Tag Archives: running

Running From an Unhappy Body

Posted on August 24, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I ran two Saturdays ago, found out I could not run the 14K I has been aiming for, did not run for a week, ran last Saturday, then did not run again for four days.  This is no way to train. In my defense… oh, never mind what my defense is, just believe that I have one, maybe not a good one, but you can’t have everything.

Where was I?  Ah yes, about to make a Running Commentary post.  It probably won’t be a long post, because it was not a very long run.  But, hey, I broke the four day streak of not running. I call that a worthy accomplishment. Let us not contemplate its degree of worthiness as compared to other accomplishments which I did not achieve, but let us continue with the blog post.

I got home and right away got into running clothes (I said I broke the streak, I didn’t say I went streaking). I also gathered a load of laundry, which is my other accomplishment for the day.  I did not plan to run very long, 20 to 30 minutes sounded good.  I put the laundry in the washer and set out.

And right away my body was unhappy.  Well, of course it was unhappy.  It had not been running regularly for two weeks.  That is, I had not been running regularly for two weeks.  There was nothing for it but to have an unhappy run and hope for better in the future.  My plan had been to run down German Street to Main Street.  Turning down Main, I usually make a big square, going down to Albany Street, then over to Caroline and back up to German.  I was not very far down Main when I decided to turn right sooner.

Through the little park by Basloe Library to Prospect Street.  Should I cross immediately and go past the Do Not Enter sign to enter Bellinger Avenue?  I do like to Enter where it says Do Not Enter.  Or should I go through Meyers Park?  I opted for the park. For one reason, I could cross Prospect Street at a four-way stop, which would be safer.  However, before I reached the four-way, I saw a tree casting shade across the street.  I crossed the street in the shade and felt clever.

It actually was not a thoroughly unhappy run.  My legs eventually settled into it and felt pretty OK.  My breathing was never great, but I was never gasping for breath or having a VCD attack (that is Vocal Chord Dysfunction, a thing I get when I overexert). I ended up last for 22 minutes, my favorite number.  The cool-down walk felt even better, as it usually does.  And I felt really pleased with myself that I went at all.  For one reason, I knew I could make a Running Commentary blog post.  It makes a nice change from posts about I Just Can’t Make A Good Post Today.

 

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Waiting for the Chocolate Shake

Posted on August 19, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

One should have made one’s blog post earlier (one being me).

I am sitting with a paused movie in my DVD player while my husband, Steven, runs to Stewart’s to get us a couple of chocolate shakes.  If there was an ice cream place on our side of State Street (which is Route 5), we could have walked for our treat, but then I would not be typing in my post, so I guess everything has its advantages (I don’t think that is a run-on sentence).

My first intention was to do a Running Commentary post this morning.  I fell off the running wagon in a big way this week.  You see, I had an awesome long run last Saturday and was all set to register for the Falling Leaves 14K in Utica, NY, on Sept. 23.  Luckily I talked to my mother first and found out a big family thing had just been scheduled for that day.  Family first!  I had not been running since.  In my defense, that was not the only reason. I had a bear of a busy week (didn’t even get all my stuff done), and the weather was SO humid.  As regular readers know, I am prone to heat injuries (which really are a thing, so quit shaking your head) (you know who you are).

Where was I?  Ah yes, nowhere but still trying to make a blog post.  I went for a short(ish) run this morning.  Steven and I went to a couple of places in Little Falls: The Old Barn Marketplace and Ruggiero’s Trattoria.  We came home, and I took a nap.  Sorry for even more whining (then again, I do always say go with your strengths), but I had a terrible headache.  It is finally easing off, so Phew!

Here are the shakes!  While I might not be any great shakes at blogging (see what I did there?), I will enjoy this!  Steven is re-starting the movie (Double Indemnity, one of my favorites!), so I am going to call this a Scattered Saturday, hit Publish and drive on.

I just happened to have an illustration in my Media Library.

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Just Type in Some Foolishness and Hit Publish

Posted on August 12, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I suppose the operative thing to have done today was to have written a blog post about one of the things I mentioned this morning.  Or I could have done a Running Commentary about this morning’s run (it was awesome, by the way).  But here I sit, looking at television and strongly inclined to just type in some foolishness and hit Publish.

Right now Forensic Files is on, but before that we were watching the divine Joan Crawford in Straitjacket.

Don’t lie; we’ve all been there.

During the movie we debated and debated what movie to watch next.  We still have not decided, hence our viewing of Forensic Files.  I was hoping to find the cheesier Deadly Women on ID, but no luck.  Not even a Snapped on Oxygen.  Some Saturdays are bad that way.

I must admit, it is quite relaxing to sit on my couch, wondering how best to veg out.  The last couple of weeks we have been moving and shaking. Even last night we were out and about (as I believe I mentioned).  It is fun to be out and about, but you can get too much of a good thing.

Just to make this a Scattered Saturday post, I will quickly cover today’s accomplishments, although they are a little thin.  My run was long and felt good.  Then I wrote some post cards and we left the house by the front door.  Regular readers will recall that our back door was ailing.  We went to breakfast at Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner then to Collis Hardware to get some screws for the door.

Back home, we fixed the door.  Woohoo, I think it was a success!  Then I had a headache so laid down with my heat-up face mask and took a nap.  On rising, I got on the laptop and typed in what I had written on my murder mystery script.  Later I thought how to finish up and made a few notes about it.  I anticipate finishing and polishing tomorrow.

And that was about it.  Eventually we got to the movie watching portion of the evening, and that is where we are at now.  If only we could agree on which movie to watch next.

 

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Sprint Distance, Marathon Pace

Posted on August 10, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

That describes today’s run in a nutshell.  The only problem with the headline is that it might sound like a shout-out to the phone company called “Sprint.”  Never mind.  I’m making a Running Commentary instead of a Non-Sequitur Thursday post, and, like the run itself, I will try to keep it short.

I have not run for three days for what seemed like good reasons at the time.  I did not dare skip today as well, because I will not have time to run tomorrow before the Little Falls Canal Celebration Parade.  Five days is too many even for a wuss-out like me.  It was hot and sunny, but according to the weather forecast humidity levels were less.  Still not in the comfortable range, but less.  No matter.  I could go for a short run.  I did not rule out running longer, but I wanted to go for at least 20 minutes.

It took a lot of determination to not rule out running longer right away.  It took a lot of determination to keep running at all.  Luckily I had a sufficiency of determination for the project.  Also, I just tried not to think about it.  I thought about my murder mystery instead.  I started writing the script today (don’t judge me that it took so long), and it seems to be going well.  I’ll write more about that later (preview of coming attractions).

I changed my mind about which way to run several times.  I don’t know why certain sidewalks seemed so unappealing, but I kept thinking, “I just can’t run that way today!”  I ran a different way.  Slowly.  I never got the hang of it.

I’m not getting the hang of writing about it either, it seems.  Sorry, folks.  I continued to run (which I insist on calling it) for 22 minutes, my favorite number.  The 10-minute cool-down walk felt good, especially when I was in the shade and a breeze blew.  At least I did it.

And I wrote some semblance of a blog post.  We’ll see if I can do better tomorrow on Lame Post Friday.  As always, no promises, but I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

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It’s Only Tuesday, But I Ran

Posted on August 1, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I should run yesterday in the low humidity, but I felt SO TIRED after work, I thought running Monday in the low humidity would be as onerous as running Tuesday in the high humidity.  The weather report this morning told me the dew point was at “humid” today and would be at “oppressive” tomorrow.  I told everybody at work to enjoy today, tomorrow will be worse.  You see how optimistic I can be.

Be that as it may, I felt after work today that I had to do SOMETHING.   I felt tired and coated with sweat. I felt down.  I felt sad.  I knew sitting on the couch and vegging out in front of Facebook was not the way to go.  I did not want to, but I decided to run.  It might not be a good run.  It might not be a long run.  But I would run.

What can I say?  It was not a good run.  It was not a long run.  I waited in vain for the endorphins to kick in.  Well, you’ll have these runs, especially in the middle of summer (please do NOT take out your calendar and show me precisely where the middle of summer is, I KNOW it is probably not today, stop being so didactic) (you know who you are).  I made up my mind I would continue for at least 20 minutes and I made it for 24.  I walked my full 10 minute cool-down.  We’ll see if it makes me feel better tomorrow.

In the meantime, it is not much of a blog post, is it?  I narrated in my head and tried to notice things as I ran.  I appreciated the grey skies, although I neither expected nor got rain.  The only noteworthy thing I remember was an Amish buggy on Caroline Street.  I said, “A horsey! Hi, horsey!”  The horse nodded his head at me (or perhaps I read into it).

The saddest thing is, I keep thinking, “Well, it is Wuss-out Wednesday,” and have to keep telling myself, “It’s TUESDAY, dammit!  TUESDAY!”  I will get over my disappointment, of course.  Probably tomorrow, when it is Wednesday.  Unless I think it is Thursday.  Damn.

At least I didn’t think it was Friday!

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Lame Thoughts Running Through My Mind

Posted on July 28, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

This was me! And it could be again!

So I was sitting here trying to think of something to say for my Lame Post Friday post, and I remembered something I wanted to check: the Falling Leaves 14K in Utica, NY.  Regular readers may know that I did not run the Boilermaker 15K this year, although I have run it in the past.  I have never run the Falling Leaves but have always wanted to.  In fact, there was one year when I was seriously thinking about it.  That was when I found out it was 14K, not five or ten as I had thought.  I believe I wrote a blog post detailing my chagrin.

As I have been running lately, I have been keeping the race in my mind’s eye.  During a run, I often figure in my head how soon I will be running how long if I increase by 10 percent weekly.  For one reason, doing the math distracts me from running.  For another reason, setting goals can be helpful.  I would like to set the Falling Leaves run as a goal.

But can I make it?  I missed my 10 percent increase last week.  Well, one cannot always meet the ideal (oh, I suppose YOU can?) (you know who you are).  When is this race anyways?  September, I knew. I seemed to think it was around the 14th.  The closest Sunday to that (I know it’s on a Sunday) is the 16th.  Oh dear, I have a murder mystery on Sept. 15 (at the Herkimer Elks Lodge; I’ll write more blog posts about that as I get more details) (preview of coming attractions).  I don’t want to run a major race the day after a murder mystery!  This race is only 1K shorter than the Boilermaker.  The day before the Boilermaker, I drink Gatorade, eat pasta, and go to bed early; I don’t kill anybody.  I just do not have that kind of energy at my age.

The little devil on my shoulder said, “Hey, you may be off the hook. You can just run what you feel like running and do the Falling Leaves next year.  What a good plan!  There could be no possible objection.”  So I checked.

Sept. 23.  The week AFTER my murder mystery.   Why, that even gives me another week to increase by 10 percent!  IT! COULD! WORK!  (That is a quote from the movie Young Frankenstein, for the uninitiated).  The cost of registration does not go up till Aug. 28.  That gives me plenty of time to make an irrevocable decision.  But I think it’s looking good.

Incidentally, the picture above is me running the East Herkimer Fire Department 5K Race last October.  I plan to run that one, too.  I am in fine shape to run a 5K.

 

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Waste Not, Want Not

Posted on July 27, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

As I have mentioned many times, when I run, I narrate in my head, as if I am writing my running commentary as I go.  Sometime later, when I sit down and type in my Running Commentary post, I never use all the good stuff.  I usually remember it later and say, Damn!  Well, since today is Non-Sequitur Thursday, I’m going to share a couple of stories from different runs that did not make it through my porous mind into the post that day.

During a recent run in what I call The Suburbs, I had a nice canine encounter (that is an expression I just now made up, “canine encounter,”  do you like it?).  “The Suburbs” are not really suburbs, of course.  I don’t think Herkimer is large enough to rate real suburbs. It is a nice, hilly residential section behind Valley Health Services.  There are no sidewalks, which I prefer to run on, but there is not much traffic.

Regular readers know that when I run, if I see a nice dog, I always ask if I can pet him or her.  On this particular run, I met a lady walking two cute little ones.

“Can I pet your dogs?”

The lady said that the boy dog would let me, but the girl might not.  Sure enough, one dog walked right over, wagging his cute little tail.  I tried to greet his sister, too, but she backed off.  He was an adorable black and white dog.  He reminded me of our much missed Spunky.  Considering the resemblance and since I do not run with a camera, I’ll share a picture of Spunkman.  I think illustrations add punch to a blog post.

How I miss my poocher!

The nice dog I petted did not have Spunky’s underbite.  I ran on, turning here and there, choosing some hills and avoiding others.  Soon I saw that I was approaching the lady and her two dogs again.  I thought I would not bother her by asking to pet them again.  However, as I got closer, my little black and white friend started walking towards me.

“He says, ‘I’ll take more pets!'”  the lady said.

“I’ll give you pets, you friendly fellow,” I said.  I love dogs!

I can’t believe I left that little story out of my running commentary that day.

The other story concerns a cool-down walk.  Regular readers know I always walk around the block, drinking water after a run.  I usually take about ten minutes.  I figure, my metabolism is all kicked up from the run, so I burn more calories walking around the block than I would otherwise.  Also, it feels awesome to walk after a run.  Well, I was about a block and a half away from home when I saw a folded piece of paper on the sidewalk, so I picked it up and unfolded it.

Well, who doesn’t?

I brought the note home and gave it to Steve.

“I think your girlfriend dropped this before she had a chance to give it to you,” I said.

He did not deny it.

 

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Oh, the Humidity!

Posted on July 25, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Get it?  Like “Oh, the humanity!”  I thought of it while I was at work today, thinking I did NOT want to run, and I felt sure I had used the title before.  However, a quick check of my posts tells me I did not, so here is a Tuesday Running Commentary, and yes, it is also Tired Tuesday.  You see, that I can so multi-task.

As I left work, I felt greeted by the wind.  This was much better than in the building!  Unfortunately, I soon realized that it was not the miracle I was hoping for.  It was hot, it was muggy, I wanted to go someplace air conditioned and cry.  Of course I did nothing of the kind. I went home and put on running clothes.  Changing was not fun, but I will spare you the blow by blow (see? I don’t always overshare).

I told Steven I did not know how far I would run.  You never know:  sometimes you catch a second wind as you go.  Also, if it began to rain, that might feel really good and I would be happy to keep running.  Conversely, it there was thunder, I would sensibly run right back home.  At least I would get a few steps in.

Right away my body was not happy with me.  My legs hurt.  My lungs did not want to breath.  I was sweating already.  Well, runs often begin badly and end well.  Second wind, remember?  Then I thought, here’s a point to ponder: does it count as a second wind if you didn’t have a first wind?  Shouldn’t I start out feeling good, get tired, THEN get a second wind?  I never do anything right.

I did it really wrong this time, because I never felt good, never hit the “I can rock this” stage, and my legs complained pretty much the whole way. I debated to myself how far I would run.  At least 20 minutes.  Of course 30 would be better.  I could turn here. Or wait till the next street.  Or go all the way to the high school!  I was drenched with sweat and sweating sunscreen into my eyes. Ouch!  No matter.  A cold shower awaited.  And my recovery beverage of chocolate milk.  One must earn a recovery beverage, I reminded myself.

I did have one encouraging moment:  I was headed down Park Avenue (ooh!), towards the footbridge over the brook behind the high school.  A man and two women with a couple of baby carriages were headed that way by a parallel street, arriving at the bridge about the same time I did.  The man noticed me.

“She’s coming straight through,” he said to the women.  They stopped.

“Oh, I’m sorry!  I didn’t see you!”  one said.

“You’re fine,” I said.  “Thank you.”

“Keep going!” the man said.

“I’ll try!”

“Good job!” I heard one of the women call as I ran over the bridge.

Well, one must keep going when one has received encouragement.  So keep running I did.  I made it for 23 minutes.  I felt dreadfully tired during my cool-down walk and even considered cutting that part short.  Then I thought, no, I have calories to burn.  As always, I felt happy that I had run.  I was sorry it was such a short run, but you can’t get bogged down in these details.  I ran.  That was the important thing.  Maybe I will run again tomorrow.

 

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Something of a Running Commentary on Tired Tuesday

Posted on July 18, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Here we are on Tired Tuesday, and I feel as if I just can’t write a thing.  Well, obviously, I just wrote that stupid sentence, as well as this one.  That doesn’t prove anything, because I can just backspace them out and once again be staring at a blank screen.  Crap.

It was almost as hot and humid at my work today as it was yesterday, so I left feeling pretty much as melted (but yet no smaller, it’s no fair).  However, I managed to go running.  I did not ambitiously get right out as soon as I got home. First I sat on the couch, drank a glass of chocolate milk, and looked at the computer.  I had made up my mind to give it a miss and try again tomorrow.  Then I said, oh, what the hell.

As I ran, I thought I would make a Running Commentary post.  I know I just did one on Sunday, but I thought I could get away with it.  Anyways, I like to narrate in my head as I go. I never include all the stuff I come up with, which is probably just as well, because it would make some pretty long posts.  Today I went pretty slowly.  I figured I could make it a short run: 20 minutes.  I could make it for 20 minutes.  Could I make it for 20 minutes?  Sometimes 20 minutes is a long time and not just when you’re at work.  Why couldn’t I get one of those second winds you hear about?

Eventually I realized I was going to make it for 20 minutes, or a little more.  I turned the corner and was headed towards my street.  Suddenly I felt pretty okay and thought I could run further.  I could pass my street, and the next, then run up Main Street and over German back home.  Woohoo!  This is what a second wind feels like!  I felt less second and more windy when I actually got to Main Street, if you know what I mean.  The beauty part was, I still had to run back home, so my run was going to be a decent amount of time. Also, I like running by Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners.

My run ended up being 30 minutes.  I felt pretty happy about that, and my cool-down walk felt pretty darn good. And now I have managed to wrote a blog post.  Not a great blog post, but I think it’ll do for Tired Tuesday.

 

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Winning Run on Wrist to Forehead Sunday

Posted on July 16, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today I experience the melancholy of knowing I must go back to work tomorrow (YES, I AM grateful I have a job!  Sheesh!), but earlier today I felt some awesome endorphins so thought I would try a Running Commentary post instead of the promised Wrist to Forehead Sunday (but tune in tomorrow for a potentially sad Monstrous Monday!).

I was up prior to 6 a.m. (not a WHOLE lot prior, of course) so was ready for my run prior to seven.  I sure will miss running before the heat of the day when I have to be to work by 6:30, but that’s a problem for a different day.  I wasn’t feeling real energetic so did not know if I would increase my run by the recommended ten percent, as I like to do on a Sunday.  That would be OK. I just needed to get out there, because I did not run yesterday (I was recruiting my energies for the play) and I will probably not run tomorrow (hello! Back to work, 90 degrees, what sort of an iron woman do you think I am?).  I carried a bottle of water with me, though, in case it was along run.  Must fight dehydration!

I did not really feel up to major hills, like the one to Herkimer College, but I headed towards Main Street.  That is a pretty good hill with two chances to turn off it before you go all the way.  Of course the devil on one shoulder tried to talk me out of running any hills at all, but the angel on the other won and soon I was puffing up the hill.  I ended up going all the way to the end of Highland Avenue.  The steepest part of that hill is the beginning anyways, there are stretches of level ground and even a little downhill.  Additionally, I had not run that way in a while and enjoyed the chance to reacquaint myself with the houses out that way.  I was happy to see the gorilla-headed dummy still sitting at a table in front of one house.  There was a nice table cloth and some flowers on the table, which I did not remember seeing, so that was nice.

Going down Steuben Hill certainly felt pleasant.  I met a few cars, most of which nicely moved over or slowed down. I gave those people the “thank you” wave.  I found a nickle, which I picked up and slipped between my sports bras (PLEASE do not say, “TMI”).  I saw a couple beer cans and a water bottle, so I could have picked up more nickles, but that would have been awkward.

It was nice to sip water now and then as I ran.  I had it in mind to run down German Street to the spring on Lou Ambers Drive for a re-fill but was not sure if I would have time.  I was pretty sure by now that I would be able to keep going for 47 minutes, which was 10 percent longer than my last longest run.  I know I could run for longer, but I don’t know how bad of an idea it is to increase by more than the recommended 10 percent.  It is perhaps clear by now that I am not particularly scientific about my work-outs, but I try not to actively do harm to myself.  I have, as they say, only one of me.  Then I realized:  I could stop running and start my cool-down walk before I reached my house.  After all, I already had a bottle of water in my hand.  I really like that water on my cool-down walk!

I was feeling pretty terrific a little more than mid-way through my run.  It may have been endorphins.  It may have been relief to be running downhill instead of up.  It may have been happiness of being able to run as far as I wanted. Or it may have been that I finally sweated out enough toxins to let in the joy.  Who cares?  I felt good!  Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to just beat up your body for a while.  When I got to 47 minutes and stopped (less than a block from home, by the way), I wanted to raise my fists in the air in triumph, and have somebody sing, “We Are the Champions.”  Of course there was no one there to sing for me, so I just kept walking and sipping.

It is by now, as I write this, way too hot to run or even walk comfortably.  The endorphins have predictably worn off, but in writing this I have recaptured some of the feeling of accomplishment and the joy of all that sweat.  In fact, I am sweating again, but not from effort.  No matter.  It is Sunday and I did not make a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I’m going to call that a win.

 

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