QUEBEC CITY -- Monday was supposed to be a 10K practice run as part of my Abe's Army training, but I'm on vacation in Canada.
So instead I ran five miles (1.2 miles short of a full 10K) in Quebec City. I would have done more, but it is quite hilly. In fact, most people take a funicular (a type of elevator) to go between the upper and lower sections of the city.
I was staying in the upper town of old Quebec City. I started the first part of the run going down to a large hotel called the Chateau Frontenac.
If you have ever seen a postcard of the city, the structure dominates the skyline. There were only a few people out and about early in the morning. I had to stop for a moment to let a lady who was moving office equipment in a red wagon cross the road.
I headed through the old city and through the Saint Louis gate. As I passed the parliament building, I was able to see part of it was being restored, and they had put up a fake front.
I ran uphill into the area called the Plains of Abraham. This was where the French military surrendered to the British. It is a large green space. I headed for a small park within it called the Jardin Jeanne-D'Arc, made in honor of Joan of Arc and paid for by Americans.
I ran through the sunken garden and on through the Plains ending at the Musee du Quebec. I headed back along the Grande-Allee toward the hotel. Here there are a lot of outdoor cafes. This would normally be filled with people but, in the morning, just cleanup crews.
It was a great idea to run at 6 a.m. before everyone arrived so I could keep a good pace, even on the hills.
Being in Quebec City gave me a new appreciation of 10 kilometers. While I may not have completed them on the morning run, I more than made up the difference going up and down the steep streets between all the other historical and tourist stops in the city later that day.
Monuments and Montreal will be my cross-training as I continue my vacation this week.
My earlier columns:
Let no downpour stop me
Still many miles to go before the race
The hills are alive with runners
The halfway point on the way to Abe's Amble
A walk in the clouds
My training hits a rough patch
My debut in the Abe's Army training program
Preparing myself for the Abe's Army
Where to go to comment and keep up on my training? Visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/behealthyspringfield to comment on our coverage of Abe's Army and follow my progress on Twitter through the week at http://twitter.com/behealthyspfld. Please follow The State Journal-Register's terms of use policy on commenting at http://www.gatehousemedia.com/terms_of_use/.
