Category Archives: running commentary

Alas, No Tim Curry!

Posted on April 30, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

It has been a while since I made a Running Commentary post (of course I am too lazy to go back and check), and I took a pretty good run this morning, so I thought, let’s do it (to paraphrase Nike) (although I did not wear Nike sneakers).  It had been a few days since I ran (judge me if you feel like it), so I had no great hopes, but one has to get through the sucky runs to get to the good ones.

The first thing I noticed was that it was colder than I had expected.  I was in shorts and a t-shirt.  The t-shirt was one from a run in Little Falls, a 2 mile and a 10K.  I ran the 10K.  I am not up to running 10Ks these days, so I thought the shirt would encourage me.  I need all the help I can get.  I ran up a minor hill into the residential area behind Valley Health.  There are a few more hills in that area, but I avoided the big ones.  I was feeling wimpy.

I checked any sewers I passed for Tim Curry dressed like a clown.  I have never seen any of the movies about IT or even read the book, but I am a huge Tim Curry fan.  I was, not surprisingly, doomed to disappointment.  Most of the sewers even had a bar where Tim Curry’s head would have been.  I wondered if municipalities had added the bar after the movie as a precaution.  These are the thoughts that keep me distracted as I run.

After distracting myself for the first mile, I realized that my legs were feeling pretty damn good.  This was awesome!  I could so run!  To make things even better, I got to pet two dogs.  At least, I petted one.  The other was so eager to be petted, she could not be still enough for me to actually pet her.

Adding a picture to pep things up.

I even got to run by a “Do Not Enter” sign.  The sign was looking more beat-up than it does here.  The painted arrow on the ground is faded as well. I guess I am more aged myself, but I’m still moving.

 

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Two Mile Tuesday Is Back!

Posted on April 2, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I haven’t done a Running Commentary Post in a while (too lazy to check how long ago), but I have been running again.  Not very far, not very fast, but that is not the important thing.  I hope.  Anyways, I ran today after two days off, and it went pretty well.  I was still feeling sluggish, so I told myself I would feel satisfied if I at least did a 20 minute run.

Me, feeling satisfied with my run.

This selfie was taken after a different run, but I wanted to put in an illustration just then.   I set out hoping to at least persevere.  It was much colder than yesterday; in fact, when I got up my backyard was covered with snow.  I still saw a little of the white stuff, but roads and sidewalks were bare.  Phew!

Looking through my Media Library, I cannot seem to find any of the streets I ran on.  Alas!  I went up Maple Grove and on into the residential area behind Valley Health.  That gave me some minor uphills.  I stopped and petted a cute little dog. A couple of other dogs barked at me but not in a threatening manner.

I had told myself 20 minutes would be all right, but of course I wanted to up my time by ten percent.  Let’s see, that would be 31 minutes.  That was my goal, 31 minutes.  It would probably be two miles, since I was at least doing a 15-minute mile (judge me if you are so inclined; I said I run slow).  So I kept checking my Garmin and doing the math in my head.  17 more minutes… 14 more minutes…

It was not till I was almost back to my house when I realized I had not properly done the math.  Last week I ran 29 minutes.  Ten percent of that is three (I round up).  I didn’t want to go 31 minutes, I wanted to go 32!  So I ran past my house, scolding myself that 29 plus 3 is 32 not 31.  How embarrassing!  But I ran that last minute, so I think I can feel pleased with myself.  It was over two miles, but I seem to have misplaced my Garmin, so I cannot tell you exactly how much.

Full disclosure:  As I typed that last sentence, I remembered where the Garmin is, but it is upstairs, and I just went upstairs, and I am far too lazy to go up again this soon.

 

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Running Commentary Is Back! I Hope

Posted on March 11, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday began what is supposed to be a stretch of warmer weather in the Mohawk Valley, so I threw caution to the wind (which had died down) and went running for the first time in months.  I didn’t really throw caution to the wind; I just thought it would be funny if I added the parenthetical comment, since it has been so horridly windy lately.  In fact, I dressed appropriately, stretched a little before I ran, and ran at a pace suited to conditions.

I ran in the road, although in general I prefer sidewalks.  You just can’t count on people driving to notice little old ladies like me.  OK, I’m not so little, but I may go on the South Beach Diet, and with that and running, I may shrink.  Not Incredibly, like the guy in the movie, but somewhat.  Anyways, the roads were pretty much bare, and I tried to stick to the quiet ones.

I didn’t Map My Run but relied on my Garmin, which I tended to look at a lot, hoping for encouragement. It really didn’t feel too bad to begin with.  The frisson of virtue that I was finally running and the delight of almost springlike weather helped.  I had it in my head to run for 20 minutes.  As my body started to get a little tired, I thought I would at least do a mile, because that would probably be 15 minutes.  YES, that is a damn slow mile; one has to start somewhere!

At one point, I saw a lady walking down the sidewalk toward me.  When she got closer I asked, “Can you tell I’m running or am I too slow?”

She laughed and assured me I was doing great.  My first mile was indeed over 15 minutes.  By that time I was still at least five minutes from my house, so my 20 minute goal worked out fine.

Me feeling good about myself.

Since I had not Mapped My Run to share on Facebook, I took a selfie for my Facebook Friends’ entertainment.  Naturally I had to share my triumph on Facebook.

And now I have shared my triumph with my blog readers.  I plan to run again today.  I feel more Running Commentary Posts are in my future!

 

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Interval? Fartlek? Anyways, I Ran!

Posted on November 27, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

As I finished my run this morning, going past the house twice to make sure Map My Run agreed it was two miles, I said to myself, “This is great!  Two Mile Tuesday is back!”  Then I said, “You idiot, it’s Wednesday,” echoing Boris Karloff is one of my favorite Tuesday memes.

Tee hee!

In fact, it is like a Friday for many, because they have the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving.  I was euphoric when I finally had a job that gave me that perk (or is it “perq” short for “perquisite”?  Discuss amongst yourselves).  But I have covered the vagaries of three day weeks in this space before.  Right now I was hoping to make a Running Commentary.

I got up early, because I went to bed early last night (Tired Tuesday, remember?).  I thought I would do something different and go running right away, even before I had coffee.  For one reason, it was not raining. It was pouring yesterday morning, so I did not run, although I took a nice walk later. On Monday’s run, I started experimenting with interval training, that is, interspersing my normal slow shuffle with bursts of greater speed and effort (why did autocorrect capitalize “greater”?  And why does my computer underline “auto-correct”?) (OH, it wants a hyphen.  Who knew?) (Oh you probably did) (you know who you are) (but I digress).

Actually, from what I learned in the army, there is interval training and fartlek workouts (tee hee, I said “fart”!).  In interval training, your slower and faster periods are set; for example, on a oval track, sprint the straightaway, run slower on the curvy parts.  In fartlek, things are more irregular: “You’ll sprint till I tell you to stop sprinting!”  Of course, this may have been just some sergeant’s definition.

Oh, according to Google, it is unstructured!  I looked it up to make sure I was spelling it correctly. Also, it is meant to be fun.  I’m sure that wasn’t part of the sergeant’s definition, but I will certainly remember it the next time I put on the old running shoes!

Anyways, I ran for just over 30 minutes, doing a kind of a sprint about every five minutes. I say a kind of a sprint, because with my speed or lack thereof, an unbiased observer might not have recognized it as a sprint.  I would decide to sprint to a certain point, a telephone pole, a corner, that sort of thing, looking at my Garmin at the beginning and end.  My sprints lasted from ten to twenty seconds.  I figure that gives me something to build on.

I am thinking I will try to do the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls Dec. 14.  Regular readers may remember that I have done it before; it is a fun event put together by good people, the Rock City Runners.  I may not be in quite the shape I like to be for a 5K, but I could stretch a point.  After all, as I have often said, round and puffy is a shape.

 

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I Try to Run Away from Depression

Posted on November 6, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I went for a run this morning and thought to do a Running Commentary Post.  Full disclosure:  I was trying to run away from the depression that threatens to overwhelm me. In the immortal words of Young Frankenstein:  It! Could! Work!  (If you do not get the reference, I encourage you to seek out Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein) (I would really like to insert a picture of Gene Wilder, which I know is somewhere in my Media Library, but I do not feel up to searching for it)

I set out before breakfast but after coffee.  My legs were almost immediately shrieking at me, “We didn’t sign up for this!”  I reminded them that they did too sign up for it (at least, I signed them up which is practically the same thing), that they had run for 30 minutes two days ago and walked for longer than that yesterday.  To no avail.  They impersonated overcooked macaroni for the entire run.  However, if nothing else, I know how to persevere.  To an extent.

I couldn’t blame him for taking a good look.

It was soon clear this was not going to be a 30 minute run.  However, I encouraged myself to at least make it a mile.  Maybe even 20 minutes.  All I wanted was to sit down.  I ran through Meyers Park, wondering if I shouldn’t just go home from there.  I have a picture of Meyers Park in my Media Library, I thought.  It will look good in the blog post.  Then I thought I could run past the post office and up to my beloved Herkimer Historical Four Corners.

Oh, my body did not want to! But through persuasion and stubbornness, I kept going.  I thought of cutting through parking lots in back of my four corners, to make a shorter run, but then I thought, No!  Run by the 1834 Jail and let Chester Gilette take a good look!  After some internal debate, Chester won.  I didn’t even cut a small corner and run over the memorial bricks which help finance jail restoration (note to self:  I must sponsor a brick in honor of my late husband, Steve).

So the run was just over 20 minutes, about a mile and a third.  Chester was the only picture I could readily find in my Media Library, so my blog post only has one illustration.  However, I see I am approaching 400 words.  It is much easier to type than to run, but then, I only have two legs but I have ten fingers.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Current Run, Old Selfies

Posted on October 24, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had thought to do a Running Commentary Post this morning, as a change from Pedestrian Posts.  I thought of it while I was running.  Unfortunately, I did not run by any places I have pictures of in my Media Library.  Ever since I started putting pictures in the blog, I hate to have a post without one.  Then I thought, I’ll take a selfie after the run.  That will do.  I forgot to.  There is no point in taking a selfie now; I ran almost three hours ago.  I’m showered and dressed.  Anyways, my phone is across the room charging.

A selfie after a run four years ago.

I am not very photogenic.  In October 2020 I took a challenge to exercise for 34 minutes every day for 34 days to raise awareness for the 34 million Americans who suffer from diabetes.  As part of the challenge, you were supposed to take a selfie and post it on Facebook with some information about diabetes.  I did not take 34 selfies, but I took a few.  Also, some days I walked instead of running.

Today I ran for just over 20 minutes.  It felt pretty good.  Before I ran, I said to myself, “I don’t wanna run!  I’m not gonna run!”  Then I put on my gear and ran anyways.  It felt pretty good, surprisingly enough.  It was still dark when I started out, so I enjoyed seeing some Halloween lights.  As it got lighter, I could see other decorations.  Sometimes a good run involves distracting yourself from the fact that you are running.  Luckily I did not distract myself so much I tripped on the sidewalk and skinned up my knee. Yes, I have done that, the last time while walking.  I am not the most graceful creature on God’s green earth.

Also from October 2020.

I add a selfie where I look a little more cheerful.  My friend is Mookie Wilson, a bat my late, beloved husband Steve won in a claw machine back in the late ’80s.  My sister Diane suggested the name.  Mookie Wilson has hung on light fixtures in many of our residences over the years.

I guess I haven’t said a whole lot about my run, but I am over 350 words.  Score!  As always, I thank your for tuning in.

 

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Kind of a Memorial Day Run

Posted on May 28, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I pause the episode of Columbo I was enjoying  (a different one from the one I was watching last night) to make my Monday blog post.  Part of me feels I should make a Memorial Day post, perhaps a running commentary involving the run I took this morning.  I see that I did that last year, when I ran up to the Veteran’s Memorial Park at Herkimer College.  I did not run that far today, nor as much uphill.  However, my runs are always reminiscent of military service, because it was in Army Basic Training where I first learned how to run.  I must admit that when I ran today, I felt much as I did trying to run in Basic.  It was painful!  I wanted to stop!  I felt I Could. Not. Do. It.

Once again, I proved myself wrong.  Perhaps I did not run as far as I would have liked, nor as long (and it is NEVER what you might describe as fast), but sometimes the point is to just get out and try.  My usual method is to run a little bit faster than I strictly want to run.  Running At All fulfilled that requirement.  Never mind, I told myself.  Just persevere.  One thing I can usually do is persevered, at least for a little while.

I managed a couple minor hills along the way and defied one Do Not Enter sign.  I saw a nice dog but did not ask if I could pet him (or her; couldn’t tell from that distance).  I felt moderately pleased with myself when I had finished.

This was the sign I defied.

I spent part of my cool-down walk pondering the Pride Stride 5K in Little Falls, NY in June.  I do not feel that I am in 5K shape, but I also have faith in my own stubbornness.  If I sign up and start running it, I feel certain I will finish.  How crappy I will feel afterwards I could not predict, but sometimes that is not the important thing.  I still have not come to a decision, but if I do not decide soon, it will be taken out of my hands by registration closing.

Oh well, there is no point in bothering you nice people with my dithering and indecision.  I don’t know that this was exactly a Memorial Day post, but I am approaching 400 words.  How garrulous of me.

 

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It’s Thursday: I Thunk

Posted on May 24, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Did I ever institute a feature called Thunky Thursday?  I know I have described some of my runs as thunky (computers seem to think that is not a word, but I know otherwise).  I am afraid if I go back and look, I will get bogged down re-reading old blogs, wondering what I wrote x many years ago.  I was recently wished happy anniversary from WordPress (I thought they called it a blogoversary, but maybe I made that word up).  Thirteen years.  Who knew?

Now I am getting bogged down anyways, and I had meant to make a Running Commentary post.  I bog very easily these days. That could be another reason I am not running as often as I would like.  However, I managed a run today.  It was not a great run, but they don’t all have to be great.  The important thing is to do it.

I Mapped My Run with the app on my smarter than me phone, but it did not make such a nice picture.  You’ll have that on the shorter runs.

I’ll work on more interesting shapes as I make longer runs, I hope.

Earlier today, as I thought I would go for a run and make a Running Commentary blog post, I thought about calling it Thunky Thursday.  Of course all my runs are not thunky, but I thought after a full day’s work in the heat (no AC at my work), it was a pretty good bet I would.  And sure enough I did.  Thunk, thunk, thunk, down the sidewalk, wondering if I could make it for 20 minutes.  I am up to 33 minutes on my weekend runs, but I ask far less of myself during the week.

The best part of my run was my recovery beverage of chocolate milk.  My milk was one day beyond its Best By date, so I had my doubts, but it was OK.  I put in lots of Hershey’s Special Dark and savored it.  The run, as you can see, was 20 minutes.  I have no problem with building up slowly.  I think last year at this time, or maybe a month later, I was having Two Mile Tuesday and even Three Mile Thursday.  As regular readers know, I like alliteration.

I also like making on time blog posts, which I just did.  Who’d’a thunk it?

 

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To Run on Tuesday

Posted on August 2, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I tell myself:  It could have been worse; it could have been Two Minute Tuesday.

I have been meaning to up my running game (and all my other games too, quite frankly, but let us take one game at a time).  After my unfortunate experience at the Utica Boilermaker 15K,  I have not been having an easy time running, last Sunday’s unintended hour-long run notwithstanding (I mentioned that in a blog post, I am sure).  I keep thinking if I just persevere, I can get my mojo back.  So I made up my mind to run today.

I did not get right into sports bras and on the road today.  First I had to send a couple of texts to my sister Diane.  We went on the South Beach Diet together starting today.   It is a great motivator to have somebody to compare notes with.  Full disclosure:  I have to get my diet mojo back, too.

Of course I practiced my usual multi-task of putting in laundry while I ran.  For one reason, I am out of clean work pants.  However, if the diet mojo returns, perhaps I will be able to fit into some previously worn trousers.  In the meantime,  a little exercise never hurts.

Off I went, and I did feel a little off.  Or a lot.  So old and thunky!  When I see people they tend to smile at me.  I suppose they are thinking, “Isn’t that nice, that old lady is trying to run.”  I can use all the good will I can get.

I changed my mind several times about which way to run, where to turn, and which side of the street to run on.  One thing I did not worry about was my speed, or rather lack thereof.  I often say that what I do is called running only by the most generous definition of the term.  And what, I ask you, is wrong with a little generosity once in a while?

The run started to feel less thunky as I went.  I never stopped huffing and puffing, but I did not feel I was in distress.  The shadier spots definitely felt better than the sunny ones.  A couple of times I crossed in the middle of the street to take advantage of a tree’s shadow that reached across.

I ended up running for 20 minutes and felt pretty pleased with myself.  I do not know how far I ran, because I misplaced my Garmin. I say I don’t worry about how fast I run, but it is nice to know.  Additionally,  I remember my Two Mile Tuesdays before the Boilermaker.  I guess I didn’t have one of those today.

 

 

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Post Boilermaker II

Posted on July 11, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

When we last left our heroine (that is me; I suppose I could have said blogger, to be clear), she was huffing and puffing towards the finish line of the Boilermaker 15K.  As I  got closer, I pushed myself to go faster and faster.  At least it felt faster to me.  I daresay to the outside observer it was not so impressive.

I crossed the finish line making terrible noises as I tried to breathe.  The Boilermaker volunteers were right there.  Two women were on either side of me, guiding me to a wheelchair. I was grateful to sit down.

“Lift your feet,” they told me, and I was surprised to find that I could.  They wheeled me into the first aid tent to a cot.  How embarrassing!  I leaned on the nice man that  helped me from the wheelchair onto the cot.

Then I was surrounded by people, taking my vitals, bringing me water, preparing me for IV fluids. I felt them take my sneakers and socks off an putting cool cloths on my feet.  They too my headband off.  I asked for a cloth for my eyes since the sweat was irritating them.

They found my blood pressure high, asked me about dizziness and chest pain, and tried to put in an IV.  My veins are usually pretty prominent, but I was a bit dehydrated at the time and it took them a couple of tries.  I laid back and let them do what they wanted, although I was a bit embarrassed.

I started to feel better soon.  After the contents of the IV were in my veins, they took my vitals and found them better.  They let me sit up and sip some water before allowing me to put my socks and shoes back on and proceed to the after party.  They were a little concerned that I had safe transport home.  I tlod them tjat if I got to my car and felt iffy that I would call someone.  I did not foresee such an eventuality and indeed it was not necessary.

I’m thinking this post is not as interesting as yesterday’s, but these things happen.  I am still recovering from my Boilermaker experience, so I will use that as an excuse.  As always, I will try for a better blog post tomorrow.

 

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