Monday I tried but had a terrible backache, Tuesday it poured with thunder and lightning, Wednesday we went to dinner, Thursday was the Ilion Little Theatre dinner meeting… so Friday I thought it would be a good idea to run.
The more I think about this Boilermaker, the more I think, “What the hell was I thinking?” It’s less than two months away and I have been running like garbage! Well, the best thing I can think of to do is to keep running and hope for the best. I’m sure I can be up to running for an hour by the end of June. And I always say, if you can run one hour, you can run two; you just don’t stop.
It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day on Friday. Perfect porch or deck sitting weather. I say SITTING. I don’t do so well in the direct sunlight. Could I be part vampire? Nevertheless, I got on my running stuff and set out. At least my back didn’t hurt. Much. (I am over 40, after all.) I reflected that at least my leg muscles could not complain that they were not warm. My whole body was warm. Well, it may very well be warm for the Boilermaker. Hello, July!
I decided to take it easy on myself and run neighborhood streets with no real hills. This had the added advantage that I would not have to cross German Street in four o’clock Herkimer traffic. I mostly picked which streets to run down by virtue of how much shade I could see. Ah, shade!
I passed a lady next to an almost full U-Haul truck a few blocks from where I live.
“Moving in or moving out?” I asked as I ran by.
“Moving in!”
“Welcome!” I heard her yell thanks as I continued to run. You see how slowly I run that we had plenty of time for that little exchange.
I saw a Dead End street I had never run down. Remembering my Dead End Run, I thought I’d go down it. This one had a place you could cut through a very short patch of lawn and get out onto another street. Tee hee, a dead end street I didn’t have to back track on.
I ran around the H.A.R.C. building at the end of German Street. The porta potty was back (I don’t know if I mentioned it had not been there another time I ran by) (and I don’t know if current readers read the post where I was happy to use the porta potty another time). It didn’t matter though; I had remembered to pee before I left. I was good.
It was a while before I realized I was not hearing the ice cream truck. How unusual. I didn’t want to purchase ice cream, but I sure would have like to stick my head in the freezer. I saw a Schwann truck. I was going to ask the guy if I could stick my head in his freezer, but by the time I got to him he was crossing the street with a delivery. Just as well. He probably would have tried to sell me some food. I was feeling hungry.
There really were not a lot of patches of shade any where. I took what I could get. I got to the end of Green Street, where there is a traffic light on Washington. I could see the lovely shade of a church. I ran in place while waiting for the light. There was no chance I was sprinting anywhere. Aaah, shade. I ran around the side of the church, which offered a little more shade. Then it was across a parking lot and eventually to the shade of an abandoned building that I believe used to be a bank. Then running in place again while I waited for my chance to cross Main Street. Lots of shade by some businesses. A man was sitting smoking in front of Pete’s Tavern.
“I’m thinking a cold beer,” I said as I ran by. I wondered if I could return for it after I was showered.
My body wanted to go home and collapse. I kept running through all the shade I could find, even if it took me in the wrong direction temporarily. That was my sneaky way of extending my run. Closer to my house, some people were washing their cars. A little boy had the hose and was squirting his protesting sisters.
“If I cross the street, will you squirt me?” I called. The kids said they would. I ran almost to the end of street first, then thought, “Why not?” I ran by and yelled, “Hit me!” He mostly hit my legs, but it revived me enough that I thought I would to around the block then home.
Bad move. There was very little shade on the other side of the block. Me and my big ideas. But I persevered. When I collected Tabby and my bottle of water for my cool down walk, I also grabbed my crazy old lady hat. I wanted the portable shade for my face at least.
Oh, I felt like crap after my run. However, after stretching then sitting for a few minutes, I took my shower (always a good idea; if you can’t feel better at least you’ll smell better) and drank some Gator Ade. Soon I started typing. And that catches us up. This post has been in lieu of my usual Friday Lame Post. I’ll tell you one thing, though: a few more runs like that and I may be lame in more ways than one.
Mohawk Valley Girl 