Today I hark back to my old favorite habit of running on Saturday morning then writing a blog post about it.
I don’t know if anyone has noticed I have not made a post about running in a while. In fact, I have not run since the DARE 5K two weeks ago. I didn’t even run the Superhero Sprint. Don’t judge.
I got up and had a couple of cups of coffee with my husband, Steven, before doing anything drastic. I am really looking forward to the fall and winter. Then I can get up with Steven, have coffee, maybe eat something, see him off to work at 9:15 or 9:45 as the case may be, then, later on when the sun is high in the sky, go for a run. Then again, running earlier in the morning also has its charms.
One of the main charms, of course, is less traffic. I had to cross German Street, because I had made up my mind to run the hill by Valley Health. I found an opportunity without too much difficulty. The Valley Health hill, of course, is respectable but doable. I’ve written about that hill before.
As I ran toward it, I realized that running was not the thrill I had been hoping for. Of course I did not expect to take two weeks off and be in tip top shape. But I did think, well, it was only two weeks not a month, I’ve been eating healthily and taking regular walks at least, and the temperature was nice, humidity low. I thought I could rock it. Well, I could persevere, so I did.
I saw a man running toward me on the opposite of the street. Ooh, he was good. I was pleased to note he was on the sidewalk. German Street has a perfectly nice sidewalk but some runners will insist on running in the road where there is really not enough space.
“Oh, you’re much faster than me!” I called to him. I didn’t catch what he yelled back, but I believe it was encouraging.
I ran by a porch where I saw some chairs with cushions surrounding a table with a citronella candle. I pictured friends and/or family sitting out last night, enjoying the blue moon. At least, when I looked out with was cloudy, but perhaps there were times when the moon showed through.
As I ran by some college apartments I saw a few kids sitting on the stoop talking. I wondered if they were waiting for a ride to somewhere fun. I have always found that there is something magical about early morning, especially on a Saturday when you don’t have to work. I could feel the magic. What will I do today?
The hill was really no problem at all. I guess I haven’t completely lost it in two weeks. As I started back down on the other end of the building, I looked across at the mountains. I thought that I am definitely a Valley Girl now.
I was almost halfway into my run when I reached the I Can Rock This stage. Oh yeah! It helped that the rest of the run was on fairly level ground. Never mind, I told myself. It is perfectly respectable to run on level ground. I don’t have to do hills all the time.
I saw two young girls running together on the opposite side of the street. I miss running with a buddy, which I was occasionally able to do in the army.
“Good job, ladies,” I called.
“You too,” one of them said.
I really felt I was doing a good job. I felt great after my run, especially after I had showered and eaten a fried egg in a whole wheat pita. I’m still not sure what all I will do with the rest of my day, but if I have any Mohawk Valley adventures, I will be sure to share.
Mohawk Valley Girl 