Tag Archives: running

Fun Sunday after Run on Saturday

So now it is Sunday, and I am having quite an enjoyable day.  I went running this morning, most unusual behavior for me on the day after I ran a 5K.  I ran neither very fast nor very long, but I enjoyed it.

Later this afternoon, my husband, Steven, and I went to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY, for a drink and a snack.  I am hoping to write an article about them for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  We had a fun time and enjoyed our food and Chardonnay.

Now we are sitting at home, bra off (me), sweats on (both of us ), watching It’s a Wonderful Life  (Steven’s idea) and having another glass of Chardonnay.  And I realize the necessity of making a blog post (by my rules, made up by me, applying to me).

Where we had a nice snack.

I guess I don’t have a whole lot else to say.  Maybe a word or two about the early Christmas present I received today from aforementioned husband Steven.

The new view if me at leisure.

Aren’t they awesome?  Steven purchased them for me yesterday at a drug store while I was running the Reindeer Run 5K and gave them to me today.  Isn’t he wonderful?

I always say there is no point at getting anything done on a Sunday. At least I am making some semblance of a blog post. I hope to see you all again on Monstrous Monday!

 

Run, Shop, Drink, It’s Scattered Saturday!

I have had a WONDERFUL day, and I will now attempt to make a Scattered Saturday post about it.  I have a number of pictures to share, so if my words are less than wonderful, I am certain my readers will forgive me.

This picture courtesy of Steve.

This is me finishing the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls, about a step behind Santa Claus. I think I may have been able to pour it on a little more and beaten the kid, but I did not try.  Perhaps if I had tried I would have failed.  But it was a fun run.

Love those alpacas!

The Reindeer Run was part of Christmas in Little Falls.  After I had showered at the YMCA and had a good breakfast at Il Caffe, we did some shopping.  My favorite stop was at Paca Gardens.

My photos here came out a little blurry.

After shopping, we were fortunate enough to catch a performance of a puppet play of “A Christmas Carol.”  It was awesome! We loved it!

A zombie nutcracker?

Later on we went to a wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer,  NY.  I took a few pictures of their holiday decorations,  which I hope to share in a later post.

Steven was the only one who deigned to smile.

After the tasting, we went for a couple of drinks at Heelpath Brewing Company at the Frankfort Marina.  It was fun!

I have not gone onto depth on any of our activities today, but perhaps future blog posts can fill in the gaps.  In the meantime,  Happy Saturday,  everyone!

 

Pre Reindeer Run Post

I had such high hopes of NOT having Lame Post Friday.  I don’t know why; I almost always do have Lame Post Friday,  and I often do not apologize for it.  At least, I have not exactly apologized yet.  However, that line about high hopes might be so construed.

No matter.  Blog posts must be made.  At least my blog posts by me.  I have several things I could make a blog post about.  I hope to make blog posts about them in the coming days.  For right now, though, I think I have used up all my oomph for the day.  All I can do right now is worry about the Reindeer Run 5K tomorrow.

The Reindeer Run 5K is part of the Christmas in Little Falls.  Many sales and events are part of the day.  I hope to participate in some of them after I run.  But first I must run.

Weather reports threaten rain but with warmish temperatures.  By warmish I mean 43 degrees.  45 is my cut off for shorts and short sleeves.  What are they giving me with this 43?  I mean, 45 is obviously an arbitrary cut off. One day I apparently ran in long sleeves and leggings, sweated, and decided it should have been short sleeves and shorts.  Was it 45 degrees?  I don’t remember!

So I shall spend the rest of my Friday night dithering.  Tomorrow I shall make my decision (spoiler alert: I am leaning towards shorts and short sleeves).  I may even write a blog post about it. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

Staying in Some Sort of Shape

In my defense, I have not made a late post at four in the morning in a while (OK, 4:16, according to my laptop, if you want to be didactic) (you know who you are) (and yes, I am on my laptop, ten-finger typing.  It’s fun!).  On the other hand, as regular readers know, I am too lazy (or maybe too impatient; is that better? Discuss amongst yourselves) to go back and check these things, so my defense may be a whole lot of hooey.  I can’t worry about these things now.

I felt too sick to my stomach to make a blog post last night.  I expect I ate too much at supper.  It is a sad reflection on me when I am gaining my holiday weight through a mere week-day supper of leftovers.  But it was quite tasty.  Perhaps the run I took helped burn a few calories, but the fit of my pants this morning (and I specifically washed the fat old lady pants for just such an emergency!) would refute that forlorn hope.

Yes, I took a run and fully intended to make a Running Commentary post.  The weather in Mohawk Valley is veering between bi-polar and “Go home, December, you’re drunk.”  I can’t quite remember Monday (I’m having that sort of a week, in case you couldn’t guess), but Tuesday had some relatively high temperatures: 40’s and 50’s, but was supposed to get colder in the evening.  It had rained during the day, encouraging snow melt, so I was a little concerned that it would turn to ice right about the time I wanted to run.

However, I set out around 3:30 p.m., having paused only to put on running gear and throw a load of laundry into the washer (regular readers may recall that is one of my few instances of multitasking).  I wore leggings (nylon long johns which I often wear in lieu of pantyhose, to be exact), my long-sleeved ARMY t-shirt, and a knitted headband.  It was a little warmer, after all.  No need for hat and mittens!

As I have often observed, running after an eight-hour work day is a far different activity from running after a good night’s sleep on the weekend.  Still, one must persevere.  For the main reason, the Reindeer Run 5K is THIS SATURDAY!!!  I felt prepared this past weekend.  I felt distinctly less so yesterday.  You’ll have that, I told myself (one of my favorite phrases of self-encouragement), and, well, persevered.

And it was not that bad of a run.  Some of the sidewalks were bare-ish, but I mostly stuck to the road.  My experiments with running on the sidewalk did not lead to disaster, but my feet definitely did not feel as secure.  I kept to the less busy residential roads but of course could not avoid all traffic. Parked cars were an especial annoyance, but after all, people have to park somewhere.  I hope I am not unreasonable.  I kept left side facing traffic, and stayed over as far as I could without running in deep puddles.

I ended up going for 26 minutes.  I hope that is good enough for maintaining my 5K shape for a few more days (let us not further discuss my actual shape!).  Tonight we have shopping and dinner plans, but I hope to run Thursday and PERHAPS another short run Friday.  And a pasta dinner.  That is my favorite part of a race: carbing up the night before!

 

Great Run on a Gloomy Day

Here is the Running Commentary post I should have made yesterday!   I knew I had to run; I had not run for two days, and the Reindeer Run 5K is a week and a half away.  Additionally, I LIKE to run!  And I like best to run when I am in good shape to do so.  That means running on a regular basis even when I do not feel particularly inclined to do so.

As I left work, however, I did feel inclined to run.  For one reason, it was a grey, gloomy day, whereas yesterday had been bright and sunny.  I love a grey gloomy day.  Steven says I am part Addams (Morticia, not Ansel, of course).  It was not overly cold, either.  The roads and sidewalks were just as much of a mess, but one must deal with these things.

I wore my road-guard vest (that’s a reflective vest, for you civilians), because I knew I would be running in the road where the sidewalks were not plowed, blown or shoveled.  I made sure I was on the left side, facing traffic.  I like to give myself every advantage.  As I started, I remembered the good thing about running on snowy roads and sidewalks:  it takes more effort.  That mean it burns more calories!  Of course I mostly run for entertainment and general health reasons, but a little help towards my weight-loss goals is always welcome.

The run was great.  I was able to spend most of my time on the sidewalk, but I kept mostly to the lesser traveled streets just in case.  I had told myself that 20 minutes would be an acceptable run, then caught a second wind and decided to go for 25.  Then I got confused and ended up running for 26 minutes.

Hmm… this is not the most entertaining blog post I could have written. On the other hand, it isn’t overly long.  I think I’ll chalk it up to Wuss-out Wednesday and drive on.  I hope you are all have a swell mid week!

 

Has Wrist to Forehead Sunday Become a Cliche?

A winter storm, or at least winter weather started hitting the Mohawk Valley this morning.  I went running well before the precipitation, although it was frightfully cold.  It turns out I don’t mind running in cold weather. If I had gotten on here earlier and made a Sunday Running Commentary post,  I would be all set right now.  Oh well, that ship sailed, as they say (I have many times observed that one can often get away with using a cliche, if one adds “as they say” or “the proverbial”).

Where was I?  Ah yes, indulging in cliche and trying to make a blog post. I think we can legitimately call this a Wrist to Forehead Sunday. I am feeling a bit swoony on the sofa and I don’t care who knows it.

Clearly this is not me, but I know just how she feels.

I really am sorry to be making yet another post about not being able to make a decent blog post.  I’m afraid it has become the rule rather than the  exception.  On the other hand, I am making my Sunday post on Sunday. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?

Oh dear, is “has to count for something” another cliche?  I would hang my head in shame, but I am pretty sure that IS a cliche.  I bet it is also a cliche to promise to try to do better tomorrow.  How embarrassing!  I’ll have to sprinkle “the proverbial” over this post out of a salt shaker!

But Happy Sunday, everyone.

 

Don’t Walk, Run! At Least Don’t Whine!

My health woes continue, and I am just going to have to keep annoying people about them.  I actually felt a little better today.  True,  I kept saying to myself, “Holy crap, I feel like shit,” sometimes mixing it up a little and saying, “Holy shit, I feel like crap.”  But I did not feel desperately ill all the time.

I hoped I would be able to manage at least a short run.  Yesterday  I did not try to run but after writing some post cards tried to walk with them to the post office.  I got about two houses away when my body said, “Oh please, no.”  I cravenly turned around (no autocorrect,  I do not mean “gravely” when I typed “cravenly”).

I can see I am still not back up to blogging ability.  I just spent two paragraphs whining about being ill (ill, not I’ll, dammit!), and I haven’t even gotten to my run yet.  Maybe I should throw in a picture,  so this post has a shot at some entertainment value.

“Oh woe! Oh anguish!”

This is how I often pose with a headache, but I fear I am nowhere near this skinny.  Maybe if I went on a few more runs.

This was Halloween.

I was looking through the photos on my Tablet for something else for this post when I accidentally hit this one. I like it, though, so it can stay.

OK, today is the second day of a three day week for me.  That means it is Tuesday (the day it actually is), Wednesday (the middle day of the week), AND Thursday (because tomorrow is “Friday”).  That means I can call this a Non-Sequitur Thursday post.  Yes!

 

So I Ran Today

I thought I would attempt a Running Commentary post in lieu of my usual Wuss-out Wednesday.  For one reason, I knew it would be a really good idea to run, with the Reindeer Run 5K a mere three weeks away.  For another reason, I enjoyed my weekend runs SO MUCH, I wanted more. I knew, however, that I was not guaranteed more.  Mid-Week runs are often less fun.  And yet, they are an evil that must be endured.

Originally I had thought to do what I often do during these runs:  put a load of laundry in the washer, run, then put it in the drier before my shower.  Unfortunately,  I felt too tired to do both laundry and run.  Run won.  I could not and did not promise to run very far.  Twenty minutes would be good, fifteen would be acceptable,  less might be settled for.

Right away it was not a fun run.  My body did not want to participate.  As usual in these cases, I persevered.  I reminded myself that I had taken two days off, never the best idea.  I turned left instead of right onto German Street as I had planned. I most often turn left and thought an unfamiliar route would feel less onerous.

My strategy worked.  I was narrating in my head as I ran, always a helpful technique for me. For one reason, I mentioned in my narration how the run got easier as I went.  I knew I could make 20 minutes, and I soon felt I could do more.

I made it for 25 minutes, which I felt pretty good about.  And now I have a blog post. Phew!  Happy Wednesday,  everyone!

 

Scattered and Slacker Saturday

A pause in my Saturday gyrations to make a Scattered Saturday post.  I went for a run this morning,  thinking to do a Saturday Running Commentary post.  It was a pretty good run.  I am looking forward to the Reindeer Run 5K in December in Little Falls NY. But I need to do Running Commentary posts sooner after the run.

Later in the morning, Steven and I went to a Craft Fair at the Ilion- Frankfort VFW, sponsored by the Ladies of the Moose, who no longer have a lodge.  We returned later with our friend Kim.  There was also a stop at Stuff the Bus, a drink at the End Zone Pub and Grub and some wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor, all in Herkimer.

Well, this is what happens sometimes on a Saturday (oh, OK, other days as well).  I am too tired to make a decent blog post.  I want to get on with the bra off, sweats on, wine drinking, movie watching, couch sitting, knitting or crocheting portion of the evening.  Is that too much to ask?  Perhaps it is.  No matter.  For what it is worth, this is my post for the day.  I hope you will all tune in tomorrow.

 

Running Commentary Interrupted

I made a doctor’s appointment, so maybe I can stop having Blogger’s Sick Days.  In the meantime,  I will try to make some semblance of a post.

Yesterday I did not mention it, but I had intended to make a Running Commentary post.  I started the day feeling better than I had on Saturday, and I am still hoping to participate in the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls next month. I donned leggings and a long sleeved running shirt, added a hat and gloves, and off I went.

And it was a pretty good run.  My legs felt OK, my breathing was good, I was pleasantly surprised.  Another thing I forgot to mention was that I had not gone running since last Saturday (judge me if you are so inclined).  This was all right!

So there I was, calculating how long I felt I could continue,  then adding 10 percent per week, picturing the calendar… the usual mental mathematics in which I often indulge while on a run. Then it happened.

I don’t know what I tripped on, but down I went!  One knee, then the other, then both hands at once.  Ow!

I stood back up, saying, “Ow, ow, ow,”  briefly considered started to run again, realized this was not going to happen, started limping towards home, puncturing each step with a pathetic “Ow.”  I looked around, hoping for a passing car or pedestrian.  If the latter, I would have asked them to call my husband to come get me.  If the former, I may have asked for a ride home.

Of course, no such helpful bystanders were available at that time on a Sunday morning.  It’s just as well, because my knee stopped being so painful after a block or two.  I guess walking it off is really a thing.

One knee was just a little skinned, but the one I came down on first had a big bloody spot.  However, it was not dripping blood, so I counted my blessings.  I had a bandage big enough to cover it, so the blessings continued.

I posted my mishap on Facebook, nobly refraining from taking a picture (I never like looking at other people’s bloody pictures), in what I admitted was a pathetic bid for sympathy.  I got some.  People are nice.

My knee still hurts today, and partway through the day I realized my arms and shoulders were aching.  This is what happens when middle-aged ladies wipe out on the sidewalk!  I’ll try to be less of a klutz in the future.

In the meantime,  I see I have a blog post of over 400 words.  Let that encourage me for future posts.  Happy Monday, everyone!