Tag Archives: Herkimer College

Sometimes I Do Run Backwards

Posted on July 11, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

It really has not been all that hot and humid lately.  I mean, no heat advisories that I heard of, and it was only in the 80s, not the 90s.  Why, then do I feel so sluggish and that my brain has been steamed?  Why, oh why, am I making another blog post about it?  This cannot be interesting!  Quick, throw in a picture to pep things up.

Anybody remember when I did that?

I participated in this race back in 2017 but not again thereafter.  I do not know why not.  However, I saw a post about it on Facebook the other day and said, “I’m doing it this year!”  Of course I forgot to write down the date or any other information about it.  However, I think I have time to find these things out.  And I am still in 5K shape from the Pride Stride 5K in June.  The beauty part is, this should be good for several blog posts.

Can you tell it’s uphill?

I think this is the back way to Herkimer College (previously known as HCCC).  I recently ran up the front way for the first time in a while.  I have not run up the back way recently but I suppose it would be a good idea to.  I feel I do not run enough hills.

On the brighter side, using the two pictures from the past entitles me to bill this as a Throwback Thursday.  Once again, I will try for a better blog post tomorrow, and I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Who, Me? Slack on a Saturday?

Posted on July 6, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday I had an almost completely Slacker Saturday, including not making a blog post.  Now, Sunday morning, I sit, having started the day in a fairly non-slacker fashion, prepared to slack once again.

Come to think of it, I did not begin Saturday in Slacker fashion.  I ran up the hill to Herkimer College (formerly known as HCCC or H-trip-C), a rather formidable hill which conquered me earlier this year.

Why does it not look so steep in pictures?

I don’t know if it is being over 60 or being overweight, but running has become increasingly difficult for me.  It is clearly impossible for me to become any younger, and it is extremely difficult for me to lose any weight.  What’s a girl to do?  I know, try harder to lose weight.  For one suggestion, I can refrain from going to Caffe Maya in Herkimer, NY and ordering Chicken Parmesan, as I did yesterday.  Yes, I slacked when it came to cooking dinner.

Really good place to eat!

In my defense, YUM!

Today promises to be extremely warm.  As I am susceptible to heat injury, I feel justified in taking it easy.  Additionally, it has long been my contention that it is useless to think I am going to get anything done on a Sunday.  Did I say I began today in a non-slacker fashion?  Perhaps I will write a blog post about it later.  That will be two things I get done!  Sometimes I even amaze myself.

 

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Where Did I Put My Panache?

Posted on May 23, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Another early morning late post.  I made myself take a walk before posting, in hopes I would be inspired or at least less grumpy.  The beauty part of that was, my coffee finished brewing while I walked.  I am mostly cheered right now because I realized I could accurately say “my coffee brewed” instead of “my coffee dripped.”  So while I am still not perky, at least I am not a drip.  Enough of that brew-ha-ha (see what I did there?).  On with the post.

I will never be this skinny.

Apparently I am not caffeinated enough, because I put that picture then went blank.  This is largely in an effort not to complain about my ongoing physical and mental ills, which I am sure are not that bad, especially in comparison with what others deal with with panache.  I need to get some of that there panache.

Regarding the upcoming three day weekend (and please allow me to be delighted about it; I spent years working holidays), I have plans with my family so will not be able to indulge in any Mohawk Valley Adventures.  Regarding that parenthetical comment, yes, I know, first responders (why is my Chromebook underlining that?), healthcare workers, and other important people work holidays.  I was never that important, but we are not talking about me. Oh wait, yes we are.  It is my blog.

A tribute to those fallen.

I put in a picture appropriate to Memorial Day, before I got bogged down in even more silliness.  This is Herkimer County Veterans Memorial Park, on the Herkimer College campus.  On past Memorial Days and Veterans Days, I have run to this park in tribute.  Sometimes I run by there just because it is a challenging run to go up College Hill and on across the campus.  I am not in shape for that run yet.

Ooh look, I am over 300 words.  I guess I will bill this as a Wuss-out Wednesday and drive on.  I will see if I can come up with something better than a Non-Sequitur Thursday post later (and by “later” of course I mean either later today or early tomorrow morning), but no promises.

 

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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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We’ll Pretend It’s Still Friday

Posted on December 30, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, so I did not make my Lame Post Friday post on Friday.  Judge me if you are so inclined.  In the interests of sharing good news, I am ten-finger typing on my new Chromebook, which seems suspiciously like a laptop to me, lounged on my couch (the computer kind of jiggles as I type, but I cannot say it is precariously balanced on one leg) and drinking coffee. Oh thank God for coffee!  I won the Chromebook at the Basket Raffle at Lights, Camera, Murder, the murder mystery we put on to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  It was in a basket donated by Herkimer College, which had some other really great stuff in it:  a couple of notebooks (the spiral-bound paper kind, which I love), two t-shirts, a travel mug and two water bottles, plus a few more goodies.  So thank you, Herkimer College and Herkimer County Historical Society.

So already this is a pretty cheerful post.  Let me continue the cheeriness if I can by sharing a picture or two.  I turn to my Media Library.

We all know I am on the Naughty list.

I accidentally clicked on this picture but thought, oh well, it is seasonal.  It was also taken at a fun community event sponsored by Herkimer BPA. They plan many other events in the coming year, which I hope Mohawk Valley Girl will be able to attend (preview of coming attractions).

I love these cheesy flicks!

This was the first picture that caught my eye, but the other had already been clicked on.  I will probably have a quiet New Year’s Eve at home, watching movies, possibly of the cheesy horror variety, which regular readers know I love.  I have written about a few of them in this space, but those posts do not tend to get a lot of blogger love.  Still, they are fun to write and I do not rule out writing more of them.

Oh, this is swell!  I was all happy about this new Chromebook, but now I cannot get it to scroll down to where I Save Draft or even where I can see my word count! I know, first world problems.  Then again, I live in the so-called first world, what other problems am I supposed to have?

Ah!  I got it to scroll!  Regular readers know what a triumph and relief that is for me, who is so technologically inept.  And I am over 400 words.  Wow!  And this computer underlined “am over” and suggested “have over.”  Well, I guess I am what I write.  And there is some half-baked philosophy for you.  This is a Lame Post Friday post after all.

 

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A Memorial Day Run

Posted on May 30, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Earlier today I took a Memorial Day Run, thinking I could do a Running Commentary Post.  Of course it is better to do these things right away, but as regular readers know,  I do not always take the better course. So, some hours after the fact, here is my post about my run.

I usually like to wear an ARMY t-shirt on these occasions, but I could not take the time to look for one this morning.  I put on a big blue shirt I wore a few days ago.  I often grab a handy, semi-dirty shirt to run in.  It was over halfway through my run that I remembered a few years ago hearing about a thing of wear blue and run for the fallen soldiers.  So it seems I did the right thing without meaning to. That doesn’t happen very often!

My plan was to run up to Herkimer College, to the Veteran’s Memorial Park near the athletic field.  I have done that before to honor the fallen, at least in my heart.  Unfortunately,  I have not been running enough lately, especially with the Boilermaker 15K looming, and as soon as I started, I questioned my ability.

My goal. Would I make it?

Let me just pause to call bullshit on some people’s favorite snarky remark when I say I can’t do something:  “Well, not with that attitude you can’t!”  Every epic failure, and most minor failures I have had, and there have been many, I went into thoroughly convinced I could do the task at hand.  Conversely, many of my successes have surprised even me.  I said, “I’ll never be able to do this, but let me just try.”

And so it proved today.  I just ran to the bottom of the back road (I would not even attempt running up the front way) to the college, which involved going up a small hill, which was not fun, but I made it..  There was a dead end street with a further slight incline.  I thought I would run up that and back, to see how it went.  Not too bad.

Well, just start up the hill, I thought.  Make it partway and turn around.  Just make it to the path into Brookfield Park.  Then I thought to make it a little further.  Just to that curve.   Now I was so close to the college, it seemed foolish to turn around.  After all, I did not have to go all the way to the Memorial,  clear on the far side of campus, a gentler slope but still uphill.

This was taken in October, and doesn’t really show how steep.

Thus by gentle stages I coaxed my way to the Memorial.  I even went a little beyond it to go behind the athletic field and run down the other side of campus to the steeper hill back down to the village.

Another view of the park.

I felt fairly pleased with myself for persevering.  And now I feel pleased with myself for making a blog post about it.

 

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Up the Hill to a Late Lame Post Friday Post

Posted on April 22, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I do not know what possessed me to not make my Lame Post Friday post on Friday.  Yes, I do.  Tiredness and laziness.  It’s a thing with me.  Now it is late Saturday morning (almost 9 o’clock!) And I feel ready for a nap.  In my defense, I took a long run up College Hill this morning.

A word (or more) about College Hill.  I previously referred to it as “up the hill to HCCC” (which, by the way, is pronounced “H-triple-C” or “H-trip-C”).  Or “up to HCCC the front way” (long-time readers may remember that there is a back way, longer and less steep). I am sure many locals will stubbornly continue to refer to it as HCCC.  However, it is now Herkimer College, and I can’t help wondering if some people might take it amiss if I continue to refer to it as Herkimer County Community College.

Additionally, I have heard said hill referred to as College Hill.  I am guessing about the capital letters as I have only heard it called thus in conversation.  I suppose other colleges are set on hills but do not know of any myself.  The army language school in Monterey, CA sat on a considerable hill, but that is not the same thing.

So, in future Running Commentary Posts, I shall refer to that hill as College Hill.  I believe this qualifies as a Lame Post Friday post, because after I got home from my run and inadvisedly sat down for a while without stretching, I did, indeed, feel lame.  I just don’t imagine a nap will help, but I may try.

 

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My Memorial Day

Posted on June 1, 2021 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had meant to make a Running Commentary Post. In honor of Memorial Day, I put on an ARMY t-shirt and ran up the hill to Herkimer College (previously known as HCCC) and on to the Veteran’s Memorial Park near Wehrum Stadium.

It was a long, fairly difficult run. I felt that made it a fitting tribute to my fallen comrades (yes, I am a veteran). Last year about this time, I got a little worried about my private tribute: was I just calling attention to myself? “Look at me! I’m running up a tough hill to honor soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice!” I daresay I overthink these things.

And apparently I do not know how to navigate my Media Library. To get the above image, I tried searching “May 2020” and was told nothing matched my criteria. So I patiently scrolled down to it. May 25, 2020. I tried just now to search that, because I have a couple more pictures. I only typed in “May.” It woukd not let me type further and showed me one picture from August 2019!

Ah, the troubles of a blogger who is only semi-computer-literate. I don’t really have much more to say about this morning’s run. Running Commentary Posts are best made soon after the run, when it is still fresh. As I have been saying a lot lately, I can’t always do the right thing.

I hope my readers had a good Memorial Day, however they spent it. After my run, I drove into Rome to celebrate my father’s birthday with other family members. I think time with family is an excellent way to spend any holiday,

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Down the Unknown Trail

Posted on November 11, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

This morning I ran through The Unknown Park. A friend told me it was called Brookfield Park, but I can’t find that through Facebook or Google, so I will continue to call it Unknown. This afternoon, I walked where I ran, taking pictures for a blog post.

You can see it is unlabelled; hence my dubbing it The Unknown Park.

I would have liked to stand in the road for a better view of the gates, but traffic was too heavy.

As usual, it seemed steeper when I was actually on it.

I walked up into the park and by the fields where they have athletic games, when they can have regular sports. I didn’t take any pictures till I got to the picnic area.

I’ve sent a postcard of this area.

Beyond the picnic area is a trail. Before going where I ran, I walked to the other end of the trail, where I thought I saw some stairs.

I did not attempt to climb the stairs.

I took a picture of the beginning of the trail before retracing my morning run.

It is a pretty well marked trail.
A ridge on my right.

I thought about how I would have climbed that ridge in my younger days.

And on down the trail.

I wanted to get a shot of the brook to my left, but that was not as easy.

I had to leave the trail for this one.

Before I got back on the trail, I saw a sign tacked to a tree.

I didn’t know what a tribe was.
Another water shot.

I wanted to get a shot further upstream. Then I saw a path to the water I hadn’t noticed when I was running.

I think this was man made.

I picked my way carefully over the rocks. I do not need a sprained ankle to add to my troubles.

I had never seen this view before.

I resisted the temptation to go off trail and further explore the brook.

Getting to the end of the trail.
Trail’s end.

The trail comes out on the road that leads to Herkimer College the back way. I did not continue uphill but took a picture.

This is the way I walked to vote last week (was it only last week?).

Then I took a picture of the way I did walk.

Back to civilization!

I really enjoyed my walk, especially in the unseasonably warm weather we enjoyed today. Things are supposed to get colder and rainy tomorrow, so I felt I had used my time wisely.

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Pedestrian Post with a Patriotic Purpose

Posted on October 27, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl
I begin my journey

I walked up to Herkimer College to vote this afternoon. I counted it as my 34 (or more) minutes for diabetes awareness. Additionally, I took some pictures along the way for a blog post. Who says I can’t multi-task? (OK, I am usually the one to say it.)

I think they are miniature sunflowers.

I took a picture of these flowers, because they brightened my day.

It seems steeper in person.

I ran up this hill just the other day. I like walking up hills, although you can get too much of a good thing.

When they said “Do Not Enter,” did they mean me?

I walked up the back way, which is not as steep. The road is open to authorized vehicles only, but I think it is OK for pedestrians. And, as regular readers know, I love to enter when it says not to.

A lovely fall path.
Once again, it seems steeper in person than in the picture.

I had the idea that Early Voting was in the building right at the top of the back way. I soon found I was wrong.

Apparently I did not research the matter sufficiently.

It had only taken me about 20 minutes to walk thus far, so I was happy to continue my walk.

This was about halfway between the other building and my destination.

When I reached the gym, I worried I had overshot my target.

Rats!

I quickly saw some others signs which told me where to go. While I was taking a picture of this sign, a lady called to me from her car window that I was supposed to go around the back.

This way, Cindy!
Dis is de place.
And just in case I missed it.

There were no lines, no waiting in the gym. When I came out, a couple was trying to take a selfie by the sign. I said that was a good idea; I should do that. The lady offered to take my picture, then asked me to take theirs.

Yes, I look silly. Did you expect less?

I walked a different way back, by the dormitories. I paused to take a couple more pictures.

The view would be prettier on a sunny day.
I used the handrail, in case the wood was slippery when wet.

It took me just over an hour altogether. The beauty part was that I did not get rained on. It had been raining most of the day and began again shortly after I got home.

I was delighted to have discharged my civic duty for the year, and I encourage all my readers to do the same, if you have not already done so.

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