Tag Archives: Herkimer County Community College

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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Oh, Those Endorphins!

Posted on July 5, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’ve been trying all day to think of something profound to say about the 4th of July (don’t feel right calling it Independence Day after that dumb movie) (oh, it was entertaining enough,don’t hate on me if it’s your favorite piece of cinema; let’s not get distracted by what was only a  parenthetical comment after all).  And now I realize that because of the weird time setting on my WordPress page, it is now the fifth of July.  I can do up a quick Running Commentary on this morning’s jaunt  and hit Publish in time to get to the cookout at my sister’s house.

I hadn’t even meant to do a running commentary, although it would be appropriate for me to go All Boilermaker All The Time at this point.  After all, the race is one week from tomorrow.  I need to start hydrating and obsessing or I’ll never be ready.  That said, I kind of think I am ready.  I’m just afraid to say it too loudly and jinx myself (perhaps I should have put it in a parenthetical comment).

Be all that as it may, I missed my run yesterday due to a dreadful headache and bad reaction to the drugs that were supposed to help.  I got up at 3:30 this morning, because of my husband’s work. I figured  I could hydrate and perhaps have a little something to eat, then run at twenty after six, when he left for work.  I drank water.  I ate a piece of whole wheat toast with cottage cheese.  This was going to be great.

It was  actually 6:25 when I set out.  I had dithered when deciding which way to go.  I wanted hills, but which ones?  Main Street?  Steuben?  Up to the college?  When I had asked Steven  earlier, he didn’t know what to tell me so finally said, “Run in the suburbs.”  For those just tuning in, the suburbs is what I call a residential area beyond Valley Health Services.  They have some pretty good hills there.

So up the hill by Valley Health I went. Only I didn’t feel like running the same route I ran last time.  I wanted something different, so I took a different turn.  Hmm, that was no hill.  I kept running, looking for a hill I hadn’t run.  Soon I found myself near Lou Ambers Drive.  Oh, to heck with it.  I went to Lou Ambers and on up to Herkimer College.

I forgot to mention that I was running with a bottle of water in my hand.  I had debated whether or not to do this (so many decisions for one run!).  After all, I wasn’t sure how long I would run for.  I don’t need water for anything under 40 minutes.  Additionally, I was running in the general vicinity of the spring.  I could stop and catch a sip there.  Then again, after yesterday’s headache, I really wanted to stay hydrated.  A final factor was that it was cooler out than it had been.  Who wants to stick their hands in the cold spring water when it’s only 45 degrees out?

I don’t know that it was actually 45 degrees out, but it was cool enough that the hand holding the bottle was damn uncomfortable.  Well, one must put up with these things.  It was nice to take the occasional sip.  As I ran up and around the campus, I paid attention to the water level, planning to run to the spring for a re-fill.  Or should I skip the re-fill and just run home?  Did I really need more water?  If dithering burned calories, I would have no weight problems whatsoever.

This whole time I was debating how long to run for.  I had run an hour and twenty minutes at my last long run a week ago.  I was considering doing an hour an a half as my last long run before the Boilermaker.  Could I make that?  Of course I could, but did I want to?  How tired would I be as the day wore on?  Would my muscles be sore?  My knees?   I repeat my observation about dithering and calories.

I refilled the water and tried to talk myself into an hour and a half.  I could do it.  I would do it.  As I continued to run, I realized just one little problem with staying completely hydrated on a long run.  I had to pee.  Oh dear.  Maybe if I stopped drinking more water and kept running I could sweat it out.

Astute readers will may noticed that I have yet to mention my legs complaining or  my breathing being a problem.  Well, that was the truly delightful thing about the run.  I started out feeling a little grumpy, wondering what had possessed me to register for a 15K and promising myself I would never have to do it again.  I was soon pumping along with almost no problem.   Of course going uphill was still an effort.  I did not mind it being an effort.  At one point I met two women running in the opposite direction.

“Isn’t this GREAT?” I called to them.

One laughed and the other said, “Yes, it is!”

I don’t suppose I need to tell you that I did make it for an hour and a half.  My bladder even cooperated, although after a ten-minute cool-down walk I was JUST in time to the bathroom (sorry if that gave you an unfortunate mental image).

And now I see I have written quite a long blog post about it.  Sorry if I rambled on.  Now I must hurry and get ready for the cook-out.  After all, it’s still the 4th here.   Hope you’re enjoying yours.

 

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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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Oh Yeah, And I Wore Blue

Posted on May 26, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am making my post late in the day on Memorial Day (although my page, for reasons best known to itself, says it is tomorrow already).  Never mind why-all I did not post earlier.  I wrote a post in my head as I went for a run.  I will attempt to recreate it now.

 

I had already intended to run every day of my three day weekend.  Then a Facebook friend posted that she and her son were running in honor of fallen soldiers under the auspices of Wear Blue Run to Remember.  You sign up on line and commit to a certain distance, one meaningful to you, and they assign you a soldier to run in honor of, if you don’t have someone in mind to run for.

 

My only problem was that I do not know how far I run.  I run for a set length of time.  It would be nice to think I was doing at least a ten minute mile, but that is by no means certain.  Additionally, I was not sure how hard core my Monday run would be.  I have not been running days in a row lately.  My body might rebel by the fourth day.

 

Finally I signed up to run two miles.  It was meaningful to me, because I learned to run in the army because of the two-mile run on the PT (Physical Training) test.  I felt a little foolish putting such a small distance, especially since my friend and her son were both doing 10 kilometers.  However, it seemed important that I actually do the distance I had committed to.  I knew I could eke out two miles, even on a very bad day.

 

My run did not start out auspiciously.  I wondered if I was having an every other day thing, because my Sunday run was terrific, my Saturday run was terrible, and I don’t remember my Friday run.  But I was running for a soldier.  I had to keep going.  I made up my mind to run up the hill to Herkimer College.  It is an impressive hill to many people.  I feel it is good to run an impressive hill when you are running in tribute.

 

I did not know which soldier I was running for.  Wear Blue had not emailed me back.  I wondered if I had made a typo when I gave them my email address.  I later found out that I had registered too late for them to assign me someone.  There were places I could go and pick someone to run for, but I did not do that.  I just ran for a soldier.

 

As I ran, I worried that the soldier I was running for might feel a little cheated, since his runner was running such a short distance and running it very slowly at that.  I pictured the soldiers up in heaven, discussing it over a beer (I don’t believe the polka that says, “In Heaven There Is No Beer”).

 

“Who’s running for you?  I got this soldier’s wife who runs marathons.  She’s doing 10K.”

 

“Cool.  I got some middle-aged lady, used to be in the army.  She’s doing two miles.  Oh well, I guess the old ladies like to feel they’re doing something for us.”

 

“Yeah, better luck next year.”

 

I made it to the top of the hill and it sure wasn’t easy.  Since I was only doing two miles, I had thought I would just go back down the back way.  But halfway up the hill I remembered the little Veteran’s Memorial Park up near the athletic fields.  I should run to that, I thought, since I am running in tribute.  Then I felt so tired I thought I wouldn’t make it.  Then I realized that I could not possibly write in a blog post that I had thought about running to the Memorial and decided not to.

 

“This is how writing a blog helps runners,” I said to myself.  I continued, utilizing the determination that had gotten me through Basic Training.

 

When I got to the Memorial, I stopped the CHRONO on my watch and walked through it.  It is a small area with trees and benches.  Marble slabs are engraved with the names of Herkimer veterans.  Some of the benches and trees have plaques saying who sponsored them.  I would like to return to the Memorial and spend a little more time, really pay my respects.  Today, however, I soon started my watch again and headed back down Reservoir Road.

 

Somewhere along the way, I realized the run had stopped sucking.  I had not noticed when that happened, but I would hazard a guess that it was about the time I started downhill.

 

For more information on Wear Blue Run to Remember, you can visit their website at www.wearblueruntoremember.org.  They also have a Facebook page.

 

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Not a Lame Run After All

Posted on May 23, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I went for a long run this afternoon, so I thought I would do a Running Commentary instead of my usual Friday Lame Post.  However, it is Friday and I am feeling a little, well, lame.  I will begin typing and see what comes out.

 

It was cooler today than it has been but the sun was bright.   Good running weather, I told myself.  I had gone two days without running, instead of the three which I made a note to myself not to do again.  I feel I must make another note to don’t wait two days either.

 

As soon as I started running my body started complaining.  Oh come on, I thought.  It’s only been two days!  And we took a walk yesterday!  Maybe I would warm up as I went.  My plan was to do a long, challenging run.  Then I could do a lesser run tomorrow, when I have plans for later in the day.  Up the hill to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC) would be good, I thought.  Back way or front way would do.

 

Before I had gone two blocks I was thinking I would cut myself a break.  A short run, any run, just run.  Traffic was heavy enough that I thought I might not be able to cross German Street.  Then I would be off the hook.  I found a time to cross.

 

I decided to go up to HCCC the front way.  It’s steeper than the back way but shorter.  This run was really sucking.  I reminded myself that once I started up a hill there was no question that I would make it, the only question was how much it would suck.  Will going up this hill ever stop sucking?  I usually walk up the stairs at work.  That never seems to get easier either.

 

I tried to comfort myself by thinking how bad-ass I would be running the Boilermaker 15K.   If somebody asked me if I was running the 5K, I could say, “Huh.  I could run a 5K backwards.”  Then I wondered if that was true.  Maybe if I made that (admittedly obnoxious) boast, somebody would make a bet with me.  I’d say, “Fine, you run the 5K with me frontwards and make sure I don’t bang into anything.”  When I ran the DARE 5K last year,  which goes up the very hill I was on, a lady told me it was easier to go uphill backwards.  I tried it.

 

Then I remembered some running advice another soldier gave me.  When you feel you can’t run any more, run silly.  I swung one leg in front of the other, swinging my arms wildly to keep my balance.  Then I turned sideways and did the grapevine.  I would keep that trick in mind for future use.  Perhaps I could share it with other runners during the Boilermaker.

 

When I got to the top of the hill I did not continue up onto the campus but headed right to the back way to go down.  I was feeling better about the run, but this was cut myself a break day after all.  I hesitated again at Reservoir Road but downhill won.  I was about 20 minutes into the run.  Would I make it for 48 (the length of my longest run so far)?  I would see.

 

As  I headed toward the traffic light on German Street, I realized I had reached the coveted I Can Rock This stage of the run.  I don’t think I had endorphins, but  I was not feeling too bad.  My leg muscles were warm and supple.  I could run for 48 minutes.  This was going to be all right.

 

The feeling did not last.   I had headed away from my street.  Now I headed back toward the street.  I didn’t care if it was 48 minutes.  As I got closer to home, I felt a little better.  I was perhaps not rocking it as well as the first time I reached the I Can Rock This Stage, but I found that I could keep going after all.

 

By going past my house and around the block next to mine, I made it to 48 minutes.  My schnoodle, Tabby, graciously walked around our block with me to cool down.  I felt pretty happy that I ran.  I’ll run again tomorrow.  No more two days off!

 

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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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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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I Am Much Woman

Posted on April 25, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Tabby continues sick today.  I shall be taking her to the vet, willingly forgoing the Mohawk Valley adventures I had planned for the day.  One thing I did not want to forgo, however, was my run.  Accordingly, I set out early, when Steven was still home with the poocher.  Therefore, I am able to offer Saturday Running Commentary two weeks in a row.

 

It was prior to 6 a.m.;  the sun was up but the light was still grey and dull.  The temperature was cold (31, according to my thermostat).  I wore leggings and my long-sleeved ARMY t-shirt.  I also put on my toque and some gloves.  As I ran, it seemed my hands and ears were the only warm parts of me, but one must persevere.

 

I decided to run up to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC, although I think it goes by a different name now).   For the uninitiated, that is a rather impressive hill.  When I’m in shape I run it at least once a week.  For one reason, it makes me feel bad ass.  Today I thought, “Do it for Tabby!”  In fiction, that would become a big deal in the character’s head: “If I do this, she’ll get better!”  I knew it was no such thing.  In the first place, I am doing it for my own fitness, weight loss and Boilermaker goals.  Oh, and to post it on Facebook so my friends will Like it.  Taking Tabby to the vet is far more to the point regarding her health.  So much for symbolism.

 

I wondered if I was really up to the big hill yet, but I realized it did not matter.  I tend to accomplish things simply because I make up my mind to do them.  For example, the novel I will complete during Finish That Novel May.  I’ll just make up my mind to do it.  I made up my mind to run the hill.

 

Up a minor upgrade, then a little downgrade, the UP.  Hmm…. that hill did not look as steep as it had in my head.  Did it look longer?  Well, it was long enough, anyways.  Here we go.  At least I shouldn’t have much traffic at this hour on a Saturday.  Then I heard a car behind me.  A total of three cars passed me going up.  The last yahoo was really gunning his engine.  What, I thought, won’t your car make it up the hill otherwise?  I wished I could gun my body, but I know from experience it is better to shuffle up the hill than to sprint.

 

I speculated on where those people were going.  Perhaps to the gym to work out.  Ha! I was already getting my workout.  Perhaps they were returning to the dorms from a rough night of partying.  Good for them, not driving home drunk last night.  Or maybe it was a hot one-night stand.  You know, college students.

 

At last I made it to the top!  I would post that on Facebook for sure.  My sister Vicki has a saying when she does something bad-ass that she is “much woman.”  Should I say I was much woman?  No, I decided.  I would say “Yeah, I’m bad,” my usual saying in these cases.  Then if Vicki commented that I was much woman, I could comment, “I was hoping you would say that.”  Well, if I’m not going adventuring today, I’ve got to have some plans.

 

My legs felt warm and supple as the road leveled out.  This was awesome.  I was getting in shape!  Bring it, Boilermaker!  I turned to run down the back way, a more gradual slope with woodsy surroundings.  As I started down, my legs were all, “Yeah, we got this.” And gravity was like, “Yeah, YOU got this.”  Oh, but it is nice to keep running after you finished your terrible hill of the day.

 

I turned left where a sign said “No Left Turn,” just to be that way.  I saw my wonderful paper deliverers’ van.  They have a wide territory.  I love my paper deliverers.  SO reliable!  We waved at each other.

 

Tabby did not walk my cool-down with me, so I did not go around the block as per usual.  That may have been silly of me, because after all, I started the around the block cool-down before I got Tabby.  Today I walked up and down the backyard while Tabby sat on the deck.  I hoped she could feel she was participating that way.  Dogs like to participate.

 

I felt delighted that I had run, and that I had done that big hill.  It was the first time in 2015.  I’ll do it again soon.  And I hope Tabby will be walking my cool-down with me soon.  Incidentally, I did post on Facebook that I ran it.  So far I’ve gotten six Likes but no comments.  Still, I think I am much woman.

 

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I Triumph

Posted on April 3, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Endorphins still elude me. In fact, I almost titled this post “Still No Endorphins.” However, I wanted to strike a more positive note, because my run was not without its rewards. Still, it took a while to get there. So this may be a lengthy post. We’ll see.

Today was a delightfully warm day, even warmer than one expects in early April, with highs of 60. I knew I would run. I knew I would wear shorts and a t-shirt to run. I hoped it would be a good run. By the time I got home and ready to run, I had my doubts. I must not get enough vitamins or something. Nevertheless, I set out.

I had started a little later than usual, because I had made a stop on the way home from work. I wondered if the delay could be why I was able to immediately cross German Street. This boded well for either of my plans. My first plan had been to run up to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC) the back way. This is less steep but longer than the front way. Less overtly daunting but I believe equally challenging. As I felt tired and not motivated I thought I would do the hill by Valley Health and then on into the suburbs.

As I went out German, I was not enjoying the upgrade. I couldn’t run up to HCCC. I wasn’t even sure I could do the hill by Valley Health, but since I had crossed German I supposed I would. I went by the entrance to Brookfield Park. Oh, too steep too soon. I turned up — oh crap, I can’t remember the street’s name, but it is a residential street that leads to the back way up to HCCC. And it begins with an upslope. Ugh. This wasn’t fun. When was running going to get fun again?

As I pondered the unfunness of my run and regretted that my Running Commentary might be a litany of complaint, I wondered if I had jinxed myself. We’ve been talking about running at work, because some of us plan to run the Boilermaker. One co-worker expressed himself as NOT a runner; he thinks running is dumb. “I LOVE to run,” I informed him, more than once. Dammit, why wasn’t I loving it?

I had a few choices of where to run next. The first left would take me DOWNHILL and eventually back the way I came. The first right, a little further up, would take me into the residential area I refer to as the suburbs. The second left (opposite the first right, incidentally) would take me the back way to HCCC. I did NOT want to go that way. However, as I ran I was as usual narrating in my head, planning my blog post. Suddenly I felt that I could not write in my blog that I had wussed out. If I was going to write about this run, I was going uphill. I made the second left.

However, first I bargained thusly with myself: my run time is up to 32 minutes. I would run up the hill for half of that time, 16 minutes (in case you didn’t feel like doing the math). I probably wouldn’t make it to the top, but I would be going uphill for a good portion of my run. Oh dear, just look at that hill. This was the less steep way? Oh well, I wanted to be running up to HCCC as soon as possible.

I continued uphill, looking at my watch often and counting how many minutes till 16. “Just look at your feet and shuffle up that hill,” I told myself, echoing a long followed piece of running advice. I looked ahead at how far I had to go. I can’t say looking down was that much easier. I saw the stream to my left, bubbling busily downhill. Ah, downhill. Where gravity is my friend.

I suppose my title was kind of a spoiler and astute readers have already guessed I made it to the top. It got to a point where I knew I would, but that last little bit, where it goes steep again, was a bit of a struggle. My breathing got a little dicey. And then I was making another left. I was NOT going to turn around and run back the way I came! I was going down the front way! This was GREAT! Running was still not fun, but it was SO SATISFYING! Oh, I was bad ass.

Some students were hanging out in the dorm parking lot as I ran by. They were listening to music and tossing a frisbee. I wanted to call over and ask where the beer was. A little further up I saw three kids standing on the path, talking. They looked more approachable, although I did not, in fact, approach them.

“Those guys over there didn’t invite me to their party,” I called.

“Us neither!” a guy answered, as mystified as I was by the omission.

The euphoria I had experienced at the top of the hill was short-lived. The rest of my run home seemed to take a long time, and my body was not loving it. I suppose this is the kind of run I have to live through. I know it is the kind of run that occurs occasionally even when I have been running regularly for a long time. For now I can only look forward to when I can write a blog post about a run where I feel it is FUN. Maybe I’ll finally get some of them there endorphins.

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