Category Archives: running

Sunday Run

Posted on February 20, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

I think I used that title before. I actually did a few Mohawk Valley things yesterday, but what I really want to talk about today is this morning’s run. For one thing, thinking about what I could say about it was a major motivating factor that kept me running.

It may have been wiser to wait till later in the day, when it may be warmer, to run, but sometimes you need to act on your motivation right away. I’m sure many people feel that way. My thermostat said 31 degrees and often reads a little warmer than the actual temperature, so I wore my insulated sweatshirt over my long-sleeved ARMY t-shirt. The sweatshirt has the added advantage of being way too big on me, so the sleeves handily go over my hands, which any runner will tell you can damn cold during the course of a run.

As I set out I was a little concerned to find icy patches on the sidewalk. I’ve fallen on the sidewalk before. I don’t care for it. I ran carefully, utilizing a shuffling kind of pace. My pace is low to the ground at all times (my sports bras need all the help they can get), so this was not burdensome. And it allowed me to sing a song to myself that my sister Diane taught me: Every day I’m shufflin’. She first brought up that song before Tommy (her son, my nephew) and I ran the DARE 5K. I advised Tommy to shuffle up the big hill. Diane said, “You can sing to yourself, ‘Every day I’m shufflin’.” Like I say, all the help I can get.

Parts of the sidewalk were quite bare, which was nice. The roads, not so much, so I did not sprint across any roads as I like to do. I ran up the hill by Valley Health Services. This is not a major hill, like the one included in the DARE run. Well, I just barely started running again; I can only do so much jumping right in. I ran a hill Saturday, too, which was comparable, so I’ll be upgrading on the hills soon. When I ran down the other side of the block, the sun had been on that sidewalk, clearing it completely. Phew! My feet had already slipped a couple of times. Just the trailing foot sliding out from under me a little quicker than expected. I think the shuffling pace saved me. I was glad to have bare sidewalks on the downhill, where gravity can be my friend or my enemy.

I ran by the high school, which I like to do on a Sunday. Lots of discarded gum on the blacktop. Yuck, but at least it wasn’t fresh enough to stick to my shoes. I crossed a little bridge over a stream. At least, it may be a stream, it may be a drainage ditch. I like to say stream. The bridge used to be more picturesque, but they replaced it with a sturdy structure with a chain link fence rising over the railing. To keep students from jumping off? Throwing things off? Throwing other students off? Pondering the question helped pass the time. Soon I was in a sort of street slash parking lot, where I often find coins. Left as encouragement by the angels or dropped by careless people getting in and out of cars? I pick angels, but I did not find anything today. I found a penny on Wednesday’s run and two on Friday’s run, so I could put my two cents in (I make that joke whenever possible).

Running becomes a little problematic these days, because I don’t have a sense yet of how long it takes me to get from point A to point B. Since I run for a certain length of time, not a certain distance, this is a consideration. Soon I was on my street on the opposite side as my house, looking at my watch and calculating. I would need to run by my house for how long in order to turn around and make it back in the length of time I wanted? It didn’t help that I could see potential ice on that sidewalk. I could not count on a last minute sprint. Well, I’m not up for sprints yet, anyways. I shan’t tell you my target time, though, in case you think it’s too short. I can picture a reader saying, “That’s no run! What are you even bothering me about that for?”

Tabby graciously walked my cool down with me as usual. And by “graciously” I mean she jumped and barked and would barely sit still long enough for me to get the leash on her. I was glad I had not run the sidewalks we walked on, because we encountered some major ice. No accidents, though. It was a good run. And it looks as if I’ve blogged about it for a good long time. Well, I’ll make a shorter post tomorrow. Stay tuned.

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Re-Run Fun

Posted on February 17, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

The great thing about running again is that I can always blog about my latest run. So far that’s the only good thing about it.

Just kidding. Even the most difficult run can offer its moments of satisfaction. I ran Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I took Tuesday off to cook a semi-elaborate main dish for my husband’s and my Valentine dinner (hmmm… that could be another blog post). When I take a day off, I almost always regret it the next day when it seems I want nothing more than to take that day off. But I thought it important to fix my husband a nice dinner for once. And I took my dog, Tabby, for a long walk, which is definitely important.

Still, I was tired on Wednesday. I would just like to state for the record: I am grateful for my job and I am grateful for all the overtime I’ve been getting. Doesn’t make me any less tired. On the other hand, I had eaten two cupcakes at work (a lady brought some in made by her daughter, a professional baker; don’t judge me), I wanted a blog post, and, well, the Boilermaker isn’t getting any further away (or shorter, for that matter). So off I went.

It was warmer than it had been Monday but still not warm. I was wearing a hat but not a sweatshirt. I pulled the sleeves of my long-sleeved t-shirt over my hands.

I saw the underwear I had seen on Saturday. They had moved across the street and onto the sidewalk. A stick was beside them. I pictured some kid picking the underwear up with the stick and waving them around (“Have some underwear!” “Ew! Gross!”).

I followed practically the same route I had run on Saturday, to see if it was any easier. I didn’t see a whole lot of difference, but at some point I realized I did not feel tired. Bonus! After a while I felt a difference in that some leg muscles started to hurt. I suppose that means they were working. I made a mental note not to neglect to stretch after my run.

As I ran, I reflected on the cupcakes I had eaten at work. I did not regret them, but wondered how far I really had to run to burn them off. I decided it was probably better not to look too closely into these things. Then it occurred to me, if I start running an hour or more a day to train for the Boilermaker, I can eat whatever the hell I want. You nutrition experts out there, just keep quiet. I know it’s not really true, but the words “eat whatever the hell I want” kept me going.

My not feeling tired did not stay with me for very long after the run, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. I slept very well, so we’ll give the exercise credit for that. I felt fairly energized Thursday morning. I’ll blame that on the run too. So I’m motivated to run another day. Stay tuned.

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Returning to the Run

Posted on February 13, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

I know I said I’d talk about the wine tasting today, but Saturday I went running for the first time in two months. I really want to make my post about that.

I’ve been meaning to start running again for some time (actually I never meant to stop, but these things happen; we rarely live up to our ideals). For one thing, I need to make an irrevocable decision and send in my registration for the Boilermaker soon. They are reaching their limit quickly. But it is easy to put these things off, especially in the wintertime. I’m pretty sure that as long as I start by March I can get myself into good shape. Still, it’s not good to leave these things till the last minute.

It was warm early on Saturday, when I was at work and when I was performing various runnings around with Steven and/or Tabby. By the time I’d reached the end of my gyrations it had gotten colder and I had pretty much decided that next week would have to do (yes, I know, some of you are shaking your heads or your fingers at me for wasting our warm days earlier this month; please refer to my earlier parenthetical comment about living up to ideals).

When I got home I thought better of my timorous decision and searched out a pair of leggings, my long-sleeved ARMY t-shirt and a pair of winter running socks (they do make such a thing; they’re awesome). My running shoes were not far to seek since they also serve as my dog-walking shoes. I found a hat and selected a sweatshirt.

I explained to Tabby that I would be back. Tabby is always ready to walk out the door with one, but she does not enjoy running with me. I don’t let her stop and sniff enough. She looked at me reproachfully, and I set out.

About ten steps from my house I thought, “I can rock this.” By the end of my street, I was pretty sure I could not. However, one thing I have learned is to keep going anyways. It may not become easy or fun, but at least I can put the time in. I had thought to run twenty minutes if possible. Now I thought I’d see how it went. “Just run,” I told myself. “However long you run, that’s something to build on.”

So on I ran. The air was cold. My throat did not like it. I’ve never been able to do the in-through-your-nose-out-through-your-mouth trick, because my nose is usually too plugged. It was soon running. Had I remembered to put a fresh tissue in my pocket? Of course not. An old skanky but still usable one was there (sorry to gross anybody out; I’m going for accuracy here). After a good honk, I tried in-through-your-nose. Not so much. Still, these things keep you occupied for a couple of blocks and that’s no small thing.

I saw a pair of underwear on the grass between the sidewalk and the road. It reminded me that I had to do laundry. Speculation on how it got there occupied me for another couple of blocks. I saw what I thought was a wet patch in the sidewalk up ahead, then realized it was shade from the house across the street. I found that as I ran down the street, the sun would hit me in between the shadows of the houses. I had to observe that the shade in the summer is more of a relief than the sun in the winter. Still, we take what we can get.

I ran for twenty-three minutes. Tabby graciously walked a ten minute cool down with me. Then I almost forgot to stretch. Did I mention it had been two months since I ran? Ah well, now I have something to build on. And perhaps subjects for future blog posts. Stay tuned.

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Sunday Run

Posted on December 5, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today I’m going to do what I have previously done on some Saturdays: I ran this morning and now I’m going to blog about it.

It was actually afternoon by the time I finished my run and cool down, because it was 11:33 when I started (that’s my time obsession; I can’t say 11:30 when I looked at my watch and it was 11:33). I didn’t feel too much like running. However, I ran yesterday with a sinus headache and it turned out pretty good, so I thought, “Hey, can’t hurt, might help.”

Yesterday I was totally going to let myself off the hook because of the headache. For one thing it was cold and the cold always exacerbates these things. However, I actually felt like running. I ended up feeling pretty terrific. The headache even left me while I ran. It came back later, but whatever.

Today I did not have a headache, but I was lightheaded, which can be worse. I didn’t feel like doing anything but lie in bed and stare at the ceiling. Steven, on the other hand, was dreadfully ambitious. He cleaned the kitchen and was preparing to hang Christmas lights on the front porch. I told him, “I’m going in and I’m either going to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling or put on sports bras and go running.”

I tried the first and it was kind of boring and guilt inducing, so I sought out some running clothes. It had been quite chilly when we went to the grocery store this morning, so I left on my long johns and searched till I found my army long sleeved PT tee shirt. My long johns are a thin silky feeling polyester, not the heavy long johnny looking ones I also wear on occasion. I thought they’d be OK.

It was a bright, sunny day. The sun had gotten brighter, the wind had died down, and it seemed to be quite a bit warmer. Of course I did not realize this till I was actually on the sidewalk running. Damn! I prefer to run in bicycle shorts and short sleeves when possible. Well, my outfit was not too warm for the occasion. I tried to stay on the shady side of the street.

Still, it was not a particularly fun run. Every step was an effort. I’ve had these runs before; I know how to persevere. I persevered, confident I would eventually get to the “I can rock this” stage of the run. And I persevered some more. Finally I thought, “Well, so what? It isn’t going to be that long of a run; if the whole thing’s no fun, so be it. I’m still burning calories and building up my run time.”

I passed a group of young people, maybe college age. I saw them coming a block and a half away and hoped they would go somewhere else. Then again, I thought, why should I worry. They probably weren’t even noticing me. If they did, they were probably thinking, “Look at that old lady jogging. She should be home knitting.” I agreed. I wondered if they thought I should also have a glass of wine and watch Snapped. By now my run was getting to be a little more fun, because I was distracting myself with silly thoughts.

I made note of Christmas decorations, as I hope to take a walk after dark with Steven and Tabby and look at lights. Christmas decorations are not as charming in the bright sunlight with no snow, I thought. But still pretty charming. I was glad Steven was getting our decorations up.

As I approached the house, I hoped Steven would still be on the porch to say, “Go past the house.” You see, Steven told me the story of when he was a boy, riding with his nieces and nephews in the back of his dad’s pick up truck (this was the olden days, when kids rode in the backs of pick up trucks and nobody said anything). When they would get close to the house, they would chant, “Go past the house! Go past the house!” When I run, I sometimes have to go past the house a ways in order to run for the length of time I intend to. I say “Go past the house!” to myself, but I think it would be nice if Steven was on the porch to say it. I thought if he was on the porch today, I would yell, “Say it!” and hope he knew what I meant. Alas, he was not there. I went past the house anyways.

I felt pretty terrific after my run, when Tabby and I were walking around the block for my usual cool down. And I see I have gotten a rather lengthy blog post out of it. Rock on, me!

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Short Run, Short Post

Posted on November 29, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I said I would run Sunday and blog about it Monday, so that motivated me. The warm weather was further motivation. Fifty degrees! Woohoo! I was on my way!

As it turns out, I needed all the motivation I could get, because almost as soon as I started my body began to complain. “What’s this?” my legs said. “You took Tabby for a half hour walk. Isn’t that enough exercise?” And they immediately lodged a request that I not run up any hills. Well, that was just too bad, because there was no traffic on German Street. That is my sign that I should cross the street and run up the hill by Valley Health Services. Sometimes it is the sign that I should run up the hill to Herkimer County Community College, but I haven’t been running much lately.

When I got to Valley Health, I saw a pedestrian couple headed that way from another direction. There was some more motivation. It’s one thing when I am behind a pedestrian and it takes me a long time to catch up. When I am ahead of a pedestrian, it would be just embarrassing for them to catch up with me.

Valley Health is not on that high or steep of a hill, so I made it OK. After the hill I reached the “I can rock this” stage of the run. At least, I said, “I can rock this,” to which my body replied, “OK, but not for too long.” Ah well, we build up slowly. Increase by 10% per week, the guy at the Sneaker Store told me. I guess my next goal is to keep running for more than a week. I’ll let you know how that goes.

So my Sunday run was not too bad, in spite of my petty complaints. I am happy to be back into running. I hope to soon have more exciting runs to report.

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Mohawk Valley Motivation

Posted on November 28, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

It seems I am always beginning to run again. It makes me a little embarrassed, because some people think I Run a Lot, and I hate to disillusion them. The embarrassment, of course, gives me motivation: I must run, because so and so think I do.

If I do stop running for a while, I try not to let myself get discouraged. Some people, when they try things and fail, think, “Oh, well, that didn’t work,” and never try again. A big example of this is quitting smoking. I know a lot of smokers who say, “Oh, I tried to quit. I can’t.” But it isn’t true. The more times you try to quit, the better chance you have of ultimately succeeding. For one thing, you learn what doesn’t work. Or what works for a while, and you just have to figure out how to make it keep working.

I think a lot of things are like that, most notably for this blog post: running. I’ve stopped running many times since I first started, and I always go back to it eventually. Sometimes more successfully than others. I try to build on my successes.

So the day after Thanksgiving, I went running for the first time in over two weeks. My nephew Tommy went with me. Tommy does not run much, although he has to run sometimes in connection with his karate classes, which, incidentally, he does very well in. He says he may run the Boilermaker with me in July. And there we have two more motivations to run: a run buddy and a future goal. I couldn’t very well back out of running once Tommy was lacing up his shoes. And the vision of July’s Boilermaker definitely kept my feet moving a little longer.

I ran the next day by myself. I enjoyed both runs very much. In fact, as I write this, my body seems to want to run again right now, although I have a bit of a sinus headache. I suppose some would advise me to lie down until the feeling passes, and they mean the urge to run, not the sinus headache. Is that the kind of humor I want to encourage?

There is a good chance I will run after I finish typing this blog post. There is also a good chance I’ll blog about it tomorrow, because I haven’t done much else Mohawk Valley-ish today. And there we have my ultimate motivation to run: it helps keep my blog in business. Stay tuned!

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Running in Traffic

Posted on November 9, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’m often touting Herkimer as a great village to run in, and of course it is. I must add, however, that some times of day are more convenient than others.

Four o’clock in the afternoon, for example, is one of the less convenient times. The traffic is murder! You wouldn’t think it would effect me so much, seeing as I like to stay on the sidewalks. But sidewalks don’t go on forever; you have to cross the street sometime (why did the Cindy cross the road?).

I hate four way stops. It’s like a big game of chicken. “Is it my turn? Is it his turn?” And that’s with my truck, which most people, given a choice, will usually try not to hit. My body, while not as small as I’d like it to be, is a little less noticeable and a lot less respected.

At Caroline and German it is a three way stop. You would think that would be better, but you would think wrong. Too many people making turns. I try not to cross Caroline at certain times of day. For one thing, once you’ve crossed, you still have to cross back.

So Monday I headed in the opposite direction. I can usually get all the way to the end of German that way. Not so Monday. A bunch of construction vehicles were doing… I don’t know, some construction thing. They were blocking traffic. At least three cars were waiting to turn off Prospect, somebody might have been waiting to turn onto Prospect. I didn’t want to mess with it. I stayed on the sidewalk and turned down Prospect.

That wasn’t bad. I crossed two streets with impunity. I ran by Bruce Ward Realty, where our realtor Lorraine Hartigan works. She showed us 33 houses before we finally bought one. The building Bruce Ward is in used to be a bank. I saw a sign on what used to be the drive thru: “Do Not Enter. Exit Only.” Not one to pass up such a challenge, I entered. A quick turn around the parking lot, just to be that way. Of course, when I run by a bank that is currently functioning as a bank, I don’t pull such shenanigans.

I ran through the Myers Park and down Park Avenue (Oh, ain’t we swank?) (That’s a line from a movie). I ran up and down a couple neighborhood streets till I had run the length of time I intended. I did cross Caroline Street, then back again later, just not at German. It made for two very short sprints and was really not a problem for me or the cars.

It was a pretty good run. I feel a little constricted when I have to modify my route to avoid traffic, but really I had plenty of room to run. At least for the short runs I’m up to now. We’ll see what happens when I build up a little. I’ll report back.

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Post Halloween Run

Posted on November 4, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

This post is about running and about Halloween. What, you think just because it’s November I’m done talking about Halloween? Who do you think you’re dealing with? Goodness, how long did I talk about the DARE 5K after it was run (as you see, I’m still talking about it)?

Having re-started my habit of running on Sunday and Monday, Tuesday I felt pretty damn awful. I started getting sick Monday after trick or treating. I thought at first it was too much chocolate on an empty stomach. Then I thought it might be a virus or something. After all, the too much chocolate thing is usually curable with herbal tea and real food. No such luck. The tea didn’t help, and I couldn’t even look at the food.

So Tuesday, in addition to my post-Halloween let-down, I was dreadfully sick to my stomach. Then my legs started in. That hasn’t happened to me in years! They ached, they throbbed. They begged to be stretched. They begged to be still. They begged to move around. They were never happy. I was never happy. I muddled through work, then went home and took a bath with Epson Salts. Aaahhh…. Was this due to my run? Nevertheless, I was undaunted.

The next day my stomach felt much better, but I had a raging sinus headache. I was beginning to feel my troubles were a little comical. As Gilda Radner famously said, it’s always somethin’ (I know, it was her character on Saturday Night Live that said it, but I know how to spell Gilda Radner). I dealt with the headache by concentrating on the sheer relief of NOT feeling nauseous. I was determined to go running.

It was the gorgeous day we wished we had for Halloween. In fact, the bright sun was right in my eyes part of the time. I was pleased to see many Halloween decorations still out. Ours still are (in fact ours will probably remain till Monday, because Steven is down with a cold and I’m on overtime). One especially elaborate house near Weller Park was down. Alas! I tried not to take it personally. Another good house on Church Street still had all its stuff out. I especially liked the skellington that looked as if it was coming up out of the ground.

I felt that my run was enhanced by seeing Halloween decorations. It makes me feel better to think that my favorite holiday will come all over again next year. In the meantime, I remembered that there are several Halloween movies in my collection that we have not viewed this season. Maybe I can make my Halloween last till Thanksgiving.

And my run was a success. It felt good at the time, and my legs ached less the next day. I am looking forward to future runs. I suppose soon I’ll be seeing Christmas decorations.

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I Run Again

Posted on November 1, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I ran on Sunday for the first time in two and a half weeks, I thought, at least it can be a blog post.

I waited till later in the afternoon, when the temperature was in the mid-40s. As I ran down German Street, I saw a number of cars. Nobody waved at me. I remembered how when I was in the army, if I ran on my off time I usually ran where people would see me. They often did see me and at formation the next day they would say something like, “You run all the time, don’t you?” It wasn’t true, of course, but it was encouraging, especially when I was deciding to run or not to run. People thought I Ran. I couldn’t disappointment them.

These days I have some friends and family who believe I run a lot. I let them know when I have been slacking off, in the interests of honesty. And I let them know when I start running again. In the interests of getting some positive feedback.

I was soon enjoying my Sunday run. The sun was bright but not hot. I admired many Halloween decorations. I saw a man running with a perfectly wonderful looking dog (my dog doesn’t like to run with me). I called hello. I didn’t think the dog wanted to stop and be petted, so I didn’t ask.

As I ran through a residential area, an adorable little white dog barked at me indignantly. He was attached to his porch by a lead.

“Good dog, guarding the house,” I praised. I heard a couple of voices from inside the house yelling at the dog to be quiet. Good luck with that.

I did not run very far, since I was just getting back into it, and I did not run very fast, because I almost never do. When I get used to running again, I may add in a few sprints, for good measure.

I must say I felt pretty terrific after my run, and for the rest of the day and even into Monday. It is absolutely true that exercise improves your mood. I hope to run again soon, and maybe I can go back to making regular blog posts about my runs. When I don’t have other Mohawk Valley adventures.

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I Digress

Posted on October 30, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am lightheaded. I don’t know why: I have not taken any sinus medication since… Thursday? I forget (an effect of the medication? Or my current lightheadedness?). And yet a voice in my head keeps repeating, “But my blog! My blog!”

I have not gone running in two or three weeks (a glance at my running journal would tell me, but that’s downstairs). (My running journal is a journal only by the most generous definition of the word. It is a spiral bound book I bought at Micheal’s for $1, and when I run Steven or I make a note of how long I ran, sometimes including hills climbed and dogs petted.) (Actually, I think it is quite appropriate, considering my runs are actually running only by the most generous definition of the term.) (But I digress.)

So I want to start running again, but I have not even been walking much. So I tried to get in a couple of walks this weekend. Saturday Tabby and I went for two 20-minute walks. It felt very good. And a little cold. We did not encounter anything blogworthy.

Today (Sunday) we went for an almost half hour walk. It was even colder, but the sun was bright. I had on my prescription sunglasses (a wonderful device) but was soon wishing I had also worn a hat. That little line between my forehead and the top of my glasses was blinding me. Too bad I don’t have a Frankenstein-style overhanging brow. That would be practical and seasonal. I normally would have worn my crazy old lady hat with its wide brim, but I had on a knitted headband against the cold. I put my hood up and tried to pull it forward with indifferent success. I crossed the street to enjoy some shade. It is colder in the shade, but I have come to accept that you can’t have everything. Tabby did her business and I discovered that it is not too cold for doggie poop to stink. That’s one good thing about when there’s snow on the ground: you scoop a little up with the poop and it doesn’t stink so bad.

It was after I got home from the walk that my lightheadedness hit me. Seriously, I went to go up the stairs and instead laid down on the landing for about ten minutes. Must be it’s not too cold for the pollens to play havoc with my sinuses. And it is damn hard to write a coherent blog post with your head spinning.

A kind friend wrote me a comment on Lame Post Friday, saying why didn’t I feel free to write what I felt like writing. Since I’m in the Mohawk Valley, anything I write is technically germane. I guess I’ve invoked that rule today. My walks were taken in the Mohawk Valley. When I manage to run again, it will be in the Mohawk Valley. You know what, I’ll bet it’s Mohawk Valley pollens that are making me so lightheaded. So there.

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