Tag Archives: Herkimer County Community College

Still No Endorphins

Posted on March 25, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

After my adventure-filled weekend, I thought sure I wouldn’t have a Tired Tuesday post. After all, I had written a post and parts of two more yesterday. Then as I wrote more on my posts before work, I got all bogged down. That was OK, though, I thought, because I was determined to go running after work. I could do a Running Commentary. As I ran, I felt I had all the more reason to be tired. However, I’ll see what I can come up with.

I ran 29 minutes on my last run, which increased my time by the recommended 10 percent. I merely had to maintain that, not improve it till this weekend at soonest. It was not far into my run that I was telling myself I did not even need to do the full 29 minutes. After all, I intend to run at least two more times before the weekend. I could make this one shorter.

My original plan had been to run up the hill by Valley Health and then into what I think of as the Suburbs. I guess they aren’t really suburbs. I don’t think Herkimer is big enough to rate actual suburbs. It is a residential area of (relatively) newer houses with no sidewalks. There is generally less traffic than in the village itself. Since the sidewalks are booby-trapped with large puddles and patches of ice, I thought running on quiet streets would be nice.

As I ran down German Street, I did not feel good. I was tired, my legs didn’t want to move, even breathing wasn’t fun. Would I even make it up the hill by Valley Health? As I approached Brookfield Park, I considered running up into it. It was uphill but not as steep as by Valley Health. It could be a shorter run. I looked up the slope and ran by. I just couldn’t do it. Maybe by the time I got to Valley Health my body would be warmed into the run and I could do the hill.

Oh, I was not enjoying this. There was the hill to H-Triple-C (that’s Herkimer County Community College, although I think they have changed their name). Would I ever be up to running that hill again? I thought I would be but it sure did not seem possible today. I saw some broken car parts on the road. Yikes, did somebody have an accident? In a parking area a few feet up I saw two vehicles parked and two people on cell phones. Ah, so the accident just happened. Bummer.

I went up the hill by Valley Health. Two people were walking down it. Did I ever envy them! I lacked the breath to tell them so. I did the trick of looking at my feet and shuffling up that hill. When did I get that big splotch of mud on that sneaker? How long was this hill anyways? At last I made it. I didn’t even feel good about having done it.

I wondered if I would reach the I Can Rock This stage on this run or, indeed, ever again. Then I heard a huge vehicle behind me. I was on the left side facing traffic, as runners and pedestrians are supposed to be. Still, the road wasn’t very wide. I got over as far as I could. It was a Yard Waste truck, and he didn’t seem too concerned about getting over. It stopped in the middle of the street. I turned down a side street to avoid it.

The area is laid out, as many residential areas are, NOT in a squared-off, grid kind of pattern. More like a plate of spaghetti. Curvy and weird. I’ve run in the area many times, but I still get lost. I wasn’t too worried about it. Sooner or later I always come out somewhere familiar. I turned down one street. I saw the Yard Waste truck parallel to me. I turned left at the next opportunity.

I know there are come cul-de-sacs and streets that loop around, often involving large hills. Did I want to go around a large loop with a steep hill? I did not. I began to look around, trying to orient myself. Herkimer was that way, the highway was that way, the college was… I would go to the end of this street and find out.

Then I heard the loud motor of the Yard Waste truck, which I was beginning to think of as my enemy. I picked another street. How long had I been running anyways? I had checked my watch a couple of times early on but I hadn’t in the last few streets. Ooh, I was going to make it for 29 minutes. I wasn’t even feeling too bad. Could I rock this? Maybe I wasn’t feeling it, but I was, in fact, rocking it.

At last I figured out where I was. The Yard Waste truck passed me one more time. I got back to Valley Health, back down the hill, and back on to German Street. The cars that had been involved in the accident were still there, this time with cops nearby. I ran on. I seemed to think there was a brief period in the middle of my run when I hadn’t felt too bad, but that time was past. Now I could only persevere.

Persevere I did. I made it home. I had lasted 29 minutes. Oh, it felt good to walk my cool-down with Tabby and even better to stop walking and go in the house. I was almost too tired to stretch, but somehow managed it. My shower felt nice. Food tasted like heaven. If only I wasn’t too tired to write a blog post.

Lo and behold, I was not. Was it a good blog post? I’m not the best judge of that. But I got another run under my belt. Maybe on the next one I will reach that coveted I Can Rock This stage. And maybe, just maybe one day I will experience those endorphins.

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Sunday Running Commentary

Posted on November 23, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Instead of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday, I thought I’d try a Running Commentary. When I first got out of bed this morning I was completely disinclined to run. After some coffee and perusing the paper, I began to reconsider.

By this time I’d been up long enough to get hungry, so I thought I would eat a banana with peanut butter, wait for it to digest a little, then run. This also gave me time to watch one of our favorite shows, Mohawk Valley Living. It gave the temperature a chance to warm up a little too, although we didn’t start out as cold as we have been.

I normally run in shorts and t-shirt for anything over 45 degrees. My thermostat said 44, so I stretched a point. I had a bad moment when I put on my headband and found that my hair looked completely ridiculous. It is at that in-between stage: not long enough to do anything with, too long to do nothing about. Should I put on a hat, hiding the mop? Or just look ridiculous and say to hell with it? Then I asked myself, why was I even debating about it? Who cares what I look like when I run?

The morning was grey and gloomy, which suited me fine. Sidewalks were wet but not icy or snowy, and not too many puddles. It was after 8:30 when I set out, but traffic was OK. Early lasts later on Sunday than it does on Saturday, if you see what I mean.

I headed towards Valley Health, to run the hill by it. I must build back up to the hill to Herkimer County Community College, but these things don’t happen all in a day, or even in a week. I sternly told myself that they don’t happen at all if one continues to take four days off between runs. I had good reasons for not running those days, I argued, but I wasn’t buying it. If only guilt burned calories.

That hill was not fun. Yesterday when walking uphill I had observed that I like to walk uphill. Not too long a hill or too steep a hill, but a certain amount of hill is good when walking. I wished I was walking but continued to run. This would work. I could hang.

I felt better after the downhill and back on level ground. I realized my lungs were not happy, but my legs could totally rock this. One can’t have everything after all. I concentrated on feeling happy that at least part of me was rocking it.

I got tired earlier into the run than I expected to. It wasn’t any specific part of me that felt bad, just an overall tiredness. Yesterday when I was greatly enjoying my walk with Tabby, I had thought how blessed I was to love things. I love to walk, I love to write, I love to run, I said to myself. I asked myself this morning, was I loving this run? Um, no. But I wasn’t hating it, so that was something.

To further enjoy my run I made a conscious effort to look around at houses. One porch railing still sported black garland with skulls. Nice. One house looked abandoned. Not so good. That one had new-looking siding and porch. Nice again. That large house was crying out for a new paint job. Wait a minute, was it really crying? No, it stood there with dignity. “This is me. Take it or leave it.” Good house. I guess I get a little fanciful.

I ran for 26 minutes, which I consider respectable. There is no hurry to improve. Maintaining is good. After all, I’m not a world-class athlete training for a nationally televised event. I’m just a middle-aged lady exercising for my health, entertainment, and perhaps a blog post.

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A Quick Stop at the Art Gallery

Posted on October 13, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have been meaning for some time to make it to Cogar Gallery at Herkimer County Community College. They are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. when the college is open. Therefore, the best thing for me to do is go straight there after work. So I did.

The exhibit I saw was an alumni show, McCann and Ingerick, Photographer and Painter. Debbie Ruane Sullivan Ingerick graduated in 1979, Carolynn McCann Dufft in 1981. I had meant to go to the opening reception on Oct. 4, but alas, did not make it. However, sometimes it is easier to appreciate the art when one walks around the gallery alone.

The show features a variety of works from realistic to more abstract. As I have said before, I don’t know from art styles and I’m nobody’s art critic. I just like to look at pictures. I spent a while walking around and looking at the pictures before I perused the list of works. Then I went back to look again at some of the works whose titles that caught my eye.

My favorite was “We Are The Light in the Storms of Life” by Ingerick. It showed a lighthouse on a hill surrounded by water. I also enjoyed a series of six photographs by McCann called “Bette’s Bench.”

I may go back and look at the exhibit again. It is on display through Nov. 4. And I’ll watch for future exhibits to go see. I wonder if the college offers a course on art appreciation, so I can write more impressively about these things. I’ll have to go to www.herkimer.edu and see.

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Writing About Something Else

Posted on September 11, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

It seems this blog is degenerating into a post about running, a post about not being able to write a post. Sometimes two or three posts about not being able to write a post, sometimes a post about walking my dog thrown in. Do I even have Mohawk Valley adventures any more?

Sometimes I do. Sometimes I write about them. Sometimes I feel unable to do so (have adventures or write about them). Sometimes I go for long periods of time without having blogworthy adventures. Then I write about something else.

Today, for the record, is Wuss-out Wednesday. I had, in fact, an authentic Mohawk Valley adventure this afternoon. My husband, dog and I went for a walk on the Herkimer County Community College Nature Trail. I definitely plan to write about that. What, right now? I’m tired! It’s Wuss-out Wednesday! What do you people want from me?

The operative thing to do, I think, is to become more organized, plan ahead what I am going to do and write about, perhaps schedule actual writing time. Stop flying by the seat of my pants (that’s an odd expression. How does one actually fly by the seat of one’s pants? Can somebody draw me a picture of that?).

Hmmm…. sounds like a good plan (the organization, not the seat of the pants thing), but can I do it? It is quite different from my usual way of doing things. Would it not, for example, entail an entire change of character? These sound like questions of half-baked philosophy, suitable for Lame Post Friday. I hope to find better things to write about between now and then.

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And, No, I Did Not Run Today

Posted on September 5, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am a very dramatic person. A drama queen, you ask, in an accusatory tone of voice. Perhaps, perhaps. On the other hand, there are worse things, my friend, than being a drama queen. For example, one could make unkind remarks in an accusatory tone of voice. Be that as it may, I offer the following tale for my Non-Sequitur Thursday post.

Once again I did not write a blog post at work, because I was working on my novel during breaks. My original plan had been to run after work and write a post about that. Then again, I’ve made a lot of running posts lately. One can get too much of a good thing (cue unkind remarks about how my running commentary posts are not necessarily a good thing).

I could not run immediately after work, however, because I had someplace else to be. When I apologized in advance for missing today’s meeting of the Wait Five Minute Club (I’ll write a blog post about the club another time), I said, “I have an audition.” I went on to explain I was auditioning to be one of the witches in a scene for MacBeth.

“It’s typecasting,” I said. Nobody disagreed. One guy referred me to a female co-worker (everybody calls her his work wife) as a source of information for the part. I assured him that I am an excellent actress. “But watch yourself,” I warned. “Or I’ll go all method on your ass.”

Now I sound quite obnoxious, calling myself an excellent actress. I was just being silly. In fact, I am probably an actress of normal abilities. But I love acting so much I hope I make the most of what talent I have. After all, one can go a long way with hard work and a good director (which I have often been fortunate enough to have).

Be that as it may, I went to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC) to meet with the man who was directing the scene. It is always kind of odd to me to drive up that hill, since I usually run it. I have not run it since the DARE 5K, although I plan to run it again soon. I had to find a building I had never been in before, to find the director’s office.

That was my main adventure, walking through two buildings at HCCC looking for an office. I found it without too much problem, though. I read the scene. Ooh, I love to read Shakespeare. I wanted to read it again, as well as a few more scenes from the play, but one mustn’t be greedy.

The scene is to be performed in Little Falls in October, as part of their Third Thursday event. I really must attend one of these Third Thursdays. Quite a lot goes on. It would probably make a good blog post.

After reading we talked about the scene to be presented, then branched out into Shakespeare, theatre, writing and all kinds of stuff. You may not know this about me, but I talk. I talk a lot. I like to talk. After I left the audition, I thought, “Wow, I talk too much.” I hope I didn’t sound dumb.

I don’t know yet whether I get to be one of the witches. That would be so cool if I did. If I don’t, though, I will try to go to the Third Thursday on Oct. 16 and see the scene. I’ll probably write a blog post about it.

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Wise Cracks on the Race Track

Posted on August 24, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I felt I had no reason to be nervous for the DARE 5K. It was a matter of some annoyance to me, therefore, when I woke up last Saturday (Aug. 16) with a fluttery feeling in my chest and stomach. No fair, I said. I felt I should be stern with myself: you are running this race because it is fun, I told me. Dammit, have fun!

I started to feel better about things shortly after seven when I put Tabby on the leash and walked down to pick up my number and goody bag. I chatted with the volunteers and checked out the map of the route. It was somewhat different from two years ago when I had last run it, due to flood damages in Brookfield Park.

I had a lot of fun during the Kids’ Fun run, cheering all the runners as they finished. “Finish strong!” I said, and “Good sprint!” The runners seemed to particularly like “Look at her (or him) go!”

The trouble was I wanted to begin running the 5K right away, and I had to wait. I found people to chat with while we waited. I stood towards the rear of the crowd of racers, so fewer people would have to pass me if I started slow, as I did two years ago (when a LOT of people passed me). It is disheartening when a whole bunch of runners breeze by you right away.

At last we began. And I was dead last. How embarrassing! Oh well, these things happen. I could still have fun.

“Somebody’s got to be last!” I called to spectators. They applauded and yelled encouragement. Soon I passed a gentleman and two young girls. I heard the man tell the girls they would walk to the next stop sign.

“I’ll see you when you pass me again,” I called.

One lady was setting a steady pace a little ways in front of me. As we approached the big hill up to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC), I said to her, “Our moment’s coming. We’ll pass all those people when they walk!”

I have been training for this. Regular readers will remember I ran up this very hill several times in recent memory. I felt extremely ill-used that I still found it so hard. I did not pass as many people as I had hoped, either. No matter, I made it to the top.

I approached a group of high school boys in this year’s blue DARE shirt. They were still walking.

“Pardon me, fellows, you’re blocking the road,” I said.

The really fast runners passed us going the other way on the opposite side of the median.

“You could cut through there,” I suggested to one of the guys. “And totally cheat.”

He did it. Teehee! I could hear his buddies behind me jeering at him. I turned around and yelled, “I told him to!”

I don’t think he really cheated that way, but I could see where it would be tempting. I was getting tired.

“Eating pasta the night before is a total myth,” I complained to some runners.

I was relieved that the turn around was not quite as far as I had pictured (I never could read a map properly). Finally I was on Reservoir Road headed downhill. I could still see the first runners I had passed, headed for the turn around.

“You guys still have to pass me,” I encouraged. I don’t know if they heard me. I passed a couple more runners.

As I came back around to the top of the hill I saw two young boys walking. They started to run again before I caught up with them.

“You go, boys!” I shouted. I don’t know if they heard me.

I was offered water at the top of the hill. This was the third or fourth water station, but I rarely take water during a 5K.

“Everything will be delightful,” I assured them. It is a favorite saying of mine.

“It’s all downhill from here,” a lady in a tie-dye shirt encouraged me.

“Just like my life,” I observed. I knew she was quite right, unlike on the Boilermaker when they keep telling you it’s all downhill when you know darn well there are several more uphill sections.

Normally I lean back and take it easy on a steep downhill slope, but this was a race. I let gravity help me speed up. Then I worried that I would start going too fast for my legs to keep up and I would land on my stupid face. When I got to the bottom of the steepest part, I yelled to some spectators, “It’s scary going downhill when you try to hurry!”

“Don’t try to hurry!” Good advice.

“But it’s a race!” I was gone before I could hear their reply, if any. Really, who did I think I was kidding with this hurrying business? In spite of passing some people, I was WAY back in the pack.

I soon caught up to one of the young boys, who was now walking again.

“Good job, you’re doing great,” I said. I only go all drill sergeant for high school age and up. As I was thinking about this one of the high school boys caught up with me. “See, if you never would have walked, you’d be all the way up there now,” I told him. He passed me, then walked, so I started to pass him again.

“Oh, don’t do the thing where I pass you three times,” I said.

I think he said something about having asthma but I didn’t quite catch it. In any case, he passed me and I never saw him again till after the finish line. The young boy started running again and passed me.

“That’s right, show me the way,” I said.

“Just go that way,” he said, taking me literally.

I felt I was on the home stretch when I got to German Street, but there was still further to go than my body felt like doing.

“I’m counting the streets,” I told a guy who looked about my age. “You know, my street’s coming up. I could just go home and say to hell with it.”

That did seem a little silly this close to the end.

When I passed a family group, I asked if I could borrow the kid’s bicycle and ride the rest of the way. Another spectator recognized the guy running near me and called a greeting.

“It’s the comic relief,” he said.

“I thought that was me,” I said, thinking he must have missed my bicycle line (oh, I know it wasn’t that funny. It amused me at the time).

The last joke I made was to two girls who looked to be in their 20s.

“I can taste that beer now! Oh, wait, that’s the Boilermaker.”

“It’s within reach!” one of them encouraged. She probably guessed that I have beer in my refrigerator at home.

I did not end up getting as good a time as I had gotten two years ago, but I had a lot of fun. One might argue that if I made fewer silly jokes I might have shaved a few seconds off my time. Maybe I could have finished 79th instead of 80th out of 121. It would have been a shorter blog post, too (I’m sure a selling point with some readers). But I think I like my way better.

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Hard Core Dithering

Posted on August 16, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I knew I was going to run on Thursday. It was a foregone conclusion. I thought I would do a hard core run up the hill to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC) then do a short run or a long walk on Friday. My only worry was that it would rain. I could always jog in place on the mini-tramp, but there is nothing hard core about that.

As the end of my work day approached, I began to second-guess myself. As many of you know, that is pretty much what I do. Perhaps hard core was not the way to go. Perhaps I should be taking it easy even two days before the race. Then again, I would have a full day to recover. Maybe something in between hard core and taking it easy was the way to go. Yes, I am a hard core ditherer.

“Hey, who here runs?” I asked my co-worker who, I believe, knows everybody in the plant. He gave me a couple of names, but there was nobody I could seek out in the next hour. I explained my dilemma.

“So I don’t know if I should work out hard core or soft core or medium core,” I finished.

“Medium,” he advised. He further advised me to not merely walk my dog on Friday but to power walk, leaving the dog home if she does not like to power walk, which in fact she does not. He used to be a high school athletic coach, so his advice was no doubt good.

I confess I don’t know why I’m getting so exercised (so to speak) about a mere 5K. It’s not as if I think I’m going to win. While I pride myself on not walking, I do not hesitate to waste breath making silly jokes for the amusement of other runners, spectators and myself (at least somebody’s going to be amused). I run because I ENJOY running. There is no reason I should put myself under such stress.

The rain cleared up and it became quite the lovely afternoon. The sun shone, a breeze blew, it was unseasonably cool. A perfect afternoon for a run. My husband was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, my most favorite outfit to see him in.

I got ready to run, still dithering. Just before I went out the door, I looked in my running journal (I have a journal for everything) (I don’t really, but wouldn’t it be cool if I did?). The other two times I ran the DARE 5K I spent the week before running way shorter times than I am running now. I was going up the hill to HCCC, but my longest run was 33 minutes, not 47.

Well! It turns out I’m in GREAT shape for the DARE 5K, no matter which core I decided to run on Thursday! In fact, it turned out being between medium and hard. Perhaps I will write about it tomorrow. Today is Lame Post Friday, so I felt free to write about dithering.

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Early Morning Accomplishment

Posted on August 13, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Steven had an early shift on Monday, so I seized the opportunity for an early run. I was, of course, less enamored of the idea when it was time to actually get out of bed at 3:30 in the morning, but one must put up with these things.

It was a lovely temperature for a run. I later found out Monday promised to be the hottest day of the week with a high of 85. I congratulated myself on getting my run out of the way before the heat of the day.

I bypassed the hill to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC). For anyone just tuning in, that is the killer hill featured on the DARE 5K this Saturday, for which I am registered (I believe I have mentioned it a few times, but you never know who missed it). I intend to run the hill one or two more times before Saturday, but I prefer to do it during daylight hours. Yes, I ran it before dawn last Saturday, but that day the sky was lightening even as I reached the top of the hill. Monday’s run was a full hour earlier, plus I had a whole day of work to get through.

I ran up the hill by Valley Health instead. I like to run by Valley Health on these early early runs. I find it comforting to think of the people on the night shift going about their business. At least there are lights on.

The hill turned out to require a bit of effort from me. In fact, the run started out to be not much fun at all. My legs were complaining. I had not run two days in a row in a few weeks and this was my third day in a row. I told myself that after feeling wonderful on Saturday’s and Sunday’s runs I was due to feel a little miserable. Miserable is an exaggeration anyways. In fact, I felt like I pretty much expect to feel on a Monday.

Things got better as I continued to run. My legs settled into it and stopped complaining. My breathing was fine. In short, I could rock this. If only I could see a few lights on so I would not feel so alone, I thought, my life would be perfect. I know, another exaggeration but since this one’s on the positive side, let’s let it slide.

I saw a few lights on, but I had to debate with myself: was it on because somebody was up or had it been left on all night for bathroom navigation purposes? Sometimes you just can’t tell. At one point I smelled skunk. Yikes! Well, a skunk was unlikely to bother me if I left him alone, right? I kept an eye out to avoid startling the stinker if I did encounter him.

As usual my legs were pretty happy with me on my cool-down walk. Tabby was happy with me too, because I let her stop and sniff plenty. I needed the pauses to drink water. I felt pretty happy with the run too. There’s nothing like accomplishing something first thing on a Monday.

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I Got My Mojo Back

Posted on August 10, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, it is either Wrist to Forehead Sunday or another edition of All DARE 5K All The Time. I say DARE. For one reason, I ran today and it went pretty well. As I type this, my wrist is inclined to be on my forehead or at least my head in my hands, but I prefer not to dwell on my ills.

I almost did not run today. I apologize in advance if this gives you an unfortunate mental image, but my sports bras have rubbed the skin on my left side raw. I know, I need some new sports bras. In the meantime I have been putting lots of Medicated Power (generic Goldbaum’s) on my skin before I run. After yesterday’s long run, I had some major sore spots. I thought taking a day to heal might be a good thing.

After two cups of coffee and pondering my shower plans, I thought, oh, a short, easy run would not be bad. I could give myself a preview of running NOT up the hill to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC), which will be my reward for completing the DARE 5K. So I ran.

It was eight in the morning when I finally set out. Not too warm yet. My ideal running temperature is upper 40s/lower 50s, but I can rock 61 degrees, which is what my thermostat told me the outside temperature was. This would be fine. I might even experience some of those endorphins or whatever it was yesterday that made me feel so good.

It felt pretty fine to start running. I had put a large band-aid (purchased for just such a purpose) over the sore area with lots of powder. I tried to run without too much arm movement. This would work. Maybe I could even run up to HCCC. Maybe the back way.

As I ran, however, I began to ponder my time constraints. I needed to be back home before Steven left for work at 8:50. For one reason, I couldn’t count on him remembering to leave the door unlocked. And I had to figure in my 10 to 12 minuted cool-down walk. This could be tricky. Then I remembered it was to be a short, easy run. Twenty minutes would be OK, 30 minutes tops.

I turned into Brookfield Park, which I used to refer to as the Unknown Park. That begins with a nice little hill. Nothing to worry about. The path is kind of worn out pavement/gravel with lots of rocks. I like to run on uneven surfaces. It adds interest to my run.

With my time constraints in mind, I only ran to the end of the park then back out the way I came and back home. As I ran back down German Street, I felt the same surge of happiness I had felt towards the end of yesterday’s run. “I LOVE running!” I thought. “Running is the BEST exercise EVER!” Oh, it is so nice to have my mojo back. I know there will still be runs when all I can do is persevere, but I so enjoy the runs that go well.

I ended up running 22 minutes. 22 is my favorite number, so that was nice. When Tabby graciously walked my cool-down walk with me, we met a neighbor and his little dog. I’ve seen the dog only from a distance. Tabby quickly made friends. Other dogs usually love Tabby.

Later on, Tabby and I took a walk to the Herkimer Police Department so I could register for the run. When I got home I started to feel ill with that lightheaded, sinusy crap that’s been bothering me for the last week and more. Oh well, I ran, I felt pretty good, and now it’s Wrist to Forehead Sunday. I tell you, never a dull moment for Mohawk Valley Girl.

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What Do Those Crickets Know?

Posted on August 10, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’m afraid the blog will be veering into All DARE 5K All The Time as I begin to obsess over the event in a most unbecoming fashion. The good thing is that I don’t just obsess, I also run. And I do like to write about my runs.

Steven had to get up at four this morning. I had one cup of coffee with him then got on the road about a quarter till five. I put on my reflective vest and LED light, because it was still completely dark. I remembered there were streetlights up the hill to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC), so I planned on running up that hill yet again. There was no traffic to speak of and the temperature was just right. This was going to be great.

The road to HCCC is still in the village of Herkimer, but it feels like it’s leading right out of town. The houses grow sparser and there is no sidewalk. Still, there are streetlights. That makes it civilization. There are some wooded areas. I suppose people who live in the real wilderness are laughing at me: “That’s not a wooded area, those are just some trees!” Well, I know deer live in the trees. How do I know what else lives in them? What could live in them? Badgers? I’m not even sure what a badger is. I probably would not meet a badger. I probably would have heard if there was anything real dangerous. Wouldn’t I?

Those streetlights did not throw as much light as the streetlights in the village proper do. What was that shadow up there in the distance? Probably just an overhanging branch. Or, you know, just a shadow. Was that an ELEPHANT? No, just a minivan. Now I was being silly. I heard a bunch of crickets in the woods, I mean bunch of trees next to me. Yeah, I guess the elephant joke was pretty bad, I told myself (you know, how when a stand-up comedian lays an egg, all you hear is crickets? That’s what I was going for just there).

So I continued up the hill, thinking of all the funny lines I could but only hearing crickets. I got pretty amused over thinking how not funny I was being. I wish I could remember some of the jokes, but no doubt some wise-ass reader would have commented with, “Crickets,” or the overused, “Don’t quit your day job.”

After I got to the top of the hill I just turned around and ran back down the way I came. I don’t think college is in session yet and I didn’t care to run around a dark, deserted college campus at five in the morning. I didn’t think there were streetlights on the back way down from campus and that is a more heavily wooded area.

When I made it to the bottom of the hill I felt pretty good, which was fortunate because I was not quite halfway to my goal time of at least 45 minutes. I forgot to mention that halfway up the hill I had made myself a promise: after the DARE 5K I would not run up a hill for at least a week. I amended that to add “unless I felt like it.” The vision of a long run on all or mostly level ground seemed very appealing.

So I finished my run on lovely, mostly level ground. The sun had been coming up since I was at the top of the hill. I watched the gradually lightening sky with gratitude. Dawn and dusk are my favorite times of day. I love to be outdoors and watch it get dark or light. Oh, running is the best thing in the world!

I was feeling WONDERFUL! I LOVE running! I asked myself, could this be those endorphins I hear so much about? Or was it just that frisson of accomplishment? Or the anticipation of fulfilling that promise to myself next week? Perhaps just joy of a Saturday morning when I do not have to go to work. Oh, who cares why, just enjoy the feeling!

I made it 47 minutes. I’m not worrying about increasing my time by a strict 10 percent these days. If I’m running over 40 minutes I know I’m in great shape for a 5k. I’m just happy my run time is up to where it is now. And I don’t even care if the crickets are not amused by my jokes.

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