Running in Traffic

I’m often touting Herkimer as a great village to run in, and of course it is. I must add, however, that some times of day are more convenient than others.

Four o’clock in the afternoon, for example, is one of the less convenient times. The traffic is murder! You wouldn’t think it would effect me so much, seeing as I like to stay on the sidewalks. But sidewalks don’t go on forever; you have to cross the street sometime (why did the Cindy cross the road?).

I hate four way stops. It’s like a big game of chicken. “Is it my turn? Is it his turn?” And that’s with my truck, which most people, given a choice, will usually try not to hit. My body, while not as small as I’d like it to be, is a little less noticeable and a lot less respected.

At Caroline and German it is a three way stop. You would think that would be better, but you would think wrong. Too many people making turns. I try not to cross Caroline at certain times of day. For one thing, once you’ve crossed, you still have to cross back.

So Monday I headed in the opposite direction. I can usually get all the way to the end of German that way. Not so Monday. A bunch of construction vehicles were doing… I don’t know, some construction thing. They were blocking traffic. At least three cars were waiting to turn off Prospect, somebody might have been waiting to turn onto Prospect. I didn’t want to mess with it. I stayed on the sidewalk and turned down Prospect.

That wasn’t bad. I crossed two streets with impunity. I ran by Bruce Ward Realty, where our realtor Lorraine Hartigan works. She showed us 33 houses before we finally bought one. The building Bruce Ward is in used to be a bank. I saw a sign on what used to be the drive thru: “Do Not Enter. Exit Only.” Not one to pass up such a challenge, I entered. A quick turn around the parking lot, just to be that way. Of course, when I run by a bank that is currently functioning as a bank, I don’t pull such shenanigans.

I ran through the Myers Park and down Park Avenue (Oh, ain’t we swank?) (That’s a line from a movie). I ran up and down a couple neighborhood streets till I had run the length of time I intended. I did cross Caroline Street, then back again later, just not at German. It made for two very short sprints and was really not a problem for me or the cars.

It was a pretty good run. I feel a little constricted when I have to modify my route to avoid traffic, but really I had plenty of room to run. At least for the short runs I’m up to now. We’ll see what happens when I build up a little. I’ll report back.