It was my last day in Quebec today and I decided not to try to run around and do too much before I left. I got up and read for a while, then went out to see the Quebec Marathon as the route was only a couple of blocks away. When I got there the barricades weren’t set up yet, but the streets have been cleared of cars so it was easy to see the route. I wandered down to the Saint Charles river and along the path, then started to see aid stations and volunteers, and then 10k runners warming up. I heard music and found the start of the 10K race – first, the lines to the Porta potties, which are the same for every race, (very very long), than the corrals and excited people and pacers with their signs. I walked back on the other side of the river, and saw the security people putting up the barricades and red tape and signs to indicate the route.
I stopped for a coffee, I was the only one in the coffee shop, which was a big change from the last time I was there. I got a latte with maple syrup, it was a bit too sweet at first, but good to have the caffeine in my system, and I headed to the area of the race closest to where I was staying. A few people had started to gather. Soon a police car and then motorcycle cops came by. The marathon started at 8:30 and we were at the 7K mark (just over 4 miles) about a sixth of the way through.
The first runners were presaged by a motorcycle cop, and two people on bikes behind them at 8:48 AM. Impressive! The first woman runner came along at 8:51 and by 8:56 there were lots of runners, many of the women with smiles on their faces. It was a slight climb to where we were then it was flat and slightly downhill, so they were probably happy. Everyone was cheering them on with cries of ‘Allez!’ (Go!) I hung out for a bit, then came back to the apartment and chatted with Flavie briefly. I had washed my clothes last night and fell asleep before they finished and she had very nicely put my clothes in the dryer. I got myself packed, had breakfast and took a shower. My train was at 3 o’clock and the walk to the station is about 1/2 hour. I gave myself plenty of time to get there and had time to enjoy the beautiful train station that looks like a castle from the outside.
It was a faster trip back to Montreal, I think because it was a Sunday, so they were fewer stops on the way. It’s only been five days since I was on the train, but in that time many more trees have turned gorgeous shades of red, orange and yellow. I loved listening to my audiobook and staring out the window. I had another two seats to myself, though this time I was faced backwards, but that didn’t affect my view at all.
It was a bit more of a challenging walk to my Airbnb this time. It only took about a half an hour, but the walk was uphill part of the time which wouldn’t be a problem except the combination of my roller suitcase and backpack was pretty heavy. I was very happy to finally get there. I am staying in a loft apartment in the Little Portugal area. There are tons of restaurants and shops nearby. It’s a very cool vibe in here, the artwork is awesome. It’s also nice to have my own place for a few days after living with different people for the last six weeks. I got some gyros for dinner and hit the hay.
