Tag Archives: running

Lame Post? Running Commentary? Non-Sequitur? Anyways, It’s Late But Here It Is!

Hello, and welcome to another late Lame Post Friday post (ooh, it is weird not to be ten-fingered typing and not have the predictive text thingy making suggestions). In my defense, and I suppose it is not much of one, I was cheering up my friend Kim, or she was cheering me up, I guess.  This involved sitting on my front porch, sipping wine, and having a lot of laughs. What would I do without my friends?  It does not bear thinking about.

Be that as it may, I am sitting at the dining-room-table-top (which used to be a laptop, as regular readers may recall), having my first cup of coffee of the day.  I have been up for almost two hours, so the coffee is extremely welcome.  I went running for just over three and a quarter miles in 44 minutes.  Yay, me!  Stretching with my recovery beverage of chocolate milk (yum!), a soapy shower (with hair wash!), and a search for something to wear (note to self: do laundry) took up the rest of my morning so far.

Just a quick note about the parenthetical comment about “hair wash” (does that make this Non-Sequitur Saturday?):  since my hair got so long, I do not shampoo it every day.  Some days I put on a shower cap and it makes my showers a whole lot quicker.  I suppose most readers are not interested in my follicular gyrations, so I’ll shut up now (but only about that).

One reason I wanted to go for my run early was to see the full harvest moon.  I love the moon!  Actually, any time of the month I enjoy to start my run in the dark and end it in the light, but the full moon was a definite added attraction.  I saw it from my upstairs hall window when I first got up and said, “Yes!”

As I ran toward German Street, I could just see it disappearing behind some trees.  Damn!  I ran down Germany, hoping for a break in the branches.  I ran faster than I normally would have, because I was afraid the moon was setting and I would miss it entirely.  On I went, catching flashes of it now and then.  Oh wait, that was a street light.  Damn!  Up the hill by Valley Health, would I have better luck in the suburbs?  That is what I call the residential area behind Valley Health, next to Herkimer College (formerly known as HCCC).

Into the suburbs I went.  Oh, there was the moon!  If I could just get to the end of the street I was on, I could see it beyond those trees.  Aaaand, it disappeared behind a house.  Stupid house!  I turned a corner and kept hoping.  I could almost see it as I approached what I thought was the end of a dead-end street, then discovered the street in fact turns into the parking lot of a church.  There was the moon!

Running into the parking lot, I could see the full moon in a break in the trees.  Beautiful!  I turned my head to keep seeing it, knowing that was not the brightest thing to do.  My knee still has a scar from when I was looking at somebody’s yard and tripped on the sidewalk (these things take a long time to heel when you are my age) (middle).  I looped around and admired the moon some more.  Luckily it was a smooth parking lot.

Well, look at me, approaching 600 words.  I guess my Lame Post Friday post morphed into a Running Commentary.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.  For one thing, I wanted to share my story about the moon.  I am off now to plan my Saturday of adventures.  I hope to make a blog post ab0ut it later.

 

Columbo, Can You Help Me Now?

I am not having a Wrist to Forehead Sunday today for the simple fact that I am too tired to raise my wrist that high.  Wow, how pathetic is that?  What a big, lazy baby I am!  I mean, how much trouble is it to swoon dramatically?  Too much, apparently.  So I sit on the couch, trying to make some post, any post.

“One more thing.”

As I type (one letter at a time with the stylus), I am looking at an episode of Columbo on DVD.  I love Columbo.

Earlier today I went for a run.  I went grocery shopping, made some things for my week’s lunches, and fixed a tasty dinner for my husband, Steve, and me.  I suppose I could have come up with OK blog posts about any of those activities.  Hmmm… nope.  They just don’t move me.

I know, I know, one must not wait for inspiration nor to be in the mood to write.  We have been over this.  Can I think of anything new to say about it?  How about this:  this blog is my hobby.  I do it because it is fun.  I enjoy it.  Sometimes it is more of an effort than others, but I find that I am usually happy that I have made the effort.  It is like running in that respect:  you have to put up with the crap runs to get to the good ones.

Oh dear, that sounds like some of my blog posts are crap posts.  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!

The point I was going for was that I like to blog about what moves me at the moment.  At the moment, I do not feel particularly moved.  However, I have managed to rattle on for over 250 words.  Steven has started another episode of Columbo.  I would like to watch it.

 

I Run and Blog on the Same Day!

I thought I would attempt a Running Commentary Post in lieu of the threatened Wuss-out Wednesday.  For one reason,  I ran.  As regular readers know,  what I do is called running only by the most generous definition of the term.  Then again, generosity is an admirable quality, most of the time.

I was a little later getting started than my usual after-work runs, because my husband, Steve, and I had to drop my car off to be inspected (luckily for me, they are not inspecting it for lack of clutter, but I digress).  However, I did not talk myself out of it but put on running gear and set out.

And right away could not make up my mind of where to go.  I started to turn right onto German Street but saw a group of pedestrians ahead so turned around and headed left.  This set me up for my old faithful weekday run:  down German to Caroline Street,  then across Park Avenue (ooh!) to Margaret, up Margaret back to German, down Henry, and eventually back home.

When I got to Caroline, I changed things up by crossing the street and continuing on German.  I don’t usually do that, because it tends to be a busy intersection.  I don’t imagine anybody would hit me, but I like to give myself every advantage.

It was not bad weather for a run, but I found it much more pleasant in the shade. After hooking around German Street near the high school, I chose which streets and which side of the street based on where the shade was. I had it in my head to run for 20 minutes.  I am up to 33 on my weekend runs but have only managed 17 during the week.  You see, I am building myself back up slowly and gently.

I managed 20 minutes without too much trouble, which makes me feel encouraged about future runs.  I might be ready for a 5K by September, if one comes my way. Dare I dream of the Utica Boilermaker 15K in 2023?  It’s a possibility!

In the meantime,  I am over 300 words and am making my Wednesday blog post ON Wednesday!  I feel inordinately pleased with myself.

 

But Is It a Reasonably Entertaining Post?

It’s not easy being me, but it is reasonably entertaining.

That is a favorite saying of mine (one which I made up myself, I add, because I feel rather pleased with it).  I do not know if this week’s Wrist to Forehead Sunday post will properly illustrate it, but I can only try.  It is after 6 p.m., late in the day for me, at least on a Sunday.  It has been a stultifyingly hot and humid day (oh, stop playing that miniature violin; heat is a legitimate problem for me).  I have not gotten done all I had hoped.  OK, I have gotten done very little of what I had hoped.  Why DO I  get my hopes up?  It is very silly of me.

Where was I? Ah yes, Wrist to Forehead Sunday, the day on which I feel inclined to swoon, dramatically posed with the back of one wrist to my forehead, on the chaise lounge which I hope one day will grace my house.  In the meantime,  a couch or bed will have to do.

I went for a run this morning (I believe I mentioned it in my Saturday post, which I made late) (why do I insist on calling attention to my numerous late posts?).  I have done an unusual two loads of laundry, one clothes, one towels.  I went grocery shopping.  I went to the liquor (I guess I ought not count that under the heading of Useful Things).  I tried to make guacamole (that might be worth a whole blog post).  I chopped celery and radishes, made a salad, and fixed tomorrow’s lunch.  I washed the dishes I dirtied in doing so.

Well, all of that does not sound reasonably entertaining,  even to me.  But here is a question: why did autocorrect change “chopped” to “stopped”? Chopped is definitely a word.  Why would anybody stop celery and radishes?  Points to ponder.

In the meantime,  I see I am over 300 words.  Reasonably entertaining words? I can only hope.  I cordially invite you all to tune in tomorrow, when I hope to make a Pre-Rehearsal Post.  All Love’s Labour’s Lost All The Time,  remember?

 

I Didnt Miss My Saturday Run

You have to have the crap runs to get to the good ones.  That is what I tell myself, at any rate.  Well, it stands to reason.  If I stopped running just because it didn’t feel terrific, I would not run very far very often.  Sometimes it feels better as I go.  Sometimes it feels better by the third or fourth day in a row.  Sometimes it feels really, really good when I am taking my cool down walk.

Where was I going with this?  Ah yes, trying to make my Saturday Running Commentary Post on Sunday morning.  I got lazy as the day went on yesterday and did not make my blog post.  It was remiss of me.  In my defense, I ran, did some laundry, cleaned parts of my house, and walked for about an hour, all in the sweltering heat and humidity. Oh, stop playing that miniature violin! I wasn’t whining, I was trying to make myself feel better for not posting!  It didn’t work.

But I digress.  The point is, I am running again, after two months off (at least I walked, and felt pretty good about that, but I think we’ve been over this). I ran last Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday, then yesterday and today. I walked Monday before work.  I am still waiting for it to feel terrific, but I have had moments of it feeling not too bad.  Sometimes you have to take what you can get.

On the weekday runs, after work, I haven’t asked more than 15 minutes of myself.  I met the goal Tuesday and exceeded it Friday (not by much, but still).  For the weekends, I thought to start with 20 minutes and exceeded that, too.  I went a little further this weekend than last, so I am reasonably content with my progress.

Are there any community runs in my future?  I hope so but have as yet not looked too far ahead.  At least this gives me something else to blog about.  Ooh, look: I AM over 300 words, and it wasn’t about Love’s Labour’s Lost!  As always, thank you for tuning in.

 

More a Scattered Post than a Scattered Sunday

I had a little trouble with WordPress over the weekend with the result that I last posted Friday morning (Thursday’s post, by the way) and it was not actually posted. It seems I neglected to click on something to confirm something, blah blah woof woof.  I am so in the wrong century.  The main thing I have gained from the computer era, and this occurred in the last century,  is the perfect summation of my life:  Operator Error.  One good thing is that I find myself perfectly set up for a Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post.

I’m the tough one brandishing the pitch fork.

However, rather than continuing to lament my ills, I wanted to share this blast from my past that showed up in my Facebook Memories.  It is Much Ado At the Zoo, when LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company presented Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing at the Utica Zoo in 2016 (do I really need to tell anybody it is Shakespeare’s? Oh, I suppose I do).

Right now I should be studying my lines for Love’s Labour’s Lost, which we are doing this year (perhaps you read one of my blog posts about it).  I will read through them before I go to bed.

In other news, I went running this morning for the first time in two months.  It went pretty well. I enjoyed it.  I wanted to make a Running Commentary Post, only I did not solve my WordPress problems till later in the day, and the moment had passed.

I see I am over 250 words.  I think I will bill this as a Scattered Sunday.  I hope I have done all the right things and can continue to post on a daiy basis.  Then again, a little uncertainty adds interest to my life.  Happy Sunday, everyone!

 

Is It Magic? Or Just Lame?

Three late posts in a row. I wonder what my record is. It would be far too much trouble to check. I can’t be bothered about these things. I am lounged on the couch, pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus on my Tablet, just to give you a picture. I just took a 2-mile walk, and I am contemplating my upcoming day. So much I need to do, so much I want to do, but first, my Lame Post Friday post.

I have very little in the way of brain power this morning (cue jokes about how that is always the case) (but, really, aren’t those jokes a little too easy and obvious and just a trifle beneath you?) (you know who you are). But I have been doing pretty well at posting every day (or do I mean pretty good? How mortifying not to know!) and wish to continue.

That brings up something I have been wondering about myself. I think it was about a week before Memorial Day when I re-started daily blog posts. I am pretty sure it was the Tuesday after Memorial Day weekend that I started my daily walks. I remember this, because I had been thinking about walking before work for a while but not done it. The Saturday of that weekend was when I did whatever I did and had to stop running for a while. So I started walking.

OK, that whole paragraph is not what I’ve been wondering. I have been wondering: What do I think is going to happen? Something magic? Is this going to make my life better? Is it going to make me better? Is it even going to help?

I put it under the heading, Couldn’t Hurt, Might Help. Sometimes that is the best we can hope for.

Still, I would like it if something magic would happen. I suppose it needs more than a daily walk and a daily blog. Any suggestions?

Wayback Walk after Wuss-Out?

So yesterday was a true Wuss-out Wednesday as I neglected to post at all. In my defense, shut up, explanations are tiresome. I am sitting at the dining-room-tabletop prior to five Thursday morning, and my main feeling is gratitude for coffee. I went for a half-hour walk so am torn between making a Pedestrian Post and a Way-back Wednesday Post. Since I would like to retain the option of making a Throwback Thursday Post later, I shall attempt the former.

I do love flowers.

Full disclosure: I still have not upgraded my WordPress account so cannot add new pictures. Here is one from a walk I took in July 2017, making this a Way-Back Wednesday as well as a Pedestrian Post. This is the extent of my ability to multi-task (unless cleaning my oven while I sleep is still a thing) (older readers get that). Fuller disclosure: I did not see this on this morning’s walk, although I did walk by this building. For one reason, it was still dark. However, if I had troubled to look, I could probably report on whether the purple flowers are there once again. I did not. Judge me if you are so inclined.

Teehee!

Here is a funny from a walk in July 2018. It was actually a cool-down walk after a run, just to make me feel a little sad to remember I have not been running since May. I found it on the sidewalk and took it home, taking this picture, because it amused me so much. I told my husband Steve it was probably for him, and his girlfriend had left it there for me to deliver.

I see I have not yet said anything about today’s walk. Oh well, it wasn’t such a much anyways, and I am almost at 300 words (that sentence put it over). I feel oddly pleased with this post, but perhaps I flatter myself. No matter. It’s time to get myself a little more coffee.

PS. Now it is 5 a.m.

Walking into a Blog Post

What did I say yesterday about posting at night so I could walk in the morning? Well, I didn’t do it on Monday. However, I took a walk this morning and am now sitting on my couch, icing my elbow and wielding the stylus with my left hand, attempting a long-promised Pedestrian Post.

I have been walking almost daily since Memorial Day weekend, when something bad happened to my hip. My hip doesn’t feel so bad these days, so a run may be in my future. Still, walking is way easier: no wrestling into sports bras before or shower necessary after. It is certainly more conveniently fitted into my morning routine.

I try to get up around four. I go for my walk right away, while the coffee perks. Today I was on my way at 4:15. I used my Garmin to track the walk and carried my cell phone for security proposes. I sometimes use Map My Run on the phone. I like to post the map on Facebook and let my friends interpret the shape.

I like to carry a bottle of water and hydrate as I go. Then I like to walk by the spring and refill the bottle. I do that on my longer runs (if I ever work my way back up to longer runs). I find it works well walks, too. It ensures that my walk lasts a little over twenty-minutes.

My favorite thing about early morning walks is hearing the birds sing. I also enjoy watching the sky brighten as the sun rises. For some reason I feel a little more nervous walking in the dark than I do running. Maybe it is the thought that I can just run away from anything untoward. Or perhaps it is because it takes less time to get from streetlight to streetlight. However, I do not allow any feelings of trepidation to stop me. I’m sure there is nothing to worry about in any case.

Today I only walked straight to the spring and back, just over a mile in 23 minutes. I am now stylus-typing with my right hand (must faster for me) and I see I am over 350 words. Time to get on with my Tuesday.

Snapped, Svengoolie, and Still Sluggish on Sunday

I also watched Columbo, but it would not have been alliterative to use in the title. I am looking at another episode of Columbo as I type this (one letter at a time with the stylus; I really must get a new laptop), but I am more concerned to get this posted and get to bed. I like to go to bed early on a Sunday.

“One more thing!”

I went for a walk instead of a run again this morning. It occurred to me I could start doing Pedestrian Posts instead of Running Commentaries. Had I but thought to do that earlier, I could be paying more attention to Columbo now. This episode features quite the clever plan.

It’s been a favorite for years.

I have been more into movies than Snapped on Sundays lately, but today true crime called to me. I took a break to enjoy a DVR’d episode of Svengoolie. The Monolith Monsters. I find those old horror movies so fun.

I’m also a sucker for his corny jokes.

As you may guess from the desultory nature of this post, I am still feeling sluggish today. Oddly enough, I have not taken any decongestants, just some ibuprofen for my hip. Perhaps my chronic insomnia is catching up with me. But just listen to me whine about my aches and pains! I mean, don’t listen to me! My problems are all of the first world variety, and I will shut up about them.

In the meantime, I am approaching 250. I consider that more than adequate for a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.