Tag Archives: herkimer ny

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 Don’t DARE Back Out Now

Posted on August 12, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sunday was the last day to register for the DARE 5K and pay $20. After Monday, Aug. 11, the fee goes up to $25. At least, perhaps I could have registered on the 11th for $20, but who likes to take a chance on these things? (Oh, you probably do.)

Of course the best way for me to register is to fill out the form the Herkimer Police Department nicely mailed me, write a check, put Tabby on the leash and walk over to the police station. That way Tabby gets a walk, I get some exercise, I can write a blog post about it, and it is altogether a pleasant experience.

I was afraid it would be a little too sunny and hot for our walk but it wasn’t too bad around 9 o’clock, which is when we went. I wore my crazy old lady hat and prescription sunglasses. I noticed once again how nice everything looks in the sunshine. It’s like nature’s cosmetic. Then again, a lot of houses in Herkimer look nice all on their own. I noted with approval well-kept lawns, flowers still in bloom and nicely decorated porches. I am particularly envious of comfy-lookng porch furniture. I have not done enough porch- and deck-sitting myself this year. I’d better start taking advantage of the opportunities left to me.

We walked down Church Street to our favorite Historic Four Corners. We did not pause to admire the buildings but crossed Main Street and continued down to Green and the municipal building. I told the officer at the window I wanted to register for the DARE 5K, and he called to Steve Elwood, the officer in charge of the event. When Officer Elwood opened the door to talk to me, Tabby started to walk right in. She’s so sociable. He petted Tabby and asked if she was running.

“She doesn’t like to run with me,” I told him. “But after I run I walk around the block for a cool-down, and she joins me on that.”

I also asked him a question pertaining to the police for my novel. He gave me some good information. We chatted a little more about the race, then Tabby and I took our leave. We walked back home a different way, which Tabby seemed to enjoy. We stuck to the shadier side of the street, because it was starting to heat up.

So now I’m registered for the DARE 5K, and it is less than a week away. Will I be able to write a blog post about anything else between now and then? Ah, a little suspense will add interest to my week.

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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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Couldn’t Call a Cab

Posted on August 8, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I purposely did not write a blog post while at work today, because I KNEW I would go running and could write a running commentary. I would NOT try to talk myself out of it, I would NOT wimp out, I would accept NO excuses.

When it started pouring rain at lunchtime, I was not worried. It would be sure to stop, and it did. The sun came out. There. When I talked to Steven shortly before I left work, he told me it was POURING in Herkimer.

“It might stop before I get home,” I said, not thinking it would. “Or I can run on the mini-tramp.” Not really wanting to. “It isn’t even raining here.” I work in Ilion, which is five minutes away. It was raining by the time I left, pouring by the time I got to my vehicle. I was laughing. Bad weather has that effect on me.

I drove home into blue skies. It was a miracle! Or another example of if-you-don’t-like-the-weather-wait-five-minutes Mohawk Valley. I changed into running clothes and got going.

The rain had cooled things off. This would be great. I thought I heard a rumble of thunder as I left the house. Maybe I should break out the mini-tramp? No, no, I wanted to run up the hill to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC). The DARE 5K is next weekend. I would be prepared IF I ran today. And a few more days between now and August 16.

I looked at the sky and started running. Those were not thunder clouds and there weren’t very many of them anyways. Maybe it hadn’t been thunder anyways.

I turned toward HCCC and found a place to cross German Street. Then I saw my friend Pudge the pug with his person on the other side of the street. If only I had waited to cross, I could have petted Pudge! His person waved to me and I waved back.

I could see dark clouds off in the distance. I was headed vaguely in their direction but doubted I would be running that far. When I headed up to HCCC I would be going right away from them. So there.

The run up the hill was not too bad. I won’t be good at it by next Saturday, but I’ll make it up. I even continued uphill on the walkway to the buildings before turning towards the way back down. The sky was blue with a few pure white clouds. The sun was warm but not too hot. My legs were pumping along with no complaints. My breathing was fine. This was great.

After I went back down the hill I ran to another hill I had run up on another run. Not a huge hill, but it was an effort. It’s good to make an effort. At the bottom of that hill, my legs started complaining. They were tired of running. They were ready for the sitting with my feet up portion of the evening. I ignored them. What else was I going to do? I had to get home. Maybe I’ll start running with my cell phone so I can call for a cab.

After my cool-down walk, on which Tabby graciously joined me, I felt pretty good about myself. I didn’t hear any more thunder till much later. Now I’m on to the sitting with my feet up portion of my evening.

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I Didn’t HAVE To

Posted on August 5, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

With the DARE 5K bearing down on me, I thought it would be a good idea to run today. I had proven to myself on Saturday that I could so run with a bad cold, so that fact that I was feeling only marginally better would not be a sufficient excuse. It was warm, but that was good, I told myself. The DARE 5K begins at 9 a.m. The sun will be high in the sky. What finally convinced me was that I told myself I didn’t HAVE to run up the hill to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC) and I didn’t HAVE to run 45 minutes. If I ran AT ALL, that would be enough. I set out.

It was warm. The sun was hot. I didn’t like it. But I persevered, trying to take comfort in the fact that it seemed less humid than it had earlier. There was a bit of a breeze, and I could look for shade.

I crossed German Street in the middle of a block, because I found a good opportunity. This is what you have to do with 4 p.m. Herkimer traffic. This put me on the right side of the street to run up to HCCC. But I didn’t HAVE to run there. Maybe I could run up the back way to HCCC. Not as steep, a little longer. A good run. I went by that street.

Oh, but it was not fun to run in the heat. Never mind, just keep going. Here was the street up to HCCC. I didn’t have to run up that hill. I could turn off before the steep part. I didn’t have to run 45 minutes, or even 40 minutes. I could run up the hill till I had run 10 minutes then run back down. But I ought to run more than 20 minutes. 30 minutes would be an OK run. I could run up the hill for 15 minutes then turn around, I bargained with myself. I didn’t fall for it. I knew that by the 15 minute mark I would be too far along to turn back.

The sun was bothering me more than the upslope. There was the steep part. In the sun. Wait a minute, no it wasn’t. There were two distinct patches of shade. There you go, I told myself. Run till you’re out of shade, then turn around. What a deal!

As I reached the second patch of shade I realized the shade continued, with varying degrees of patchiness, at least till the road curves. Once you get to the curve, you are just too close to the top to turn around. As I continued to shuffle up the hill I wondered if I had really had any thought of turning around. Of course not, I thought. For one thing, I knew I was going to write a blog post about it. Write a blog post about NOT making it up the hill to HCCC? That’s crazy talk!

I am sorry to report that the run did not for one minute become fun. I never once felt that I could rock this. I told myself that I was rocking it, pointing out to myself that no complaints were coming from my legs, but I just wasn’t feeling it.

That hardly mattered. What mattered was I did it. I can look forward to the DARE 5K with less trepidation. And it got me a blog post for Monday. I say OK.

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Crap Can’t Stop Me

Posted on August 3, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today’s run fell under the heading of Do It Anyways. I’ve felt dreadfully ill with either a cold or allergies for the past three days with the result that I did not run Thursday or Friday. I like a Saturday run better anyways: I can go at 6 or 6:30 when the temperature is cool and the traffic is thin. If I could have gone with a clear, un-aching head, that would have been nice. As I often say, you can’t have everything.

I wanted to take the hill up to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC) once again, because the DARE 5K is two weeks away. I know I can do it, I just don’t want it to suck too bad when I do. I was afraid today’s run would suck, but I was prepared for that. At least I was partially hydrated and fueled up. I got up at 3:30 with Steven, because he had to work at 6:30. I had consumed coffee, water and a slice of toast with peanut butter, raisins and honey. I could rock this.

The temperature was nice, and it didn’t seem too humid. I was able to cross German Street with no problem. The slight upslope didn’t bother me too much. Running at all did.

I saw a car parked on the sidewalk. Mind you, not over the sidewalk, for example in a driveway that isn’t long enough. Parallel to the road, lengthwise across the sidewalk. On a street where you are allowed to park on that side of the road! Appropriately enough, the car had a sticker on the back bumper that said WTF.

It seemed to take a long time to get to the hill. And the hill itself seemed pretty long. I was over halfway up it when I realized it sucked less than the last time I had run it. Boo-yah! I thought about how I would post a Facebook status of Boo-yah! although in real life I have never actually said that word. I’m not even sure of how to spell it.

As I continued to run, I noticed I was sweating quite a bit. It must have been more humid than I thought. I told myself I was sweating out the toxins and I would feel much better after the run than I had felt before. I had it in my head to run for 44 minutes, the length of my last longest run. Twenty minutes into the run, that seemed like a long time.

I realized, however, that I wasn’t feeling as sinus-related crappy as I had been. It was more I-don’t-feel-like-running-anymore crappy. That being the case, I kept running. I ended up running 45 minutes, even running a little faster at the end so it at least wouldn’t be longer than 45 minutes. It would have taken a longer full-out sprint than I felt capable of to run exactly 44 minutes.

As I walked my cool-down with Tabby, I started getting that heaviness in my head again. By the time I was stretched, showered and fed, I was back to feeling like crap. But I had run, so I felt pleased with myself. And I proved to myself how bad I could feel and still run pretty good. That’s information I can use the next time I feel this crappy. I hope it’s not tomorrow.

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Going Overboard for the Animals

Posted on August 1, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have not been to many garage sales this year. Partly it is because I have not had much chance, but it is mostly because I’ve been thinking lately that I just own too much stuff. I need to get rid of some of it before I add any more.

That said, when I noticed that the Herkimer County Humane Society was holding a garage sale last Saturday, I thought it couldn’t hurt to just go take a look. After all, it was such a worthy cause. I could buy maybe one or two small things. I didn’t have to go overboard.

I’m sure everybody knows how this is going to end.

It was really more of a yard sale than a garage sale, with items laid out across the front lawn, but I suppose that is mere quibbling. I found a convenient parking space on the side f the road and commenced to browse.

The first thing I found was a pair of green velvet gloves with black feather trim. No idea when I might wear something like that, but I had to have them. Then I found a nice little tin. Steven likes to put Christmas presents in tins instead of wrapping paper. Of all the books, the only one that really tempted me was a paperback Agatha Christie murder mystery. I have in to temptation. Next was a slipcover for a love seat, which we have been looking for Naturally I grabbed a few post cards, two of Lawrence Welk and one of the Episcopal Church in Herkimer (the church we attend when we go to church)(those were the only ones I found; had there been more, I would have taken them, too).

My arms were getting pretty full. I put everything down very carefully to try on a Halloween vest. It fit! The last thing I picked up was a dismembered skeleton in sparkly black. How wonderful is that going to look this October!

Loading myself back up, I looked for who I should pay. They were giving everybody yellow canvas bags with the picture of a dog and cat over the slogan “Adopt!” That was helpful for my smaller items. Nothing was priced. They were asking people to think about the animals and make a donation.

I’ll be honest, I think my donation could have been bigger, but I have what I thought I could afford. I promised to give more when I could and asked about volunteer opportunities. I took away a flier and said I would look at my schedule and see what I could do. I think volunteering for the Humane Society would be an excellent thing for Mohawk Valley Girl to do. I could probably get some good blog posts out of it.

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A Cup with a Cop

Posted on July 31, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s no secret that I love this area, my adopted hometown of Herkimer and the surrounding villages. I am naturally interested in any efforts to improve our quality of life. Under that heading, I made sure to attend Coffee and Conversation with a Cop last Saturday at the Baptist Church on Washington Street in Herkimer.

Full disclosure: I had another motivation to go. I thought I might have a chance to ask a policeman all my stupid questions regarding the local police for the novel I am writing.

The event ran from 9 to 11 a.m. I arrived close to nine and parked in the Green Street lot in front of the Municipal Building. A couple of people wearing name tags hung out around the door greeting people. Just inside the door a table was set up gathering contact information. They gave me a name tag, too. I got myself a cup of coffee and a donut and looked around for a cop that wasn’t busy.

People were still milling about, unsure of the event’s format. Three police officers were sitting at tables, which were set up in a U shape. I waited till one was free, sat down opposite him and pulled out my notebook.

Patrolman Patrick Murphy works for the Mohawk Police Department, but I was sure his answers would also be germane to Herkimer PD. He was very informative. We had an excellent conversation not just about my novel questions. A few other people joined in as we talked about police work in general and Patrolman Murphy’s experiences in particular. I was glad other people joined in, because I didn’t want to hog the cop.

After a while an older gentleman spoke up and asked that the policemen to sit at the head table, because he wanted to hear what people were asking them. I think a more informal format, such as we were doing, had been originally envisioned. However, after a couple tries, the older gentleman prevailed and the discussion became general.

I learned that the idea for coffee and Conversation with a Cop came from Dan Higgins, a snowbird and member of the church. He said communities were holding similar forums down south, so he approached Rev. Bell with the idea. he would like to see these meetings happen once a month.

“The church needs to be a part of the village, not just Sunday mornings,” he said.

Janice Lester Bell, the first lady of the church, spoke of the corporate and spiritual ministries of the church. The main focus of the day was not a complaint session but a chance to raise concerns and a chance for citizens to ask What can we do? Many concerns were raised. The officers answered questions, explained appropriate times to contact the police, and shared their own problems with staffing limitations.

“If you see something, say something,” is the best way a private citizen can help.

Several people had ideas on how to improve things. I found this encouraging, and I like the idea of monthly Coffee and Conversations. I’ll be watching for the next session.

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Sometimes Coffee is Not the Right Thing

Posted on July 27, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

A good way to get yourself to run on Sunday is to don’t run Saturday, so you will be obligated to run or to take two or more likely three days in a row off (because it is VERY difficult for me to run on a Monday). My alarm woke me up at 6, which is unusual for me (I didn’t have to work, but Steven did). At first I said, “I can’t run right away, I’d better have coffee first.” I immediately thought better of that plan and ran pre-coffee.

I congratulated myself on my perspicacity as I started running down the sidewalk (yes, I use words like “perspicacity” before having coffee). After all, coffee would make me more clever about thinking of excuses not to run. I wished I had run Saturday. Not because it would have been a good idea to take Sunday off, but because it felt like I had taken a lot longer than one day off. I carefully reviewed my week in my head as I ran. Yes, ran Friday, took Saturday off. Damn.

I had it in my head to run up the hill to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC). I have run it in recent memory (I probably did a blog post about it), but I have not run it as many times as I would like to before the DARE 5K in August.

When I had run on Friday, I had looked up the hill, but it was still quite dark out. The streetlights beckoned, but my nerves failed me. In my defense, it is disconcerting to run prior to four in the morning. Also, the path up to HCCC has woods on either side. I know there are deer that come out and cross the road. Who knows what nocturnal critters I might encounter?

These considerations were not valid on a July Sunday after 6 a.m., so up I went. My body was not happy with me, but I persevered. This hill wasn’t so bad, I told myself. After a while, I believed myself (why would I lie?). Still, I want to run that hill a bunch more times before the DARE 5K.

As I ran, I heard a rumble. Was that thunder? Thunder, we are told, is grounds for immediately returning home. Once I get out on a run, I do NOT look for excuses for immediately returning home. I wanted to run at least 40 minutes, maybe even 44, so I could increase my time by the recommended ten percent. That probably wasn’t thunder, I thought. It was probably some big old truck doing some big old truck thing. I kept running.

I ran towards the road that goes the back way down the hill. I saw a “Do Not Enter” sign, so I entered. It was just a little turn-off kind of street, didn’t even take me that long out of my way. I briefly considered continuing the other way and running by the reservoir but thought that would be better when I was up to running 50 or more minutes.

I passed two No Left Turn signs as I ran down the hill but had made up my mind to go straight for a while. I even turned and ran up another hill. Not a big, bad hill, but big enough so I could say to myself, “Yeah, I’m bad.” Was that another rumble? Probably another truck, I told myself. Anyways, there was Valley Health. I could turn towards it and be on my way home. Didn’t I once say something like safety first for Mohawk Valley Girl?

Surely it would be OK to run by the school instead of straight home (and I’ll call you Shirley if I feel like it). I really really wanted to run at least 40 minutes. I heard a train. Was that a rumble as well? No, no, just the train making that noise. I could keep running.

After running by the school I went kind of sort of straight home. The rumbles increased to where I could no longer pretend they were not thunder. I made my 44 minutes by running around the two vehicles in my driveway several times.

Tabby declined to go on my cool-down walk, with me. That was quite all right with me. I walked around my backyard for a shortened cool-down. The storm began in earnest while I was stretching out. Oh was I right not to have coffee first!

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