There are going to be a lot of running blogs between now and the Boilermaker. This is pretty much what I am doing right now: work, Harvey rehearsals, and run. Running makes the best posts.
I ran later than normal on a day off today, because I went to help work on the set for Harvey. Harvey, in case you had forgotten or never knew, is the play I’m in with Ilion Little Theatre. For the last play I was in, I barely made it to rehearsals and almost never to set construction, due to the retail hours I was then working. Now I work days with many weekends off, so I was happy to go try to help this morning. I don’t know that I helped much. I held a couple of things for others. It helped me, though, because I had some good laughs with some nice people. I love Ilion Little Theatre.
So I put on shorts and short-sleeves to run, because the thermostat in my house said the outdoor temperature was 44 degrees. Having been outside, I suspected it was colder, but I didn’t have time to worry about it. Right away my hands were cold. Oh dear, was this going to be an uncomfortable run? Never mind, keep running. At least the rest of me would probably warm up.
I ran a hill I know of out Main Street. I had to cross German Street, but that wasn’t too bad with Saturday afternoon traffic. Up I went. It’s a pretty good hill. When I went to turn right to get to the down slope, I ran across the middle of the road, to travel the shortest distance. That was the one time a car happened to be coming. Oops. Luckily, the car turned into a driveway before I was actually in its way.
Now I was going downhill. Aaahh! A great, effortful hill out of the way and I was not even a third of the way into my intended time. What a great feeling! I suppose somebody else may have sought out another hill, just to be that way. I merely kept running.
I ran by a couple of No Parking signs outside of a house. No worries there; I wasn’t about to park it just then. I saw a van parked near one of the signs, but perhaps the sign was not talking to him. I turned onto the little path over what used to be the hydraulic canal. That’s a nice place to run.
I crossed back over German Street at the four way stop at Main Street. I waited for one car, then ran across, waving “thank you” to the cars that waited for me. As I continued down German, a lady on Washington waved me across in front of her. I thought that was very nice of her, because it’s not always easy to get onto German where there’s not a four way stop. By waiting for me, she may have missed her chance. I think she got out OK, but by then I was down another section of the erstwhile hydraulic canal.
After that I went through the parking lot of the county office building, just for something different. No traffic there on a weekend. I turned down Green Street and sprinted to make the green light at Washington. Then I changed direction to go by a sign I saw on the church there for a Rummage Sale. May 3 and 4. Phew, not today! Will I remember it by May? I hope it will be in the paper in case I don’t.
Next I turned and went through the parking lot between the church and Fire Station, then through the parking lot of the Police Station and Village Offices. I saw a bench that said “Shop Local.” Well I do, then I blog about it, I thought. I continued through another parking lot by what used to be a bank and headed towards a “Do Not Enter” sign. I love to Enter where it tells me not to.
It turned out to be a good time to cross Main Street, then it was through Myers Park and home. By this time I was feeling terrific. Even my hands were not too cold. I realized I had spend most of the run feeling pretty damn good, and that made me feel really good. Maybe I’m going to make a success of this running thing after all!
Mohawk Valley Girl 