Yes! Running Commentary is back! And here it is!
When I decided to run at last, it was almost nine o’clock this morning (Saturday). The sun was high in the sky, but my thermostat thingy said the outdoor temperature was 41 degrees. My rule of thumb is shorts and t-shirt for anything over 45, although I don’t always follow it. Hmm… quite sunny, but I have not been running lately. I put on leggings and a long-sleeved shirt.
Oh dear, this was problematic, too (is anything ever easy for me, EVER?). Quite form-fitting. I showed my houseguest, Tracy (who will figure in other blog posts about this weekend). If I put on my road-guard vest, that would cover up the form-fittingness. However, running on sidewalks in the very broad daylight in a reflective vest might look even more dorky than the spandex. Tracy said it didn’t look that bad, but she’s nice. However, I went without the vest.
I was glad of the long legs and sleeves. I had a headband covering my ears, which was also good. I had tucked a tissue up one sleeve in case of nose runniness. I was good to go.
For how long? Since I have not been running at all in a sadly long time (not even sure how long since I can’t find my running journal), I thought 20 minutes would be good. Or even 15 in a pinch. After all, I had a lot of Mohawk Valley adventures to get in today. I didn’t want to be all tired out from running too far.
However, I do have a tentative goal to work for. Spring Farm Cares, an animal shelter in Clinton, NY, is sponsoring a run/walk in May. When I first heard of it last month, I said, “I can be in 5K shape by May!” And I could have, if only I would have kept running. How remiss of me. So I kept my mind off my running for a few blocks by doing the math and seeing how long I would be running by May if I ran X minutes and upped it by 10 percent every week. I can’t do the math very well in my head, so that was an effective mental exercise.
About seven or eight minutes into the run, I realized that I could, indeed, rock this. Those were the exact words that came into my head. I decided to write a blog post using them, and that helped keep my motivation high. I ran for 23 minutes. I’m right back where I left off the last time I ran. Woohoo!
As for the Spring Farm Cares run, I have already missed the first sign-up deadline, before the registration goes from $20 to $22. Day of race registration is only $25 (I think). I may wait and decide at the last minute. In the meantime, I’ll give a shout-out to the run. If any local runners are interested, the website is www.runwalkfortheanimals.com. Spring Farm Cares also has a Facebook page.
Mohawk Valley Girl 