Tag Archives: Herkimer County Community College

At Last! A Saturday Running Commentary!

Posted on April 16, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I went for a really good run earlier, determined that I could make a Running Commentary post out of it.  And here I sit, jumping back and forth between Facebook and a blank “Add New Post” page.  How dreadful of me.  Maybe if I ate something.

There, I just had a half a tuna fish sandwich on toast.  It was pretty good.  How about a new feature I’ll call Stream of Consciousness Saturday?  Perhaps next Saturday.  Today I’ll tell you about my run.

I thought it was going to be rainy today but it has not started yet.  The temperature was over 50 degrees, so I happily dressed in shorts and short sleeves.  I’m a little dehydrated today, so I ran carrying a small bottle of water.  That isn’t really recommended, so I hear, but, as we all know, I do not always do the right thing.  As soon as I left the house, though, I knew that going for a run was definitely the right thing to do.  It was gorgeous out!  The sun was bright, there was just the right amount of a gentle breeze.  These were excellent running conditions.

I crossed German Street and headed towards the college.  Earlier this week I had thought I would run up the hill to Herkimer College, whether I was ready for it or not.  Before I reached that intimidating hill, though, I decided not to do anything so drastic.  I would turn into Brookfield Park (I think that’s what it is called; I have previously referred to it as the Unknown Park, because it is not clearly labelled).  That would give me a bit of a hill, some pleasant off-road time, and let me out partway up the back way to the college, somewhat near the spring, where I intended to re-fill my bottle once I had emptied it.

Up the hill into the park I went.  It was challenging enough.  I intend to start running more often starting, well, starting yesterday.  Running two days in a row is a good start, I think.  I ran slowly.  I uncapped the bottle and took a sip mid-stride.  This would work.  When I crossed the little bridge into the picnic area, I saw a family climbing on the hill.  That would be a fun place to explore!  They had a cute little white dog who was clearly enjoying the expedition very much.  I did not run close enough to them to call out a greeting, and soon I was on the path into the woods.

I do love to run a nature trail.  When I am up to really long runs, I will run up to the college and run the real nature trail they have on campus.  Or maybe I can talk Steven into driving up there and walking it with me one day soon.  That would make a delightful blog post.

It did not take long to come to the end of the trail and be back out on the road.  I stayed parallel to German Street and ran past Lou Ambers Drive, where the spring is.  Here was another not too bad hill that would take me near Valley Health.  I was nearing the end of my bottle, as I had been periodically taking sips.  Excellent!  I tried to ignore the tantalizing smells as I ran by Salvatore’s.  Maybe dinner there one day next week…

As I ran, I really enjoyed the warm temperature.  My legs felt supple and strong.  My breathing was not bad.  I got tired, especially towards the end, but it was a pretty good run.  As usual, I spent some time doing the math in my head: If I run x minutes this week, then add 10 percent each week…  I was going to be in fine shape for the Boilermaker 15K.

And perhaps I will be in fine shape to continue being a blogger.  I perceive that I did manage to make a Running Commentary post.  I hope you are all having a delightful Saturday.

 

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Possibly a Pre-5K Run

Posted on December 8, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I actually wrote part of a blog post while at work today (um, on a BREAK, not while working), but then I came home and went running, so I thought I would like to make a Running Commentary Post instead.

This Saturday, Dec. 10, is the Reindeer Run 5K, part of the Christmas in Little Falls festivities. I have been saying I am going to run it.  Maybe.  As I left work today, I said to my co-worker, “I guess I’d better go running today, if I think I’m going to run a 5K on Saturday.”

“If you’re going to run Saturday, what do you need to run today for?” he asked.  He was not serious.

As I left work, I was a little afraid the temperature would be borderline.  That is, should I wear leggings and long-sleeves or shorts and t-shirt?  When I took Spunky for a walk as soon as I got home, I got a dreadful hot flash.  They have been getting hotter, and they are not over in a flash.  They do not particularly bother me; I just ride them out.  However, it impaired my ability to judge the weather.

Getting back home, I noted that the thermostat said 42 degrees.  My rule for myself is shorts and short-sleeves for 45 degrees and warmer.  Still, 42 sounded pretty warm to me, and the hot flash wasn’t quitting.  Still, I had made up that rule for myself…

I put on leggings and long sleeves.  The leggings felt too tight, so I looked for a pair of fat old lady pants instead.  I had run in fat old lady pants recently and found it works pretty good.  Fat old lady pants, in case you did not know, are fairly loose-fitting, elastic-waist, poly-cotton blend.  The pair I found had pockets, which I liked.  It would be handier for my watch, for one reason.  The band is broken on my wrist-watch, so now I pin it to my pants and make it a waist-watch.

It didn’t feel too cold or two warm as I started down the sidewalk.  I had it in mind to run up the hill to Herkimer College, a challenging 40-minute run to make sure I was ready for the 5K.  I managed to cross German Street without too much problem and ran down the sidewalk, avoiding the occasional puddle.  I had set out at 3:40 (15:40, my watch said; I have military time) (um, not because I was in the army; it’s because I don’t want to screw up and set the alarm for p.m. instead of a.m.).  There was a lot of traffic.

Soon I was running up Lou Ambers Drive.  It seemed to take a long time to get to the steep part.  Cars whizzed by me, mostly not slowing down or getting over.  I couldn’t blame them for not getting over, because there was also a lot of traffic going in the other direction.  As I ran, a song I had been singing to Spunky kept playing in my head:

He’d a good dog named Spunky

His name is Spunky and he’s a good  dog.

The lyrics are not inspired, but it has a good rhythm to run to.  I remembered when I was in Army Basic Training, one of my buddies was on profile and did not run all through Basic, till the very end (“on profile” is a medical thing).  Then she had to run the two-mile PT (physical training) test.  She said she was going to sing Christmas carols to herself to keep going.  It worked for her, because she passed.  I decided to sing a few Christmas carols to myself today.  It was not the miracle I was hoping for as far as taking my mind off the hill.  But I made it to the top.

I could see down to Herkimer, which I had not been able to do the last couple of times I made that run.  It was overcast and grey, but I could see buildings. However, I could not linger and really look.  I kept running.

By the time I got back to the village and level ground, I realized I could rock this.  I thought about the 5K and pictured myself at the 2 mile mark encouraging my fellow runners by shouting, “We can rock this!”  Oh yeah, like anybody there will run as slowly as I do!

I made my 40 minutes and was pretty pleased with myself.  I must confess, I am not as pleased with my blog post, but you’ll have that.  I still haven’t quite made up my mind about the 5K.  I’ll let you know.  In the meantime, I will gather what satisfaction I can from the fact that I did not make a Wuss-out Wednesday post.

 

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Snowy Sunday Run

Posted on November 23, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was maybe half-way into Sunday’s run when I remembered something:  winter running socks do not keep your feet warm once they are soaked from running through slush.

Winter came to much of the northeast between Saturday and Sunday.  The Mohawk Valley did not get hit as badly as other areas, but we got some.   Still, it did not seem terrible to me when I got up shortly before six.  There was snow on the back lawn but not an inordinate amount.  After a cup of coffee I thought I might take a run.

The sun was not all the way up, or maybe it was the clouds making it seem that way, so I decided to wear my road guard vest (it is a reflective vest, I suppose, but in the Army we called them road guard vests).  I sometimes wonder about wearing the vest when I run on the sidewalk — am I being overly cautious and look like a big geek (which I guess I am but you don’t have to rub it in).  However, I also had it in mind to run up the hill to Herkimer College (previously known as HCCC), where there is no sidewalk.

Steven approved of my wearing the vest, “Because it’s still snowing.”

“It is?”  It was hard to tell in the dim light.  I don’t usually run through precipitation, but I already had my warm running gear on — leggings, long-sleeved ARMY t-shirt, winter running socks, hat and mittens.  The vest added another layer.

Almost as soon as I started out, I abandoned the sidewalk for the road so did not have to worry about looking overly cautious.  I wasn’t sure the road would be a whole lot less slippery, though.  I felt even more worried when I turned onto German Street.  There is generally more traffic on German so I knew I might have to get right over to the curb.  There were some major puddles by the curb and not a little ice.  Damn!  Luckily there wasn’t much traffic.  I made it to Lou Ambers Drive without mishap.

As I ran I debated whether I would actually run up to the college.  I had settled for the hill by Valley Health on Saturday.  Surely that would be good enough again.  I could go into the suburbs (that is what I call the residential area back behind Valley Health) where I would find a few more hills.  For one reason, if I slipped and fell flat on my face, somebody in a house might come out and help me.  More likely they were still asleep.  I headed toward the college.

A man was in the driveway of a house near the bottom of the hill.  I think he came out to get his newspaper and stayed to smoke a cigarette.  We waved at each other.

“I don’t know what the hell I’m thinking,” I said.

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he said.

The worst part about the snow falling was that it accumulated on my glasses.  I had sensibly remembered to switch my good glasses for an old pair of safety glasses, so I could wipe them off on my shirt and not worry too much.  It was a little awkward with my mittens on.  Additionally, the snow had accumulated on my shirt as well.  Never mind, I told myself.  I can see well enough.

I did wish I could see a little better, though, because the trees looked so beautiful with the snow on the branches.  It was a lovely winter scene.  It would have put me in quite the Christmasy mood if the slush wasn’t soaking through my sneakers and into my socks.  I kept going, though, because I knew I would not be out long enough to get frostbite.  I comforted myself with the thought that a little extra weight on my feet would burn a few more calories.

I ended up running for a longer time than I had meant to, but I felt pretty good about it.  Full disclosure:  I have not been running since.  On the other hand, that is only two days.  I’ll run again tomorrow, I hope.  I might even write a blog post about it.

 

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Pre-Road Trip Run

Posted on July 23, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today will be another post made in haste (posthaste?), because I must get ready to travel to Syracuse for a nephew’s graduation party (or “gragitation” as I like to call it).  We are staying overnight and must bring our doggy to the Velvet Dog, which also does pet sitting.  I haven’t packed!  I don’t know what to wear!  Was I supposed to bring wine?  It’s a wrist to forehead situation.  I don’t really feel as stressed as those words imply.   A good, hard run often has a great calming effect.

I foolishly did not run all week.  I hope to be better organized in the coming week, because I really do not like taking five days off.  However, I walked in the Doodah Parade yesterday, which was probably a couple of miles, so that was something.  And I had a good run today, so yay me.

It was almost 5:30 by the time I got on my way, but the sun is up by then this time of year.  I took a bottle of water with me and headed toward Herkimer College.  I’m thinking running with a bottle of water in one hand is the wrong thing to do, but sometimes I do not want to risk dehydration.  So I took the occasional sip as I ran and pondered my options.  Sunday I had meant to take an easy-ish run in the suburbs (that’s what I call the residential area behind Valley Health) and ended up running one of the biggest hills in the area.  I thought in comparison to that, running up to the college the front way would not be a bad Saturday run.

Being me (which is something I cannot avoid), I changed my mind several times as I headed out German Street.  Eventually I decided to go up to the college the back way.  Not as steep but longer.  Steep enough, I decided as I ran it.  It is a pleasant road, with woods on either side and a brook on one.  I could hear the brook talking to me.  It said, “What are you doing, going uphill?  Go downhill, like me!  Look how fast I’m going!”  Then the trees said, “No, no, go toward the sun, like us!  We don’t go anywhere, but look how beautiful we are!”

I knew I was being fanciful, but there was a thought:  You don’t have to run to be beautiful.  Was I running to be beautiful?  I was hoping that running would help me lose weight, which I feel will improve my appearance.  However, that was not my major motivation.  I was running to get in good shape to run the DARE 5K in August.  And I was running because I LIKE to run!  I love to run!  Running is fun!

I did enjoy my run.  I saw three deer as I headed down Lou Ambers Drive.  Pretty, and they move far more gracefully than I do.  Well, we all work with what God gave us.  I finished my water before I got to the spring so stopped for a re-fill. I did not sip too much after that.  For one reason, I wasn’t very thirsty.  Also, I like to save some of the spring water for Steven.

Our Saturday now stretches before us, no doubt to be filled with adventure (Mohawk Valley or otherwise).  Run done, blog post published.  I think I’m off to a good start.  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

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Running Late, But Running

Posted on July 17, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I bet some of you thought Saturday Running Commentary was never coming back.  Well, I certainly did not expect it to return today, but here I am, a little sore of leg but ready to type.

I worked this morning so missed the early morning run I usually enjoy on a Saturday.  When I got home from work I was hungry.  Also, my dog looked so happy to see me, I hated to leave him again so soon.  So I ate, called my parents, got on the computer, puttered around and eventually laid down on the couch with a headache.  I kept thinking I ought to run.  For one reason, I hadn’t run since Tuesday.  But it seemed clear that I was not going to.  I should perhaps mention that I am going through an intense bout of I Don’t Feel Like Doing ANYTHING lately (oh, don’t tell me that the only cure for that is to DO something, I know that, everybody knows that, just be quiet and keep reading).

Finally, around 3 o’clock, I saw on Facebook that a friend had just gone running.  For goodness sake, if she could do it, I could do it.  I finally got my fat butt out the door.

It was warm and humid.  The breeze was absolute heaven when it blew.  Alas, it did not blow very often.  Never mind; one thing I know how to do is to persevere.  I decided to run up the hill to Herkimer College.  I have been telling all and sundry that I intend to run the DARE 5K in August.   It would behoove me to be prepared.

It was not too dreadful going up the hill. It wasn’t fun, of course.  I suppose it was somewhat dreadful.  However, it was not TOO dreadful.  Just so I’m clear on that point.  As I shuffled, I thought about the DARE 5K.  Many people walk up that hill on the DARE run.  I, however, do not.  My shuffle is not much of a run, but dammit, I call it running.

Sometimes when I run, I think somebody I know might see me.  Sometimes someone does, and when I run into them later, they say, “I saw you running.”  In my head, I answered, “Huffing and puffing like the overweight, middle-aged lady I am.”  Then I thought, “I use ‘lady’ in a very broad sense.”  Then I added, “And that is appropriate, because, unlike Joan Crawford, I do not take offense at being referred to as a ‘broad.'”

That little bit of imaginary dialogue pleased me so much I kept running uphill and by the buildings of the college, instead of following the road straight to the downhill part, as I had planned to do.  I made it all the way to the gymnasium.  Next time perhaps I’ll keep going around the athletic fields.  As it was, I was feeling quite tired, out of breath and macaroni of legs.  I cut across the parking lot instead of hugging the perimeter and thus making my run a little longer.  I felt rather naughty doing so, but I can’t be  motivated and dedicated every minute.

Finally I was on Reservoir Road and headed downhill.  Phew!  My relief was not as profound as I had hoped.  I kept waiting for the endorphins to kick in, or at least the I Can Rock This stage.  Neither happened, but that was OK.  I made a mental note to myself to NOT take three days off running in the future, but on the whole I felt quite pleased that I had gotten myself out the door and on the road.

I plan to run again tomorrow and perhaps Monday AND Tuesday.  Could this be the start of another streak?  I ran 10 days in a row during shut-down.  I think I’ll see how many days I can go when working full-time and going to play rehearsals.  I’ll let you know how I do.

 

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Running up to Scattered Saturday

Posted on July 10, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had another Spunky Start to a Scattered Saturday (the title of a previous blog post), but I suppose that would not be unusual for a dog owner.  Our previous pooch, Tabby, did not wake us up but merely insisted we get right up when she saw we were awake.  Spunky sleeps downstairs and wakes us with a whine or a bark, usually around five in the morning.

The sun was up but it was still almost dark when I walked down the sidewalk with the Spunkman, as Steven likes to call him.  I like walking the dog before running, because I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge and sip while we walk.  Then I’m not so dehydrated when I run.  I thought briefly about even having a cup of coffee before I ran today but decided to get right out on the road.

I had not run since Monday, due to having other commitments and the stinking hot weather (I don’t need to hear any superior remarks about not making excuses, that is SO tiresome!), so I was determined to have a good, long run.  I decided to go up the hill to Herkimer College.  A challenging hill, perhaps a good view at the top, and a sip of water at the spring when I came back down, what’s not to like?  I knew the view would not be as lovely as it sometimes is, though, because of the mist.  It was very humid, which made breathing less than fun.  Still, one must persevere.

As is often the case, it started to feel really wonderful some twenty minutes into the run.  I wondered if part of the reason it felt so wonderful was not that I was warmed up and hitting my stride but that I was going downhill, a sweet, gentle slope such as I love.  Then I thought to myself, “Don’t denigrate the wonderful, just enjoy it!”  So I did.

A few sips of water at the spring were as refreshing as I had hoped, although not as refreshing as I knew the large swallows from my end of the run bottle would be.  I ran the full 45 minutes I had set out to do, and I felt TERRIFIC (yes, it must be in capital letters).

The run put me in great shape and a great mood to enjoy the rest of my Scattered Saturday.   I actually did not do a whole lot, but I think I can get at least another blog post about it.  I hope you are all having a lovely Saturday yourselves.

 

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A Pleasant Sunday Run

Posted on June 20, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

However much you may enjoy doing something, well, sometimes it’s just easier not to.  Add to the mix that the thing you enjoy is good for you and suddenly there are MANY reasons not to do it!  And I am beginning to see that all reasons against doing something, however compelling they may seem at the time, ultimately boil down to, it was easier not to.  All this by way of saying, I haven’t run since last Saturday (when I wrote a blog post about it).  I may sometime write a whole post about why we don’t do things that are good for us and that we enjoy, and perhaps an analysis of “it was easier not to” vs. “it seemed like a good idea at the time,” but for today, I will content myself with a run of the mill (see what I did there?) Running Commentary.

I was running with a bottle of water in my hand, because I had a couple of glasses of wine last night and wanted to be sure I stayed hydrated.  I must say I enjoy having a sip of water during a run.  My original plan had been to run away from Lou Ambers Drive and Herkimer College (previously known in this space as HCCC), because on my last run I had gone up that impressive hill.  However, I knew I would want to refill my bottle at the spring.  Oh, just run up the hill again, I told myself.

In general I don’t like to mention that I thought about doing something bad-ass when I ultimately decide not to do it.  Today, though, I err on the side of truth:  I thought about running up that hill but decided not to.  When I got to Brookfield Park (previously known in this space as The Unknown Park), I went into it, up a nice little hill.  We like little hills.  Why kill myself after taking a week and a day off, I reasoned.  This would be a pleasant run and still get me to the spring (Get Me to the Spring On Time, isn’t that a song?).

As I got into the park, I saw another runner up on a big hill on the other side of the athletic field.  I’ve run up there once before; it’s steep.  I’ll do it again, but not today.  The other runner was wearing a shirt the same color as mine, safety green, but he was not close enough for me to remark that we were twins.  A dog was with him and came a little towards me, looking interested.  I do like to pet a dog but it seemed we were not going to cross paths.  The other runner yelled to his dog to come.  I looked away and kept running, so as not to entice the animal.  Sometimes you just don’t get to pet a dog.

I ran on into the park, over the little bridge to the picnic area and down the path into the woods.  It is a very pleasant run, with the brook babbling on one side and a hill with trees rising up on the other.  When I was younger, I would have wanted to climb up to the ridge.  I’d still like to do that sometime, but today I was running.  Soon the ground sloped up again and I was coming out onto the back road to the college.

By judicious sipping, I made my water last till a block or so before the spring.  How I love real spring water.  I pretty much ran directly home from there, going past the house twice to make my run last 35 minutes, the same amount of time as my last run.  For the first time since last June, a nice little dog walked my cool-down with me.  My legs felt pretty terrific.  I realize I can’t go all week without running, but there is no point in worrying about what is past.  All I can do is try to do better next week.  Maybe I can write better blog posts as well.

 

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Second Verse, Not Same As The First

Posted on January 3, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I ended yesterday’s post declaring it was a two-parter (even though my computer seems to think “parter” is not a word).  Additionally, I read in yesterday’s or Thursday’s paper (I forget which) that beginning a sentence with “So” is one of those overused verbal things that some academic group loathes and despises.  Ha ha, I like it and I’m using it.

Where was I?

Ah yes, on my way up the hill to Herkimer College, otherwise known in this space as HCCC.  In yesterday’s final paragraph I intimated that there was some suspense as to whether I made it to the top.  According to earlier paragraphs (and I believe earlier blog posts), there is not much suspense once I start up a hill.  I rarely wimp out halfway and turn around.  However, looking at the first paragraph, I realize there was in fact no suspense.  I pretty much said I set out to do something and I did it.

Nevertheless, you have tuned in for part two and I shall write it.  If I can remember it.

I debated back and forth in my head as I approached the hill, but I pretty much knew I would do it. And, sure enough, up I went.  It seemed to take a long time.  When I was partway up, I decided to turn around and see how far I had come.  I thought it would help.  It did not, and I felt a little dizzy from turning around.  I did mention that I had a raging headache, didn’t I?

When I made it to the top I felt relieved.  I did it.  Sometimes when I make it to the top of that hill I feel a triumphant desire to walk around with my fists in the air while somebody sings, “We Are the Champions.”  Yesterday I felt merely relief.  I remembered to look to my right to see the panoramic view of the Herkimer and the other mountains.  Most of it was shrouded in fog.  That was OK.  I knew where I was.

I took the earliest turn to get to the back road back to Herkimer.  It is a less steep, less traveled road.  There were cones across it, blocking traffic.  Surely they meant vehicular traffic.  One mildly overweight middle-aged runner would be OK (and I’ll call you Shirley if I want to).  When I was running up the hill I noticed they had repaved it.  No doubt they had repaved this road or sections thereof.

I always feel a slight amount of trepidation when I run past cones.  Perhaps they are there for a better reason than I can see, and I am behaving in an inexcusably foolhardy fashion.  As I said, this was not a well-traveled road.  Houses were further down, out of earshot.  No one would hear me if I called for help.  Still, I could crawl to safety. Couldn’t I? I pictured the road giving way underneath me.  I would remain there, trapped, while the snow continued to fall.  Eventually I would be a frozen statue, like what happened to Jack Nicholson in The Shining (I hated that movie).

That road seemed to take a long time, too, but at least it was downhill.  At last I was back in the residential area.   Not much longer now till I was home.  I would share my triumph on Facebook.  I would write a blog post about it.  I would take a hot shower with lots of soap.

As it turns out, I got lots of Likes on my Facebook status and two blog posts out of it.  I had a headache for the rest of the day, but that was probably going to happen anyways.  Looking at my “related posts” that popped up at the bottom of my post, I see that I do so spend a lot of time here complaining about my headaches.  Sorry about that.  I’m afraid I can’t promise much for tomorrow, though. After all, it will be Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

 

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Spoiler Alert! It’s a Two-Parter!

Posted on January 2, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sometimes, when you want to do something, you just decide to do it, then you do it.  Some of you are rolling your eyes saying, “I’ve been TELLING you that!”  Others, perhaps also with an eye roll, are asking me if it is really, truly that easy.  My good friends (I hope you know who you are) are saying, “Oh, good for you, Cindy, what did you do?”

I have been trying, without much notable success, to keep from prosing on about my dreadful headaches (my computer seems to think “prosing” is not a word, but I’m sure I’ve seen it used elsewhere).  However, to convey my real sense of accomplishment today, I must emphasize that I have been suffering terribly from painful headaches, often accompanied by nausea.

These headaches often begin in the middle of the night, my most hated kind of headache.  I mean, if you get a headache during the day, you feel that in the last resort you can always lie down to try to get rid of it.  If you wake up with it, what are you going to do?  If you wake up with it in the middle of the night, go back to sleep with it, and wake up with it feeling even worse, I think you may be forgiven for feeling extremely ill-used.

And that is all the whining about my headaches that I have been trying so hard to keep out of the blog.  I am truly mortified. Is anybody still reading?  Should I erase the last two paragraphs and start over again?  Should I mention or refrain from mentioning that I have a pounding headache now which is making it difficult to write?  Should I further mention that I am running out of adjectives to describe my headaches?

What a big, fat baby I am.  My apologies.  At least you can all feel a frisson of virtue that YOU do not complain so much about your aches and pains

Be all that as it may, the last time I ran was Christmas Day, when I took a short run in the cold followed by, you guessed it, a worsening of my headache.  I have walked and shoveled snow for exercise since then.  I did not want to wait too long to begin running again.  When Steven left for work shortly before 9:30 this morning (New Year’s Day; ignore the date under the title), I got ready and set out.

It was snowing and just above freezing temperature, so I dressed extra warmly.  I had it in my head to run up the hill to Herkimer College (which I persist in referring to as HCCC).  I had meant to run up that hill BEFORE 2016, but one does not always meet one’s goals and I find it is best to refrain from beating oneself up but to keep striving.  I turned down German Street, picking my way down the icy sidewalk.  It was not glare ice, but thick, uneven ice, the kind you can easily turn your ankle on.

The falling snow was pretty.  It would have been a nice day for a walk with a dog.  I felt sad all over again, missing my dear departed schnoodle, Tabby.  At least I had the happiness of knowing her.

Would I really run up the hill to the college?  I was out here running at all, I thought that was pretty good.  I could probably feel pleased with myself no matter what I did, short run, long run, no hill, little hill… hill by Valley Health?  Back way to HCCC?  I pondered as I went.  I can’t say I was rocking it as I ran, but it wasn’t too painful either.

If this was in a book, I thought, it would be very important to make it to the top of the hill.  If I made it to the top of the hill, it would mean I would meet all my goals for 2016.  I would finish my novel, do a great job directing for Ilion Little Theatre, lose 15 pounds, clean my house, grow a vegetable garden…  And if I got halfway up the hill and turned around, I would probably be homeless by March, friendless and despised.

I knew, of course, that I was being silly.  For one reason, if I started running up the hill to HCCC, I was going to make it to the top.  I pretty much always do.

Hey, I just noticed something:  I am over 700 words already.  That is a long blog post for me.  I’m going to sign off here and make this a two parter (what, parter isn’t a word either?  What’s that all about, computer?).  Did I make to the top of the hill?  Did I try?  Did I continue to get silly?  Tune in tomorrow, for the first Saturday Running Commentary of 2016!

 

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That Street with the M

Posted on December 13, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a Sunday Running Commentary?  For one reason, I can get it posted now and then get on with my Sunday, during which I should be getting a LOT of things done.  Oh dear, I’m feeling wrist-to-foreheady already.  Never mind, just get on with the post.

I didn’t run yesterday or Friday, so I really wanted to run today.  Mostly, of course, I wanted to stay in bed, but Steven was getting up so I thought I might as well get out there.  It was 49 degrees according to my thermostat, a perfectly good temperature for shorts and t-shirt.  I wore an ARMY t-shirt with a reflective doo-dah on the back, because the sun was not all the way up.  Safety first for Mohawk Valley Girl.  I mostly stay on the sidewalk anyways.

As I set out I thought briefly about running up the hill to Herkimer College (which I prefer to call HCCC) (pronounced H Triple C).  It is a big, impressive hill I like to run up at least once a week when I am in shape for it.  I do not believe I am currently in shape for it,  but maybe I could get into shape for it by doing it.  It would be nice to post on Facebook that I ran up the hill to HCCC.

I thought that I would like to do it before the end of 2015.  That gave me a little leeway, didn’t it?  I didn’t have to do it today, did I?  My problem was how long I’ve been running lately.  My longest time since I’ve been running again is 31 minutes.  I try to increase by a mere 10 percent each week.  That only put me to 34 minutes this week.  Could I get up that hill and back down in 34 minutes?  Perhaps, but only if I turned around and came back the way I came.  I like to run back down the back way.

Having talked myself out of that route, I decided to do my other Sunday run, up the hill by Valley Health, then to the high school, over a little bridge, then down and up streets till I got home.  I had done this run last week one day but not gone up and down the streets, because it would take too long.  Now I was running for a longer time. I could rock this.

The first street you come to after crossing the little bridge by the high school really seems more like a parking lot next to some athletic fields.  However, it is a real street called Frederick Street.  I took special note of the street sign this time.  Now I could run up Graham, down…  oh crap, what was the name of that street?

How dumb of a brain fart was this?  I run these streets ALL THE TIME!  I walk them, I drive them, for heaven’s sake, I live in this town!  The street begins with an M. I knew it began with an M.  I thought it was Marion.  Why did “Marion” all of a sudden not sound right?  I knew it wasn’t Mary, that was somewhere else.  Of course it wasn’t Margaret, Margaret was between Caroline and Henry.

So I had to go all the way down Frederick and up Graham before I could confirm that it was indeed Marion Street.  At the rate I run, that is a long time to feel stupid for not remembering the name of a street you’ve been running and walking on for over ten years.  On the other hand, I thought, I could put it in my blog post.  That would even give me a title.

Another good thing, pondering about the name of the street took my mind off how tired I felt while running. Full disclosure:  I drank red wine and stayed up late watching Christmas movies Saturday night.  In my defense, I was having a lovely evening with my husband.  And I did not let it keep me from running on Sunday.  Oh dear, I just remembered that last Sunday I was lamenting drinking wine and staying up late watching Christmas movies.  Is this what I’m going to do on the weekends now?

Well, what if it is?  I daresay many people drink wine, watch Christmas movies and go running the next morning.  I don’t suppose many of them forget the names of streets they are perfectly familiar with, but you know me, I just have to be different.

In any case, I ended up running 36 minutes, increasing my time more than the recommended 10 percent, but I don’t imagine it did me any harm.  I’ll go for the hill up to HCCC next Sunday, maybe even sooner if I get ambitious.

 

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