Ireland has just had its warmest end-of-March since 1965, according to the papers. A whopping 18 degrees outside, sunny, and yes - HOT! Maybe a sign that I'm finally acclimatising to the Irish weather (cold summers and really cold winters)? But no excuse not to enjoy the good weather while it lasts, because, acclimatised or not, such sunny and warm days are few and far between up here.
So, having arranged for a half-day at work some time ago already, I decided to take full advantage of the fantastic combination of time-off and amazing weather, and go for a run! I hadn't plotted any specific route to run, and decided to just 'wing it' and hope for the best (ie: find my way back to my starting-point some way or another). I had a vague idea of which direction I was heading in, and was concentrating very hard on keeping my bearings: "St Stephen's Green is there, the Liffey there, okay, I know more or less where I am."
And off I went - cut a perimiter around the inside of St Stephen's Greens gardens (Park #1), dodging strollers, picnickers, dog-walkers and everyone in-between (the Irish know a good day when it sun-burns them, and take full advantage of any little bit of sunglight, as we never know when the next such nice day will be!).
Out of the Gardens and down Leeson Street - I still know where I am!!
Canal - its a little cooler (and much more scenic) running alongside the water - left here and let's see where this goes: if I follow the canal far enough I'll end up somewhere in the vicinity of the docks, and I know my way back from there (from previous times getting lost and finding my way). Great, that's the plan, follow the canal.
T-Junction and I'm facing the arms: left or right??? Well, left takes me back to the middle of chaos (sorry, "city centre"), so right it is. Hmm, where am I going now? Ah, that's Aviva Stadium up ahead, I've been past here before. I recognize that street (got lost there previously), and there's the southbound DART line. All is still fine, I can retrace my steps easily and get home from here, but its still too early to turn around - on I go!
Ah, and here's an intersection I recognize: I'm in Ballsbridge, and the UK embassy is down to my left. Herbert Park dead ahead: I've never actually been to Herbert Park before, time to remedy that situation!!
And a lovely green loop through Park #2 later, I was still not lost - wow!! This is going better than expected (though getting a little warm - I am so glad I brought a water bottle along for this run!!!)
Out of Park #2, I decided to try my luck and continue on past the park, away from the known and head-first into the unknown. I was still kind of okay here, but here my internal compass (dodgy at the best of times) met it's match and lost almost all semblance of direction. If you take a look at the map (follow the link at the start of this blog entry and zoom into the map) you'll notice that at just-shy-of-7km, I was at the very same intersection where I'd first encountered the canal. Only from a different side and different angle - I thought I was further up the canal, near the intersection where I'd left the canal just a litte earlier!! You can just imagine how my sense of direction spiralled downwards from here!!
So, off to follow the canal again, but by now I realise that I'm in a very different area than where I though I was - but I think I still have my bearings and know where the Liffey and St Stephen's Green are. Yes, down there is the Luas station - not sure which one but I think that must be Ranelagh (I was right on that count it turns out). So that means if I turn up here...
And up I went till I reached an intersection I recognized. But once again I had my bearings wrong and thought I was facing it from a different direction, so turned away from my destination.
Nope, this is definitely not right - I'm lost again.
Wait, there's a busy road ahead - time to head for the crowds, I should hopefully spot a familiar landmark. Ah, the canal. Again. Fine, follow the canal, I have to come out somewhere familiar!! And what's that up ahead? Yes! An intersection I know!!
So back up, right to get off the main road (and what do you know, I'm retracing some of my steps here!!), back to the intersection I was so lost at earlier, but now that I'm facing the right direction I'm 'found'. There's the Luas line just ahead, and just over a kay later I'm back where I start. Time for a well-deserved shower (it's swelteringly hot out here, I need to cool down asap!) , then my much-delayed lunch, and still make it home a little earlier than normal.
All-in-all, a very interesting run, with some new neighbourhoods discovered :)
So back up, right to get off the main road (and what do you know, I'm retracing some of my steps here!!), back to the intersection I was so lost at earlier, but now that I'm facing the right direction I'm 'found'. There's the Luas line just ahead, and just over a kay later I'm back where I start. Time for a well-deserved shower (it's swelteringly hot out here, I need to cool down asap!) , then my much-delayed lunch, and still make it home a little earlier than normal.
All-in-all, a very interesting run, with some new neighbourhoods discovered :)
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