Montreal and Calgary are similar. After all, I still had to deal with construction and detours, just like Calgary. And cyclists...I have determined that citizens of Montreal love to cycle and ALL think they are training for the Tour de France. That means that they hug all corners, ride in a pack and do not have bells, because that would mess with their aerodynamics!!! Instead I got really, really good at leaping out of the way. No,no...pardon ME! The runners were all friendly though, despite being out-numbered 10 to 1, and all gave a wave and a smile.

Should have flagged this guy down and hitched a ride!

Finally...after another 13.6km (I included the distance from the canal to the hotel this time) and almost 3 hours, I made it back to the hotel, and more importantly, my room!!!

Ahhhh...much better. So total km today would be around 25-26. Not bad at all. Showered and cleaned up, so I can head out to find some dinner. I was recommended to check out a place called Dunn's, which is right around the corner from the hotel. Off I go.

Au revoir,