Category Archives: running

Running Late, But Running

Posted on July 17, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I bet some of you thought Saturday Running Commentary was never coming back.  Well, I certainly did not expect it to return today, but here I am, a little sore of leg but ready to type.

I worked this morning so missed the early morning run I usually enjoy on a Saturday.  When I got home from work I was hungry.  Also, my dog looked so happy to see me, I hated to leave him again so soon.  So I ate, called my parents, got on the computer, puttered around and eventually laid down on the couch with a headache.  I kept thinking I ought to run.  For one reason, I hadn’t run since Tuesday.  But it seemed clear that I was not going to.  I should perhaps mention that I am going through an intense bout of I Don’t Feel Like Doing ANYTHING lately (oh, don’t tell me that the only cure for that is to DO something, I know that, everybody knows that, just be quiet and keep reading).

Finally, around 3 o’clock, I saw on Facebook that a friend had just gone running.  For goodness sake, if she could do it, I could do it.  I finally got my fat butt out the door.

It was warm and humid.  The breeze was absolute heaven when it blew.  Alas, it did not blow very often.  Never mind; one thing I know how to do is to persevere.  I decided to run up the hill to Herkimer College.  I have been telling all and sundry that I intend to run the DARE 5K in August.   It would behoove me to be prepared.

It was not too dreadful going up the hill. It wasn’t fun, of course.  I suppose it was somewhat dreadful.  However, it was not TOO dreadful.  Just so I’m clear on that point.  As I shuffled, I thought about the DARE 5K.  Many people walk up that hill on the DARE run.  I, however, do not.  My shuffle is not much of a run, but dammit, I call it running.

Sometimes when I run, I think somebody I know might see me.  Sometimes someone does, and when I run into them later, they say, “I saw you running.”  In my head, I answered, “Huffing and puffing like the overweight, middle-aged lady I am.”  Then I thought, “I use ‘lady’ in a very broad sense.”  Then I added, “And that is appropriate, because, unlike Joan Crawford, I do not take offense at being referred to as a ‘broad.'”

That little bit of imaginary dialogue pleased me so much I kept running uphill and by the buildings of the college, instead of following the road straight to the downhill part, as I had planned to do.  I made it all the way to the gymnasium.  Next time perhaps I’ll keep going around the athletic fields.  As it was, I was feeling quite tired, out of breath and macaroni of legs.  I cut across the parking lot instead of hugging the perimeter and thus making my run a little longer.  I felt rather naughty doing so, but I can’t be  motivated and dedicated every minute.

Finally I was on Reservoir Road and headed downhill.  Phew!  My relief was not as profound as I had hoped.  I kept waiting for the endorphins to kick in, or at least the I Can Rock This stage.  Neither happened, but that was OK.  I made a mental note to myself to NOT take three days off running in the future, but on the whole I felt quite pleased that I had gotten myself out the door and on the road.

I plan to run again tomorrow and perhaps Monday AND Tuesday.  Could this be the start of another streak?  I ran 10 days in a row during shut-down.  I think I’ll see how many days I can go when working full-time and going to play rehearsals.  I’ll let you know how I do.

 

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Philosophical Thoughts on a Dead End Run

Posted on July 4, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am on the penultimate day of my factory shut-down (I don’t like to call it vacation, because it wasn’t my idea to take this week off) (incidentally, I love the word penultimate), and I have had a grand week of running.  Today makes the ninth day in a row I ran.  Both Wednesday and today I made up my mind not to run, sat down had coffee, went about enjoying my morning, then ran anyways.  I feel pretty damn pleased about that too.  I was about to make my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday post when I thought, why not mix it up a little with a Running Commentary instead.  It’s been a few hours since the actual run, but I think I can remember the highlights.

My first plan had been to run up the hill to Herkimer College (which I still often call H-triple-C).  However, as I approached the end of my street, I saw a pair of runners running in that direction.  Of course I didn’t KNOW they were headed for the college.  Still, I did not want to follow them even for a little ways.  For one reason, they were running in the road and I run on the sidewalk.  I suppose these things shouldn’t bother me, but what did it hurt that I ran in the opposite direction?  Not me.

It was actually a little better.  Yesterday I ran up a longer, almost as steep hill out Steuben Street, and today I wanted to up my run time by the recommended 10 percent, so I thought a fairly flat run might feel good.  As it happened, I went up a few minor hills, so everything was delightful.

I decided to do my Dead End Run.  That is when I run up and down the dead end streets off German Street.  I began by running up Main Street then over and down the nice path over the former hydraulic canal.  Technically, I should have gone up another block to the end of Main Street, which is a dead end up a rather steep hill.  But then I would not have turned around, because pedestrians can continue past the end.  From there I could have continued up, but there is no sidewalk and it was getting later in the morning.  More traffic could be expected.  Anyways, I had decided on a flattish run.

As I ran, I reflected on the philosophical aspects of the Dead End Run (usually half-baked philosophy from me).  One might think it could be depressing:  this is metaphorical; my life is a dead end.  But as I ran, I realized it was not true.  I have had dead end jobs, been in dead end relationships and worked on many dead end writing projects.  However, none of them were a waste of time.  You can always learn something from any experience, even one that does not end well (some would argue “especially from one that does not end well,” but I am disinclined for argument this afternoon).

The first lesson I learned, on the first dead end I ran down, was that a dead end is not always a dead stop.  At the end of my first dead end street (one that was not off German Street, by the way), there is a little space a pedestrian can go through and be on a regular road.  So a dead end is not always as bleak as it seems; you don’t always have to just turn around and go back.  But even turning around and going back is not all bad.  For example, by running up and down dead end streets, I am getting exercise.  I was also entertaining myself by looking around at the houses and by composing my blog post in my head.  I get ideas for my own porch, garden and yard.  I think of ideas for stories by pondering what sort of people live in the places I see.

It is likewise with dead end jobs and relationships.  They can be educational, occasionally entertaining, and give one lots of ideas for stories.

I felt quite pleased with my thoughts this morning.  I think I even remembered the best ones for inclusion here.  At least I have gotten a blog post of respectable length out of it.  As for the run, I completed 45 minutes, as I had set out to do. I plan to run again tomorrow.  Then I’ll do some major fist pumping and say, “Yes! Yes! Ten days!” and if I run up the hill to the college I’ll say, “Yeah, I’m bad!”

 

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Run… Write… Now, Adventures!

Posted on June 28, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

After yesterday’s writing fiasco, I thought I should try writing first thing in the morning.  Then I ran first thing this morning.  I LOVE running in the morning.  I am sorry to report that I did not rush straight to pen or computer as soon a I had stretched and showered (I suppose some of you would have written when you were still sweaty and stinky or even before you ran at all, but I am not in competition with you) (you know who you are).  Nonetheless, it is still prior to 9 a.m., and I don’t need to start today’s Mohawk Valley adventures for yet a little while.

All this by way of introduction to today’s Running Commentary.

Today is the fourth day in a row I went running.  Yay me!  Yesterday afternoon when I took Spunky for a little walk,  I actually thought I would like to go for another run.  I did nothing so reckless but was happy to put on my sports bra and sneakers (yes, I wore other stuff as well, sorry if I gave you an unfortunate mental image) (but not real sorry) this morning and get going.

I carried a bottle of water.  I don’t really like carrying anything when I run, but I feared to become dehydrated.  Additionally, I planned to run in the direction of the spring and knew I could get a refill.  I have another awkward situation these days as well, because my wrist watch has become a waist watch.  That is, the band broke so I fasten it to my waistband with a safety pin.  When I run I tuck it into my bicycle shorts, so it doesn’t bounce.

My legs felt like they wanted a challenge, but I knew they would change their minds as I ran. I really should have written a Running Commentary about a previous run.  I had been going to run up to the college the front way, changed my mind three or four times and ended up running up the kick-butt way.  I had no intention of getting my butt kicked today.  Steven and I have adventures planned.

I noticed how German Street curves upward, especially on the side of it I was on.  I told myself that at least I was doing some uphill work.  It is not a particularly steep incline, though.  I ran up the hill by Valley Health, meaning to go on into what I call the suburbs, where I knew there are several hills of various grades.  I took a street I don’t usually run on and went from there.  Far from another uphill, this street looked as if it dropped off the face of the earth up ahead.  I prefer to run uphill for steep slopes, downhill on gradual slopes.  Luckily there was a left I could take.  This run was going fine.

Oh dear, was that a garbage truck up ahead?  It is garbage day in Herkimer.  The truck was a block or so ahead of me.  Which way was he going?  Was he moving at all?  Shouldn’t he be moving by now?  He was moving very slowly.  I’m not clear here on whether “he” refers to the driver or I was anthropomorphizing the truck (using “he” to mean “he or she,” so don’t ding me for sexism).  Then I realized it was not a garbage truck at all but the street cleaner.

I spent a good part of the rest of the run trying to avoid the street cleaner, an interesting occupation in that area, since none of the streets come out where I expect them to.  At one point I looked through some yards to see I was running parallel to the cleaner and not going a whole lot faster than he was.  How mortifying.  I took a couple of hills, admired several of the houses, especially the screened in porches, and kept sipping my water till it was gone.

After a wrong turn or two, I thought I was headed back toward Lou Ambers Drive and the spring.  Suddenly I found myself back on German Street, beyond where the sidewalk was.  Oh dear, cars go along this stretch very fast.  Luckily it was still early enough that there was no traffic.  I only had to go a block or so left side facing traffic (of course) to get to Valley Health, where there is a sidewalk.  I ran up the hill again.  I had never run up that side of Valley Health, so I felt pretty cool doing it now.

About this time I realized my legs felt warm and supple.  I was so rocking this run!  Soon I was headed towards Lou Ambers Drive, knowing for a change exactly where I was.  I realized that I was in shape for the DARE 5K in August.  That run, you may recall, goes up the hill to Herkimer College.  I love that run.  I thought to myself perhaps I could not rock that run right now, but I could at least run it.  And I  have almost two months more in which I can get in shape to rock it, yes!

I was mighty pleased with my run, and pretty pleased with myself for composing a real blog post thus early in the morning.  What wonderful things will I accomplish with the rest of my day?  I’ll be sure to write blog posts about them.

 

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A Pleasant Sunday Run

Posted on June 20, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

However much you may enjoy doing something, well, sometimes it’s just easier not to.  Add to the mix that the thing you enjoy is good for you and suddenly there are MANY reasons not to do it!  And I am beginning to see that all reasons against doing something, however compelling they may seem at the time, ultimately boil down to, it was easier not to.  All this by way of saying, I haven’t run since last Saturday (when I wrote a blog post about it).  I may sometime write a whole post about why we don’t do things that are good for us and that we enjoy, and perhaps an analysis of “it was easier not to” vs. “it seemed like a good idea at the time,” but for today, I will content myself with a run of the mill (see what I did there?) Running Commentary.

I was running with a bottle of water in my hand, because I had a couple of glasses of wine last night and wanted to be sure I stayed hydrated.  I must say I enjoy having a sip of water during a run.  My original plan had been to run away from Lou Ambers Drive and Herkimer College (previously known in this space as HCCC), because on my last run I had gone up that impressive hill.  However, I knew I would want to refill my bottle at the spring.  Oh, just run up the hill again, I told myself.

In general I don’t like to mention that I thought about doing something bad-ass when I ultimately decide not to do it.  Today, though, I err on the side of truth:  I thought about running up that hill but decided not to.  When I got to Brookfield Park (previously known in this space as The Unknown Park), I went into it, up a nice little hill.  We like little hills.  Why kill myself after taking a week and a day off, I reasoned.  This would be a pleasant run and still get me to the spring (Get Me to the Spring On Time, isn’t that a song?).

As I got into the park, I saw another runner up on a big hill on the other side of the athletic field.  I’ve run up there once before; it’s steep.  I’ll do it again, but not today.  The other runner was wearing a shirt the same color as mine, safety green, but he was not close enough for me to remark that we were twins.  A dog was with him and came a little towards me, looking interested.  I do like to pet a dog but it seemed we were not going to cross paths.  The other runner yelled to his dog to come.  I looked away and kept running, so as not to entice the animal.  Sometimes you just don’t get to pet a dog.

I ran on into the park, over the little bridge to the picnic area and down the path into the woods.  It is a very pleasant run, with the brook babbling on one side and a hill with trees rising up on the other.  When I was younger, I would have wanted to climb up to the ridge.  I’d still like to do that sometime, but today I was running.  Soon the ground sloped up again and I was coming out onto the back road to the college.

By judicious sipping, I made my water last till a block or so before the spring.  How I love real spring water.  I pretty much ran directly home from there, going past the house twice to make my run last 35 minutes, the same amount of time as my last run.  For the first time since last June, a nice little dog walked my cool-down with me.  My legs felt pretty terrific.  I realize I can’t go all week without running, but there is no point in worrying about what is past.  All I can do is try to do better next week.  Maybe I can write better blog posts as well.

 

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Not a Bad Run, But Perhaps Bad-ass

Posted on June 12, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Did you ever make up your mind to something bad-ass then partway to actually doing it, realize you are perhaps not quite bad-ass enough to do it.  There I was, running down German Street in Herkimer, NY, writing my blog post in my head about how I ran up to Herkimer College the front way (a rather impressive hill, for new readers, if any), and I thought Hmmmm…..

I did not run last weekend due to, oh never mind why, just don’t judge.  Then I only ran on, what was it, Monday?  Too lazy to reach for my running journal or see if I posted a Running Commentary about it (and I have menopausal brain fog and purely cannot remember) (oh yes, I remember now it was Monday. Take that menopause!).

Well, I was not going to write a blog post about how I did NOT run up that hill, so up that hill I went.  It really wasn’t too bad.  Following advice I got many years ago, I just looked at my feet and shuffled up that hill.  I did look up a few times, glancing both ahead and behind me.  Not too far up ahead, enough to feel proud of behind.  This was going to be no problem, or at least a not insurmountable problem.

One reason I had wanted to run up the hill was that earlier in the week a friend had posted a picture of the view on Facebook.  I wanted to see that view again myself.  Accordingly, I looked to the right as I got to the top of the hill.  Hmmm… a bit misty in the distance.  No matter, it was pretty enough and I can run that hill again.

I failed to mention my running attire earlier, but I was in shorts and a t-shirt.  I had wondered if that was quite right since it has been cool for June these last few days.  My hands were feeling pretty cold.  One thing that did not help was I was carrying a small bottle of water in one of them.  You see I was at a very fun party last night and was a trifle, shall we say, dehydrated this morning (again, don’t judge).  I was sipping water as I ran and planned to refill my bottle at the spring on the way back down.  Now I looked at the Herkimer College sign that flashed the date, time and temperature.  45 degrees.  That is my cut-off temperature for shorts and short sleeves, so I should be good.

I ran down the back way, which is a quiet, woodsy road.  Of course the main roads were pretty quiet at the time I was running.  I do love getting up and getting right on the road when possible.  I finished my water about four or five minutes before I passed the spring again.

I had run 31 minutes the weekend before last and 24 on Monday.  I thought it was not unreasonable to shoot for 33 today and I saw I was handily going to make that.  I was at 26 minutes when I got to the spring.  I stopped my watch while I refilled. Straight home would give me 33 minutes, or perhaps a bit more.  No matter.  I was bad-ass.  My legs felt pretty good, although they would not have minded stopping.  My breathing was a bit labored, but I felt I was getting sufficient oxygen.

On Church Street I encountered two neighborhood dogs and their owner.  I quickly ran to them.  For one reason, as regular readers know, I love to pet dogs.  For another I wanted to tell their person about our pending pooch.  I knew she would be pleased.  She said she hoped she would be out sometime when we are walking him.  No doubt we will encounter one another.

I had stopped my watch again while I petted and chatted. Now I turned it back on again.  I was a mere block away from my house, so I felt a little silly doing so, but why not run the last bit?  I ran past the house to make my total 35 minutes.  I went into the house for a sweatshirt before my cool-down walk, which felt wonderful (both the sweatshirt and the walk).  I have big plans to run tomorrow.  Up that hill again?  Up a different hill?  Maybe just a long run.  My plan is definitely to run!  Then later I will walk our new dog.  I’ll probably write a blog post about it.

 

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I Made My Legs Do It

Posted on June 7, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I said yesterday that today was going to be Monday Mental Meanderings. Then I came home and went running so I thought I might do a Monday Running Commentary.

It was quite warm at work today, and I was on my feet most of the day.  My legs were not the least bit happy about it.  I believe I have forgotten to mention that I did not go running Saturday or Sunday (don’t judge).  I knew it would be a good idea to run.  I rarely run on Monday, and there was that little devil on my shoulder saying, “Three days off isn’t so bad.  You can run on Tuesday, sure, you’ll run on Tuesday.”  The devil went on to list all the other things I really ought to do that I would no doubt be too tired to accomplish if I ran.  It got boring to listen to after a while so I started thinking about other things instead.

I had also thought it was going to rain this afternoon.  Um, no. It was beautiful when I left work.  Perhaps sunnier and warmer than I ideally like it, but these are not insurmountable difficulties.  My bunions promised rain tomorrow (they are usually a day ahead of the weather).  As I drove home, I said to myself, “But you love running!”  I did not expect to love this afternoon’s run, but I also knew that if I put off running I would hate the next run even more.  So I made up my mind to just go for a short run.  Twenty minutes, I told myself.  I would not ask myself for more than twenty minutes.

I added to my ambition by putting a load of laundry into the washer before I left for my run.  This was shaping up to be an unusual Monday.

The plodding run, however, felt depressingly familiar.  Shouldn’t I be able to rock this by now?  Oh, did my legs hurt!  They had been hurting all day.  Why was I being this glutton for punishment?  Just keep going, I told myself.  You have to build back up.

I followed a different route from any of my usual runs, although it was on the same sidewalks I usually run on. I just followed them in a different order.  As I ran, I considered my 20 minute plan.  I had been running 31 minutes for my longest run the weekend before last, then ran 20 minute runs during the week.  I thought I should probably run at least 22 minutes, to increase my weekday run by the recommended 10 percent.

It was, I think, 15 minutes into the run that I realized my legs had stopped hurting so.  They weren’t loving me, but they felt… I guess neutral about what I was making them do.  My breathing was labored but not too bad.  I still wasn’t rocking the run, but I figured I could last 22 minutes.

Just to make the post shorter than the run (the critic in my head is carping that it has gone on too long anyways), I ran for 24 minutes.  The breeze picked up as I walked my cool-down, for which I was extremely grateful.  Now my legs are hurting again, but they will just have to hurt.  I may run again tomorrow.

 

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Remember Saturday Running Commentary?

Posted on May 28, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

You thought it would never return, didn’t you?  I confess to some doubts myself.  However, this morning I got out of bed, into running clothes and was on the road before 6 a.m. (with my weekday overtime rising hour, 5:30 is totally sleeping in).

It was cool out, which was a nice difference from my last couple of runs.  Oh, I felt good. I had gone to bed early last night after a mere two glasses of wine so was able to congratulate myself on my forethought. It was also delightful to run at at time when traffic was sparse.  I crossed German Street with no problem and headed toward Main.

I had the idea to run up Main and across to the beginning of the path over the hydraulic canal.  I’m not up to hills yet or I may have continued up Main where there is a pretty good one.  The path was more my speed this morning.  As I ran along it, I thought I must walk it one day soon so I can pause and read the plaques that tell its history.  Maybe when I get a dog.  The dog could sniff around while I read.  Dogs like to do that.

Crossing back over German to follow the path presented no problem, but I did not stay on the whole path as originally planned.  I got distracted by a dead end street I have run down before.  There is a little space at the end where pedestrians can sneak through to another street.  I went that way, for something different.

My run was going splendidly.  I could keep this up for DAYS!  I knew that wasn’t true, of course.  In fact, one is not supposed to increase one’s run time more than 10 percent per week.  But I was having fun.  Soon I found myself on the street that ended at the parking lot of the HARC building at the end of German.  Should I run there then back down German?  I looked at my watch and tried to calculate times. I could run back down German and make it a Dead End Run, running up and down all the dead end streets on the north side of German.  Good plan!

By the time I got to the HARC building I realized there was no way I could run up and down all the dead end streets in the amount of time I wanted to run.  That was OK. I would keep my eye on the time and run up some of them.  I got around the building and looked toward Route 28.  A big dump truck was coming.  That was OK; he was going straight, not down German.

Just before I crossed the street, I saw a penny and stopped to pick it up.  It might be a penny from Heaven!  Two steps into the street I realized a car had turned onto German and was stopped to let me cross the street.  Yikes!  I waved and yelled, “Sorry!” then darted across the street and kept going up Lake Street.  I had not intended to go up Lake, thinking it might make my run too long.  However, since the car had nicely allowed me to cross the street, I didn’t feel right going on the sidewalk in the same direction.  After all, if I had only wanted to run on German Street, why hadn’t I stayed on my own side and no bothered the car?

I almost never run on Lake Street so I enjoyed to look at the houses. They run the gamut from newly worked-on to seen better days.  I especially like to see the flowers.  The street seemed long, but I ran all the way to the end.  Well, not quite the end, because at the very end some branches hung down from a tree and blocked me.  But almost the end.  Back on German Street I realized I would probably run more than 10 percent longer than my last run.  I’m sure that is all right, especially considering that I am returning to running and not building myself up for the first time.

The run was 28 minutes.  I did not run past the house.  I felt SO GOOD as I walked my cool down.  Why in the world do I ever stop running?  It is so silly of me!  Anyways, now I think I have a new Saturday run. Every week I can add another dead end street.  Then when I’m in really good shape and feeling bad-ass, I can end with a run up the hill to Herkimer College (formerly known as HCCC).  That will be something to blog about!

 

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I Run Again!

Posted on May 27, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I felt quite discouraged and not a little down on myself for going from Tuesday to Tuesday without running.  I was determined to go running today.  I thought that sentence as I walked into work today, composing my blog post in advance, I suppose.  Then I worried that I would rebel.  You know how I hate being told what to do, even by myself.  I reminded myself all day that I LIKE to run. Furthermore, I did not write a blog post while on break, knowing that I would feel motivated to run and write a Running Commentary post. So here it is.

It has gotten quite warm in the Mohawk Valley.  My place of employment is a bit uncomfortable.  I don’t particularly like to run in the heat, but I can, I do, and today I did.

I also had to do laundry, so I would have clean pants and socks for work tomorrow.  I gathered the laundry (and almost called the whole thing off when I found clean pair of socks after all), then put on running clothes.  As soon as the laundry was in the machine, I got going.

And it was not fun.  When I ran Tuesday, I had first wrestled with the non-power mower and my overgrown front lawn.  Of course that run was difficult.  I naturally expected today’s run to be easier.  It turns out, not so much.  My legs felt like macaroni.  Oh dear!  I told myself to persevere.  I decided I did not have to run very long.  Tuesday I ran 16 minutes.  If I only did that, I would be satisfied.

Down German Street I ran, taking the opposite direction I had taken Tuesday.  Could I cross Main Street?  That is a busy street; I sometimes turn down it rather than cross.  Today I was able to cross.  I turned down the nice path over what used to be a hydraulic canal.  From there I went a block on Grey Street, then to another section of path.  I looked with envy at people’s porches.  It would be way nicer to sit on a  porch than plod down the sidewalk.  I probably looked ridiculous, shuffling along, huffing and puffing.

I had to remind myself several times that I could keep going just about as long as I decide to.  Eventually my legs started to feel a little less as if they were about to collapse under me.  I felt relieved about that.   I did not think they actually would collapse under me, but it was not pleasant for them to feel as if they might.

I ended up running for 21 minutes, by virtue of running past my house to the end of the street, then past my house again on the way back.  I like to run to a whole number, not, for example, 20 minutes 23 seconds.  It’s a thing with me.

As I stretched then went into the basement to put the laundry in the drier, a little voice in my head sang, “I ran! I ran!”  I felt pretty happy with myself.  Tomorrow I have an appointment to get a pedicure (at the Hot Spot Salon and Spa in Herkimer, NY), but I plan to run on Saturday.  Oh, I do like to run!

 

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Monday Running Commentary

Posted on May 17, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I almost never run on a Monday.  Additionally, I have not be running at all in… weeks?  Surely not months.  Hm…..

Oh dear. I just looked in my Running Journal (YES, I keep multiple journals; don’t you?), and my last entry was March 17.  That does make it months!  I may have run since March 17 and not written it in the Running Journal.  That is quite possible.  It is equally possible, though, that I did not.

No matter.  The fact is, I ran today and I am going to write about it.

I had thought about running while I was at work.  I had also thought about going to the Herkimer County Humane Society and see if I could walk a dog.  An even more tempting thought was a hot shower and a glass of wine.  However, I knew the first two choices could potentially yield a blog post, so I confined my decision to those two.

Until I left work and felt too tired to do anything.  I went to The Medicine Shoppe in Ilion to pick up a prescription and took the opportunity to go into Ilion Wine and Spirits for a bottle of vino (just to add a brief shout-out to two local businesses).  As I drove out of Ilion I realized I was headed for my house, not the Humane Society.  So I’ll run, I told myself.  I don’t want to, I answered.  Look at this beautiful day,  I told myself.  You can’t waste it.

When I went in the house all I wanted to do was lie down.  I actually did lie down very briefly.  While in a prone position, I realized that I would never feel like running.  That got me on my feet and headed towards my running clothes.  No, it was not grim determination and discipline.  Merely, I acknowledged that I felt like crap and remembered that I could still go running under those conditions.

First I put in a load of laundry.  You see I can multi-task to a limited degree.

It was not as warm out as one would expect halfway through May, but it was sunny and, as I observed earlier, beautiful.  Sunshine does make everything look good.  My legs were immediately unhappy with me.  I told myself that it would probably suck worse before it felt better, and that made me feel a little bad-ass.  It helps to feel bad-ass during a run.  I only planned to run for twenty minutes.  I set a slow, shuffling pace, as I usually do.  I couldn’t even pretend in my head I ran like a gazelle.  No matter, I told myself.  Just keep going.

Soon I realized I was at the pace I could keep up for as long as I decide to.  Mind you, I’ve never tested this theory.  That is, I have never decided to keep going until I felt I could not keep going.  In my army life, I was often called upon to keep going further than I felt I could.  That was when I learned you can usually keep going further than you think you can.  I never collapsed, passed out or had anything dramatic happen on a run.  I often made horrible noises trying to breathe, but we needn’t get into that.  I’m talking about now not then.

Where was I?  Ah yes, shuffling along the sidewalks of Herkimer and having a not bad time about it.  My legs complained but not too much.  My breathing felt… not good but not actually labored.  I didn’t make any bad noises.  I ran for twenty-one minutes and felt pleased with myself. As I walked my cool-down, my legs seemed to have that soreness that means developing muscles. Score!  Maybe I can run again tomorrow.

 

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What Was I Laughing At?

Posted on April 6, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I ran on Sunday mostly because I thought it would make a good blog post. Then I didn’t write the blog post, and isn’t that typical of me?  Well, I will try to write about my run now rather than drag us all (further) down with another Tired Tuesday post.

On Sunday, local readers will recall, the weather sucked.  Unfortunately I did not realize this when I made up my mind to run.  I knew it was supposed to be cold but felt I could handle it.  I had to bring Steven to work, so I got dressed in my running clothes to do that.  Steven went out to brush off the vehicles, since it had snowed in the night.  When I went out to help him, I discovered it was still snowing.

At first I saw no reason to change my plans.  After all, what are a few flakes among friends (no, not itches and flakes; that could be dandruff).  By the time I was actually driving Steven to his place of employment, what had been a few flakes had turned into a wall of white.  Regular readers may remember my odd personality quirk that bad weather makes me laugh.  I cackled all the way to Steven’s work.

“I am totally going running in this,” I said.  “It will make a great blog post.”

I did briefly consider abandoning the notion and running in place indoors on my Mom’s mini-tramp (she said she doesn’t need it back).  But I was already dressed in my warmest running pants, and I had located my toque and mittens (they are actually my sister Diane’s mittens; she may want them back).  Anyways, the snow was likely to stop soon; you know what they say about the weather and waiting five minutes.  Making the bargain with myself that I would turn back if the sidewalks were slippery, I set out.

The sidewalks were not slippery.  The snow did not stop.  I was grateful for the mittens and the warm pants.  I only wished I had something protecting my face.  That got cold, and since I had the mittens on, I couldn’t even put my palms on my cheeks and do Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” which kind of helps, temporarily.  It was not until I finished my run and was walking my cool-down (the irony is not lost on me) that I realized the snow was actually accumulating on my face.  If I had a smart phone, I could have taken a selfie and wouldn’t that have added something to the blog.

The run itself was not that bad.  I have not been running much lately so I am trying to be better about it.  And maybe next time I can write a better blog post about it.  Happy Tuesday, everyone.

 

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