So, I woke up Sunday morning and decided to try it. Why not? I'm in Montreal. I need to run 5 miles. It sounds like a good plan. It took me a tad bit to find it though. It wasn't easy to find the stairs to the pathway, but eventually, I would find it.
Honestly, the stairs leading up to the bridge scared me more than the bridge itself. This is what I saw from the ground before heading up the above stairs.
That bridge doesn't look scary. Please. I can run this! So, I walked to the top of the bridge and figured out where I was. I was very close to the end where the cars drive onto the bridge. I was a little freaked out about how close the cars were and how narrow the path was, but I walked up all those stairs...
This doesn't look all that hard. Sure, there's an incline, but it's not too bad. The path was pretty narrow. There was enough room really for one person. I wondered what would happen if someone else came the other direction. I could see lots of people on the other side of the bridge - walkers, runners, and bikers. This bridge sure got a lot of traffic...and I'm not talking about cars!
At one point, I had to cross the street to the other side of the bridge. I admit, I had apprehension because I had to cross underneath the bridge. In the photo below, you can see a white section to the right of the photo leading up to the major portion of the bridge. This area has four pillons what apparently historically was where the architects worked when under construction and where the toll was paid from it's opening day until the 196s when they ended the toll. You can also access the bridge below from here, as there is a road that leads down to the island. I crossed the motorway, then climbed down the pillars and walked under the bridge to the other side. It was a bit freaky. I prayed there were no people under there waiting for me. Paranoid? Maybe.
Here's a view going the opposite side of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Molson factory could be seen from the bridge on this side. I have quite a few photos of this building because I saw it many times. I realize now, I never saw the island from the other direction...
I ran across the bridge, up and down and up and down. It was very rough. I was not prepared per se for the steepness of the bridge. But, I managed to cross it running the whole time. I did do the 1/2 mile run, 1 minute walk, but other than that I didn't walk. I followed the plan.
I arrived at the other end and had NO idea where to go. I had thought the bridge would be 2.5 miles across and I could do an out and back route. Nope. Ugh. Where to go? Especially in an area that didn't look all that safe. Seriously. Not all that safe, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. So, I ran along the street that lead to the bridge. It didn't seem all that better on this street, but there were people, so I took my chances. Then I saw a wonderful sight, rainbow flags and nicer looking buildings. I took heart that I was in an area that was safe.
And the reason for all those people wandering around? Apparently there was a festival of some sort happening that day. It was early yet, it was still being set up, but it looked like it was going to be quite the party.
It's summer. The street belongs to the pedestrian. (lose translation from Google.)
The street looked great! I thought maybe we would come back to check it out, but it was not to be. It really looked like it would be a fun time!
This was on my way back to the bridge. I headed up another hill to the bridge. The trip over the bridge the first time seemed ok. The return trip? Not so much. LOL! It was definitely much harder going back to the hotel than it was getting there. And my Garmin apparently didn't like me. I would not know how much until later.
I went up the bridge, then under the pillons, and again down the side of the bridge to the entrance I used to gain access. And as I came to the bottom, it looked like I had about a quarter of a mile to go and yet, I was soooo close to the hotel. And this is where the run kinda took a turn for the worse...
I passed a bus station/metro station on my way to the steps and bridge. I saw a couple areas where I might be able to loop around for some mileage. I got through the first loop just fine and saw I didn't have much more to go to hit 5 miles. I went to the second loop and was almost through and heading back out when I heard a "Excusex-moi Madame." I turned around and there was a security officer. Uh oh. And he started speaking in French, which is never good when you don't speak French. I asked if he spoke English and he did. Turns out, I wasn't supposed to running those loops. Crap. He was very nice about it and after I apologized, he brought me into the metro/bus station and directed me back to my hotel. I then turned off my Garmin. Remember when I mentioned Garmin didn't like me? Well, when I stopped Garmin since I was now done running, it said 5.30 miles. I was at 4.75 miles at the base of the bridge. I did not run over half a mile between the two. Gamin apparently caught up with itself, but I didn't know that until I had gone .3 miles further than I needed to. Ugh. I finished my 5 mile run at 5.30 miles and 1:18:32.
So, I got my 5 miler in while on vacation. I realize now that I should have brought money with me. I didn't think of that. Something to keep in mind next time I go running alone in a foreign country. I am also proud of myself for actually going out for a run by myself in a foreign country. This was so out of my comfort zone, but I did it. I ran my 5 mile training run in a foreign country by myself. I must be getting more confident in myself. Whatever the case, I got my longest training run to date in while on vacation!
No comments:
Post a Comment