I'm so exhausted from this weekend and, as I wrote this post, last night, I already knew that I was going to be hurting today. So let me say it:
I'm hurting today.
But it's a good kind of pain, and my exhaustion comes from good activities.
As I wrote in a previous post, DW and I are trying to get in shape for our upcoming vacation, in Portugal. Because two of the cities that we plan to visit are full of hills—Porto and Lisbon—we've been going for walks in parts around Ottawa that have hills. We need to prepare our legs for lots of climbing.
We've walked around Hog's Back Park and Vincent Massey Park, which are neighbouring parks that are separated by hills, and they've given us a bit of a workout. But we also need to do some good cardio work, and this weekend saw a lot of it.
On my return ride, I weaved through some side streets in my neighbourhood to draw the distance out a bit. By the time I pulled into my driveway, I had covered 71.3 kms, making that ride the longest that I have done this year. I entered the house feeling hungry (no breakfast before the ride and only one nut energy bar in Metcalfe) so I quickly fried myself a ham and cheese omelet and needed to keep moving, lest I flop on the sofa and end my day early.
I changed into some shorts and a t-shirt, and headed outside to mow the lawn. With the heavy rains we've had, and because I was lazy the previous weekend and didn't cut the grass, the lawn was thick and long. It took our mower more than twice as long to cut the front, back, and sides, and by the time I was done, I was thoroughly soaked in sweat (as if I hadn't already worked up a sweat on my ride!).
I stopped long enough to sit on my front porch with a small can of beer—non-alcoholic beer, lest I doze off—and then it was on to more chores; this time, indoors.
DW, Kid 1, and I divvied up the chores, with my ladies giving me a break, since I had already been so active. They worked on different areas of the house while I was tasked with giving our kitchen and family room a thorough cleaning and vacuuming.
I was even able to afford myself a short, 30-minute nap to recharge my batteries. By then, it was time to clean myself up.
I showered, shaved, and put some clean clothes on, but that wasn't the end of the day. I wanted to head downtown to catch the fireworks, on the Ottawa River, as part of the Casino du Lac-Leamy annual festival of light and sound.
DW, who also wanted to see the show but needed to get more exercise in, cycled downtown while I drove the car. We met up at the underground garage, at City Hall, and DW changed from her cycle gear next to the car while I stowed her bike in the back of the vehicle.
As anyone who knows me will tell you, I don't like to photograph fireworks in the same place, twice. This means I always have to come up with a new vantage point. For Saturday's display, I chose the National War Memorial, which is a short walk from City Hall.
I was a bit conflicted in this choice of sight. While it is a picturesque location, I wondered how a site that is dedicated to remembering the horrors of war and to those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom would be pitted against an event that is a celebration.
Would the explosions of fireworks be a painful memory to some veterans?
For me, the fireworks display by Mexico would cap off a perfect day. But the exercise for the weekend was not quite done.
On Sunday morning, DW and I arose early and decided to go for a hike. It had been several years since we've hiked up to the Tawadina Lookout, in Gatineau Park, so we chose to head to Meech Lake and hike this moderate but steep trail.
The climb was much steeper than we remembered, and I now wonder if we took the right trail. But somewhere along our route, we took a wrong turn and ended up at the Champlain Lookout. It had been a while since DW and I had been to this lookout, as well, so we were satisfied to sit and have a small snack and look westward, toward Quyon and beyond, before heading back.
According to my smart watch, we had climbed the equivalent of 50 flights of stairs and covered nearly 12 kms in that hike. I think Portugal will not be an issue for us.
We drove back into town, stopping on the way home to pick up some groceries (we chose a grocery store far from our neighbourhood because we were sweaty and grubby, and didn't want to risk running into people we know) and lunch at a drive-thru. But when we got home, we barely had enough time to put the groceries away, shower, and change before we were onto our next adventure.
We strapped our kayaks onto the car and drove to the Hartwells Lockstation, along the Rideau Canal. We had made plans to meet with some friends on Dow's Lake and paddle along the waterway.
We decided to paddle to Patterson Creek and stop at the NCC Bistro for drinks, before paddling back. We had a great time with our friends, both on the water and at a table, and by the time we had returned to Hartwells Lockstation, we had covered more than nine kilometres.
We returned home, had a late dinner, and called it a day. (Actually, DW headed upstairs while I sat down to write this post. Which can probably account for why I've rambled on—thanks for being patient, if you've read to the end.)
I'm tired.
Saturday, I covered more than 80 kms between cycling and walking. Sunday, more than 23 kms of walking, climbing, and kayaking. Though I covered more ground on Saturday, the distances that I achieved on Sunday took far more energy.
So yeah, I was tired by the time my head hit my pillow, last night. But it's a good kind of tired. It's the kind of fatigue that comes with the satisfaction of having achieved so much, both in chores and in leisure. I'm not complaining at all.
And the pain that I most likely feel today? It's a good kind of pain. I'd do it again, and will likely do something similar next weekend.
How was your weekend?
Happy Monday!
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