waxing and waning

Saturday: the dog and I headed out. So much for sticking to one route and getting into a rhythm, though I'll probably do this during the week. Somehow, though, I didn't feel like doing this yesterday. I just wanted to head out and go wherever.

A good thing too: there were a few challenges thrown in our path.

I decided to head to the Ottawa river; going through the underpasses around Wellington/Portage, I noticed that there were more walkers than usual. A few minutes later, I noticed that some of them wore coordinated outfits. A moment or two later, I noticed the COWBELL. It was really nice to hear that I was doing great, but I was distracted by wondering what was going on. We passed tents and portapotties across the street from the War Museum, and I figured, hey, that's where they're stopping. No, there were more walkers up ahead, but spread out. We jogged by and I decided that I was going to spread good vibes by encouraging them, good job, good work, good luck, etc...I think it was the 60 km weekend to Cure Breast Cancer. They were going to be out for a while both days.

We ran alongside them for a few miles and then we came to the Champlain bridge, which looked to be their turnaround point. I wasn't sure, though. I was considering going on to Westboro or beyond, but I didn't want to trouble them on the way back.

Instead, we took a water break and a detour, across the bridge. This was a fortunate choice: the path on that side is shadier. I let my dog stand in the river a couple of times to cool his feet, and he drank a little, poor thing, and then we headed back across Booth and behind the Hill where it was shady too, another water break, and then up past the locks and through the mass of tourists recently disgorged by Capital Cruises.

I hate to be crabby about tourists, but it's a habit dating from a childhood growing up a spit away from Parliament Hill and so forth. I'm in recovery, but suffice to say that I wish there was a larger window between turning the water fountains on and the summer tourist crunch. I forget when they turned on that water fountain where the Canal meets the river, but it seems that they finally get it going and suddenly there's a throng of camera-wielding drifters blocking the beeline. NCC: "Well, here's the water, but you're going to have to work for it." But I exaggerate, I'm sure.

We went under the bridge and then noticed, wow, the fence was gone.

Another irksome thing: all of last summer, we had to go up and along the NAC drive because they had the path blocked by the Canal. This was strangely annoying. Finally they finished and the fences went down, but then the snow came--admittedly, the chronology has been muddled, but there wasn't a heck of a lot of time between enjoying the clear path and finding another fence. Yeah, they were now going to dick around with another 20M stretch by the Canal, necessitating the same annoying detour up through the NAC...

However, yesterday, I saw that the fence was pushed aside. We could pass! We went over the new concrete past the NAC cafe, and then got under the bridge, and there was a generator or something with a truck hitch blocking our way. I went over and the dog went under, and then we got to more fencing, so had to step up into the bushes on the side....still, it was less annoying than going up next to the NAC. (I still don't know why I dislike going that way...yeah, some people drive like they're on fire on the way to the parking, and there are occasionally meandering herds to rival those by the locks...).

We went on, and I decided that we'd go through Patterson/Central Park, or whatever it's called. But there was a fair going on so we stuck to pavement and got home.

Still, it was a good outing. 12.63 miles.

And then, later that evening, my throat started getting scratchy. I gargled with salt water, which works 90% of the time, but this thing had dug itself deep. Phlegm kept me awake for much of the night.

I woke up this morning in time for run club, but rather thickly. I wasn't going anywhere. Dozed for another ten minutes then decided to give run club a stab anyway, or at least get out--seemed better to get an artificial fever jacked up and then nap in the afternoon than sleep in. And, sometimes, I have good runs when I'm sick. Today wasn't one of them. I made it out too late for run club--met one person who was late, too, but decided to pack it in after that. Didn't meet anyone else. 6.16 miles, and now I'm eating loads of fruit and will be getting to that nap shortly.