I went running today so that I could do a Running Commentary blog post. The other reasons were (1) it was warmer than it has been for the past two days and (2) I had almost no headache all day.
As I left work, I reminded myself not to go crazy. It was a little warmer. It was not a heat wave. I would still need to wear leggings, long sleeves and probably a hat. Still, the sun was shining. It was a lovely afternoon. Could it be over 40?
According to my thermostat, the outdoor temperature was 36 degrees. Although it was sunny, there were clouds in the sky. It is, after all, winter. I dressed accordingly and got going.
At least the sidewalks were fairly bare. I dodged some snow and ice as I ran toward German Street. I wanted to run up to Herkimer College. I thought it would make a better blog post. Could I make it up that hill? Maybe I should run up the back way. Longer but less steep. Maybe I should just run up the hill by Valley Health. After all, I worked all day, and I had a migraine yesterday.
I looked at all the traffic and thought maybe I would not be able to cross German Street at all. Well, I could just run around streets on this side of German. There was no rule I had to run up a hill. All I had to do was run and write a blog post about it. It didn’t matter where. There was a break in traffic. I sprinted! I made it! But would I run to the college? Maybe a run into Brookfield Park?
Oh, who was I kidding? I wanted to run up to the college the front way. It is the impressive way. It is the way that makes my friend Phyllis say I am her hero. I like to be somebody’s hero. As I turned up Lou Ambers Drive, I looked longingly at Salvatore’s. It would be nice to go out to dinner later. However, I am trying to lose weight. Additionally, Steven works till 6:30. I would be hungry before that.
Sometimes I have to spit when I run. I don’t always follow advice, but in general I heed the song that tells me to don’t spi-it in the wind. I also don’t pull the mask off the ol’ Lone Ranger and I don’t mess around with Slim, but those situations usually do not arise when I am running. Full disclosure: that bit occurs to me almost every time I run, and this is the first time I used it in a blog post.
Oh, it took a long time to get up the hill. As I’ve said before, there was no suspense. I knew I would make it to the top. The knowledge was no comfort. I reflected that the bright day would make the view from the top better than the misty view on New Year’s Day. There was more traffic than I expected. One car slowed down and moved over. When I gave a thank-you wave, the girl driving waved back. I like little connections like that.
The view was very nice. Everything around me looked nice. I always think that sunshine is nature’s cosmetic, because almost any scene looks better in the sunlight. Then again, maybe things just looked better to me because I was at the top of the hill and I could breathe almost normally again.
My run down was not too bad. My cool-down walk was maybe a little too cool. The temperature was dropping by then and the wind had picked up. By the time I finished I was cold and TIRED. Well, why not be tired at the end of the day? And aren’t you all happy that I’ve made a blog post of over 600 words where I did not once mention what I couldn’t write about? I certainly am.
