As I segue into All Boilermaker All The Time, I thought it would be a good idea not to skip my Saturday run.
As I type that, I think it isn’t really All Boilermaker because I don’t usually mention the actual Boilermaker except in passing. But All Running All The Time seems a little generous for what I do. And All Shuffling All The Time is too self-deprecating, even for me. Boilermaker is a kind of a fun word. And I am training for the Boilermaker. So there you have it.
This is closing night of Harvey at Ilion Little Theatre (which I believe I’ve mentioned before that I’m in), so I didn’t feel I wanted to rack myself up too much with a major run. Then again, I have all day to nap and drink Gator Ade, so I don’t feel I need to blow the run off entirely. I dithered until Steven left for work, which had the added advantage that I was home visiting with him for the maximum amount of time available. Always a good thing with a nice husband such as mine is.
It was warm when I set out. The thermostat in my house said the outside temperature was 59 degrees. The bright sun made it seem warmer. I was still dithering about where to run. I knew I wanted to write a blog post about it, so thought I should take a new direction. But which? The disadvantage of starting my run later (it was quarter to ten) was that traffic was picking up. I thought it best to stay off busy roads with no sidewalks or shoulders to speak of.
Then I thought of an idea I had to go down German Street and run up and down all the Dead End streets (of which there are several). I don’t often go down dead ends, although I know I have recently and mentioned it in this blog. I’m not into the out and back runs these days; I like to return by an alternate route. But I like to run somewhere different. And then, too, I had a ready made headline for the post. So off I went.
There are some nice houses on these dead end streets. Is it because they are not bothered with too much through traffic? Or had I stumbled into the rich section of town? Maybe I just noticed more nice houses this morning. I’m sure there are nice houses all over Herkimer.
I saw a lot of flowers. Forget Me Nots seem to be everywhere these days. Steven even mowed down a bunch in our back yard this week (although he was able to leave a few over by the rhododendron). I saw one house with a bunch of flowers in pots lined up along the driveway. No doubt someone was about to arrange and/or transplant them somewhere creative. Must get going on my own container garden.
A couple of nice screened in porches caught my eye. One was on the second floor. Ooh, did that look pleasant. Someone was sitting there. I was envious. What a nice place to sit and write or drink coffee or just be (or all three; I could multi-task to that extent). But my object was to run and not to sit.
I ran on, reflecting that whatever ambitious things I accomplished today I could not sit on my deck and reward myself with a beer, because I have a show to do tonight. In fact, I’m not even going to do anything majorly ambitious, because I mean to recruit my energies. I may have family out in the audience. I must be at my best (oh, rest assured, I strive to be at my best for any audience members, even people I don’t like) (then again, I like everybody who comes to see a play at Ilion Little Theatre) (but I digress).
As I ran I realized my folly in waiting till almost 10 o’clock to begin my run (and it was past 10 when I realized it). I have a sensitivity to sunlight. It makes me feel tired and ill if I spend too much time in it. And this was turning into the brightest sunny day possible. Oh dear. Still, a 20 or 30 minute run couldn’t hurt much, could it? I ran up one street that was not a dead end but kind of curves around and comes back out on another street that leads back to German. Along the way I found it crossed another dead end street, so I ran down that one. Hey, there was a house having a garage sale. I think Steven and I went to a garage sale at that very house last year. I eyed the goods from a distance. Must hit some garage sales next weekend.
The sun was beginning to bother me. Where was the shade? Then I saw some across the street, at the H.A.R.C building. Ah, I would run up and down one more dead end, then cross the street and run in that shade for a whole block. I followed that plan, then decided that heading back home would not be a bad idea. I was plenty far enough from my house; I was getting great exercise.
My legs were feeling not too bad. No “I can rock this” feeling, but not too bad. Certainly no “I LOVE running!” I think the “I LOVE running” stage only really happens when I’m headed down hill after a strenuous uphill. Perhaps tomorrow, when the play is over.
I ran for 30 minutes, which I thought respectable, what with a show tonight (and one last night and the night before and working ten hours Friday after a mere four hours sleep) (put away the miniature violins; I’m not complaining, I’m trying to be factual)(“I’m trying to be factual” is a line from the play. Not one of my lines, but still).
So we’ll see what I find to write about tomorrow. My Sunday run or are these running posts getting a little monotonous? Just a side note: I’m coming up on my one year anniversary of writing this blog. I made up my mind I would post every day for one year. Once I accomplish that, I may take a day off.
