Category Archives: Saturday Running Commentary

Some Semblance of a Sidewalk, Some Semblance of a Blog Post

Posted on November 29, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought of that title while I was running this morning.  More snow had fallen in the night, but I did not want to go yet another day without at least an attempt, so I got my stuff on and off I set.

Photo taken during cool-down walk.

These are my actual footsteps.  I see that it looks more like a walk than a run, but at no time do I claim to run very fast.  I looked at the plowed road askance (I don’t think I have ever used the word “askance” in a sentence.  Cool!).  It looked wet, slushy, and potentially slippery.  Snow, on the other hand, offers a bit of traction.  Additionally, plowing through the snow takes much more effort than running on a bare road.  Extra calories burned is an excellent idea on Thanksgiving weekend.

And then it got deeper.

Some of the sidewalks had been cleared yesterday and been re-covered,  so it wasn’t too bad running.  I prefer sidewalks anyways as being safer than roads.  Sometimes.  After a while I got to some sidewalks that had not been touched since the snow started to fall.  That was a little tougher to plow through.  I saw where the road had not been plowed as thoroughly and moved out, running in shallower snow.  I kept looking for more partially cleared sidewalks.  That was when the expression “some semblance of a sidewalk” occurred to me.

It was not a long run, but I was glad I went.  I thought I would look for a couple of photo ops on my cool-down walk.  When I got to the second picture, I thought I would walk in the road.  Then a snow plow turned onto the street.  Eek!  I walked back the way I came.

I should get a plant like that.

I do like the look of a dried plant with snow on it.  Then I saw that some people still want their yard waste picked up.

Stick ’em up!

I confess to still not feeling 100% from my illness, so I do not know how much I will participate in Shop Small Saturday.  The beauty part about running the morning and then blogging about it is that I can feel that I have at least accomplished something.  I hope you are all having a delightful weekend.

 

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Pet a Pup, Run in Rain, Blog

Posted on April 12, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a Saturday Running Commentary Post?  For one thing, I went running, which kind of surprised me.  I don’t like to run in the rain.  I thought I would peek out and if it had stopped raining, I would run.  If it was still raining…

Regular readers know I usually do enter.

Full disclosure:  I did not run past this particular Do Not Enter sign this morning, although it is one I regularly run by.  I just felt that this morning several signs were pointing me away from running, but silly me ran anyways.  I suppose I have a contrarian disposition.

Maybe I am not so silly, though, because the first thing I encountered was a delightful puppy named Pugsley, who lives in my neighborhood.  I dashed across the street to pet him and to greet his person.  He told me what kind of dog Pugsley is, but I forgot.  He is tiny and furry and oh, so friendly!  He jumped up and wiggled and showed me all kinds of love as I petted him.

“He’s so friendly!”  I said.  “Well, gotta run!”

“I support that!” Pugsley’s person said (if I ever asked his name, I have forgotten that, too).  “Stay warm!”

“You too!”

Of course I couldn’t stay real warm, and I certainly couldn’t stay dry, but I could persevere and continue to run.  I even made it up one pretty good hill out Main Street.  Imagine my chagrin when I got to the top of the hill and saw a One Way sign pointing in the direction I was going!  I’ll have to try going the other way next time.

The rain wasn’t really too downpourish, and it was not freezing rain, so I had that going for me.  I did not encounter any more dogs, but I felt it was an OK run.  And now I have made what I hope is an OK blog post about it.  At least it is a Saturday post made on Saturday!

 

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What the Hill?

Posted on May 12, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I went on a two mile run this morning, thinking I could do a Saturday Running Commentary post.  It may have been a better idea to make said post soon after the run, when it was still fresh in what’s left of my mind.  Of course that ship sailed, as it usually does.  Isn’t it funny how my ship never comes in, yet that ship sails all the time.  Points to ponder.

This morning as I got up I could hear drops on the tin roof over part of my back deck (it doesn’t cover much of the deck, but it sure makes a good noise when it rains).  Can’t run in the rain, I told myself. However, the drops were merely falling off the tree that’s right there; it had stopped raining.  After coffee (which took a damn long time to drip), I got dressed and set out.

I had both my Garmin and my cell phone with Map My Run app working for me, which was good, because I am never sure if I will have my legs working for me.  Today they worked on and off.  One minute I would be loping along (faster in my head than in reality, but you’ll have that) with grace and audacity, the next minute my legs felt like macaroni, overcooked and sticking to the plate. I ignored them, although sometimes I add to the entertainment of the run by speculating what kind of sauce would be good on such macaroni.  Cheese?  Marinara?  Alfredo?  Hey, I have to keep myself going any way I can.

NOT this morning’s hill.

Well that was annoying.  I just spent a ridiculous amount of time searching my Media Library for a picture of the hill by Valley Health, which I ran up this morning.  Regular readers may recall (although I do not flatter myself that anybody need remember anything in particular about me) that that hill is the first one I run up when I am getting back into shape.  As a matter of fact, there are a couple of minor hills that I run up before that, and I have run them recently, but the one by Valley Health is the first real challenge.  The hill shown is the one up to Herkimer College (previously known as HCCC).  I assure you it is steeper and longer than it looks.  I will be running up that hill soon, I hope.

Today’s run was not particularly memorable, except for the fact that I went up that one pretty good hill, and that I ran over two miles.  However, I see I am over 400 words in talking about it.  Perhaps they were boring words. I can’t worry about that now but will content myself with making another on-time blog post.  I hope you are all having a delightful weekend and once again I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Run Before Murder

Posted on April 27, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Remember Saturday Running Commentary?  I would get up on a Saturday morning, go for a run, then write a blog post about it.  I have recently re-started running AGAIN, and I would like to do a Saturday Running Commentary post.  For one reason, if I do not make my blog post this morning, there is every chance I will not get to it later.  I do not want to break my streak!  Um, that is, my streak of blogging. I have never actually been streaking; sorry if that gave you an unfortunate mental image.

When I woke up this morning, I thought I would not run.  I must recruit my energies for Deadly Night Life, the murder mystery being presented at Salisbury Grange this afternoon.  However, after drinking some coffee and contemplating my day, I decided to go.  It could be a short run.  It will never be a fast run.  I could do this.

I thought I would run the way I walked to the Elk Lodge on Thursday.  It was an indirect route, amounting to about a half a mile.  Then I could keep going till it was a mile.  At least I would go a mile.  Maybe more.  Maybe 20 minutes.  No pressure.  Up to German Street and turn right.  I went as far as the path over what used to be a hydraulic canal, one of my favorite places to walk or run.

The spots are a little faded now.

I did not “Step, “March,” “Tiptoe,” etc. as advised by the printing at each painting.  I may do so if I ever walk the path with my great niece and nephew.  I continued to go through the County Office Building parking lot, so I could defy a couple of Do Not Enter signs.  Regular readers know how I love to do that.

Running past the Elks Lodge (which I cannot find a photo of in my Media Library, nor can I find a Do Not Enter sign), I saw a lady walking a cute dog.  I called good morning and asked if I could pet her dog.  The poocher was certainly eager to be petted.  The lady said it was a good reason to take a little break from a jog.

“It encourages me to keep going,” I told her.  We wished each other a nice day and moved on.  It is always a good run when I get to pet a dog.

I continued past my beloved Herkimer Historic Four Corners, going close to the 1834 Jail, so Chester Gilette could look out the window at me.

I thank whoever put him in the window!

I ended up running for 20 minutes.  I can’t tell you how much over a mile it was, because my Garmin is across the room from me, and I am recruiting my energies.  I have a murder mystery today, you know!

 

 

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Sit Down Saturday?

Posted on June 24, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am having a moment.  Not a bad moment, but kind of a blah moment.  It is in fact a rather strong bout of Don’t Wanna Do Nuthin’.  So I thought to myself, well at least you can do a blog post (did not feel inclined to call myself Shirley today).

I woke up about 3:30 this morning with a bad headache.  No, I did not tie one on last night, so stop tsk-tsking at me (you know who you are).  I am out of acetaminophen but thought maybe more sleep would help with the result that I got up at six, which regular readers know is sleeping in for me.

Weekends are my days for long, challenging runs.  I had neglected to put on coffee last night so I decided to run first.  I ignored my usual weekend running plans and made up my mind to a short run.  Thirty minutes tops.  Maybe even twenty.  Or fifteen in a pinch.

It turned out to be in a pinch,  I ran for just over a mile in a little over 15 minutes (once again too lazy to get the Garmin and check.  I drank my chocolate milk recovery beverage but never got the oomph to fix breakfast till a couple of hours later.  Sorry, body.

I forgot where I was going with all this.  Lame Post Saturday?  No matter.  It is over 200 words, and my Saturday Post is done on Saturday (no matter what my WordPress timestamp may say).  If only I had a peppy picture to close with.  Maybe a monster.

You go, girl!

I stole this from Dracula’s House of Halloween, one of my favorite Facebook pages.   I did drink all the coffee, but sadly there is no longer anybody in my house to strangle me over it.  On that melancholy note,  Happy Saturday,  everyone.

 

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Running Away from a Headache

Posted on January 15, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I started running again yesterday (Saturday) and had high hopes of making a Saturday Running Commentary Post.  Then I neglected to make a post at all (why do I have this compulsion to call attention to my shortfalls?).  I think I can make such a post now.

The reason I stopped running was my bad bout with the flu.  I started walking again, and that went pretty well.  I set Saturday as my run again date.  And almost put it off for another day.  I waited too long, got too hungry,  and had to eat.  So I had to at least put it off another hour.  Additionally,  I woke up with a headache that was getting progressively worse.  I tried lying down with this heat-up herbal face mask my mom gave me.  It did not help, although it felt kind of nice for a while.

By this time the hour had passed, so I figured I might as well run. Since it was the first run after a break, I only asked 15 minutes of myself.  I put in a load of laundry, so I could multi-task (regular readers know it is about the only multi-task I do).

It was cold.  I had on a hat and gloves but wished I also had a scarf.  Then again, it is difficult to situate a scarf so it keeps my face warm but my glasses don’t get fogged.  As usual when I run, I persevered.

And it was not a bad run at all.  The sidewalks were mostly bare, and my body mostly cooperated.  I kept it up for 18 minutes.  I cut my cool down walk short, because one hip was paining me just a little bit.  Regular readers may remember that I spent the month of June walking instead of running due to hip pain (at least I think I mentioned it; of course I am too lazy to go back and check).  Come on, body, don’t start that on me again!

As I ran, I felt inspired to sign up for the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY in July.  As I make this blog post, I feel inspired to run again today.  Quick, me, get out there before you eat breakfast and have to wait an hour!

 

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The Post Is Longer than the Run

Posted on April 2, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

It was not a long run. It is never a fast run. But I am going to call it a run.

I just posted that as my Facebook status and thought it might make a good lead for a Saturday Running Commentary Post. So here I sit, prior to shower (ew!), sipping my recovery beverage (chocolate milk, yum!), blogging (a silly verb, to be sure).

When I said I ought to go for a run, my husband, Steve, said, “If you want to.”

“I don’t want to,” I confessed, but as usual I was glad I did.

It was still dark out, so I wore my reflective vest (road guard vest, we used to call them in the army) that my sister Cheryl gave me for a long-ago birthday (thanks, Cheryl!). Another good thing about the vest is that it has a handy zipper pouch for tissues. My nose runs better than I do, especially on chilly mornings like today.

The temperature wasn’t too bad, although I was glad of my hat and gloves. I ran up to German Street, turned right and headed to Main. I wanted to run down Main Street to check the hours for the can and bottle return place.

A deserted Main Street is a little spooky in the dark. I like that. I continued down to Basloe Library and ran through the little park to the Prospect Street parking lot. I detoured to the library door to check their hours too, although I already knew when they open.

I crossed Prospect so I could enter where it says “Do Not Enter” on the last block of Bellinger Avenue. I like to pretend I’m a rebel, although actually left side facing traffic is the proper way to run. Emerging onto Bellinger Street (yes, there is an avenue and a street, don’t get me started), I turned left and ran to and through Meyers Park. The park is closed from dusk to dawn, so once again I felt like a rebel.

I enjoyed watching the sky as I ran. It was not completely dark when I started and it gradually lightened as I went. As I left the park, it was pale grey with patches and streaks of blue. Was the grey clouds and the blue sky peeking through or vice versa?

My modest goal for the run was 20 minutes, but I wondered if I shouldn’t try to improve myself a little more. After all, I might want to run a 5K or something. Last week I had run for 22 minutes, just over a mile and a half. I decided to not worry about how long I ran (my usual criteria) but to go for 1.75 miles. I made it In 25 minutes. Yay me!

As I walked my cool down, I observed that the grey sky was almost entirely clouds, with most of the lighter blue patches being contours of same. It was kind of fascinating to look at, almost like an Escher picture.

Wow, this blog post is over 500 words! I guess I do run on.

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I Run Into a Blog Post

Posted on August 28, 2021 by mohawkvalleygirl

I return to daily blogging (I hope) with a Saturday Running Commentary Post. I am ten-finger typing on the laptop, instead of stylus pecking on the Tablet, just to give you the picture. Or was that uninteresting extraneous information (and is “uninteresting extraneous” a redundancy)? I answer no to both questions and continue with my post.

I was unable to sleep beyond five this morning (and most of the night as well, but never mind that). Coffee tasted good, and I enjoyed a cup and a half before getting into running clothes and setting out. I thought for something different I would turn in the opposite direction as usual, running toward State Street (also known as Route 5) instead of German Street. I could run out the path by the canal. I wanted a long, easy run, and that one is a good 50 minutes. I took a bottle of water, so I could hydrate as I ran.

Not two blocks from my house, I thought, “I don’t want to run 50 minutes!” Reason being I have not been doing 50 minute runs. Of course the 10K I recently ran in Little Falls took longer than that, but that was a special one-time thing. What was I thinking, jumping from 30-40 minute runs up to 50? Additionally, I wanted to be near the spring when I finished my water. I love Herkimer spring water.

Making a new plan as I went, I ran to Meyers Park and up through it. I admired the picnic tables that were donated from various sources for the Downtown Chowdown (perhaps you read my blog post about the Downtown Chowdown). I saw someone had added a child-sized table. Cute! I went down Park Avenue (ooh!) and turned up Prospect Street. I considered going instead to Main Street, so I could go by my beloved Herkimer Historic Four Corners. However, I ran by the Corners yesterday so Prospect it was.

Right away I came to the Do Not Enter sign at Bellinger Avenue. Regular readers know I can rarely resist entering when it tells me not to. I did not resist it today. I ran all the way down Bellinger to its end by the high school. I ran across the little bridge and into the high school parking lot. This brought me near Valley Health Services, the residential area beyond, and of course the spring.

After some debating to myself, I ran up the hill by Valley Health. I find this hill to be challenging enough under most circumstances. It is neither as long nor as steep as the hill up to Herkimer College (previously known as HCCC), but I am not in the best of shape these days.

As I ran, I kept an eye on my Garmin (actually my friend Jay’s Garmin, which he graciously loaned me). My pace was not bad, for me. I make no apologies for my middle-aged shuffle. It suits me. I did not run up any other hills, but I kept going for just over three miles. Since my next goal is a 4 1/2 mile run at Iron Rock Brewing (sponsored by Rock City Runners) in September, I felt this was OK. It started raining as I ran the last two blocks, so I did not go on my usual cool-down walk.

And I see I am over 550 words. That is a long post for me, although sometimes my Running Commentaries do go on. It felt pretty good to run, and it feels even better to blog. As always, thank you for tuning in.

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Cold Run! Warm Post?

Posted on January 9, 2021 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have not done a Saturday Running Commentary Post in a while, although I usually do run on Saturday. I thought I would attempt one today.

I have been watching the weather with some measure of attention (regular readers know I rarely pay much attention to anything) so knew it was likely to be cold. Accordingly, I put on long sleeves and leggings. I found an extra warm hat and mittens in the closet (which I recently cleaned, so that wasn’t too hard). I found my one pair of actual mittens, which I accidentally stole from my sister Diane some years ago, because I figured mere gloves would not be sufficient. I debated wearing a sweatshirt for the run and something warmer for the cool-down walk, but decided my road-guard vest would add another layer. I clicked “Outdoor Run” on my Garmin and waited for it to stop saying, “Wait” (I have not completely figured out this Garmin thing yet).

Off I went and immediately noticed I had forgotten my mittens. I hate stopping a run so pulled my sleeves down over my hands and drove one. It was not long before I regretted leaving the sweatshirt and not putting on a scarf to cover my face. It is a sad truth that the Mohawk Valley is one of those places where at certain times during the year, the air makes your face hurt. Never mind, Cindy, just keep running.

And run I did. Not very far, not very fast, but I was out there trying! I seriously considered running up the hill to Herkimer College. First I turned up Maple Grove (oh dear, is that what that street is called? I don’t know how to Google that) and turned onto Pine (I’m purely guessing here), where there was a short but fairly steep section. This was going pretty well, although my body was not warming up at all.

By the time I had turned a corner and was headed towards Lou Ambers Drive, still debating about the hill to the college or some smaller hills in the residential area I call “the suburbs” in my head. Steven had told me there was little wind, but he was mistaken. Damn it was cold! How long was I going to run, anyways? I did not have to do a super long run in this cold, did I? Then it occurred to me: it is windier at the tops of hills. I turned down Lou Amber Drive and headed back to the village proper.

Oh, this was much better. My body felt… not warm, but not as freezing cold. That continued on and off for the rest of the run, as the wind picked up and died down according to its own caprice. Lately I have been running just to keep in the game, not to build up or meet lofty goals. There is plenty of time for that after I register for the Boilermaker 15K. What, did I say I was never going to run the Boilermaker again? Quite possibly I did. Was it a lie? When I do it, it is called fiction.

I see I am over 500 words. That is the beauty of Running Commentary Posts. Before I know it, I have gone a long way. I wish the runs themselves were like that, but you can’t have everything. Now I must get ready for the rest of my Saturday. My friend Kim messaged me wondering if we were to continue our, as she puts it, reign of terror in the Mohawk Valley. I’m up for that. First a little house cleaning? Let’s not go crazy over here! Happy Saturday, everyone.

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More Commentary Than Run

Posted on August 23, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have not done a Running Commentary Post in a long time.  I thought I would be doing more, and perhaps this blog would become All Virtual Boilermaker 15K All The Time.  But not so much.  I took a long run this morning, though, so let’s see what I can come up with.

As my runs go over an hour, which the longest ones do, I realize the Herkimer is not that big of a village.  The places I particularly like to run are more suited to runs of 40 minutes or less.  My body tends to prefer runs of those lengths as well, but I’m training for a 15K over here.

Today I ran where I could later drive, so I could see how far I ran.  Regular readers may remember how I delight in entering where it says, “Do not enter.”  I guess that is under the heading It Takes So Little To Please Some People.  I have started using the Map My Run app on my recently acquired smart phone.  Unfortunately,  the arm band I got for it has rubbed both arms raw.  I’ll have to figure out how to fix that.

As I ran, I alternated between wanting to stop now and coaxing myself to run a little further.  I seemed to go a long way then find only a little time had passed.  Then I wondered if I could remember where all I had run when I went to drive it.

To my surprise,  the drive was way more tiresome than the run.  I kept thinking, “This is taking forever!”  Imagine my chagrin when I found I had gone a mere five miles.   I feel certain I can keep going for the full 15K (9.3 miles,  in case you didn’t know), but I fear it will take me a while.

I also have a lot of logistics to figure out.  That will no doubt be worth at least another blog post or two.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

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