Tag Archives: running

Slogging Toward My Goals

Posted on April 6, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I finally went running this afternoon.  It’s only been two days, but it felt like longer.  I promised myself that after this week, I will run more often.  My promise alternated with feelings of “I never want to run again!”  You’ll have that on occasion.  The best thing to do, I’ve found, is to keep running as best you can.  Sometimes that’s what you have to do when you’re making a blog post, too.

It was one of those days I spent reminding myself that I was going to run after work.  I try to do this in hopes that I’ll just get home, get dressed and go before I have a chance to talk myself out of it.  It didn’t work.  I got home moaning that I did not want to run.  I got dressed for it and got out of the house anyways.  According to  my thermostat, the temperature was 46 degrees.  The last time I ran in 46 degree weather, I rethought my cut-off of 45 degrees for shorts and short-sleeves.  I went upstairs to put on leggings.  Then I got a hot flash and put on the knee-length shorts that were handily on the drying bars.  I kept on the extra large short-sleeved t-shirt I had been wearing all day.  A headband would cover my ears and/or absorb my forehead sweat.

Earlier today, I had occasion to ask if “slog” was really a word, as in, “I am just slogging through this day.”  My co-workers said it was.  I just now looked it up in my dictionary and, sure enough, it is.  So there I was slogging through my run.  That was OK, though, I told myself, it is all part of getting into shape.  I distracted myself by noticing some flowers in somebody’s lawn.  Very nice.  The first one’s I’ve seen this year.  Most of the snow and mud were gone from the sidewalk, so that was nice, too.  I kept going as best as I could.

I said to myself that each step was a step was bringing me closer to my goals.  Closer to my Boilermaker 15K goals.  Closer to my weight-loss goals.  Closer to the end of the run when I would have a nice glass of wine with my husband.  Hey, you take what motivation you can and, you should pardon the expression, run with it.

It was really not a bad run, for being kind of a slog.  I was happy with myself for doing it.  I’m also happy I got a blog post written.  Perhaps not as good of a blog post as others, but you’ll have that.  For a Wuss-out Wednesday, it’ll do.

 

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A Lean, Mean Something or Other

Posted on April 3, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Did anybody think I was so busy with theatrical murder that I was forgetting my Boilermaker ambitions?  Say it ain’t so!  Last week was not the best I’ve had (this is using a Sunday through Saturday week as opposed to a Monday through Sunday week, as some see it) (ooh, that could be a whole other blog post, where the week starts and ends, help me remember that, will you?).  However (are you still with me after those long parenthetical comments?), one can improve.  So I had a good run today, and now I’m going to write a Running Commentary post about it.

I waited to run till almost 11:30, because it was cold this morning.  It was not too cold to run, but I also wanted to hang out with my husband, go to the grocery store, maybe do the dishes…  Of course this would give me plenty of opportunity to talk myself out of running at all, but I managed to avoid that disaster.  As a matter of fact, it was easier to get myself to run than it was to do the dishes, and there weren’t that many dishes.  I was just not in the mood to do the dishes.

Once the dishes were done, though, and I took another Facebook break (that is what I do on Sundays: get a little bit done, look at Facebook, repeat), I got dressed and went.  It was 46 degrees, one degree above my cut-off for shorts and short sleeves, so I thought, Score!  I still put on a wide headband to cover my ears.  I placed my sweatshirt and water bottle in a handy spot for my cool-down walk and took off.

The first thing I did was to re-think my cut-off temperature for shorts and short sleeves.  That wind was cold!  But there was nothing to do but keep running and hope for a hot flash.  It was a sunny day with some clouds (I don’t want to say “partly cloudy” because it really did seem more sun than cloud).  When the sun came out fully and the wind died down, I felt some warmth.  The sidewalks were almost completely bare, so I appreciated that.

I wished my running time were long enough to run up the hill to Herkimer College (formerly HCCC) (pronounced H-triple-C).  I wanted to feel bad-ass, and it was such a bright day the view would have been awesome.  I tried to mentally calculate when I would be running long enough to make it up and back, but I couldn’t do the math.  I went up the hill by Valley Health instead.  That turned out to be challenging enough for me.  I was out of breath by the time I reached the top and turned left. As I noted the sidewalk still rising at a lesser angle, my in-head narration was interrupted by my realization that I did not know the name of the street I was on.  There was a street sign.  Exchange Avenue.  As I continued to run, I pondered what could be the difference between a street and an avenue and how they decide which gets named what.

My goal for the run was 31 minutes, that is, 10 percent longer than I ran last weekend.  My body vacillated between “I can rock this” and “Can we stop now?” I kept going for my full 31 minutes.  As I walked my cool-down, my legs felt wonderful, as if they would soon be capable of carrying me for miles. I told myself I was going to be in great shape for the Boilermaker 15K.  And if I continue to eat sensibly, running will help me attain my weight-loss goals.  I will be a mean, lean, not very fast running machine!

 

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Not a Good Week, But a Not Bad Run

Posted on March 31, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

It has not been a good week for running.  Monday I was melancholy, Tuesday I had rehearsal, Wednesday we got our taxes done (more melancholy there, too, but never mind that), and that bring us to Non-Sequitur Thursday.  I am training for the Boilermaker 15K.  I was determined to run.

The weather report said we might be getting freezing rain or snow or some such stuff tonight, but nothing had started when I got home from work shortly after 3 p.m.  My thermostat said it was 45 degrees out.  That is my cut-off temperature for shorts and short sleeves.  I hesitated, though, because I can’t say I’m really back in shape yet, and it is just getting to 45 degrees.  I would have felt better at 46 degrees.  I compromised on leggings that came just below the knee and a short-sleeved t-shirt. A wide headband could cover my ears.  I put my sweatshirt and a bottle of water on the deck for my cool-down walk and set out.

A lot of the snow that Stella dumped on us has gone; the sidewalks were mostly bare and dry.  I could rock this.  I turned left onto German Street, to do my usual down Caroline, up Margaret, down Henry, up Bellinger route.  I was moving pretty slowly, but you’ll definitely have that after three days off.  The temperature was not bad at all.

Until the wind picked up, which it soon did.  No matter, I would just keep running till it warmed me up.  I find that works better for legs than for arms and hands, especially hands.  It was still no matter, because I was determined to keep running.  I concentrated on how much I appreciate bare, dry sidewalks.  I made nothing of the few puddles.  I ran through or around some remaining snow.

At one point, two little kids were playing in front of a house while their mother sat on the steps.  The little boy was drawing on the sidewalk with chalk.  The little girl was moving shovelfuls of show, annoying the boy by dropping some on his picture.

“I’ll try to step around your art,” I said.  I also had to dodge the little girl, who stepped right in front of me.  Luckily we did not collide and I ran on.

A little later, I passed a man and said hello.  He said, “Boilermaker?”

“I hope so,” I answered.

“Good for you!”

I ran on before I had time to say thanks.  I wondered why I said I hoped so instead of “Damn skippy” or “You bet!”  After all, I am pretty damn sure I will run the 15K and make it through the whole thing.  On the other hand, it cannot be denied that shit happens, and those who are too sure of themselves sometimes come to grief.   I kept running, realizing that this would help keep me from coming to grief on the Boilermaker.  This is me, getting into shape, I told myself.

It was quite pleasant when the wind was still, which was not often.  However, I managed to run for 29 minutes, equal to my last longest time.  And I see now that I have over 500 words, a longer blog post than I have managed lately.   I say not bad for Thursday of a melancholy week.

 

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Groovin’ on a Sunday Afternoon

Posted on March 27, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I always thought it was “Cruisin’ on a Sunday Afternoon,” but earlier today,  I sang it with “Groovin’,” because that is what we are doing.  As I sat here groping for a blog post, Steven suggested “Groovin’ on a Sunday Afternoon.”  I looked it up on YouTube and, sure enough, it is “groovin'”.  That is good, because Steven is not in the mood to go cruisin’, even though the freezing rain we were warned about has not materialized.  Just saying.

So here I am on Wrist to Forehead Sunday, about to pause in my blogging (tee hee, “blogging” as a verb always amuses me) to check on the soup I started earlier.  It isn’t really soup yet; I’m still at the cooking onion and garlic in oil stage (regular readers will know that is how most of my recipes start).

The onions and garlic had started to get dark brown (not black yet, but), so I added the chicken broth.  Yes, I am using chicken broth out of a box and it’s store brand at that.  Hey, I never said this was a cooking blog; I didn’t even say this was a cooking post.  The package said do NOT add water to the broth, but I added a little, putting it in the empty box and swirling it around.  Why would I not add water when I expect the stuff to boil or at least cook down a little?  By the way, I am cooking with wine.

In case anybody is interested, I intend to add spinach, cheese tortellini and a carrot to the soup.  The spinach and tortellini are frozen; the carrot is fresh.  I chopped some for my lunches this week and one to put in the soup.  I don’t care for cooked carrots, but Steven likes them, and they add flavor to the soup.  Also they are good for you.  I don’t say I lead a healthy lifestyle, but I try to sneak in a little nutrition now and then.

Speaking of healthy lifestyle, I went running again today.  I think I will be just fine for the Boilermaker 15K.  I discovered today there is a 5K in Herkimer in June I may like to do.  I’ll let you know about that.

 

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Fake Poo and Leftovers on Scattered Saturday

Posted on March 26, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is time I made my Scattered Saturday post for the week.  Or some sort of Saturday post.  Because, you know, it is Saturday (even if my WordPress page says differently; I can’t fix these technological glitches).  Only I am tired and would prefer to get on with my couch-sitting, crocheting, watching television portion of the day.  What a bum!  In my defense, I did a few things today.

I went running around with my friend, Kim.  We were seeking props for He Laughed Himself to Death, the murder mystery at Morning Star Methodist Church April 1.  We had some good luck. I was a little disappointed in the quality of fake poo we found, but I was pleased with the flies in ice cubes and the joy buzzers.  Oh dear, I hope I haven’t given too much away.  I do like my audience to be surprised.

Returning to Ilion, we had a nice lunch at Sorrento’s, just to give a shout-out to a local business. I have leftovers I can enjoy later.  Yum.  Later on, I went running (actual running, not just running around like earlier).  I pretty much knew I would not make a Running Commentary post.  I did not think I was setting a very good example, for one reason.  For another reason, most people do not want to hear about my sports bras (please do NOT tell me “TMI,” I HATE that expression!).  Around six, Kim picked me up again, and we went to a tasting of Coyote Moon Winery at Valley Wine and Liquors in Herkimer.  Then we met Steven at work and brought him to the tasting.

I heated up leftovers for supper when Steven and I got home (not the ones from today’s lunch).  I thought that was better than some other plans I had, one of which involved the telephone and a credit card.  The food tasted good, it was easy to fix, and we got that little frisson of virtue that the leftovers did not go to waste.

That brings us up to date.  It was a fun day, although I’m afraid this is kind of a dull post.  But what are you going to do on a Saturday? I hope to see you all on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

 

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Spooky Space on Scattered Saturday

Posted on March 19, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I registered for the Boilermaker 15K.  And then I went running.  Not immediately, but soon enough.

OK, I think it is fate that I use the above sentence.  You see, earlier I typed it in, then erased it, then decided I would make my post later so exited out of WordPress.  The computer asked me did I really want to leave, as what I did might not be saved.  I looked at the blank space and hit “Leave.”  Now, returning to WordPress and wondering what I will say, I see an untitled draft saved from earlier.  It is the sentence I erased!

Could it be returning to haunt me?

The question is not an idle one.  I have been in I guess what you could call a spooky space lately.  I shared pictures of Nosferatu a couple of days ago, yesterday I wore a spider earring and Halloween socks, I am currently sipping Malbec out of my Trick Or Treat wine glass (purchased at Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit, NY) (and, yes, I did flash on Bela Lugosi as Dracula saying, “I never drink… wine”).  OK, so now I have my headline.

There really wasn’t much to my Scattered Saturday this week.  I worked. While working, I dithered some more about whether or not to run the Boilermaker 15K (the 5K isn’t even on my radar, by the way).  I decided to run it.  Then came home and changed my mind.  Several times. And you see by my lead what my ultimate decision was.  Yes, yes, I could still opt out, transfer my registration or get a deferment (because, you know, shit happens), but I feel fairly confident that I will follow through on this.

I had meant to write a Saturday Running Commentary about my run, but such a post was not forthcoming from my brain.  It is not a well-trained brain.

I have not done much else today.  I am currently cooking supper for my dearest husband, Steven.  Perhaps a cooking post tomorrow, instead of Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  Or maybe Sunday Running Commentary?  A little uncertainty will add interest to my weekend.  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

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To Boil or Not to Boil?

Posted on March 12, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I would take this week’s Wrist to Forehead Sunday post to spend a little time dithering on the computer screen about the latest decision I am angsting over (I know, angsting is not a word, but I just can’t think of the word I want): Should I or should I not run the Boilermaker 15K?

I have looked at the calendar and I have enough time to build up my run time to where I like it to be.  In fact, I even have some wiggle room if I utilize my maxim of, “If you can run for one hour, you can run for two; just don’t stop.”  I want to start running again. It is a good idea to have a goal to work towards.  I can get a lot of good blog posts out of it.  It is a great Mohawk Valley thing to do. The Boilermaker falls right in the middle of my employer’s two week shut-down in July.

Those are the pros.

There are a hell of a lot of people running the Boilermaker.  I hate crowds.  Getting my runner’s packet is another fairly intimidating crowd scene for me.  I cannot be as lazy and irresponsible about taking car of myself on my vacation. (Oh, I know, that last one is probably a good thing, especially at my age.  As if YOU always do the right thing for your body!)  Transportation to and from the race is often a problem.

Those are a few of the cons.  I could probably think of more, but do I want to talk myself into this or out of it?

I asked the Magic 8 Ball I gave my husband Steven for his birthday, and it said I should. Of course that is not a quote. I asked multiple times, and although a couple of times it told me to ask later or said the answer was unclear, it never directly said not to.  No, I am not relying on a novelty toy for my answer.  I wasn’t even doing the thing of, “It’ll tell you what you really think, because you will be elated or disappointed by the answer.”  I just thought it would be fun.  You know how I like to get silly.

So now I shall open the floor to my lovely readers.  What do you think?

One other question:  When you saw the headline, did you think I was talking about hot dogs?  Hmmm… I could go for a hot dog.  Fried or grilled, though, not boiled.  Happy Sunday, folks.

 

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Run But No Commentary

Posted on March 8, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

After a break at work, I often observe the “after the break hump,”  a metaphorical speed bump I have to somehow get over in order to get back to work.  Today, I said to my co-worker, “After the break hump is nothing compared to after four days off hump.”  I know, I can be happy I had four days off or miserable because I had to go back to work.  Or I suppose I could multi-task.

Be that as it may, I came home from work and went running.  As you can imagine, the “I haven’t been running in I can’t remember how long hump” is quite the obstacle as well. However, I faced it and overcame it.  One help is that I have really missed running.  I have been WANTING to run but haven’t had time.  As you may have heard, I’ve been in a play.  And am writing and performing in murder mysteries.  The play still has a weekend to go, and I’m still working on two of three mysteries.  Nevertheless, I ran.

And now I’m too tired to write about it.

It was a short run, only 22 minutes.  I made up my mind to do 20, as a start, since I have not been running in a while.  Twenty minutes with an eight to  ten minute cool-down walk around the block sounded good to me.  The extra two minutes just sort of happened.

Then again, for Tired Tuesday after a four day break, I don’t think this is such a contemptible post.  Let’s see what happens tomorrow, when I may have a Wuss-out Wednesday.

 

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Cold Run, Dusty Blog Post

Posted on January 29, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had already started writing this post when Steven put on a Dusty Springfield CD.  Oh, this was JUST what I needed!  “I Only Want to Be with You”!  It’s peppy, it’s happy, it’s about me and Steve!  I love it!  I’ve been feeling vaguely down most of the day and ill with the cold I’ve been fighting (I’m losing).  I sometimes forget the healing properties of music.

Oh dear.  I started a post.  I got distracted by the CD and wrote a fun headline of “Sing it, Dusty!”  then realized I can only say so much about how nice it is to listen to good music with a nice husband.  Perhaps I should go back to the post I started to write.  What a distracting lead!  I guess this is Non-Sequitur Saturday (which has the charm of alliteration that Non-Sequitur Thursday lacks) (does alliteration make something more of a sequitur?  Discuss amongst yourselves).

This is what I started to write:

Usually I make my Saturday Running Commentary in the morning, shortly after my run.  It is fresh in my mind and it works out very well.  Today I did not do so.  However, rather than making another Scattered Saturday post (although those can be kind of fun), I think I will attempt a Running Commentary.

The sun was almost up when I realized it was either run or eat.  I picked run.  The temperature was in the low 30s, so I put on the warmest running pants I own, a gift from my sister Victoria and her daughter Gillian.  Technically, I believe they are yoga pants, but one must not allow a mere technicality to keep one from improving one’s health and reaching one’s weight-loss goals.

Dusty is now singing “Wishin’ and Hopin'”  which reminds us irresistibly of My Best Friend’s Wedding.  Ah, Julia Roberts.  What a woman.  I’ve been thinking of her a lot lately, since she was in the movie version of Steel Magnolias, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre.

It was cold and not quite light out.  I had worn my reflective vest (road guard vest, to my army friends), as much for an extra layer and a pouch for tissues as for safety.  It turned out to be a pretty safe run, because the sidewalks were bare and I mostly stuck to them.  I went in the road for a while, though, out Main Street.  I went up part of a steep hill that ends in a dead end.  It didn’t used to be a dead end, but part of the road collapsed.  Pedestrians can still get by.  I got by and ran in the road part of the way down, um, Steuben Street?  I think that’s what it called.  Then I went down Dorf Street, part of which also has no sidewalks.

Now she is singing, “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.”  I know some man also sang this song.  I wanted to say Tom Jones at first but then I thought I had heard it on the radio many years ago not on a CD we own recently (YES, I listen to Tom Jones CDs!), so I thought Paul Anka, but that didn’t sound right either.  I may check that out before I hit publish.

My run was not bad, although my hands got quite stiff.  I made it to 26 minutes, only two less (fewer?) than I accomplished earlier in the week on the mini-tramp.  With a good hill in the freezing cold, I thought that was pretty good.  If I would have written the blog post right away, the blog post might have been as good as the run, but that is something we will never know.

I wonder what Steven will want to listen to after Dusty Springfield.  And by the way, according to YouTube, both Tom Jones and Elvis Presley sang “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.”  Where did I get Paul Anka?

 

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Grey Run

Posted on January 22, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I bet some of you thought I was never going to run again (while others of you are saying, “I never thought that!”).  I confess, I had my own doubts.  But today it was a choice between go running or eat something and I chose running!  I believe this demonstrates that there is indeed hope for me. (Full disclosure:  I ate something after the run.)

It was 40 degrees out, five degrees below my perhaps arbitrary border for running in shorts and short sleeves.  I found a pair of log johns that were only semi-dirty (I always feel so reduce-reuse-recycle when I wear something more than once before washing it) and pulled a long-sleeved running shirt out of my pile.  I was going to look for a ARMY t-shirt with a reflective decal in the back, but the sun was up and I was in a hurry.

Spunky wanted to go out when he saw me bustling about getting ready, so I took him for a short business meeting, then I was off.  Right away I thought, “Why oh why did I ever stop running?”  I also felt that the time not running had not wrought total havoc on my body.  Just a note:  I did not COMPLETELY stop running; let’s just say my habits have been  sporadic.  I turned right on German Street. Usually when I have not run in a while, I turn left, then go down Caroline Street, up Margaret, then down Henry.  That sounded boring to me.

It was grey and gloomy out.  I admired the bare trees against the sky, as I always do.  Perhaps I will venture out later with my Tablet and try to get a few pictures.  Soon it became apparent that my lack of running regularly had, naturally enough, had a negative impact on my body.  My legs were quite unhappy with me.  I sternly told myself that one must have the not so fun runs in order to get to the good stuff.  I tried to distract myself by deciding where to run.  Up Main Street and down the nice path?  I saw a man walking a dog in that direction and decided against it.  I do like to stop and pet a dog, but in the first place I did not know if that was a pettable dog and in the second place, I didn’t think it was a good idea for me to stop.

By the time I got to the end of German Street I had run almost ten minutes.  Oh dear, that doesn’t usually take me that long, does it?  Then again, what did that matter?  I set out to run a certain length of time; who cares how much ground I actually cover?  I thought a 20 minute run would be good.  I tried to feel happy about being halfway there.  It really wasn’t a horrible run.  Just kind of grey, meaning the sky and my mood.  Well, how much of life is in the grey area?  I’m thinking, a lot.

I looked at houses as I passed.  I saw one that still had red ribbons and wreaths on the porch.  As I ran I was narrating in my head that I went down this street, then that to the other, but that is more words than I feel like typing right now.  I ran by Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners.  There were poinsettias, red and gold foil, in the urns outside the Historical Society.  I made the sign of the cross as I ran by Herkimer Reformed Church.  I also noted the County Courthouse and 1834 Jail which make up the other two corners.

My run ended up being 22 minutes long.  I said good morning to three dog walkers as I walked around the block for my cool-down.  They were across the street from me, so I still didn’t get to pet a dog.  I petted my own dog when I got home.  I felt very happy that I ran again.  I hope to keep it up in the coming weeks.  I’ll probably write more blog posts about it.

 

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