Royal Canal

The SC deadline has passed, we submitted our paper, and I had a three-day weekend to recover. I slept a lot and started planing my training schedule for this year. I'm thinking of doing the Dublin Marathon at the end of October. It is relatively flat, although not completely so, and I'd like to come in under four hours.
I have been biking to Phoenix Park and running there, which is nice, but by now I know most of the deer by name. There are also often a lot of cars in the park, especially when they have events, which happens often on weekends during the Summer. So, I was looking for something away from cars, nice and long, and an alternative when I don't want to run in the park.

The 7th (or 6th?) lock

From the pictures, you can tell I found it. Two miles from here is the Royal Canal that connects the river Shannon in Western Ireland with the river Liffey in Dublin. It has an interesting history, is about 200 years old, and was shut down around the time I was born. It has been rescued and is now a great, 90-mile long recreational area, with wild life, houseboats, no cars, and a path along its entire length. Perfect for running.
Today I rode my bike, starting at the twelfth lock at Castleknock to the sixth lock at the boundary to Dublin city center. The first lock is in Dublin where the canal meets the Liffey, and number 46 connects it to the Shannon at Clondara.

At the outskirts of Dublin city center

About fifteen minutes after I took these pictures, I was drenched by torrential rain. Ten minutes after that, steam came off my clothing because the sun had come back out. The Irish say expect to experience all four seasons; each day. During the brief rain, I was freezing and hail was coming down!