How about a Running Commentary post instead of my usual Tired Tuesday or Bad Attituesday? Once again I admit that what I do is called running only by the most generous definition of the word. Then again, I like to think of myself as a generous person, although I daresay I am no more generous than anybody else. Well, maybe more generous than some self-serving, stingy, I-got-mine cusses such as we all know, but I digress.
I had a bargain with myself that if it was raining after work I would go to the YMCA, if not, I would run. I wondered if I oughtn’t to go to the Y anyways, because I have not done any upper body or ab work in a while. However, when I left work it was breezy and cool. How could I waste that? It will be warm and muggy again before you know it. Oh, I will run then, too, but why not enjoy some cool air while I can? So that is what I did.
I put a load of laundry in the washing machine before I took off, so I could multi-task. In general I don’t believe in multi-tasking. I feel it is better to do on thing at a time and do it well. But I don’t see how letting the machine wash while I thunk around the neighborhood could hurt anything. This way I will not run out of clean handkerchiefs.
Right away my legs and feet were not happy with me. I was not surprised. Pretty much my whole body had been giving me grief all day. I never got my Monday back-ache yesterday but made up for it today. I tried not to dwell on it but just to keep going. I had not been running since Saturday. Sunday I had done strenuous yard work for an hour and twenty minutes. Monday, well, you can judge me, that’s all.
I changed directions a couple of times because of traffic. Sometimes it is easier to just turn down the sidewalk than to wonder if the driver is going to wave you by or run you over. One driver waved me by before I turned, so that was nice. I gave him the thank-you wave and sprinted.
Twice I stopped to take a quick sniff of peonies. Mine have not bloomed yet, but they’re getting there. I saw some lilacs that were over. Alas! I still don’t have any lilacs. I would like to plant more flowers. I only wish I were clever enough to plant varieties such that I could have something blooming all spring, summer and fall.
I also stopped to pet a few dogs. First I saw my friends Chico and Bear with their Mom. I greeted her and petted both. Toward the end of my run I saw Pudge the pug crossing the street with his Mom.
“Is that my friend Pudge?” I said.
“Oh, do you know Pudge?” she said. I used to see Pudge out with his Dad all the time, but I have not seen him lately. I petted Pudge and wished his Mom a good day.
It was really not a bad run at all. I had moments of definite enjoyment, I mean when I was running, not just when I was petting the dogs. There were a couple of brief stretches where I felt I could just go on, if not indefinitely, at least for a while. By the end my feet were really hurting me, but I managed to persevere for 26 minute, the length of my last run.
As usual, I enjoyed my cool-down walk, although my water went down my Sunday throat once. I hate it when that happens! When I got back to the house, I was exhausted! My body creaked when I stretched. I made it to the basement to put the laundry into the drier. When I got upstairs to take my shower, I wished I had one of those old lady shower chairs, so I could sit down while I washed. Oh, just shower, I told myself, it’ll take you five minutes. I certainly felt better after I was clean.
I felt even better after my recovery beverage of chocolate milk. Now I am feeling tired again and not a little brain dead. I think that is showing in this blog post, because I can’t seem to think of a conclusion. How weird is that? I know what: I’ll close with a picture from my Media Library. I’ll try to find something to do with running.
This is NOT what I wore to run today.
Will you look at that? The only picture I have of me about to run is from the Little Falls Reindeer Run 5K last December! I’ll have to see what I can do about that for future Running Commentary posts.
