Tag Archives: Herkimer College

It Was Fun, Eventually

Posted on June 18, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I seem to remember my Mom telling me that my Aunt Mary said she admired me, because I would work a ten-hour day, go home and run, then write a blog post about it. I worked a ten-hour day today, so I thought I would try the run and write part as well. The run went pretty well.

I decided I was going to run up the hill to Herkimer College (previously HCCC) the front way. This, for non-local readers, is a formidable hill. I try to run it at least once a week, once I get in enough shape to run it at all.

I was a little worried about my run, because I knew it was supposed to be quite warm today. However, it didn’t feel too bad as I left the house, so I started out with high hopes.

Then I put my hopes on hold, because to begin with my body was none too pleased with me. Well, I can’t help it if I haven’t been running for two days; I’ve had things to do. There are only 24 hours in a day, after all, and I insist on sleeping for as close to eight of them as I can manage. No matter. I knew if I kept running there was a good chance my body would relax into it and be fine.

First, however, it was very slow. It was taking me forever to get down German Street! Then I thought, why should that bother me? I run for a certain length of time, not a certain distance. I can run as slow as I want. As George Thorogood once said, it don’t confront me.

Soon I was running up the hill. Yes, I still call it running, even as slow and shuffly as I was going. Don’t judge. It wasn’t much fun, but I was building up my running muscles. Or perhaps merely my ability to keep going till it gets fun.

It did get fun. All along I had the certainty that I could and would keep going. You know, as opposed to my body screaming at me, “Let’s stop! Let’s walk! I want ice cream!” Then I felt reasonably content to be moving. Then I was at the “I can rock this” stage. Yes!

A woman at work was talking about all the stuff she had to do at home. I said that work was probably more rewarding than work at, you know, work. She saw my point but said running on a treadmill was not particularly rewarding. I did not tell her I never run on a treadmill, but I thought about it as I ran down Reservoir Road, admiring the scenery.

I wondered what she might say if I had told her that. Probably that she had bad knees and couldn’t run on pavement. I thought, sure, it’s bad for my knees, my feet, my back, and I don’t care! I’m going to run till something gives out! Fortunately, nothing has so far.

Then I thought, that woman was probably speaking figuratively. Her work at home is never done, so it is like running on a treadmill. What a discouraging thought, although I suppose some people like to run on a treadmill. To each his own, as the old lady said when she kissed the cow.

I ended up running for 55 minutes. I’m thinking the Boilermaker 15K might take me an hour and fifty minutes to run, assuming I take a few minutes more than the last time I ran it (after all, I was under 50 then). So I ran about half what I will run in less than a month.

I walked a full ten minutes for my cool-down. My cool-down walk has been taking less time since I lost my beloved dog. After all, I don’t need to stop and sniff anything. I’m afraid I’ll always miss my Tabby during those ten minutes. However, it does feel good for my legs to walk after running, and I can think of Tabby up in Heaven, doing cool-down walks with the angels. Do you suppose any angels run?

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Posted in humor, personal, running, running commentary and tagged Boilermaker, Herkimer College, Herkimer County Community College, herkimer ny, running, Tabby. Bookmark the permalink.

Just Stop the Stitch!

Posted on May 20, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

There was a moment in my run this afternoon when I thought to myself, “I don’t care if I don’t get any endorphins, as long as that stitch doesn’t come back!”

It was a long run. Not as long as my longest run so far, but long enough. I ran hills. Not the hill up to Herkimer College, but a couple of very long hills in a residential area near the college (I usually refer to it as the suburbs, but I know that is not accurate). I was running slowly but with determination. I felt pleased with myself to be going uphill for such a long period of time. This was great preparation for the Boilermaker!

And then the stitch started. It was sharp. It was painful. Oh dear. I took deep breaths and stretched my arms over my head. Stretch, breath, repeat. It did not help. Was that a rumble of thunder in the distance? Was I about to get poured on? I had a vision of a kind motorist stopping for a drenched runner to offer a ride home, because of the thunder and lightning. There was very little traffic, so I knew that was a remote chance. I did not hear the thunder again, if it was even thunder to begin with. It did not rain.

Eventually I was running downhill. This was not horrible. Miraculously, the stitch went away. Oh, the dear sweet sensation of NOT being in pain. Who needed endorphins? I had lost the stitch.

I avoided hills for the rest of the run. I never did get any endorphins, but I reached the coveted “I Can Rock This” stage. It did not last, but no matter. I ran. I SHALL be prepared for the Boilermaker.

Note: in this blog, when I say “Boilermaker,” I mean the Boilermaker 15K. I find it too cluttered to specify the 15K every time I mention it.

I realize that this is much shorter than my usual Running Commentary posts. I was noticing stuff as I ran and as usual narrating in my head, but now I just can’t seem to type in any of the good stuff. All I can say is, it’s Tired Tuesday. I managed to run, I managed a post. I’m done. Thank you for reading.

Is the Blog Post as Bad as the Run?

Posted on May 15, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I start to run up a hill, I almost never have any doubt that I will make it to the top; it is merely a question of how much it is going to suck. I said this to myself this afternoon as I ran up the hill to Herkimer College (often referred to as HCCC in this blog) (incidentally, that is read, “H-triple-C”). Then I tried to calculate exactly how much it actually sucked. How are these things measured, anyways?

Of course no run, however bad, entirely sucks. For one reason, you are doing it. The satisfaction of Running Anyways is not to be denied. When one is working towards a goal — in my case, the Boilermaker 15K — one can also comfort oneself that one is making progress. When I run up the hill to Hekimer College, another reward is the wonderful views when I get to the top.

One plan I had considered for this week was to run Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. As may have been expected, I wussed out on Wednesday. I would accept no excuses from myself today (to give myself some credit, I did not even try to come up with any). Since I had not run Wednesday and since I am having serious doubts of my ability to run the Boilermaker and not have it suck (see first paragraph), I thought I should run a longish run and include hills.

After considering and discarding several routes, I turned up Lou Ambers Drive and headed for the college. It was not fun. I wondered if I would ever reach the I Can Rock This stage again. But I kept going. Once I got to campus I kept going uphill, by the buildings and around the athletic fields. Oh, it took a long time. To be fair, it did not suck the whole time. It never felt wonderful, but at certain times it was… neutral.

At last I was headed down Reservoir Road. Downhill did not feel as good as it usually does. For one reason, I worked on my feet all day today. For another reason, I REALLY need to get to the Sneaker Store in New Hartford, NY, and get new running shoes. Never mind, I told myself. Just make up your mind to it your feet are going to hurt ALL THE TIME and don’t worry about it. I looked around at the distant views and the closer scenery to take my mind off it. That helped.

My previous longest run time had been 41 minutes (I may have said 40 in an earlier blog post, but I checked my running journal and it’s 41). It was soon apparent I would not get back home in that length of time. I feared I would be increasing my time by longer than the recommended 10 percent. I felt that would be OK, because I’m training for the Boilermaker. I have to get used to running for long periods of time.

I ended up running for 46 minutes. I did not feel pretty terrific, as I often do after a run. I felt, and still feel tired. I thought I was too tired to write a blog post. It seems I was not. Was I too tired to write a good blog post? Oh, who cares? It’s Non-Sequitur Thursday. Slap on a title and call it a night.

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Posted in humor, Non Sequitur Thursday, personal, running, running commentary and tagged Boilermaker, Herkimer College, Herkimer County Community College, running, tired. Bookmark the permalink.

Back on Track?

Posted on May 7, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Note to self: Do NOT take three days in a row off from running. In my defense, each day it seemed to be the right decision. Then again, one can almost always find a reason. More important is to come up with a reason TO run. Today my reason was: I’ve already told many people I am going to run the Boilermaker 15K. I cannot gracefully excuse myself.

It was a warm and sunny day (still is as I type this, although I have showered and eaten since the run). I prefer to run in cooler weather, but it is unlikely to be 50 degrees in July (on Boilermaker Sunday), so I knew it would be a good idea to begin to get acclimated. I used my usual trick of telling myself I did not have to run very far or up any hills. Just a short, easy run would be OK.

Of course I wanted to go for a longish run. For one reason, I knew my wonderful husband, Steven, was fixing hot dogs with toasted buns for dinner. Yum! But not exactly diet food. A good run would help keep me on the weight-loss track.

I headed towards Herkimer College (formerly Herkimer County Community College or HCCC). I would not run up the front way — the steeper run — but perhaps the back way, longer but a more gradual slope. The back way had the added advantage of being woodsy. There might be more shade. If I really didn’t feel could make it, perhaps I could continue on German Street and go up the hill by Valley Health.

Oh, it was not fun to run. This was my comeuppance for taking three days off. I knew I must continue. I would go up to HCCC the back way (oh, it’s just quicker to type than Herkimer College). It seemed to take a long time, but I encouraged myself. Just get to the curve. Now the next curve. More than halfway there. Almost there. Oh dear.

I ran down the front way. It is a little steep for downhill, but I leaned back and took it slow. The advantage of going this way was that I would go by the spring and could stop for a quick drink. This was the first day it’s been warm enough that I didn’t mind sticking my hands in the cold water. It was a fast stop. I kept going.

As I ran, I waited for it to get easier. It did not. That was OK. I told myself I was building up my ability to keep going when it really sucks. Still, maybe I would catch a second wind if I kept going. I did not, and I think I kept going long enough to give it a fair shot. I ran as long as my longest run so far, 40 minutes.

My cool-down walk around the block with my schnoodle, Tabby, was better. Sitting down when I got back home was better yet. I did my stretches from a sitting position. I had to stand up to take my shower, but that was worth it. Oh how nice my husband was to fix dinner!

So new rule for me: no more three days off. I hope I can stick to it. I have just over two months to the Boilermaker. It is a little too soon for this blog to become All Boilermaker All The Time, but if I run again tomorrow, I just might write about it.

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Posted in humor, personal, running, running commentary and tagged Boilermaker, Herkimer College, Herkimer County Community College, herkimer ny, running, Tabby, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

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