Tag Archives: weather

Running, Errands, Blues… My Scattered Saturday

Well, here’s another non sequitur for us, because I’m making my Saturday post on Sunday morning.  Once again, I offer no excuses.  As Popeye said, I yam what I yam and that’s all what I yam.  I’ll try for a Scattered Saturday post, although, full disclosure:  I did not do that much.

We got up extra early, due to insomnia, but I did not feel too ill-used by my body.  I was looking forward to going for a long run, which I attempted to do after coffee.  The run did not feel as good as I had hoped at first.  I wondered if I would make it for 35 minutes, which was my goal (to equal my last longest run and increase it on Sunday).  I ran up a pretty good hill, felt even worse, kept going anyways, and eventually got into it.  I ended up going for 35 minutes and feeling pretty damn good about myself.  Yay me.  I feel I am in 5K shape now.

After a shower, my recovery beverage of chocolate milk, and a protein-filled breakfast of a cheese omelet, I wrote some post cards.  Steven nicely agreed to walk to the post office with me.  It was still pleasantly cool, although hot temperatures were predicted.  It felt SO GOOD to walk! I love walking!  We passed by the Historic Four Corners, and I mentioned to Steven that I had used pictures of the 1834 Jail and County Courthouse in a recent blog post.  He had read the post.

Other errands we ran included a trip to the bank to deposit a check, a visit to Hannaford to purchase coffee, a graduation card, and a gift bag.  Back home, I took a nap, because of getting up so early.  Then I had to put on a mini fashion show for Steven.  The reason for the show was that I had to figure out what to wear to a cousin’s graduation party we wanted to attend.  After two or three changes of heart as well as shirt, my decision was made.

To get to the party, we had to drive to Rome to catch a ride with Mom and Dad to Baldwinsville.  It is always nice to spend a little time with my parents.  Additionally, they played blues music in the car on the ride.  I love the blues!

It was a very enjoyable Saturday.  I only feel bad that I waited till Sunday morning to make this post.  However, these things happen and we must make the best of them.  I hope you’ll all tune in later, when I make my Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.

 

Happy Wednesday Run

I’ve gotten a little obsessed with running lately.  It could be because my writing has not been going so well, especially this blog.  I say that because I have been sitting here for at least twenty minutes, alternately staring at the blank screen and typing in/backspacing out partial sentences. (In fact, I am sternly forbidding myself from backspacing out what I just wrote, because, dammit, I want to make a blog post!)

All this by way of saying, here is another Running Commentary post, even though I just did one two days ago, and I do not even have the excuse of an upcoming race (no Boilermaker 15K for me this year!).  I did not run yesterday, because my knees hurt and I had this weird pain in one hip joint.  It was a really bad pain when I bent certain ways.  I came home and took a warm bath in epsom salts which helped.  I also took some ibuprofen before bed, so my legs were better today.  I really wanted to run while I was at work (run away from work?  Not a bad idea…).  I even thought I might go running in the rain, which was predicted.

It was raining as I left work.  When I got home, I said, “I’m not running in the rain!  I’m having a glass of wine!”  Don’t judge me.  Anyways, I only drank half the wine and decided to go running in the rain.  It seemed to have died down a little; maybe it would stop.  Steven said it was very energetic of me, but after all, I did not intend to run very fast.

And right away, the run was not too bad, although the rain did not stop.  My knees twinged a little, but I’m used to that by now.  I dodged around puddles and ignored the water spots that soon covered my glasses.  Eventually I tried to find a dry spot on my shirt to wipe off my glasses.  I had to do this several times.  I was impressed that I could find a spot, but I guess my handle-bar hips created a shield while I ran into the rain.  Or something like that.

It was not till well into the run that my feet started to go “squish” in my sneakers.  Then I stopped worrying about dodging around the puddles.  I was just so delighted that my legs felt fine and my breathing was not problem.  How weird was that!  My Monday run was terrible!  I didn’t run at all on Tuesday!  I can’t worry about why these things happen; I just enjoy them when they do.

I ended up running for 35 minutes, the time of my longest run so far (this latest spate of running).  As I walked my cool-down, the rain started to get on my nerves.  I was sopping wet, of course.  No matter. I ran. It was a good run.  And now I have typed in a blog post.  Is it a good blog post?  I can’t worry about these things!  Happy Wednesday, everyone.

 

I Ran, I Voted, Now I’m Blogging

Well, that headline pretty much says it all; do we really need the actual post?  Of course we do!  At least, I do.  It turns out to be Tired Tuesday after all, but I will attempt to type a few moderately amusing paragraphs.

I knew all day that I was going to run.  I did not even feel that I had to talk myself into it; I was looking forward to it!  I think I mentioned that running has all of a sudden gotten fun again.  Naturally by the end of the day I had to remind myself that I did NOT need to be talked into running.  After all, I’m not a maniac. I even multi-tasked by putting a load of laundry into wash while I ran.

Alas, the run was not as much fun as I had anticipated.  It was not a bad run. I enjoyed more the parts in the shade, especially when the breeze was blowing.  It was a beautiful sunny day, such as many people adore. I confess to being more fond of a cloudy, gloomy sky.  No matter.  It was neither as hot nor as humid as yesterday, so I contented myself with that.  I did not run as far as I had run on Sunday; I was one minute shy of my next longest time.  It was quite the effort going for that long.  I mean, most of the run was not at all bad, but the longer I ran, the worser I felt (my computer seems to think “worser” is not a word, but it is exactly what I mean to say).  Well, I won’t get into a blow by blow of how I started out unhappy, got a little happier, then got progressively less happy and on down into relative misery (or have I said too much already?), because this is not a real Running Commentary post.

After getting the laundry into the dryer, hanging the non-dryables, taking my shower, drinking my recovery beverage, and checking my email, I reminded Steven that we had to go vote in the local elections.  He nicely fixed dinner first.

Everybody in Herkimer, NY had to go to the VFW to vote.  I felt lucky to find a parking space right in front of the building.  Additionally, there were no lines.  Score!  I was happy that Steven knew what district we are in, because I can never remember.  What cracked me up was that after we filled out our ballots we were to fold them and put them in this plastic tool box with a slit cut in the lid.  I love living in a small village!

Civic duty done, we returned home to vegetate in front of the television.  As soon as I finish this blog post.  I hope to crochet and watch Dateline.  Happy Tuesday, everybody.

 

Moving Slow on Monstrous Monday

Nobody does! Oh, I suppose YOU do (you know who you are).

I haven’t used this charming gentleman in a while, but he seemed appropriate.  It was a grisly hot day in the Mohawk Valley today.  Really, there were all kinds of warnings on the news about how we should stay hydrated and get our exercising done early in the morning.  I worked too early to run, so I just didn’t bother; judge me if you must.  The sad thing about that is that, quite abruptly, running has gotten fun again.  As I watched the afternoon drag by, I was sorry I was not going to run.  I looked forward to running on Tuesday, when temperatures are supposed to moderate somewhat.

Safety first! Walk, don’t run!

As I was looking through my Media Library for a picture of a monster running (which I don’t think I have anyways), I saw the above, which I believe I have not used recently. It is, of course, from Night of the Living Dead (1968), back in the days when zombies did not run but lumbered threateningly and people for some reason were often unable to get away.  I understand zombies move faster these days.  I have not see a recent zombie movie.  I don’t much like horror movies after the late ’60s.  They got too slashy for me.  There are, of course, exceptions.  Some newer movies are more atmospheric and psychological, and there are a few I like even if they did go through a tanker truck of fake blood.

“Who were you expecting, the Avon Lady?”

Thinking of blood, I close with my favorite blood-sucker, Nosferatu.  I’m calling this a Monstrous Monday post, or did you figure that out already?  Longtime readers may recall that I wilt and become quite useless in the heat.  I am brain dead.  Perhaps I am a zombie.  Today I am the lumbering kind, but tomorrow I hope to run.

 

Four Days On, Three Days Off, What’s Next?

I am nobody’s good example when it comes to fitness.  I triumphantly ran four days in a row, culminating in my longest run on Sunday.  Then I went three days without running.  Go ahead and judge me.  On the brighter side, I ran today and it was not a bad run at all.

I had told myself all day that I would run, trying as usual to internalize the idea.  I even said I would run rain or shine.  Even if it poured rain!  After all, “Run in the Rain” is a good title for a blog post.  Except that I think I already used it.  No matter, it did not rain.  It was actually lovely weather for a run:  cooler temperature, cloudy and breezy.  This was going to be great!

I did my usual multi-task of putting a load of laundry in the washer before I set out.  I prepared myself to listen to my legs, feet, and possibly back complain. I would persevere!  Maybe I would make it a short run, but I would persevere for as long as possible.  Imagine my delight when my legs seemed perfectly content to move.  I turned left on German Street and prepared to enjoy myself.

Eight or nine minutes into the run, I got this weird cramp in my lower abdomen.  How annoying!  The entire rest of my body was having a perfectly enjoyable run, but one little part has to give me a pain.  What was that all about?  I kept running.  Maybe it would go away.  It did not.  I kept running anyways.

I saw a small flag on the sidewalk and picked it up.  I don’t like to see the American flag on the ground.  It was frayed on one side, as if it has come off its little stick.  I held it by the edge as I ran.  Now I was running with a flag.  I was thinking it could be a Veteran’s Day run when I remembered:  today is Flag Day!  I was right on time!  This was great!

Only the cramp continued.  It is so bothersome when you have a pain: it colors everything you do.  I continued to run, stopping occasionally to smell flowers:  lilacs once, peonies two or three times.  Of course I kept these stops very brief.  I considered making it a short run because of the cramp.  Then again, there was no guarantee that the cramp would stop if I was not running.  I did not think it involved any running muscles.  I kept going.  Every body part other than the cramp felt great!  What the hell, body?

As I neared the end of the run, it seemed that I could definitely keep it up for 29 minutes, the same length as my last, longest run.  I WOULD keep it up for 29 minutes, yes!  In order to do so, I ran around the apartment building at the end of my street, then around its front drive, then past my house and back.  I did it!

I felt happy as I walked my cool-down, and even happier as I drank my chocolate milk recovery beverage after my shower.  The cramp did not go away, so clearly I was right to keep running.  I’m wondering now if I will make this another four-day streak, running Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  If so, I will strive NOT to take three days off after!

 

The Run I Almost Missed

How about a Sunday Running Commentary in lieu of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday?  I got out of bed this morning thinking I would not run but after a cup of coffee talked myself into it.  As Steven pointed out, it is a beautiful day.  I do love running in the morning and weekends are the only times I can do it (unless I run at 3 a.m., which is not the same thing).

As I ran out the end of my driveway, I saw the peonies in my front lawn were blooming.  I paused oh so briefly to sniff at them.  What a wonderful scent!  I flashed back to springs and summers of my childhood, when my Mom had a large peony bush (she still has it).  I made up my mind I would smell any peonies I encountered on the run.

I was expecting my legs to start complaining as usual, but they did not.  Score!  I crossed German Street and headed for Main, where there is a nice hill. Yesterday I ran the hill by Valley Health, so I am working my way up to the hill to Herkimer College.  My current goal is to be ready for the Falling Leaves Run in September, which is 14K and I believe has several hills.  I should make it handily, if I don’t fall off the running wagon.

At the end of Main Street I saw a sign, “Road Closed, Local Traffic Only.”  I added in my head, “And Cindy Running.”  The hill was not much fun, I admit, but I persevered till the top.  It is kind of nice to be less than seven minutes into your run and have the big hill out of the way.  As I made my way back down to German, I wondered where else to run.  Today should have been the day for me to add the weekly ten percent to my run time, making it 29 minutes.  When I talked myself into running, it was with the proviso that I would not necessarily have to do that (as Scarlett O’Hara famously said, tomorrow is another day).  I was at this point undecided.

When I got to German Street, the sight of peonies decided me:  I crossed German and ran down Harley Street.  The peonies were pink and white, several bushes stretching almost a block long.  I sniffed four or five blooms, making very short pauses to do so, nothing like the stops I make to pet dogs.  Incidentally, I did not see any dogs.  More dedicated runners may shake their heads and opine that I will never improve my run time if I stop while running, but I do not care at all.  I like to smell flowers and I like to pet dogs.

My legs felt fine but my breathing was a little ragged.  I concentrated on breathing in slowly and holding the air in for a second or two.  I heard this advice from a fellow soldier, who had heard it from a Native American drill sergeant of his.  He said it stood to reason:  you hold the air in so it has time to do your body some good.  It helped.  I started to feel thirsty so thought of running to the spring and taking a drink.  How long would that take me?  Would I run 29 minutes after all?

I turned in the direction of the spring, keeping an eye on the time.  It soon became clear that I could not make it all the way to the spring and back.  That was OK, because as usual I had a bottle of ice water waiting for me on my deck.  I figured times in my head, changed my mind a few times, going up one street and down another.  Ooh, more peonies, sniff, sniff.  It came to me that I was GOING to make it for 29 minutes and it was NOT going to be a problem!  I felt GREAT!  I could run for DAYS!  Yes!

As I walked my cool-down, I said to a neighbor, “I’ll tell you what, running four days in a row is the Way to Go.  I feel awesome!”

“There you go,” he said.

“Which I did NOT feel the last three days,” I added.  It is wonderful to prove things to yourself.  When I have to persevere through a bad run, I always tell myself, you have to get through the bad runs to get to the good ones.  Today was definitely a good run.

 

I Wasn’t Too Tired to Run!

How about a Running Commentary post instead of my usual Tired Tuesday or Bad Attituesday?  Once again I admit that what I do is called running only by the most generous definition of the word.  Then again, I like to think of myself as a generous person, although I daresay I am no more generous than anybody else.  Well, maybe more generous than some self-serving, stingy, I-got-mine cusses such as we all know, but I digress.

I had a bargain with myself that if it was raining after work I would go to the YMCA, if not, I would run. I wondered if I oughtn’t to go to the Y anyways, because I have not done any upper body or ab work in a while.  However, when I left work it was breezy and cool.  How could I waste that? It will be warm and muggy again before you know it.  Oh, I will run then, too, but why not enjoy some cool air while I can?  So that is what I did.

I put a load of laundry in the washing machine before I took off, so I could multi-task.  In general I don’t believe in multi-tasking.  I feel it is better to do on thing at a time and do it well.  But I don’t see how letting the machine wash while I thunk around the neighborhood could hurt anything.  This way I will not run out of clean handkerchiefs.

Right away my legs and feet were not happy with me.  I was not surprised.  Pretty much my whole body had been giving me grief all day.  I never got my Monday back-ache yesterday but made up for it today.  I tried not to dwell on it but just to keep going.  I had not been running since Saturday.  Sunday I had done strenuous yard work for an hour and twenty minutes.  Monday, well, you can judge me, that’s all.

I changed directions a couple of times because of traffic.  Sometimes it is easier to just turn down the sidewalk than to wonder if the driver is going to wave you by or run you over.  One driver waved me by before I turned, so that was nice.  I gave him the thank-you wave and sprinted.

Twice I stopped to take a quick sniff of peonies. Mine have not bloomed yet, but they’re getting there.  I saw some lilacs that were over. Alas!  I still don’t have any lilacs.  I would like to plant more flowers.  I only wish I were clever enough to plant varieties such that I could have something blooming all spring, summer and fall.

I also stopped to pet a few dogs.  First I saw my friends Chico and Bear with their Mom.  I greeted her and petted both.  Toward the end of my run I saw Pudge the pug crossing the street with his Mom.

“Is that my friend Pudge?”  I said.

“Oh, do you know Pudge?” she said.   I used to see Pudge out with his Dad all the time, but I have not seen him lately.  I petted Pudge and wished his Mom a good day.

It was really not a bad run at all.  I had moments of definite enjoyment, I mean when I was running, not just when I was petting the dogs.  There were a couple of brief stretches where I felt I could just go on, if not indefinitely, at least for a while.  By the end my feet were really hurting me, but I managed to persevere for 26 minute, the length of my last run.

As usual, I enjoyed my cool-down walk, although my water went down my Sunday throat once.  I hate it when that happens!  When I got back to the house, I was exhausted!  My body creaked when I stretched.  I made it to the basement to put the laundry into the drier.  When I got upstairs to take my shower, I wished I had one of those old lady shower chairs, so I could sit down while I washed.  Oh, just shower, I told myself, it’ll take you five minutes.  I certainly felt better after I was clean.

I felt even better after my recovery beverage of chocolate milk.  Now I am feeling tired again and not a little brain dead.  I think that is showing in this blog post, because I can’t seem to think of a conclusion.  How weird is that?  I know what:  I’ll close with a picture from my Media Library.  I’ll try to find something to do with running.

This is NOT what I wore to run today.

Will you look at that?  The only picture I have of me about to run is from the Little Falls Reindeer Run 5K last December!  I’ll have to see what I can do about that for future Running Commentary posts.

 

The Run I Deserved?

So I went running with the firm intention of making a Running Commentary post, and here I sit, feeling too tired to type a word!  And, of course, proving myself wrong by typing in words.  Let’s see if I can make the actual post before I have to start cooking dinner.

I seriously thought I would talk myself out of running. After all, I have been doing that successfully all week.  Judge me if you like, but the last exercise I got was a half hour walk on Sunday.  I really, really want to get back to running regularly and for longer periods of time.  Why have I not just gone ahead and done it, you may ask.  I have no answer.  Still, I felt reasonably pleased with myself when I got home, sat down with the laptop, then realized I was only going to check my emails before GOING RUNNING.

I put on sunscreen before my running clothes.  I got a load of laundry ready to throw in the washer.  I read recently that you are not supposed to leave the house or fall asleep when either the washer or drier is running.  However, I read it on the internet, and I do not believe most things I read on the internet. Anyways, I have been putting in a load of laundry and running while it washed for some time now.  If it ever does me dirt, I will write a blog post about it.

Naturally my legs were not pleased with me.  That is what you get, I scolded myself.  Start running every day and you won’t have this problem, will you?  The fact is, it is really hard to keep beginning again.  But what else can I do?  My choices are:  don’t stop running, stop running entirely, or begin again.  Obviously the first choice is the best, but how often do I do the best thing?  I remind myself that there have been many periods in the past twenty years (wow, has it been 20 years since I joined the army? How the time flies!), that I have been running on a regular basis.  I hope I am at the beginning of another one now.

The day was pretty: bright and sunny.  In fact, I prefer a cloudy and cooler day to run, but you can’t always get what you want (as the great philosopher Mick Jagger said).  I enjoyed seeing the green leaves on the trees.  They were large, summer leaves.  The delicate, just opening leaves do not last long.  That was OK by me, because this kind offers more shade.  I enjoyed the shade.

I thunked along, wondering how many calories I was burning.  If I had gone to the YMCA, I told myself, I could have been on a nice, smooth elliptical, which would have told me how many calories I burned.  Could I believe anything that smooth, though?  No matter; I was not at the Y; I was out in the fresh air and sunshine.  This was nice.

As I ran, I did not bother figuring in my head how many weeks till I was at 5K shape, if I increased my time by ten percent each week.  For one reason, my record has been so spotty about running every week, I may have been doomed to disappointment.  I managed to run for 22 minutes, which was how long I ran the last time I ran.  I think (too lazy to find my Running Journal and check).   I enjoyed my cool-down walk, and especially the bottle of ice water I had left on my deck to drink while I walked it.

I see I am over 600 words, and it is later than the time I had aimed to have the chicken in the oven.  Darn!  And I still have to add categories and tags, and think of a headline!  Well, that’s what I get.  I hope to see you all on Lame Post Friday!

 

It’s Monday Running Commentary!

So I ambitiously went running, thinking I could do a Monday Running Commentary for a change.  Then as I started cooking dinner, I thought maybe a cooking post.  Of course, a part of me always wants a Monstrous Monday, even when it isn’t Monday.  Then again, I have not been running in a while.  I think I’ll comment on it.

I have really fallen off the exercise wagon lately, much to my own detriment.  At my age, I need to stay active or I may stop moving entirely!  I did go for a nice walk on Saturday, so I have not been completely sedentary.  I took comfort in that and made my plans.  It was such  beautiful day, I preferred to do something outside than go to the YMCA.  I told myself, walk or run, but do SOMETHING!

As I got ready to go running, I realized I need to invest in some more sports bras (PLEASE do not tell me TMI!).  My supply is getting kind of old.  I found a couple to wear, though, as well as bicycle shorts, running socks and a loose-fitting t-shirt.  I remembered where my running shoes ended up.  This was going to be great!  I got together a load of laundry to throw in while I ran, just to be extra ambitious, especially for a Monday.

It was with a little frisson of virtue, therefore, that I started out.  Unfortunately, it was not long before my legs said, “Oh, crap.”  This was not going to be fun.  However, as I have often noted, if I have learned one thing, it is how to persevere.  After all, one must get through the crappy runs in order to get to the good ones.  I could at least enjoy the sunshine.

I could not enjoy the sunshine.  But I sternly warned myself against dwelling on my misery and kept going.  Seeing flowers and looking for shade distracted me somewhat. Some people were sitting out enjoying the day.  I even saw a sunbather, stretched out on a lounge chair, face down.  I was reminded of Hercule Poirot’s observation in Evil Under the Sun, about sunbathers looking remarkably alike.  Oh dear, he put it much better than that.   I don’t know where I put my copy of that book, and I really don’t want to take the time to look for it now.  Read the book yourself, if you like murder mysteries.

Anyways, I managed to run for 22 minutes (my favorite number!).  As is often the case, my cool-down walk was my favorite part.  I think my least favorite part is this blog post about it.  I’m sorry, folks, it’s Monday, and I have to finish cooking dinner.  I hope to see you all tomorrow, on Tired Tuesday.

 

May Pizza!

Steven and I celebrated today’s extremely warm weather with a short walk and dinner out.  I had meant to make a Pedestrian Post and took my Tablet on the walk in hopes of finding some of them there May flowers to take pictures of.  That did not work out so well.  I tried to take a picture of two trees starting to get leaves, but all I could see on the Tablet was the reflection of my own stupid face. No, I did not have it in “selfie” mode;  it was the result of the bright sun on the black screen.  I think.  I did not continue to look at it, because the angle was really showing up my middle-age turkey neck.  I don’t mind getting old, but there is no reason to stare at some things.

The sun was bright and hot; shade and breeze were not plentiful, but what we encountered was appreciated.  No, I am NOT complaining.  I would have enjoyed authentic spring weather, but I’ll take summer.  I said we should sit out on the deck with a couple of beers, but we were hungry and going out to eat sounded really, really good.  I suggested Franco’s Pizza in Ilion.  I had been there for the first time on a recent Scattered Saturday, but Steven had never been.

The restaurant was not crowded, but a few people were ahead of us ordering at the counter.  That was OK, since we needed time to peruse the boards and decide what to get.  We were still debating when it was our turn, so the counter person was able to help the person behind us who was picking up an order.  We saw a few people picking up orders they had called in.  Maybe we’ll do that next time.

At last we decided on a small, thin crust garlic pizza with sausage and mushrooms with ten butter-garlic wings.  We split a bottle of Dasani.  We sat at a tall table and enjoyed the retro ’50’s decor as well as the sunshine coming through the large windows.   The food was delicious, and we brought home leftovers.  Pizza for breakfast, my favorite!

Franco’s Pizza is located at 6 Central Plaza, Ilion, NY, phone number 315-894-5580.  For more information, you can visit their website at www.francosilion.com.  You can also Like them on Facebook.  I did.