Tag Archives: running

Another Day, Another Walk, Another Post

Posted on April 5, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

At the risk of being redundant (oh, who am I kidding? I say the same things over and over again all the time!), I make another Pedestrian Post.  Today’s walk was longer with no libations involved.  I first went to the post office again, this time with business correspondence in hand (what business, you ask? Nun-O-Yo Bidness!) (I’ve never actually said that to anyone, but I have always wanted to).  It was not as warm as yesterday but still perfectly comfortable for walking.

I should do something like this with Frankentree!

On the way to the post office, I paused to snap a picture of an Easter Egg Tree I have been admiring.  Maybe next year I will find enough oomph to decorate for the holidays.

After mailing my letter, I walked a long way home, going past Basloe Library.  When I left the house, I had had some notion of stopping there to work on my murder mystery (preview of coming attractions) but decided I would rather take a longer walk and work on it at home (full disclosure: I still have to do that).  Going through the parking lot, I decided to get a picture of the Do Not Enter sign I mentioned in my last Running Commentary Post (perhaps you read it) (I mean the post, not the sign, although you are welcome to read both).

Once again, I entered.

I walked past my street by two blocks, then up to German Street to get back home.  I was hoping to walk for a half hour, and I did.  For another seasonal picture, I got the cross in front of Trinity Lutheran Church.

Full disclosure: I may not go to church on Easter Sunday.

My walk was over a half hour and over a mile and a half.  I believe I mentioned how I have been seeking the mental health benefits of exercise.  I think this walk helped.  I hope to try another walk or run tomorrow, maybe even both.  But I might look for something else to blog about.  I hope you will stay tuned.

 

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Running by the Rules

Posted on April 3, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had not gone running since Tuesday nor even taken a walk since Wednesday.  Yes, you can shake your finger at me, or your head, or your booty.  These things happen.   I did not even run Saturday.  So I made sure to go for at least a short one today.

Just 20 minutes, I told myself, just go for 20 minutes.  I had gotten up to 31 minutes last weekend, so by my Add Ten Percent rule I should have been up to 34 minutes today (I didn’t make that up, the guy at the Sneaker Store told me about it a long time ago; I guess it’s a thing) (although knowing me, I probably don’t do it right).  But after missing four days, I followed the Give Myself a Break rule.

It was much chillier than it was yesterday but not too bad.  Until the wind picked up.  Yikes!  Fortunately it did not blow fiercely for the entire run.

I started out taking the opposite direction from what I usually do, heading away from German Street.  Then I took a right onto Church Street, heading towards Valley Health, where there is a nice hill I could run up.  However, when I got closer I again followed the Give Myself a Break rule and turned into the high school parking lot.

You have to picture it without the leaves on the trees.

I  observed as I ran that I was heading the same way as the water.  When I run up to Herkimer College the back way (which I have not done in a long time), there is a little creek running downhill.  I always think the water is laughing at me, “Hey, you!  You’re going the wrong way! Downhill is much better!”  At the high school, it is a more gradual slope.

My run was not feeling bad.  My body did not protest much at all.  I turned a few corners, debating on the best way to get back home anand still take at least 20 minutes.  Additionally, I tried to run with the sun not too much in my eyes.  It is annoying and can give me a headache.

All the snow was gone today.

I ran through Meyer’s Park, as I often like to do.  I wanted to go up Prospect Street as far as the Do Not Enter sign on Bellinger Avenue.  Regular readers know how I like to enter when it says not to.

On another topic…

I was unsuccessfully  searching my Media Library for a picture of the Do Not Enter sign when I saw this utterly appropriate photo.  I personally am indulging in a little wine, not a blender of booze.  Additionally, I am not too devastated by the thought of Monday.  I will naturally feel differently tomorrow morning, but I can’t worry about that now.

About the run:  22 minutes, over a mile and a half, and it felt pretty good.  I was only sorry I was out of milk, so I could not have my usual chocolate milk recovery beverage.  Bring On the week!

 

 

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Saturday? Sunday? Just Another Blog Post

Posted on March 26, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is a well known fact that I have never, at any point in my life, for one minute, ever had my act together.  It seems unlikely that I will achieve such a status at this late stage, even if I were to make the attempt.  Full disclosure:  I tend not to try.  At worst,  I survey the damage and make embarrassing weepy noises.  At best, I just drive on.  I am hoping for a drive on day today.

I am lounged on my couch, pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus on my Tablet, trying to remember why I did not make my Saturday blog post on Saturday.  I am further wondering if I can count this post for both Saturday and Sunday.  Would that be cheating?  I do not approve of cheating, even if it is on my own rules for me.  Still, one resorts to  these measures on occasion.

It has not been a bad weekend so far.  I went for good runs both yesterday and today, going further than last weekend and even including a few hills.  I petted a couple dogs today.

The sign is looking more faded now, and the trees in the background have no leaves.

I ran by this DO NOT ENTER sign yesterday.  Regular readers know I love to enter when it says not to.

That car wasn’t there today.

I ran by the post office today.  I walked there yesterday to mail my post cards and a letter.

I keep hoping for some of those endorphins to kick in.  One reason I try to be vigilant about running and walking is for the mental health benefits.  However, I don’t suppose anything will be a miracle cure.  Again I ask, why can’t I have a miracle cure?

And again I answer myself, never mind why, you can’t and that’s that.  However, it seems I can make a blog post.  It may be a late, foolish blog post, but what can you expect from someone who emphatically does not have her act together?

 

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No Tricks Here!

Posted on March 22, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I could make a Running Commentary Post, because I went for a run after work.  Then as I was running, I thought, “This isn’t going to make a very good blog post.”  It did not seem to be making a very good run.  However, one must get through the crap runs on the way to the good ones.

In some ways it was not a bad run at all.  Most of the sidewalks were bare.  The sun was shining.  It was warm enough to run in shorts and short sleeves. In short, what was I complaining about?

Not exactly what it looked like today.

I wanted to put a picture of something I ran by.  I took this one of Meyers Park in Herkimer, NY earlier this year.  There is a little more snow now, although it is melting.  I am still trying to figure out what I was complaining about.  Oh, I remember now.  I was disappointed that my run was not more memorable.

Additionally, I was a little discouraged by my huffing and puffing.  I ran Saturday and Sunday, and walked on Monday.  I have been walking and/or running most days since the beginning of the year.  Shouldn’t I be getting better at it?  When I was in the army, I loved running, because I magically got better at it.  All I had to do was do it.  Maybe there is some trick to it now that I am older.  Still, I was in my 30’s when I joined the army.  That’s pretty old in army years.

There may be a trick to making a better blog post, too.  Once again, I don’t know it. But I shall persevere.  Once again I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Blog After Run, Such As It Was

Posted on March 19, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

As often happens, I neglected to make my Saturday blog post on Saturday.  This morning I thought to make it first thing, but after I had futzed about (holy crap, autocorrect recognized “futzed” as a word!) with coffee and Facebook (judge me if you will, I find Facebook sometimes comforting these days), I really felt more like running than blogging.  It was almost light out.  I decided to go for it.  For one reason, I have been trying to self-medicate my depression with exercise.  For another, the Boilermaker 15K is coming up.  Eventually.

Holy crap, it was cold!  Never mind, I told myself.  You’ll warm up as you go.  Ignoring the logical part of my brain that said my fingers and face traditionally do not warm up, I kept going.

More problematic was the ice.  There were patches of ice EVERYWHERE!  Some of it was insidiously hard to see.  I found a nice bare strip down the center of most roads I went on, but clearly it is a mistake to run down the center of, say German Street, which I happened to be on.  Well, maybe there wouldn’t be much traffic.  In fact there was not a lot, but it only takes one car to obliterate one middle-aged lady runner.  I sprinted for Prospect Street as I heard then saw one approach.

I quickly decided a long-ish run such as I had enjoyed yesterday was not necessary.  15 minutes would be OK, I told myself.  Even at my cautious shuffle, that would be at least a mile.  As it happened, I went for 20 minutes, just under a mile and a half.

As I went, I did not observe much, since I was mainly keeping my eyes on the road.  Therefore I did not enjoy the benefits of distraction which running outdoors usually brings.  Never mind.  We all know some runs are better than others.  The point is, I ran.  And now I have blogged.  Bring on the rest of the day!

 

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Blog Before Run, Or Am I Too Lame?

Posted on March 18, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last week I hoped I was ushering in a new era of Not Late Lame Post Friday posts.  Alas, it was not to be.  Here it is Saturday morning, and I sit on my couch (lounge, really), listening to what I think is some kind of pigeon (maybe a mourning dove? It sounds pretty sad) and wishing I was already out running. One thing I love is running or walking in the morning and hearing the birds sing (or is it a morning dove with no emotion attributed?  I don’t know from birds).

One reason I am blogging before my run is that I am waiting for it to be light out.  I just can’t trust the sidewalks and roads this time of year.  I have wiped out on the ice too many times this year just walking (one hideous incident on my uneven concrete front steps).  I emphatically do not want to do it while running.  At my age I could break a hip.  Well, maybe not a hip, but something.  At least I would bruise my body and damage my fragile self-esteem.

My day stretches before me in a fairly threatening fashion.  That run to take, post cards to write, a house to clean, a murder mystery to write AND this afternoon auditions for murder mystery actors.  It is a general audition;  I want to develop a pool of actors to draw from as murder mysteries arise to be cast.

Now I feel threatened, because there is a something inside me (my depression?  the aforementioned fragile self-esteem?) strenuously insisting that I CANNOT POSSIBLY do a murder mystery at this time.  I MIGHT be able to write it (low self-esteem aside, I rarely admit to being unable to write something) (yes, yes, there are times when I say I CAN’T write a blog post, but I just mean I can’t write it right now).  But print it out, get a cast, schedule and go to rehearsals…

What am I saying?  Of course I can do all that!  The voices in my head are full of beans!

Talked myself right into that, didn’t I?  Guess I’ll go for my run now.

For local readers interested in theatre, auditions are today, March 18, at 1 p.m. at Ilion Little Theatre,  13 Remington Ave., Ilion, NY.  For more information,  you can visit the theatre’s Facebook page.

 

 

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Some Kind of Saturday

Posted on March 12, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

It was not a particularly Scattered Saturday, because I was just not up to doing much.  I did manage to go for a run, slowly on slushy roads.  I wrote a few postcards.  I ran a few errands. I did a very little house cleaning.  I am watching a few movies.

The highlight of my day was running into one of Steve’s former co-workers.  She gave me a hug and said how sorry she was about Steve’s passing.  She told me how much she liked working with him and agreed with me that he was a really great guy.

When she asked how I was doing, in a rare moment of honesty, I said, “I’m falling apart!”  But then I pulled myself together and said that I appreciated the time we had together, over 30 years.  Of course I treasure the memories.

Being me, I had to add, “If anybody asks my advice about marriage, I’m going to say, ‘Marry a sonofabitch!  Then you won’t feel as bummed when they die!’ ”

She agreed with me and gestured towards her husband, who was, I believe, not listening to the conversation. Teehee!

To any friends and family who may be worried about me (although I am sure they all have much greater concerns):  I am not falling apart all the time.  These things go in spurts.  Anyways, in the best of times I rarely have my act together.  And so I carry on.  Happy Saturday,  everyone!

 

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The Post Is Certainly Scattered

Posted on March 5, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was all set to do a Scattered Saturday Post, but I guess I was too scatterbrained to actually do it on Saturday.  My bad.

It was not a super good day for me.  I started out having problems with my cable.  Instead of going on a run, I got some exercise by attempting to shovel my driveway.  In this I was helped by an anonymous neighbor who snowblew the end, a path to the front steps, and the walk in front of the house.  So that was a very nice thing.

The cable problem wasn’t complete frustration, either.  They were actually able to send a tech on a Saturday morning, he showed up when they said he was, and he was very nice and helpful.  I only have trouble feeling grateful for it now, though, because I got up this morning to the same damn problem!  It must be operator error, because the guy gave me a new cable box and replaced some outside wire.  I talked to a guy on the phone this morning who concluded that an inside wire is to blame.  He is sending me a replacement, but I can also drive to New Hartford, NY, and pick one up for free.  That way I will not have to wait and will have a spare in case it happens again.

I Don’t Know About My Saturday, But This Post Is Certainly Scattered.

I just typed that into the title bar then realized it was far too long for a title.  Under the heading Waste Not Want Not, I copied and pasted it here.  Now I am too lazy to change the capital letters to lowercase (but apparently not too lazy to spell out “capital letters” when the rest of the world just says “caps”).

Anyways, the rest of my Saturday was spent with my friend, Kim. She met me at the End Zone Pub, where I had gone after  I walked my post cards to the post office (that makes it sound like the post cards walked too, like they were my pets that needed exersise).  We enjoyed a libation, and I took a picture, since I had it in mind to do a Scattered Saturday Post.

They posed and approved the shot.

Next Kim took me to my house to pick up an afghan to donate to the HALO Chinese Auction, which was being set up at the Mohawk American Legion.  We stopped on the way to the Legion at Mohawk Antiques Mall to pick up a copy of Mohawk Valley Living magazine.

Lots of good prizes to try for!

Local readers, if you see this in time, I encourage you to go to the auction.  It is today, Sunday, March 5, 2023.

 

Easier the trying to type in the info. Did I mention I was lazy?

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A Mixed Up But Not Monstrous Run

Posted on February 28, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I mixed things up by running, which I rarely do on a Monday, so I thought I would further mix things up by doing a Running Commentary Post instead of my usual Monstrous Monday Post.  I suppose, though, that it is not unusual for me to be mixed up.  Never mind that: on with the post!

One reason I thought to go running was that the roads were pretty much bare, which they have not been and which they are unlikely to remain.  I had previously been toying with the idea of running in place on the mini-tramp, because I wanted to do laundry before taking my shower, one of my few instances of multi-tasking (also, I come home from work too dirty and stinky to want to just sit around before showering).  When I noticed the bare roads as I left work, I said, “Heyyy!”

Picture more snow not on the road but a less wet road.

Of course I thought to run by places I have pictures of in my Media Library.  I believe I used this picture of Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners in my last Running Commentary Post.  As I approached the Corners, my whole body was saying, “Oh, to hell with this!”  Imagine my chagrin to find I had been running for less than three minutes.

There was a little more snow surrounding this building as well.

I ran down several streets with no landmarks before heading toward Washington Street and this handsome building.  I was huffing and puffing and, according to my Garmin, running a bit faster than I have in the recent past.  My body was, as it often does, trying to convince me that a short run would be OK.  I suppose it would, but I have the Boilermaker 15K to train for.  Yes, I have time, but not forever.

This is where I pay my water bill.

 

I hoped to make it for 20 minutes while promising myself I would not beat myself up over 17 or even 15.  I was pleased with myself for doing a mile in just under 13 minutes.  I know, other people do a mile much faster, but I cannot go around comparing myself to others.

Again, picture more snow.

I added a little time to my run by going around Meyers Park the long way.  For one reason, it was left side facing traffic (as it happened, there was no traffic, but one likes to be prepared).  Additionally, I got to enter where it said Do Not Enter.  Regular readers know how I like to do that.

My run was just barely over 20 minutes, a little over a mile and a half.  I felt pretty pleased with myself, especially on a Monday. I want to be more regular about walking and running.  It lifts my mood in several respects, and sometimes it makes a pretty good blog post.  Or do I flatter myself?

 

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Still Scattered, Still Saturday!

Posted on February 19, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am going to make a fast Scattered Saturday Post and get back to enjoying my evening.  Maybe with another glass of wine.

I went for a run earlier this morning and eventually made my Lame Post Friday post.  More importantly, I wrote out a few post cards to send.  Regular readers know I like to send out a few postcards every week to folks who might need a pick-me-up.  I have not sent any for the past two weeks, so I felt happy to do so again.

I throw in a picture of the post office, just to add an illustration.

When I went to mail the post cards, I went on to Little Falls, NY, because I had to drop off a couple of catalogues I had borrowed from Mohawk Valley Funerals and Cremation.  Since this brought me past the turn-off to Dolgeville, I decided to visit Dolgville on my way back.

In Dolgeville I stopped at Stella’s Styles, a delightful consignment store I have been at before.  Alas, once there I felt disinclined to purchase anything, although I did see a  couple of fancy evevening bags I coveted.

Shortly after returning home, I joined my friend Kim for a tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  Three Brothers Winery in the Finger Lakes, yes!  After the tasting, we stopped at the Waterfront Grille for a full glass of wine.

Back home, I made some popcorn and watched as episode of Svengoolie on DVR.

It was Godzilla on Svengoolie.

I must decide what to watch next, but for right now I feel perhaps disproportionately pleased with myself for making my Saturday blog post on Saturday.   Hey, I gotta take my  wins where I can.

 

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