Category Archives: running commentary

Oh, the Humidity!

Posted on July 25, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Get it?  Like “Oh, the humanity!”  I thought of it while I was at work today, thinking I did NOT want to run, and I felt sure I had used the title before.  However, a quick check of my posts tells me I did not, so here is a Tuesday Running Commentary, and yes, it is also Tired Tuesday.  You see, that I can so multi-task.

As I left work, I felt greeted by the wind.  This was much better than in the building!  Unfortunately, I soon realized that it was not the miracle I was hoping for.  It was hot, it was muggy, I wanted to go someplace air conditioned and cry.  Of course I did nothing of the kind. I went home and put on running clothes.  Changing was not fun, but I will spare you the blow by blow (see? I don’t always overshare).

I told Steven I did not know how far I would run.  You never know:  sometimes you catch a second wind as you go.  Also, if it began to rain, that might feel really good and I would be happy to keep running.  Conversely, it there was thunder, I would sensibly run right back home.  At least I would get a few steps in.

Right away my body was not happy with me.  My legs hurt.  My lungs did not want to breath.  I was sweating already.  Well, runs often begin badly and end well.  Second wind, remember?  Then I thought, here’s a point to ponder: does it count as a second wind if you didn’t have a first wind?  Shouldn’t I start out feeling good, get tired, THEN get a second wind?  I never do anything right.

I did it really wrong this time, because I never felt good, never hit the “I can rock this” stage, and my legs complained pretty much the whole way. I debated to myself how far I would run.  At least 20 minutes.  Of course 30 would be better.  I could turn here. Or wait till the next street.  Or go all the way to the high school!  I was drenched with sweat and sweating sunscreen into my eyes. Ouch!  No matter.  A cold shower awaited.  And my recovery beverage of chocolate milk.  One must earn a recovery beverage, I reminded myself.

I did have one encouraging moment:  I was headed down Park Avenue (ooh!), towards the footbridge over the brook behind the high school.  A man and two women with a couple of baby carriages were headed that way by a parallel street, arriving at the bridge about the same time I did.  The man noticed me.

“She’s coming straight through,” he said to the women.  They stopped.

“Oh, I’m sorry!  I didn’t see you!”  one said.

“You’re fine,” I said.  “Thank you.”

“Keep going!” the man said.

“I’ll try!”

“Good job!” I heard one of the women call as I ran over the bridge.

Well, one must keep going when one has received encouragement.  So keep running I did.  I made it for 23 minutes.  I felt dreadfully tired during my cool-down walk and even considered cutting that part short.  Then I thought, no, I have calories to burn.  As always, I felt happy that I had run.  I was sorry it was such a short run, but you can’t get bogged down in these details.  I ran.  That was the important thing.  Maybe I will run again tomorrow.

 

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Something of a Running Commentary on Tired Tuesday

Posted on July 18, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Here we are on Tired Tuesday, and I feel as if I just can’t write a thing.  Well, obviously, I just wrote that stupid sentence, as well as this one.  That doesn’t prove anything, because I can just backspace them out and once again be staring at a blank screen.  Crap.

It was almost as hot and humid at my work today as it was yesterday, so I left feeling pretty much as melted (but yet no smaller, it’s no fair).  However, I managed to go running.  I did not ambitiously get right out as soon as I got home. First I sat on the couch, drank a glass of chocolate milk, and looked at the computer.  I had made up my mind to give it a miss and try again tomorrow.  Then I said, oh, what the hell.

As I ran, I thought I would make a Running Commentary post.  I know I just did one on Sunday, but I thought I could get away with it.  Anyways, I like to narrate in my head as I go. I never include all the stuff I come up with, which is probably just as well, because it would make some pretty long posts.  Today I went pretty slowly.  I figured I could make it a short run: 20 minutes.  I could make it for 20 minutes.  Could I make it for 20 minutes?  Sometimes 20 minutes is a long time and not just when you’re at work.  Why couldn’t I get one of those second winds you hear about?

Eventually I realized I was going to make it for 20 minutes, or a little more.  I turned the corner and was headed towards my street.  Suddenly I felt pretty okay and thought I could run further.  I could pass my street, and the next, then run up Main Street and over German back home.  Woohoo!  This is what a second wind feels like!  I felt less second and more windy when I actually got to Main Street, if you know what I mean.  The beauty part was, I still had to run back home, so my run was going to be a decent amount of time. Also, I like running by Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners.

My run ended up being 30 minutes.  I felt pretty happy about that, and my cool-down walk felt pretty darn good. And now I have managed to wrote a blog post.  Not a great blog post, but I think it’ll do for Tired Tuesday.

 

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Winning Run on Wrist to Forehead Sunday

Posted on July 16, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today I experience the melancholy of knowing I must go back to work tomorrow (YES, I AM grateful I have a job!  Sheesh!), but earlier today I felt some awesome endorphins so thought I would try a Running Commentary post instead of the promised Wrist to Forehead Sunday (but tune in tomorrow for a potentially sad Monstrous Monday!).

I was up prior to 6 a.m. (not a WHOLE lot prior, of course) so was ready for my run prior to seven.  I sure will miss running before the heat of the day when I have to be to work by 6:30, but that’s a problem for a different day.  I wasn’t feeling real energetic so did not know if I would increase my run by the recommended ten percent, as I like to do on a Sunday.  That would be OK. I just needed to get out there, because I did not run yesterday (I was recruiting my energies for the play) and I will probably not run tomorrow (hello! Back to work, 90 degrees, what sort of an iron woman do you think I am?).  I carried a bottle of water with me, though, in case it was along run.  Must fight dehydration!

I did not really feel up to major hills, like the one to Herkimer College, but I headed towards Main Street.  That is a pretty good hill with two chances to turn off it before you go all the way.  Of course the devil on one shoulder tried to talk me out of running any hills at all, but the angel on the other won and soon I was puffing up the hill.  I ended up going all the way to the end of Highland Avenue.  The steepest part of that hill is the beginning anyways, there are stretches of level ground and even a little downhill.  Additionally, I had not run that way in a while and enjoyed the chance to reacquaint myself with the houses out that way.  I was happy to see the gorilla-headed dummy still sitting at a table in front of one house.  There was a nice table cloth and some flowers on the table, which I did not remember seeing, so that was nice.

Going down Steuben Hill certainly felt pleasant.  I met a few cars, most of which nicely moved over or slowed down. I gave those people the “thank you” wave.  I found a nickle, which I picked up and slipped between my sports bras (PLEASE do not say, “TMI”).  I saw a couple beer cans and a water bottle, so I could have picked up more nickles, but that would have been awkward.

It was nice to sip water now and then as I ran.  I had it in mind to run down German Street to the spring on Lou Ambers Drive for a re-fill but was not sure if I would have time.  I was pretty sure by now that I would be able to keep going for 47 minutes, which was 10 percent longer than my last longest run.  I know I could run for longer, but I don’t know how bad of an idea it is to increase by more than the recommended 10 percent.  It is perhaps clear by now that I am not particularly scientific about my work-outs, but I try not to actively do harm to myself.  I have, as they say, only one of me.  Then I realized:  I could stop running and start my cool-down walk before I reached my house.  After all, I already had a bottle of water in my hand.  I really like that water on my cool-down walk!

I was feeling pretty terrific a little more than mid-way through my run.  It may have been endorphins.  It may have been relief to be running downhill instead of up.  It may have been happiness of being able to run as far as I wanted. Or it may have been that I finally sweated out enough toxins to let in the joy.  Who cares?  I felt good!  Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to just beat up your body for a while.  When I got to 47 minutes and stopped (less than a block from home, by the way), I wanted to raise my fists in the air in triumph, and have somebody sing, “We Are the Champions.”  Of course there was no one there to sing for me, so I just kept walking and sipping.

It is by now, as I write this, way too hot to run or even walk comfortably.  The endorphins have predictably worn off, but in writing this I have recaptured some of the feeling of accomplishment and the joy of all that sweat.  In fact, I am sweating again, but not from effort.  No matter.  It is Sunday and I did not make a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I’m going to call that a win.

 

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Happy Wednesday Run

Posted on June 28, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’ve gotten a little obsessed with running lately.  It could be because my writing has not been going so well, especially this blog.  I say that because I have been sitting here for at least twenty minutes, alternately staring at the blank screen and typing in/backspacing out partial sentences. (In fact, I am sternly forbidding myself from backspacing out what I just wrote, because, dammit, I want to make a blog post!)

All this by way of saying, here is another Running Commentary post, even though I just did one two days ago, and I do not even have the excuse of an upcoming race (no Boilermaker 15K for me this year!).  I did not run yesterday, because my knees hurt and I had this weird pain in one hip joint.  It was a really bad pain when I bent certain ways.  I came home and took a warm bath in epsom salts which helped.  I also took some ibuprofen before bed, so my legs were better today.  I really wanted to run while I was at work (run away from work?  Not a bad idea…).  I even thought I might go running in the rain, which was predicted.

It was raining as I left work.  When I got home, I said, “I’m not running in the rain!  I’m having a glass of wine!”  Don’t judge me.  Anyways, I only drank half the wine and decided to go running in the rain.  It seemed to have died down a little; maybe it would stop.  Steven said it was very energetic of me, but after all, I did not intend to run very fast.

And right away, the run was not too bad, although the rain did not stop.  My knees twinged a little, but I’m used to that by now.  I dodged around puddles and ignored the water spots that soon covered my glasses.  Eventually I tried to find a dry spot on my shirt to wipe off my glasses.  I had to do this several times.  I was impressed that I could find a spot, but I guess my handle-bar hips created a shield while I ran into the rain.  Or something like that.

It was not till well into the run that my feet started to go “squish” in my sneakers.  Then I stopped worrying about dodging around the puddles.  I was just so delighted that my legs felt fine and my breathing was not problem.  How weird was that!  My Monday run was terrible!  I didn’t run at all on Tuesday!  I can’t worry about why these things happen; I just enjoy them when they do.

I ended up running for 35 minutes, the time of my longest run so far (this latest spate of running).  As I walked my cool-down, the rain started to get on my nerves.  I was sopping wet, of course.  No matter. I ran. It was a good run.  And now I have typed in a blog post.  Is it a good blog post?  I can’t worry about these things!  Happy Wednesday, everyone.

 

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Not a Good Run, Not a Good Post, Happy Monday

Posted on June 26, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I was Back when it came to running.  During today’s run, it seemed, not so much.  However, if I don’t do a Monday Running Commentary, I got nuthin’.  So here goes.

All day, I thought about how good it would feel to run.  My longest run, on Sunday, was 35 minutes, and I went up the hill to Herkimer College the front way.  For the uninitiated, that is a pretty good hill.  How I felt after that run is unimportant.  The point was, I did it.  I figured a run on level ground would be no problem.  I wouldn’t have to go a full 35 minutes.  Of course, it would be nice to.  Maybe I could.  This was going to be great.

After work, I nearly talked myself out of it.  I felt tired. I felt down.  I thought about just sitting on the couch and chilling, as I often do on a Monday.  My plan, when I was so sure I was going to run, had been to drink a glass of iced tea (I made a pitcher for the party on Saturday, but nobody drank any) first.  A little caffeine before a work-out can help you burn more calories, or so I have read (in a magazine, not on the internet, so it might be true).  I drank the iced tea and checked my email.  Nothing exciting, as usual.

Then I got ready, threw a load of laundry in the washer, and went running.  “I couldn’t talk myself out of it,” I told Steven.  I still had high hopes it would be great.

Let’s just say, it was not.  My legs felt leaden.  My lungs did not want to breathe properly.  I felt like a big, stupid lump.  Of course I kept going.  Once I wrestle myself into two sports bras (PLEASE do NOT say, “TMI”), I run for at least a little while.  I did not think I would make 35 minutes, or even 32, which was the previous longest time.  Well, at least I could keep going for 20 minutes.  Maybe 25.  Then with my cool-down walk, I would be moving for 35 minutes.  That is the length of time I’ve read you should exercise daily to combat tension headaches.  Also, I need to burn calories.

I can’t give you a blow by blow of “I turned here, I looked at my watch, I said hello to the guy on the porch,” etc.  For one reason, I’m getting a headache.  So much for that 35 minutes of exercise theory! Yes, I did run for 25 minutes, plus a 10 minute cool-down walk.  I felt grimly satisfied that I ran at all.  I feel similarly about this blog post.  It ain’t such a much, but I’m going to hit Publish.  I hope to see you all on Tired Tuesday, or whatever kind of Tuesday it turns out to be.

 

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Four Days On, Three Days Off, What’s Next?

Posted on June 15, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am nobody’s good example when it comes to fitness.  I triumphantly ran four days in a row, culminating in my longest run on Sunday.  Then I went three days without running.  Go ahead and judge me.  On the brighter side, I ran today and it was not a bad run at all.

I had told myself all day that I would run, trying as usual to internalize the idea.  I even said I would run rain or shine.  Even if it poured rain!  After all, “Run in the Rain” is a good title for a blog post.  Except that I think I already used it.  No matter, it did not rain.  It was actually lovely weather for a run:  cooler temperature, cloudy and breezy.  This was going to be great!

I did my usual multi-task of putting a load of laundry in the washer before I set out.  I prepared myself to listen to my legs, feet, and possibly back complain. I would persevere!  Maybe I would make it a short run, but I would persevere for as long as possible.  Imagine my delight when my legs seemed perfectly content to move.  I turned left on German Street and prepared to enjoy myself.

Eight or nine minutes into the run, I got this weird cramp in my lower abdomen.  How annoying!  The entire rest of my body was having a perfectly enjoyable run, but one little part has to give me a pain.  What was that all about?  I kept running.  Maybe it would go away.  It did not.  I kept running anyways.

I saw a small flag on the sidewalk and picked it up.  I don’t like to see the American flag on the ground.  It was frayed on one side, as if it has come off its little stick.  I held it by the edge as I ran.  Now I was running with a flag.  I was thinking it could be a Veteran’s Day run when I remembered:  today is Flag Day!  I was right on time!  This was great!

Only the cramp continued.  It is so bothersome when you have a pain: it colors everything you do.  I continued to run, stopping occasionally to smell flowers:  lilacs once, peonies two or three times.  Of course I kept these stops very brief.  I considered making it a short run because of the cramp.  Then again, there was no guarantee that the cramp would stop if I was not running.  I did not think it involved any running muscles.  I kept going.  Every body part other than the cramp felt great!  What the hell, body?

As I neared the end of the run, it seemed that I could definitely keep it up for 29 minutes, the same length as my last, longest run.  I WOULD keep it up for 29 minutes, yes!  In order to do so, I ran around the apartment building at the end of my street, then around its front drive, then past my house and back.  I did it!

I felt happy as I walked my cool-down, and even happier as I drank my chocolate milk recovery beverage after my shower.  The cramp did not go away, so clearly I was right to keep running.  I’m wondering now if I will make this another four-day streak, running Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  If so, I will strive NOT to take three days off after!

 

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The Run I Almost Missed

Posted on June 10, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a Sunday Running Commentary in lieu of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday?  I got out of bed this morning thinking I would not run but after a cup of coffee talked myself into it.  As Steven pointed out, it is a beautiful day.  I do love running in the morning and weekends are the only times I can do it (unless I run at 3 a.m., which is not the same thing).

As I ran out the end of my driveway, I saw the peonies in my front lawn were blooming.  I paused oh so briefly to sniff at them.  What a wonderful scent!  I flashed back to springs and summers of my childhood, when my Mom had a large peony bush (she still has it).  I made up my mind I would smell any peonies I encountered on the run.

I was expecting my legs to start complaining as usual, but they did not.  Score!  I crossed German Street and headed for Main, where there is a nice hill. Yesterday I ran the hill by Valley Health, so I am working my way up to the hill to Herkimer College.  My current goal is to be ready for the Falling Leaves Run in September, which is 14K and I believe has several hills.  I should make it handily, if I don’t fall off the running wagon.

At the end of Main Street I saw a sign, “Road Closed, Local Traffic Only.”  I added in my head, “And Cindy Running.”  The hill was not much fun, I admit, but I persevered till the top.  It is kind of nice to be less than seven minutes into your run and have the big hill out of the way.  As I made my way back down to German, I wondered where else to run.  Today should have been the day for me to add the weekly ten percent to my run time, making it 29 minutes.  When I talked myself into running, it was with the proviso that I would not necessarily have to do that (as Scarlett O’Hara famously said, tomorrow is another day).  I was at this point undecided.

When I got to German Street, the sight of peonies decided me:  I crossed German and ran down Harley Street.  The peonies were pink and white, several bushes stretching almost a block long.  I sniffed four or five blooms, making very short pauses to do so, nothing like the stops I make to pet dogs.  Incidentally, I did not see any dogs.  More dedicated runners may shake their heads and opine that I will never improve my run time if I stop while running, but I do not care at all.  I like to smell flowers and I like to pet dogs.

My legs felt fine but my breathing was a little ragged.  I concentrated on breathing in slowly and holding the air in for a second or two.  I heard this advice from a fellow soldier, who had heard it from a Native American drill sergeant of his.  He said it stood to reason:  you hold the air in so it has time to do your body some good.  It helped.  I started to feel thirsty so thought of running to the spring and taking a drink.  How long would that take me?  Would I run 29 minutes after all?

I turned in the direction of the spring, keeping an eye on the time.  It soon became clear that I could not make it all the way to the spring and back.  That was OK, because as usual I had a bottle of ice water waiting for me on my deck.  I figured times in my head, changed my mind a few times, going up one street and down another.  Ooh, more peonies, sniff, sniff.  It came to me that I was GOING to make it for 29 minutes and it was NOT going to be a problem!  I felt GREAT!  I could run for DAYS!  Yes!

As I walked my cool-down, I said to a neighbor, “I’ll tell you what, running four days in a row is the Way to Go.  I feel awesome!”

“There you go,” he said.

“Which I did NOT feel the last three days,” I added.  It is wonderful to prove things to yourself.  When I have to persevere through a bad run, I always tell myself, you have to get through the bad runs to get to the good ones.  Today was definitely a good run.

 

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I Wasn’t Too Tired to Run!

Posted on June 6, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a Running Commentary post instead of my usual Tired Tuesday or Bad Attituesday?  Once again I admit that what I do is called running only by the most generous definition of the word.  Then again, I like to think of myself as a generous person, although I daresay I am no more generous than anybody else.  Well, maybe more generous than some self-serving, stingy, I-got-mine cusses such as we all know, but I digress.

I had a bargain with myself that if it was raining after work I would go to the YMCA, if not, I would run. I wondered if I oughtn’t to go to the Y anyways, because I have not done any upper body or ab work in a while.  However, when I left work it was breezy and cool.  How could I waste that? It will be warm and muggy again before you know it.  Oh, I will run then, too, but why not enjoy some cool air while I can?  So that is what I did.

I put a load of laundry in the washing machine before I took off, so I could multi-task.  In general I don’t believe in multi-tasking.  I feel it is better to do on thing at a time and do it well.  But I don’t see how letting the machine wash while I thunk around the neighborhood could hurt anything.  This way I will not run out of clean handkerchiefs.

Right away my legs and feet were not happy with me.  I was not surprised.  Pretty much my whole body had been giving me grief all day.  I never got my Monday back-ache yesterday but made up for it today.  I tried not to dwell on it but just to keep going.  I had not been running since Saturday.  Sunday I had done strenuous yard work for an hour and twenty minutes.  Monday, well, you can judge me, that’s all.

I changed directions a couple of times because of traffic.  Sometimes it is easier to just turn down the sidewalk than to wonder if the driver is going to wave you by or run you over.  One driver waved me by before I turned, so that was nice.  I gave him the thank-you wave and sprinted.

Twice I stopped to take a quick sniff of peonies. Mine have not bloomed yet, but they’re getting there.  I saw some lilacs that were over. Alas!  I still don’t have any lilacs.  I would like to plant more flowers.  I only wish I were clever enough to plant varieties such that I could have something blooming all spring, summer and fall.

I also stopped to pet a few dogs.  First I saw my friends Chico and Bear with their Mom.  I greeted her and petted both.  Toward the end of my run I saw Pudge the pug crossing the street with his Mom.

“Is that my friend Pudge?”  I said.

“Oh, do you know Pudge?” she said.   I used to see Pudge out with his Dad all the time, but I have not seen him lately.  I petted Pudge and wished his Mom a good day.

It was really not a bad run at all.  I had moments of definite enjoyment, I mean when I was running, not just when I was petting the dogs.  There were a couple of brief stretches where I felt I could just go on, if not indefinitely, at least for a while.  By the end my feet were really hurting me, but I managed to persevere for 26 minute, the length of my last run.

As usual, I enjoyed my cool-down walk, although my water went down my Sunday throat once.  I hate it when that happens!  When I got back to the house, I was exhausted!  My body creaked when I stretched.  I made it to the basement to put the laundry into the drier.  When I got upstairs to take my shower, I wished I had one of those old lady shower chairs, so I could sit down while I washed.  Oh, just shower, I told myself, it’ll take you five minutes.  I certainly felt better after I was clean.

I felt even better after my recovery beverage of chocolate milk.  Now I am feeling tired again and not a little brain dead.  I think that is showing in this blog post, because I can’t seem to think of a conclusion.  How weird is that?  I know what:  I’ll close with a picture from my Media Library.  I’ll try to find something to do with running.

This is NOT what I wore to run today.

Will you look at that?  The only picture I have of me about to run is from the Little Falls Reindeer Run 5K last December!  I’ll have to see what I can do about that for future Running Commentary posts.

 

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The Run I Deserved?

Posted on May 25, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I went running with the firm intention of making a Running Commentary post, and here I sit, feeling too tired to type a word!  And, of course, proving myself wrong by typing in words.  Let’s see if I can make the actual post before I have to start cooking dinner.

I seriously thought I would talk myself out of running. After all, I have been doing that successfully all week.  Judge me if you like, but the last exercise I got was a half hour walk on Sunday.  I really, really want to get back to running regularly and for longer periods of time.  Why have I not just gone ahead and done it, you may ask.  I have no answer.  Still, I felt reasonably pleased with myself when I got home, sat down with the laptop, then realized I was only going to check my emails before GOING RUNNING.

I put on sunscreen before my running clothes.  I got a load of laundry ready to throw in the washer.  I read recently that you are not supposed to leave the house or fall asleep when either the washer or drier is running.  However, I read it on the internet, and I do not believe most things I read on the internet. Anyways, I have been putting in a load of laundry and running while it washed for some time now.  If it ever does me dirt, I will write a blog post about it.

Naturally my legs were not pleased with me.  That is what you get, I scolded myself.  Start running every day and you won’t have this problem, will you?  The fact is, it is really hard to keep beginning again.  But what else can I do?  My choices are:  don’t stop running, stop running entirely, or begin again.  Obviously the first choice is the best, but how often do I do the best thing?  I remind myself that there have been many periods in the past twenty years (wow, has it been 20 years since I joined the army? How the time flies!), that I have been running on a regular basis.  I hope I am at the beginning of another one now.

The day was pretty: bright and sunny.  In fact, I prefer a cloudy and cooler day to run, but you can’t always get what you want (as the great philosopher Mick Jagger said).  I enjoyed seeing the green leaves on the trees.  They were large, summer leaves.  The delicate, just opening leaves do not last long.  That was OK by me, because this kind offers more shade.  I enjoyed the shade.

I thunked along, wondering how many calories I was burning.  If I had gone to the YMCA, I told myself, I could have been on a nice, smooth elliptical, which would have told me how many calories I burned.  Could I believe anything that smooth, though?  No matter; I was not at the Y; I was out in the fresh air and sunshine.  This was nice.

As I ran, I did not bother figuring in my head how many weeks till I was at 5K shape, if I increased my time by ten percent each week.  For one reason, my record has been so spotty about running every week, I may have been doomed to disappointment.  I managed to run for 22 minutes, which was how long I ran the last time I ran.  I think (too lazy to find my Running Journal and check).   I enjoyed my cool-down walk, and especially the bottle of ice water I had left on my deck to drink while I walked it.

I see I am over 600 words, and it is later than the time I had aimed to have the chicken in the oven.  Darn!  And I still have to add categories and tags, and think of a headline!  Well, that’s what I get.  I hope to see you all on Lame Post Friday!

 

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It’s Monday Running Commentary!

Posted on May 15, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I ambitiously went running, thinking I could do a Monday Running Commentary for a change.  Then as I started cooking dinner, I thought maybe a cooking post.  Of course, a part of me always wants a Monstrous Monday, even when it isn’t Monday.  Then again, I have not been running in a while.  I think I’ll comment on it.

I have really fallen off the exercise wagon lately, much to my own detriment.  At my age, I need to stay active or I may stop moving entirely!  I did go for a nice walk on Saturday, so I have not been completely sedentary.  I took comfort in that and made my plans.  It was such  beautiful day, I preferred to do something outside than go to the YMCA.  I told myself, walk or run, but do SOMETHING!

As I got ready to go running, I realized I need to invest in some more sports bras (PLEASE do not tell me TMI!).  My supply is getting kind of old.  I found a couple to wear, though, as well as bicycle shorts, running socks and a loose-fitting t-shirt.  I remembered where my running shoes ended up.  This was going to be great!  I got together a load of laundry to throw in while I ran, just to be extra ambitious, especially for a Monday.

It was with a little frisson of virtue, therefore, that I started out.  Unfortunately, it was not long before my legs said, “Oh, crap.”  This was not going to be fun.  However, as I have often noted, if I have learned one thing, it is how to persevere.  After all, one must get through the crappy runs in order to get to the good ones.  I could at least enjoy the sunshine.

I could not enjoy the sunshine.  But I sternly warned myself against dwelling on my misery and kept going.  Seeing flowers and looking for shade distracted me somewhat. Some people were sitting out enjoying the day.  I even saw a sunbather, stretched out on a lounge chair, face down.  I was reminded of Hercule Poirot’s observation in Evil Under the Sun, about sunbathers looking remarkably alike.  Oh dear, he put it much better than that.   I don’t know where I put my copy of that book, and I really don’t want to take the time to look for it now.  Read the book yourself, if you like murder mysteries.

Anyways, I managed to run for 22 minutes (my favorite number!).  As is often the case, my cool-down walk was my favorite part.  I think my least favorite part is this blog post about it.  I’m sorry, folks, it’s Monday, and I have to finish cooking dinner.  I hope to see you all tomorrow, on Tired Tuesday.

 

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